Always Weak, Always Strong

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

7But we have this treasure in clay pots, so that this overflowing power might clearly be from God and not from us. 8We are afflicted but not finished off, at a loss but not despondent, 9persecuted but not abandoned, thrown to the ground but not destroyed. 10We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus may be revealed there also. — 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

I was at First UMC yesterday, and Dr. Wesley Wachob spoke about pain. There are a number of things I carried away from that sermon, but one comment he made was that preachers who tell you that you will not experience pain as a Christian are after your social security check. After I heard that I started considering Bible stories, and I think that of those about whom we have enough information, I can’t recall anyone who wasn’t recorded as having some sort of pain in their lives, unless there was something else wrong. I don’t remember any painful experiences in Solomon’s life, and look what happened to him!

In our passage today, a very famous one, Paul has been discussing his ministry. He uses “we” here, probably referring to himself and the company that worked with him in his apostolic activity. That’s the “we.” The treasure of the gospel is carried around in clay pots. Now to us, clay pots are often something special, because we don’t get them every day. They might be decorative, historical, or they might have some sentimental value. But in Paul’s day, and for millenia before him, clay pots were the standard utensils used in the house. They had the great advantage of being relatively inexpensive, and one would just sweep away the pieces if they broke. A good deal of ancient near eastern archeology is based on the fact that pots break and leave recoverable pieces.

So Paul is calling himself an ordinary, everyday vessel that is used to contain treasure—the message of the gospel. It’s done that way so that it will be clear that God is the one who is doing the work. Paul isn’t special. He’s a vessel for a very special God. He accomplishes this by being incorporated into the death of Jesus so that he can also have Jesus living in him. That’s a whole subject in itself.

But what I want to point out here is that having troubles for a Christian is not something to get us down, to wipe us out, or to leave us broken. We may be troubled and attacked on every side, but we’re never out. To use an athletic metaphor, as Paul does so often, it might be the bottom of the ninth and we’re behind by double digits in runs, but we know that we have several grand slams left in the line-up. Somebody else might write us off, somebody else might feel pity for us, but we don’t feel pity for ourselves. We know what the final scoreboard is going to say, and no matter what it may look like, no matter how impossible the situation may seem to others, we know that we’ve joined up with the One who is never defeated.

Sometimes when I talk about difficulties it may sound like these are things to be tolerated somehow. But the fact is that we’re called to confidence, joy, and victory, even as we know all the time that God is the one who is acting.

No matter what it looks like, we’re never abandoned, and if we’re never abandoned, then we know we’re in good shape, no matter how fragile the clay pot may look!

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Appearing to be Right

Posted on April 11, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

15With this assurance I wanted to visit you first, so you might have a double blessing. 16I wanted to pass through Corinth on my way to Macedonia and again as I returned from Macedonia, and then have you send me on to Judea. 17Was I being fickle when I wanted to do this? Do I set my desires according to human standards, so that with me “No” is both “No” and “Yes”? — 2 Corinthians 1:15-17

Some of you want me to go on quoting until Paul tells us that in Christ it is always “yes.” But that’s not the point of this devotional. Go read 2 Corinthians 1 and 2 for yourself to get the entire picture. It’s interesting that Paul’s point in telling us about how faithful Jesus is was not really so much to tell us about Jesus, as to let us know about how he was faithful in following the faithful Jesus. In other words, I could paraphrase what he’s saying to the Corinthians here as, “I preach Jesus who was faithful, and in carrying out his mission I’m faithful too, not fickle.” Paul was living the gospel he preached.

I was thinking about this passage in the shower this morning, and it suddenly connected with something in my life, and I think it’s something many of our readers might connect with as well. You see, I have some difficulty making the big decisions. I like to think about all of the ramifications, the impact on everyone both now and in the future, and be sure that I’ve got everything just right. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, it doesn’t always work out that way.

Jody, on the other hand, makes decisions quite quickly. I don’t think her decisions are any worse or less thought out than mine. They may be better on average. Her mind just operates a bit faster. But when the decision is made, we still can both find ourselves in the same situation. There will always be people who don’t really like what we decided, sometimes even when it’s not really any of their business.

I’ve been struggling to make a decision, and finally made it yesterday. I know some people are not going to like. Some people are going to object to the timing. Some people are going to be astonished. Now don’t think it’s all that earth-shattering. What I’m illustrating here is not the extreme importance of the decision I made, but the fact that when you make decisions, if other people know about them, they’ll feel free to criticize and misunderstand.

I then thought about Paul and his correspondence with the Corinthian church. Depending on how you read certain passages, we can be certain Paul wrote at least three letters to Corinth, almost certain of four, and one might go even for five or six. In the ones that we have (two to four, if the view of some scholars that 2 Corinthians actually combines two or three letters is correct), Paul is constantly explaining himself. The Corinthians seem completely determined to misunderstand what Paul says and does.

Paul goes to much effort to explain himself, and that’s what he’s doing in our passage. He’s trying to make sense of what was probably a difficult decision to make. I suspect that considering communications in that time, and the complexity of Paul’s work, he had to change his mind numerous times. He may even have developed a reputation for not being very reliable, not because he was unfaithful, but because he had to change plans to meet needs along the way.

Here’s what came to me in the shower. Take it for what it’s worth! If Paul had to explain himself for these decisions, why should I worry that certain people will misunderstand little decisions that I make? I will never satisfy everyone. That’s not an excuse not to take everything into consideration. It just means that once I’ve done the best I can, I can leave the rest in God’s hands. If questioned, I have the truth.

God is faithful, and his followers should be. But remember that just because you are questioned doesn’t mean you have failed. You won’t always appear to be right.

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When Things Go Wrong

Posted on April 10, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

1In you, YHWH, I have taken refuge.
Never let me be put to shame!
2Bring me to safety me because you are righteous,
Listen attentively to me!
Hurry up and deliver me!
Be a great rock to protect me,
A fortress to bring me salvation!
3For you are my rock and my fortress,
For your reputation’s sake, guide and help me.
4Get me out of the snare they have set for me,
For you are the one who helps me.
5I trust my spirit in your hand.
Redeem me, YHWH, for you are a trustworthy God. — Psalm 31:1-5

When something goes wrong in your life, what is your first call?

I have to admit that as I’ve read this passage over the last few days this question has bothered me. Let me confess something. No matter how many times I teach it, no matter how many times I determine to live it, very frequently God is not my first call in trouble.

  • When my care breaks down, I check the bank balances and call a mechanic.
  • When money is short, I look at business receivables and possible sources of money
  • When something is missing, I search for it frantically
  • When there’s a health issue, I check with the numerous medical folks in my family, or I call a doctor

In none of those situations is my first call to God. Now none of the things I mentioned are bad things to do. I suspect that even if I call on God I’m going to have to work with bank accounts, mechanics, doctors, and so forth. That’s not going to change that much. God will help, but he’s likely to point out to me that he called the mechanic or the doctor to be at that place—in other words, he already has helped!

What would change is me. You see, if I call on God first and put the result in his hands, I can handle the rest much more simply. I could quit worrying. I heard a little rhyme when I was in the Air Force. I don’t know the origin of it. It goes something like this: “When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!”

We often miss the simple things. While we wait for God to intervene in a spectacular way, and complain that he didn’t intervene in the way he wanted us to, we can miss the fact that he provided a very straightforward means of helping us. Worry is a time and energy waster. It doesn’t accomplish anything, and it prevents us from accomplishing things we would normally be able to do easily.

Jesus didn’t just give good spiritual advice when he told us not to worry (Matthew 6:25). We see this as some kind of esoteric command that we have to strive to fulfill. We worry about not worrying! But actually it’s an excellent piece of practical advice.

Whatever the problem is, worrying won’t fix it. A good first step to avoiding the path of worry is to call on God first. You may still have to look for your checkbook, pay your mechanic, or heed your doctor’s advice, but your blood pressure will probably be lower, and your mind clearer.

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Chosen to Proclaim

Posted on April 9, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

9But you are a chosen race, and kingdom of priests, a holy nation, God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the redemptive deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. — 1 Peter 2:9

We all like the idea of being chosen. When we’re younger and we’re in school it felt good to be chosen early for the team. The fact that you were wanted made you feel warm inside. I was not chosen for the team all that often, but I was often chosen for study groups, or to help out. It doesn’t matter what you’re chosen for; it feels good!

Oddly enough, as Christians, we like the idea of being chosen, but we’re not always so concerned about what we’re chosen for. Being chosen generally has a reason. Even when one is chosen for an award, it’s usually so that one can be used as an example of some sort of good activity so that others will be encouraged to do the same thing.

But as Christians we often feel that we are chosen to just be somebody special. Now I’m not scoffing at the fact that God loves each person. You are, in fact, special. God loves you. But God loves you too much to let you sit around and feel special. God has a greater plan for you than that!

And here it is. God wanted a nation of priests. He said so in Exodus 19:6. He wanted to be in contact with all his people so that they would, in turn, introduce him to the world. Here Peter is saying that God has at last chosen some people to do precisely that.

We get into all kinds of tangles over whether God “unchose” the Jewish people at this point. But that type of thinking reflects the idea that being chosen has to do with sitting around and being special. When 11 people are chosen for a baseball team, they will all end up playing. It’s not a matter of one superseding the other. Rather, it’s a matter of everyone having something to do. Some will even do the same thing, but at a different time and place.

So as Christians we can be chosen as a holy nation without eliminating someone else. In fact, this very passage was first addressed to Jewish believers, though I think it clearly applies to more.

But the most important thing is to notice the task to which we are called—proclamation. That’s where we get uncomfortable. We want to feel special, but we don’t want to have to talk about it. We don’t want to proclaim.

Now don’t imagine that “proclaiming” means that you have to be a preacher. Simply offering to pray for someone is carrying out this mission. Encouraging someone, telling them that Jesus loves them, and being Jesus for them by helping them—all these things proclaim the message.

Feel special today—feel that special mission—and proclaim Jesus, crucified, but living in your heart.

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Which is Most Important?

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

41Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized and about 3000 were added to the church that day. 42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to prayers. — Acts 2:41-42

I was doing my reading this morning from the Holy Spirit Encounter Bible (NLT), and there’s a little box just above this passage, one of their “Holy Spirit Encounter Moments.” Now the fact is that this puts the box quite a ways from the part that talks about tongues in Acts 2, and I was prepared to be annoyed with them. All of which shows that one shouldn’t be too hasty to judge!

Their little box, and my thought for this morning is based on Acts 2 as a whole. If you have time, just read the chapter and try to see the emphasis.

But I want to present you with the question that was asked in that Bible edition. First they note that those who came together on the day of Pentecost spoke in other languages, and that people from many countries heard the gospel spoken in their own language. As a result of this speaking and hearing, many people believed.

Our modern love of things to argue about often leads to us spending most of our time on the controversial aspects of this passage. Does the baptism of the Holy Spirit always result in speaking in tongues? Is there only one baptism, the one described here, or is it an individual experience for every Christian as well? Do you have to be baptized in order to be saved?

But none of that is the focus of the chapter. First the believers are together, then the Holy Spirit fills them, and all these people hear the message. Finally, 3,000 are baptized and join the church. It’s a time of rejoicing that the preaching of the gospel has been heard and received.

And the Bible I was reading presents just the right question:

Are you willing to surrender your tongue to the Spirit so that others might hear the gospel?

We all have our individual uses for various things. Many think of the gift of tongues as simply a sign that here is someone who has been baptized by the Spirit. Others wonder whether the people who speak in tongues are nuts. I don’t intend to try to solve this argument in a devotional, but to suggest there’s something more important here.

God wants to know whether your tongue is surrendered to him, so he can use it to present the gospel.

So what’s most important to you? Is your first question when you speak whether you have built up God’s kingdom? Is the most important thing to you whether the gospel has been proclaimed? It’s something to think about seriously.

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Separation and Getting Together

Posted on April 7, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

1Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God and also in me. 2In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If it was not so, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also. — John 14:1-3

Jesus addressed these words to his disciples shortly before he was to go to the cross. The disciples were anxious about what would happen, and what separation would mean. They weren’t sure how to take it and whether they could be confident that they would rejoin their master again.

But these words are also addressed to each one of us, and to us as the body of Christ in the world. We live in a state of tension. We’re separated from Jesus, yet we have a task to do here. We want to be with him, yet we have to live here. We know he’s with us, but that doesn’t quite seem like the same thing. We can talk to him through prayer, but again, that’s not like having him here.

I can compare this from being separated from family members, but especially children and grandchildren. John is going to be staying with us for a few months, playing baseball with the Pensacola Pelicans. There’s some tensions for me in getting everything ready, but mostly there’s an anticipation of having him here. I wish the two boys were coming at the same time. I can talk to them on the phone, I get regular pictures, I know they’re alright, but it’s not the same thing as having them here.

What can give us joy in our Christian lives, however, is the knowledge that we can trust Jesus to do as he has promised. If we trust that he is preparing a place, and that he will come again, things will be different. Having a date when I expect John to be here is nice. I know when it will happen, and that gives me confidence.

I don’t know when Jesus will be here, but I do have confidence in him that just as he said he will come again. I have confidence that one of those many rooms is set aside for me.

The separation is hard, but the hope is great.

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Eyes on Jesus

Posted on April 4, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

17The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there’s freedom! 18And we all, with our faces unveiled, see the Lord’s glory, and are being transformed from glory to glory since this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. — 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

There’s a lovely song, written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922. The refrain goes like this:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

(You can find more information on this song on the CyberHymnal.)

I had been writing about this passage from 2 Corinthians, and so when this song came to me this morning while I was walking the dog (it’s amazing how many things come to me in the company of that dog!) the connection jumped into my mind immediately.

Now there’s an immediate and specific situation that the verse addresses. As he was always, Paul was disturbed and concerned by the fact that so many of his own people did not accept the gospel. Here he indicates that there is an unveiling that must take place, that those who do not understand must have the veil removed from their hearts before they can recognize the Lord.

But I think we could extract a general principle from the verse as well: If you’re not looking at Jesus, you’re not seeing straight. Many of us use the expressions “keep my focus” or “get focused.” What we mean is that we want to concentrate on the important thing(s) and leave out all the distractions.

Well, this is your ultimate spiritual focus. It’s the one thing that will let you see straight. It’s the key to a good Christian life. Turn to Jesus, look at him, and be transformed. There doesn’t appear to be any transformation without seeing. This is a point that John makes in his gospel in chapter 9 and elsewhere, as well as with the resurrection appearances. We all need to have our spiritual eyes open. If we can’t see, we cannot be transformed.

There are so many distractions in the world today. It’s hard to keep focused on what we need to see and do. Many things that are not very important push themselves forward and try to take up all our attention, our time, and our energy.

Which things are important? That’s what Paul is telling us about, and what Helen Lemmel caught in her song. If you keep looking at Jesus, the stuff that isn’t so important will fade away, and the important things will become clearer and clearer.

It’s simple. It may seem too simple. But it will work!

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Not Deserving Bad Treatment

Posted on April 3, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

20What honor is there in it if you are treated badly for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you endure suffering when doing good, God graciously blesses you. — 1 Peter 2:20

When Peter penned these words, he was talking to Christians who might face persecution at any time. Most of the time they were left alone. At certain periods, the Romans instructed their officials not to pursue Christians, but to take action against them if they were reported. At one point, since martyrdom was considered great, some Christians would turn themselves in so as to become martyrs.

I doubt Peter was addressing that particular situation, but it illustrates a potential problem. Many Christians like to think of themselves as persecuted. For whatever reasons it makes them feel better. They wouldn’t want to undergo actual persecution, of course, but they like to be thought of as upholding their faith against great opposition.

Now I don’t want to belittle the opposition that Christians do face, including ridicule from unbelieving coworkers. More commonly you might face ridicule from others who are Christians, at least in name, usually because they regard some of your spiritual or moral choices as fanatical. At the same time, I think we need to be careful how we use the word “persecution” when all over the world there are people who are truly persecuted, in the sense of being killed, tortured, or at a minimum have their lives threatened. This type of persecution is very rare in the United States. Perhaps we could try “harassed” or “annoyed” for what we go through here.

The people Peter addressed, however, were more likely to give up on being law abiding citizens. After all, they were outlaws already, so what was the difference? Why not go all the way with the “citizens of another kingdom” thing? Peter is telling them to be sure they don’t deserve the trouble. Suffering for Jesus when you’re doing right is good. Suffering because of your own wrong actions is quite another matter.

Now I want to transfer this principle to modern day Christianity. Many Christians determine not to witness because they are afraid of opposition. Others who do witness tell repeated stories of being laughed at, ridiculed, or otherwise mistreated. I would start by reminding them that there are many places in the world where you would be likely to get executed for witnessing, so what’s a little verbal opposition. The number of people who will drive you off with a shotgun in America is vanishingly small.

But a more important point is this: Don’t bring harassment on yourself because of your behavior. The fact is that too many Christians see witnessing as the process of proselytizing, which we could define as “making other people into Christians.” But that isn’t it. God makes people into Christians, or not, according to his knowledge and purpose. (I’m purposely skirting the “free will” discussion here!) Convicting and changing hearts is the work of the Holy Spirit. Your job is simple: Witness.

Now there are matters of timing, but most of us, if we would just treat witnessing as a natural part of our lives, would have no trouble with that. What do I mean about treating witnessing as a natural part of our lives? If you buy a new car you tell your friends about it. You don’t break into their church service, for example, to do so. You do it when it comes up naturally in conversation.

If you live as a Christian, you will have little difficulty finding opportunities. In fact, if you are involved in your church community it is likely to show, and you’re likely to get questions. Answering someone else’s questions is always good timing.

Make sure that if you’re being treated badly for your faith, you’re not bringing it on yourself. As Peter says elsewhere: “. . . Always be ready to give an answer to those who ask for the hope that is in you. 16But do so with gentleness and respect, having a clear conscience, so that those who speak ill of you for your good behavior in Christ might be put to shame when they abuse you” (1 Peter 3:15b-16)

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Leading us to Faith

Posted on April 2, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

20Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. 21And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God. — 1 Peter 1:20-21 (CEV) [note link goes to RSV]

There are so many different reasons given why Jesus had to come to earth, live as we do, and then die. The interesting thing is that anyone who claims a single reason is the reason is probably wrong, but most people who claim a reason are right. One might summarize it by saying that Jesus came to fulfill God’s plan.

There is a key reason given in our passage today, and I quoted from the Contemporary English Version because it states this so clearly. Jesus came to lead us to have faith in God.

Now that’s much more than simply believing that God exists, or even believing lots of stuff about God. There’s the story told of the acrobat who was demonstrating tight-rope walking over Niagara Falls. I’m probably going to invent a new version of this as I tell it, so bear with me! He walks across, does some tricks, then walks across with a wheelbarrow. Finally he pushes the wheelbarrow across the falls with a large sack of potatoes in it. Finally he turns to a man in the crowd and asks, “Do you think I could push this wheelbarrow across the rope with a man inside?”

The man says, “Yes.”

“Well,” responds the acrobat. Get in the wheelbarrow!”

Faith moves from believing that God exists, and even that God is the creator, redeemer, and lawgiver, to the point where one puts one’s trust in God. That takes a great deal of trust, and God knows that.

Jesus came so that he could invite you to get into God’s wheelbarrow and do some outrageous things for him. He sent Jesus to show you that it could be done. Jesus did what he saw his Father doing, what his Father told him to do. Jesus lived by the power of the Holy Spirit, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Now he calls on you and me to put our trust in him.

Are you ready to get into the wheelbarrow? Or do you just trust the master acrobat to carry someone else?

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What Shall I Give Back?

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Henry Neufeld

12What shall I give back to YHWH
for all the gracious things he has done for me?
13I will lift up the cup of salvation,
and call upon the name YHWH.
14I will fulfill my vows,
in the presence of all the people. — Psalm 116:12-14

One of the things I do for my daily devotionals is read the lectionary texts for the two upcoming Sundays each morning. This means that I generally repeat reading each text 14 times. Now I’m not telling you to do the same thing. Devotions are very personal between you and God, and you have to do what works. But I mention it because of the blessing of repetition. We’re often afraid of repetition because it might be boring, or it might become a ritual. But often it simply helps something become more a part of us.

The text I quoted above is from one of next Sunday’s selections, so I’ve already read it a number of times. But it wasn’t until this morning, as I was walking the dog and thinking about this devotional (I got off to a slow start this morning!) that it suddenly hit me.

How will I pay God back for his grace? Good theologians will shudder and discuss the definition of grace, and point out how miserably unequipped we are to pay God back for anything. But millions of Christians have asked something like this question. We answer it in many ways. Some conclude they can’t, so why bother trying. Others get confused into thinking they can. Some believe that God demands certain specific things. Many, many people have been trying to earn God’s grace even before they think they have received it. (I would suggest that it is impossible to live without receiving God’s grace in some sense—it’s just there!)

The psalmist asks this very common question, and doesn’t spend much time answering it. I think the sparse expression here reflects some serious thinking. How can I pay God back? Well, all I can do is the things I ought to have done anyhow. I lift up the cup of salvation, meaning that I proclaim that God has provided salvation and I fulfill my vows. And right between those, I call on God, and most probably I invite him to do more.

In the white space between those few, well-selected words, the psalmist proclaims grace. God has acted graciously, and you can’t pay him back. All you can do is go right on thanking him and asking for more.

Why not pause for a moment and thank God for all the gracious acts he has done on your behalf? Then recognize there’s nothing you can do to pay for it, lift up the cup of salvation, proclaim his name, and go on living for him.

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