February 2018 – Simple Authentic Loving

Pontius Pilate: Playing Games with God

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd,
— Matthew 27:24

Pilate in Judeah

Pontius Pilate landed a plum job as Prefect of Judea under Caesar Tiberius (26-36 A.D.), but he abused his role and history remembers him as a political monster.

First, there was the matter of the Roman Banners he brought into Jerusalem at the beginning of his reign. The Jewish people were opposed to “graven images” and deeply resented the Roman occupation of their country. Pilate, like most petty tyrants, tried to exercise a firm hand at the beginning of his reign by bringing the banners into the city and displaying proudly above the people. His plan completely backfired and Pilate was forced to take them down (Josephus, War 2.9.2; Antiquities of the Jews. 18.3.1; cf. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History. 2.6).

Next, Jerusalem was badly in need of an additional water supply. The question was how to pay for the aqueduct. Pilate raided the temple treasury to pay for it causing yet another riot (Josephus, War 2.9.4; Antiq. 18.3.2).

The third historical episode that we know of took place in Samaria. A rebelious group of Samaritans followed a false prophet to the top of Mt. Gerizim. Pilate had them slaughtered on their way. This direcly led to his recall and downfall.

Luke records yet another incident that we can’t confirm from sources outside the Bible but they certainly fit Pilate’s profile.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices, (Luke 13:1).

The Day Jesus Died

Early Friday morning, the old high priest demanded an audience with Pilate concerning Jesus of Nazareth. The Jews refused to come inside his palace, so Pilate sat in the gate and listened to them, (John 18:28 ff.).

Pilate knew it is out of envy that they brought Jesus to him (Matthew 27:18), but he doesn’t release Jesus. Instead he plays games:

Legal Gambit: “No basis for a charge. Whom shall I release Jesus or Barabbas?” (John 18:25 ff.)

Pass the Buck: “It’s a Galilean affair,” (Luke 23:6 ff.)

Appeal for Pity: “He has done nothing worthy of death. Behold the man!” (John 19:5)

Pacify the Crowd “I will punish and release him.” (Luke 23:16)

Wash His Hands of the Affair, (Matthew 27:24).

What Can We Learn?

Like Pontius Pilate, people still love to play games, but playing games with God is a very dangerous affair. Here are some of the games that I have seen people playing with God.

How good is good enough? I’m basically a good person. God wouldn’t condemn me, would He?

What’s the minimum? Do I need to have a perfect attendance record to go to heaven?

A Super-Abundance of Grace Our Catholic neighbors adore the “saints” who were so good, they believe, they more than met the minimum. Therefore, they teach the saints share their excess goodness with us. The Protestant version says, “God will let me into heaven because my granny/wife/husband was such a good Christian.”

The Escape Clause These people depend on the love and patience of God. They succumb to temptation because they believe, “You can always repent later.”

The Herodian Sub-Clause When the Apostle Paul defended himself before Herod Agrippa, the ruler put off becoming a Christian. “Now is not convenient.”

Be Sincere

For Christians, there is no room for game playing, therefore:

Be honest in your speech.
Be honest in your relationships.
Be honest with your God!

Some Things to Think About

Knowledge

Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. Why didn’t he do the right thing and release him?
Why didn’t Pilate listen to his wife? (Matthew 27:24).

Attitude

The heart of gamesmanship is hypocrisy. What is the cure for that?
Why is sincerity so difficult for some people?
What advice would you give them?

Action

How can we learn to be more sincere?

Friends for Eternity

Friendship and evangelism go together in a most wonderful way. To call someone “friend” is a beautiful epitaph and to call someone friend for all eternity is the sweetest of relationships.

Unfortunately both friendship and evangelism have fallen on hard times. We are overwhelmed with relationships and bombarded with demands. The frantic pace of life often prevents us from becoming close to anyone and nurturing friendships with the most precious of commodities, time. One of the great surprises of recent times involves online social networking. It has become far too easy to confuse knowing about someone with knowing someone!

To the ancients, friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves — the crown of life and the school of virtue. Moderns by comparison, ignore it. Why? Could it be that too few truly experience it?

Friendship arises out of companionship, but it blossoms when they discover something in common. It may be an insight or an interest that, until that moment, they believed was their special treasure. Hence, the picture of lovers is “face to face” but the image of friends is shoulder to shoulder.

Likewise, evangelism has often been cheapened into just another program. We often relate evangelism with sales, and the joy of sharing the good news becomes crass commercialism. We learn a “technique” or rely on “professionals” without ever realizing we are sharing a relationship with a friend.

Evangelism begins as we discover God for ourselves. It spills over as we introduce others to our eternal Friend. At its heart, evangelism is learning to love our friends in a way that even death cannot separate. The news we’re going to share is so good there is even a special name for it: Gospel.

When Cornelius was told Peter was coming to his house with the Gospel, he was so excited he invited all of his friends and all of his family to be there. Will you do the same?

Gluttony: It’s Not What You Think

“Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony,” — Proverbs 23:2

What’s For Dinner?
Numbers 11:4 – 6)

Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

Have you ever had a “strong craving”? We must eat to live, but gluttony is living to eat.

The greatest hurdle to understanding gluttony is to think it only pertains to food. Some people can’t have enough toys, television, entertainment, sex, or company. It is about an excess of anything.

The Day It Rained Quail
Numbers 11:31 – 32

Before we move on, let’s read the rest of the story. God taught the Israelites a lesson in response to their complaints!

Then a wind from the LORD sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground. And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers*. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

* A homer is about 221 liters! Multiply that by 10!

Where do sinful cravings come from?

James explained:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death, (James 1:13 – 15).

James is talking specifically about temptions. Perhaps a modern word for gluttony should be “addiction.”

Our cravings/temptations may come from stress, but whatever a temptation, we are very good at justifying our actions. “I deserve it.” “I earned it.” “God will forgive me.” “She will understand.”

What’s Your Trigger?

What are some of the schemes of the devil that lead us into overindulgence?

Returning to the scene of the crime If you don’t want to get drunk, don’t go to the party!
False Memories Over time, it’s easy to forget pain and only think about the pleasure.
If it’s there, I’ll eat it.
There’s more where that came from. Do you remember the -Pringle’s commerical? “Bet you can’t eat just one!”
Nature abhors a vacuum Put something good in it’s place.
Stress Scientists tell us “Daily stress can cripple the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s executive function, such as concentration, planning, and judgment.”

The cure for Gluttony lies in deliberately reducing our use of pleasurable things, not in eliminating them. When eating, quit before feeling stuffed. When snacking, don’t snack mindlessly — quit. With people, enjoy their company, but make sure you have some time alone.

*PEWSLAG: pride, envy, wrath (anger), sloth, lust, avarice (greed), gluttony

Some Things to Think About

Knowledge

What are some synonyms for gluttony?

What does Paul mean when he says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.?
Addictions rewire our brains. This makes it very difficult to overcome an addiction. How do people do it?
What role does the church and fellowship play in helping people overcome addictions?
How does the Holy Spirit help us wrestle with addiction?

Attitude

There are two schools of thought in overcoming an addiction. One says you need to distance yourself from the addiction and anybody else who has suffered from it lest you be tempted. The other says you must “own your addiction” by admitting you are powerless to resist. These people form support groups. What do you think?

Action

One of the most important elements of prayer is confession. Try to become more confessional in prayer this week.

Feel a Thought

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ― Paul, Colossians 3:16, 17

“Where words leave off, music begins.” ― Heinrich Heine

Why does God want us to sing? If all we are supposed to do is “teach and admonish one another,” then it would seem a good sermon or Bible class would be far more appropriate than singing.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent” ― Victor Hugo

While a lesson appeals to our intellect, music is played with our hearts (Ephesians 5:19) and the heart is a powerful thing. You can reason with an intellect, but not so much with the seat of feelings. Perhaps that explains why we feel so strongly about our tastes in music.

My Orthodox friends love the ancient monophonic chants. And because they feel so strongly about their style of music, they believe four-part harmony distracts from the sacred texts with its unnatural ornamentation. So should we only chant?

On the other hand, my young Millennial friends long for a total immersion in the worship experience. Their ears are delighted with overwhelming explosions of sound. Their eyes watch colorful backdrops of pictures moving with the beat of the music and their whole body shakes with the tactile experience of rhythmic movement, clapping and lifting holy hands. For them, worship in song involves as many different senses as possible. Simple song is drab in comparison.

My southern Sacred Harp friends delight in camp meeting choruses and shape notes, while my sophisticated choral friends believe in offering only the best music to God. Perfect pitch, spot on timing and virtuosity are the keys to a successful performance before God. Nothing else will do.

So what kind of music does God enjoy? Chants? Stately hymns or rambunctious praise? Perhaps the answer can be found in Who God is: our Father. And I know Fathers love the music of their children especially when that music comes from their loving hearts.

Be filled with the Spirit, making melody to the Lord with your heart, ― Paul, Ephesians 5:18, 19

“Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.” ― E.Y. Harburg

Guarding Against Greed

PEWSLAG*: The Seven Deadly Sins
Luke 12:13 – 21

John McKeel

Talking About Money

It’s a common belief among outsiders that all preachers ever talk about is money. That’s certainly not true at GCC, but maybe it should be. If there was a modern idol competing for our devotion, it just might be the almighty dollar.

Money is not the source of all evil (that honor goes to the love of money, 1 Timothy 6:10), but it certainly is the cause for a great deal of unhappiness.

The Younger Brother’s Dilemma

In Luke 12:13 – 21, a young man turned to Jesus for help. The inheritance laws in those days seemed unjust (see Deuteronomy 21:17). However, Jesus could see the young man’s heart and used this as an opportunity to teach us about possessions: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed….” (v. 14).

The common stereotype for the sin of greed is the old mizer sitting in his vault counting out his coins, but that has not been my experience.

In a list of spiritual gifts, the Apostle Paul includes giving as one of the gifts. (Romans 12:3 – 8). Obviously, before one can give, they must first have.

The sin of greed is related to eros, the desire to possess. It is an appetite that must be guarded against.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Jesus continues to teach by telling the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16 – 21). There are two things to note about the Rich Fool: first, he never saw beyond himself. He was the center of his universe. Greed by its very definition is selfish.

Second, the rich fool never saw beyond this life. The Bible reminds us, we will leave this world the same way we came into it:

There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, … As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand, (Ecclesiastes 5:13, 15).

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” ( Job 1:21).

The New Idolatry

Have you ever asked yourself, “What does money mean to me?” For some the answer is freedom. For others its prestige, and for still others, money is power. The Apostle Paul explains, greed is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5).

What Can We Do?

The Parable of the Rich Fool teaches us greed is selfish. It turns our focus in on ourselves. Therefore, the cure is an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude turns our focus outward, to others.

True worship, because it also is an expression of gratitude, can help us guard against greed.

The Apostle John summarizes what should be our attitude:

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth, (1 John 3:17, 18).

*PEWSLAG: pride, envy, wrath (anger), sloth, lust, avarice (greed), gluttony

Are You a Tourist or a Mountaineer?

Walking through the tourist center, I was always impressed by the visitors. They put their quarters in the telescopes, trained them on the mountain, drew a deep breath and concluded, “No one can climb that!” Of course, at the same time I knew people were in fact climbing that mountain (they were friends of mine).

On the other hand, once in a while, a climber would walk into the visitor center. He too would drop a quarter into the telescope, but he wasn’t looking at the challenges. He was looking for the opportunities. A tourist focuses on the obstacles – the rock walls, the dangling glaciers and the knife edges. A mountain climber searches for opportunities — a crack in the wall’s defenses, an overlooked chimney or a connecting ridge.

Life is like that too. Some people see opportunities where other people only see obstacles. Why is that?

Some people chose to be pessimists (the glass is half-empty), while others chose to have an optimistic outlook (the glass is half-full). I love the joke about the optimist who believes, “This is the best of all possible worlds!” And the pessimist is afraid he’s right.

I believe we chose our outlook, positive or negative. If that’s true, then we are responsible for the consequences of our choices. Eileen Guder, in her book, God, But I’m Bored, reminds us:

You can live on bland food so as to avoid an ulcer; drink no tea or coffee or other stimulants, in the name of health; go to bed early and stay away from night life; avoid all controversial subjects so as never to give offense; mind your own business and avoid involvement in other people’s problems; spend money only on necessities and save all you can. You can still break your neck in the bathtub, and it will serve you right.

It may feel like life is trying to crush you. It’s always easier to just give up and go home, but mountain climbers have also learned to climb the mountain “one step at a time.” Challenges can become opportunities when we focus on “just the next step.” Jesus concluded, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” (Matthew 6:34). A.J. Cronin (quoted in The Anxiety Cure) studied the things Americans worried about and discovered, we spend:

40% of our time worrying about things that never happen.

30% of our time worrying about things that happened in the past!

12% of our time worrying about our health

We waste 19% of our time concerned about petty, miscellaneous worries

And only 8% of our time on things that should legitimately concern us.

If you want to be a mountain climber and not just a tourist, choose your attitude and take life “one step at a time.”