The Night that the Rivers Rose and the Sky Fell

“There are two kingdoms, the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. One works one way and the other another way. And you can really see the difference between them.” That was how Pastor Flor summed up her ministry. I’m visiting her home and her work in a shantytown (or precario), along with my own pastor, Marvin of Nazareth Bible Church. Maybe the best symbol for the two kingdoms is the holes that pepper the outside of Flor’s church. Marvin sticks his little finger in one and draws my attention: “Do you know what these are? Bullet holes. The drug lords shot it out here one day and this is a reminder.” They make sure that I saw the man seated a few feet from the church, smoking crack cocaine.

We are walking through one of the most notorious precarios of the region. When I mentioned to a friend that I was going there, she exclaimed ¿Por qué? and made me promise to be careful. The name of the place is synonymous with narcotics, violence, prostitution, and murder. In short, the drug lords run the town. To get here, we drove a mere 5 minutes from ESEPA Bible College and Seminary where I teach, a cheerful place with well-lighted classrooms and happy students. Then we entered another planet. It is a village that takes up only 10 acres or so. Yet some 6 to 8 thousand people are crammed in. You have to cross a narrow foot bridge over a river in order to enter. While we waited for the pastor to meet us there, a couple of ladies spoke to us and pointed to the spot where I was standing. “This is where they murdered that taxi driver on Saturday night,” they said. “He drove too close, and they broke in to the car, dragged him out, took his clothes and car and everything and left him for dead.” “Right here?” I said. They nodded. (more…)

Published in: on February 6, 2012 at 8:59 pm  Comments (1)  

The just shall live BY FATE?

I occasionally visit an English-language church in San José, attended by African-Caribbean believers. For me, their English is harder to understand than most Spanish.

A few months ago, a lady behind me was leading us in prayer, and for a heart-stopping 15 seconds I thought she said that we Christians “live according to Fate.” What in the world…? Then I realized that with her accent the “th” sound comes out as “t” – ah, that’s better, she said that we live according to faith. Phew. One the truth, the other not, and just one letter separating them.

Two philosophies vie for our attention. One is Fatalism, the belief in Fate: qué será, será, whatever will be, will be.

The 3 Fates from Greek myth

And so, for example, a girl asks, Will this boy like me? and her friend answers, “Well, I believe that if it’s meant to be, then it’ll happen.” Into this category of Fate we can also throw other odds and ends: astrology, Mayan Calendars, Nostradamus. But some Christians view the world that way: “If it’s God’s will, it’ll happen, if it’s not, it won’t, so relax, what will be, will be.” Listen, I believe in the Sovereign God, but we sometimes act as if “God’s Will” is binding on God himself. “God cannot act contrary to his will,” to be sure; but that doesn’t mean that his will is a straitjacket.[1] Part of this error is the idea that prayer does not change things, but only changes the attitude of the pray-er to accept what would have happened anyway. More about prayer later (more…)

Published in: on February 1, 2012 at 5:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,

Can stay-at-home Dads be “real men”?

I guess I came in late for this controversy: from 2008 there’s a YouTube clip of a famous preacher and his wife, responding to the question: “What are your thoughts on stay at home dads if the woman really wants to work?”[1]

“Too many guys take too little responsibility” was part of the answer, one with which I fully resonate. We have a culture where men play at being boys well into their adult years. At a time when their fathers and grandfathers had buckled down to marriage and a job or were off fighting Nazis, some guys focus on playing the field or playing paintball until they’re, well, practically my age. The women are complaining and they oughta be. These guys need to hear a Word about their behavior.

But let’s put them to one side, since the gist of their response was something else: If men are not the primary bread-winners in the family, they are not doing “what the Word says.” Parenting must be done principally by the mother, not just “anyone,” not even the father. The idea of a father staying at home to focus on raising children is a perverted idea, taken from our modern culture, not the Bible. These men are “conformed to this world.” Such behavior would even by “a case for church discipline.”

Okay, let’s see “what the Word says.” (more…)

Published in: on January 19, 2012 at 11:04 am  Comments (3)  
Tags: , , ,

It’s not enough to read your Bible – you have to pay attention

The first time I listened to a music CD was in late 1986, at my friend Tim’s house. I’d been out of the country for some years, so I was probably the last of my circle of friends to actually hear one. Tim had a monster sound system, and he put on “In the Digital Mood” by the Glenn Miller band.

He had me at “Chattanooga Choo-Choo.”

So I bought a CD component for our stereo, and picked up a few discs, but got a harsh surprise. When I put one on for the first time, I heard all the pops, hisses and scratches that my old LPs had. What a rip-off!

I went over and turned the music up louder, and listened very closely. The noises disappeared, and I heard only the pure digital sound. Huh. I turned away, got involved looking at the paper, and it happened again – my CD sounded scratchy. Again, I listened closely, and the noises disappeared.

It took a few minutes to figure it out: my mind had tricked me.

I was so used to listening to records, that when I turned on my stereo, the brain knew what a recording should sound like. And so it fed me the music that I expected to hear, not the music that was playing. In a day or two, the residual effect wore off, and whether I paid close attention or not, it started to sound like a CD.

How often do we see or hear what we expect, instead of what’s right in front of us?

Reading your Bible is not enough. You must read with great care, making sure that you see precisely what is there or not there. It is natural that when you study the Bible, your mind is rigged to jump ahead – “I know what this says already” – and skips lightly over the text. Or it says, “Ah, I already know what this means, think no further!” You once heard someone say what it meant or you have a neat theological pigeon-hole for its message.

The Holy Spirit wishes to steer us, and we must consciously ask for his guidance every time we open the Book or meditate on it. This is pure grace; nevertheless, we shouldn’t give the Spirit more responsibility than is his due – why demand that he give the white flash of illumination to dull students of his Word?

The next time you see a difficult verse (turn the other check; give away your coat; give up everything to follow Jesus), take your time. Ask for help. Forbid your first impressions from becoming the Truth.

Additional note: a percentage of textual errors in the ancient Bible manuscripts are due to scribes hearing or seeing the text of, say, the gospel of Mark, but perceiving that it said something different. That’s why Mark includes wording or snippets of phrases that are found in Matthew or Luke in the better manuscripts, but which crept into Mark by accident. The scribes copied down what they “knew” they had seen or heard, not what was actually there.

Published in: on November 27, 2011 at 10:26 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

The 99% Solution

At times long-lost Greek manuscripts pass by my desk. They add a bit of class to the place, to counter-balance the Oreo wrappers, orphaned keys, and cats who like to see if they can type out their names.

I put on my special mittons and saw that this particular manuscript is from Luke 15. It starts off properly enough:

So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Then mysteriously this manuscript states, “And he asked his disciples, saying…” (̓Ηρωτήσεν δε τοῖς μαθηταῖς λεγών) and adds these additional lines:

And he asked his disciples, saying, “So, what do you think?”

One disciple consulted a chart and answered, “That was all very well under the Law, but it doesn’t apply to us. It’s not for this age.” He carefully rolled the chart back up and put it in its protective tube. (more…)

Published in: on November 15, 2011 at 3:53 pm  Comments (5)  
Tags: , , ,

“Dear Paul: We are sorry, but you are unqualified to be our apostle…” [Studies in 1 Corinthians]

Paul had a precise idea of how to serve God. He worked day and night with his own hands; he risked his life and his health; he “served” the churches and did not exploit them. As a teacher he acted with patience and consideration: when people wanted answers he gave them careful, detailed explanations. He communicated the gospel in a way that anyone could understand (1 Cor 9:20-22).

From what we can glean in 1 and 2 Corinthians, that church wanted a different breed of apostle:

Church at Corinth, Achaia

Wanted: an apostle with style

The church in Corinth is seeking applicants for the position of apostle. We wish to avoid leaders who do not measure up to the highest standards of Christian ministry. Hence we insist that all candidates fulfill the following conditions:

Professional demeanor

  • We want a man who holds his head high, not one with a slavish attitude of “service.” We want to show the appeal of the gospel for people with ambition.
  • He should own a vehicle; travel by foot gives the impression that one is a loser. (more…)
Published in: on November 1, 2011 at 11:04 am  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , ,

Where is MY special someone?? [Studies in 1 Corinthians]

The New Testament gives no formula for choosing a husband or wife. Yes, in 1 Corinthians 7, Paul speaks a widow who wishes to marry ‘is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord,’ that is, only if the new husband is a Christian. Apart from the instruction that Paul gives in that chapter is directed to very specific questions about singleness and marriage. He does not offer a full set of rules. In short, the apostles are concerned that we marry a Christian and that we live righteously within marriage; they say nothing about how to figure out which Christian to marry. In the first century and in many cultures, it is not the young people who decide on a mate, but rather parents or other members of the family or tribe. In many Latino cultures up to the 20th century the Catholic church used to require for example signed permission from both fathers.

The Western church of today adds to the apostolic teaching and at times sets it aside. Christians have adopted a romantic view of marriage that has more to do with 19th century philosophy and Hollywood movies than the New Testament. What comes out is the assumption that there is a special someone for everybody, that you have to find just the right person, that marriage vows are not as important as following your heart.

Despite the single story of Rebecca in Genesis 24:10-21, God never promises in his Word to give us a special revelation to show whom we should marry. (more…)

Published in: on October 24, 2011 at 4:01 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , ,

Thunder. Lightening. Isn’t God amazing?

Lightening near Volcano Arenal, Costa Rica

Thunder and lightning; how I love them. It’s a good thing too: here in Costa Rica, just about every afternoon from May through December we have a ferocious electrical storm. One tries to adjust one’s schedule so as not to be caught out in the torrential rain. And amusingly, the other day the paper ran an article: Rainy season is upon us! We urge you not to buy an umbrella with a metal tip, it might be the last decision you make!

Inside my office I close my windows, since the rain comes in at a sharp angle. I look at it for a while, then go back to my studies, hoping the internet doesn’t cut out. The thunder booms right outside, shaking the windows and setting off car alarms. This is thunder you feel in your chest. I smile and keep working. Thunder and lightning don’t bother me, no sir!

But it does bother some people. We have a four-year-old who spends many days with us. When it was thundering the other day, he teared up and repeated, “¡No quiero!” (“I don’t like it!”). Fortunately, I remembered a trick from when our kids were little. “Listen, listen! Just pretend that pirates are firing their cannons at you! When you hear their cannons, you pretend to pull the rope and yell ‘boom!’ and fire back at them! Watch, do it like this!” Little Ethan is crazy about pirates, so this brought a grin to his face. (more…)

Published in: on May 25, 2011 at 11:39 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

Look before you leap; pray before you preach

Once upon a time, Paul told the new believers in Thessalonica: “So, for this reason we give thanks to God without fail: because when you received the proclaimed word from us, that is, the word of God, you received it, not as a human message, but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess 2:13).[1]

With these words, Paul communicates that behind the apostles’ success was that they prayed. And in fact, later on he asks them, “pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the word of the Lord might run well and be glorified by its hearers, just as it was with you” (2 Thess 3:1).[2] The successful sharing of the word is prayerful. Paul did not write books on “Proven Methods for Successful Evangelism.” Pastors did not travel to Corinth and lay down bags of denarii to see his PowerPoints on “The Seven Irrefutable Principles of Preaching.” Although it can be proven that he used methods, the heart of the matter for Paul is that neither strategy nor methodology can bring down the power of God from heaven. (more…)

Published in: on April 29, 2011 at 2:47 pm  Comments (8)  
Tags: , , , ,

Have they Discovered the Lost Prayer Diary of Elijah?

The following is a scholarly address, which I seem to remember giving many years ago before the International Association of Scholars, Theologians, Philosophers and other Professional Thinking Persons (AFL-CIO).

Thank you for your invitation to address this scholarly assembly. Webster’s defines “scholarly” as “Of, relating to, or characteristic of scholars or scholarship”; but later on it gives a couple of other definitions,including #3 “depressingly and numbingly monotonous, dull, or wordy.” That seems to land us just about where we need to be. My lecture today concerns a recently discovered manuscript from around the Dead Sea that has by chance fallen into my hands, the so-called Prayer Diary of Elijah.

This discovery could shed new light on James 5: “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.”

Yet some scholars have doubts as to the new manuscript’s veracity (more…)

Published in: on March 20, 2011 at 5:53 pm  Comments Off  
Tags: , , ,
« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 51 other followers