Righteous vs Rebellious (Hosea 14:9)

What is the standard of truth? How do we know what is "right" and what is not "right?" Is "what is right" subjective to our circumstances? Is it subjective to our health? Is it subjective to our happiness?

For the Christian, these questions should be easily answered. The Bible is the standard of truth. What it says is true, and what it commands is good/imperative. God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through human authors who have recorded His divine revelation in the books of the Bible. Its truth is truth 100% of the time; there is never a time when God's truth is not truth. And there is never a time when His commands are mere suggestions. Some of us read things like this and say, "well, it's not important to think about all of this logic stuff... we just need to live right and love God." Jesus said "if you love me, you'll obey my commands," (John 14:15).

But do we really believe that? There's a difference between intellectual ascent (knowledge/belief) and active obedience (wisdom). James 2:19 says that even the demons believe in God... Christianity is about much more than belief - it's about surrender. "Surrender what?" Keep reading.

If we believe that God's word is truth, then what do we do with it when it reveals sin in our lives? For instance... what do you do when you come across a passage like James 3:10 (the tongue)? It tells us not to let filthy talk/cussing/curses come out of our mouths. So when we read that, what do we do with it? If it's truth, then it is to be obeyed. And it is impossible to "love Jesus" and not obey His commands.

"But Tony, sometimes it's just not that easy." I know - and I agree. Many times, being obedient to God's commands is just down-right hard... but that doesn't change the imperativeness of the command, or the degree of the truth. Let's take an excerpt from Jesus' sermon on the mount into consideration. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus tells us that if we look on someone with lust in our hearts, we've already committed adultery. So how many of us, when we lust after someone (who is not our spouse) repent, confessing the sin of adultery? That's what I thought. "But Tony, you can't be serious! Really??? Adultery?!" Yep - not my words. Jesus' own words.

Here's the big one... Same passage, but now verse 32. You know the one... no divorce except in the case of sexual unfaithfulness.

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"But Tony, do you mean to tell me that I'm supposed to stay in this relationship even if it is making me miserable?" Matthew 5:32. "But Tony, what if she's spending all of our money and sending us into bankruptcy?" Matthew 5:32. "But Tony, he keeps telling me that going to church is a waste of time, and that God doesn't really love me." Matthew 5:32.

Now let me throw in a disclaimer here... Sometimes, it is necessary to set boundaries in relationships. Henry Cloud and John Townsend co-authored an excellent book entitled Boundaries in Marriage, which I recommend to any of you who is dealing with this concurrently. I don't want to take the space to explain the concept here - if you are experiencing a great challenge in marriage, I suggest reading it. I'll let you borrow my copy if you'd like.

HOWEVER - divorce is not the answer. In fact, even in the case of sexual unfaithfulness in marriage, I don't think divorce is the best answer. God is the God of restoration, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and He CAN restore your relationship. I've seen it many times. 


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Back to the point - - - 


Why, then, are some Christians okay with divorcing their spouse because they "just aren't happy anymore," they "feel like he doesn't care about me like he used to," or, "I just don't love him anymore?" This is where the -surrender- part comes in. "Surrender what?" you ask... Surrender your desires to His commandments. 


"Why are you harping about marriage, Tony?" Because I believe that Satan is on a ravenous binge, seeking whomever he may be able to devour (1 Peter 5:8). I think he's playing on our American-culture's obsession with our own happiness, and using it to destroy family after family, and Christian influence after Christian influence. Marriage is under attack - and I don't mean just legally, or philosophically. I mean spiritually. Satan is attacking our families, and it breaks my heart to see marriages - especially Christian marriages - fall apart because of our Western-world claim to happiness above all else, even above God's truth.  


I know, I know... this seems so barbarian. "Surrender my desires?" "Doesn't God WANT me to be happy?" Sure - but, as I've written in other posts - more than wanting you to be happy, He wants you to be holy. And why? Why doesn't God just want you to do your own thing and pursue your own happiness above all else? Because He knows that your happiness will result when you are pursuing His holiness. 

"How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the law of the Lord! Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart." - Ps. 119:1-2

God knows that true happiness doesn't come from indulging ourselves in our own desires. He knows that true happiness comes from delighting ourselves in Him. Does He want you to be happy? Oh yes... but He wants you to be REALLY happy... and He knows that can only happen when you surrender your own ways, stop explaining away His truth, and become obedient to His commands.

"For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." - Hosea 14:9.

What are you? - - - righteous, or rebellious?

Grace and Peace,
Tony

Command or Proclamation? (Acts 1:8)

       I am easily distracted. Any member of our Sunday School class, my lovely wife, my private lesson students, and even my children can attest to this fact. Most of the time, when I'm really "on-a-roll," I don't even notice distractions... but when I do - well... let's just leave it at "I'm easily distracted."

       Unlike the dogs in the funny little clip above (From Disney's movie UP!), when I'm distracted, I very often have a difficult time returning to whatever it was I was doing. In fact, if it's a significant distraction, I may even completely forget what I was saying or thinking prior to its invasion. I think a lot of us are like this. Especially men! Then after the interruption, I have to think for a minute and get back on track... I'll remember the words that were said, the conversation I was in, and then eventually (on a good day)... the whole scenario. 

       I imagine this to have been the case when the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven. He could have been giving them the quadratic formula, or the cure for AIDS before His miraculous departure, but I bet it would have taken them quite some time to recompose after that significant of a squirrel - oops, I mean... event. 

       Acts 1:8 is paramount to Christianity. It has so much impact, so much truth, so much vitality, that it permeates every area of the Christian faith and practice. But as Jesus finished those words, I bet the disciples were a little distracted by His next feat - ascending into the heavens on a cloud. I can imagine their jaws on the ground, and pools of saliva accumulating for a while when... all of a sudden... squirrel #2!!! Two angels speaking to them about eschatology - and at the time, who cared what they were saying?! There were TWO ANGELS IN FRONT OF THEM!!! I suppose it took a little while for the disciples to regain their composure after those two major distractions. I wonder exactly how much time lapsed between verses 11 and 12. Minutes? Hours? Days? 

And then... the remembering began. "What was it we were talking about before those distractions? Something about... power, Holy Spirit, Samaria???!!! WHAT?! SAMARIA?!" Yeah - it may have taken a while for those guys to fully understand the implications of Jesus' last words to them. And I think we still don't quite "get it."

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"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8

Let's divide this verse up into two sections. Firstly, "You will receive power," and secondly, "You will be my witnesses."

PART 1: You will receive power...

       Most obviously, the Holy Spirit had "come upon" the disciples on the day of Pentecost, as evidenced by the sound of a violent wind, tongues of fire, and speaking of foreign languages (Acts 2:1-4). A miraculous event, indeed, and a fulfillment of Jesus' proclamation. [side note: it is extremely interesting to compare this miraculous language division gift with the miraculous language division punishment of Gen. 11 (Tower of Babylon).] 

       "What do you mean by 'Jesus' proclamation,' Tony?" You saw it in Acts 1:8. The Holy Spirit WILL come upon you. Jesus proclaimed that. It was a statement. He also proclaimed that the disciples would receive power on this occasion. When you get a chance, cross-reference Acts 6:8, 18:19, Micah 3:8, and Romans 15:19. The gift of the Holy Spirit came with power. Now to the biblically-literate Christian, this should be no surprise. After all, it was, again, proclaimed by Jesus. You WILL receive power. 

PART 2: You will be my witnesses...

       This is the part we miss. Let's start by looking at the Biblical and early Church historical record of this proclamation's fulfillment. Jesus told them they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Historical Church tradition and literature reveals some missionary endeavors about the disciples after Jesus' death:

Peter - Rome.

Andrew - Russia and Greece.

James (brother of John) - Jerusalem, Judea.

John - Asia Minor.

Philip - Western Turkey.

Bartholomew - Eastern Turkey, India, Egypt, Arabia.

Thomas - Southern India.

Matthew - Ethiopia.

James (Son of Alphaeus) - Egypt.

Thaddaeus - Assyria, Persia.

Simon the Zealot - Egypt, Persia.

Matthias - Caspian Sea area.

Paul - All of Ancient Near East, and as far westward as Spain.

Other early church literature tells us that most of their contemporary nations/cultures/regions had been evangelized by the end of the third century A.D.  So in history, we see the fulfillment of Jesus' proclamation that they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

       Most of the time we look at this verse as a command - and it should be taken as such, in a way... BUT... let's look a little deeper into the grammatical structure. Jesus proclaimed that the disciples would receive power. He also proclaimed that they would be His witnesses. Jesus wasn't asking them to do this. And He wasn't suggesting that they do it. He was proclaiming that they WOULD do it!

As sure as the power that accompanies the indwelling of the Holy Spirit 

is the assurance of it’s objective… you WILL be My witnesses.

What does this mean for you? Glad you asked. 

       Local and global missions is a package deal with Christianity. If you are a born again believer in Christ, you WILL be His witness. It's not optional. It's not subjective. It's a done deal. What are you doing to advance the gospel message? How is Jesus being exemplified, testified, and glorified in your life? 

- Oh yeah, and one more thing. I would really like for you to know that... "SQUIRREL!!!"

Hmmm... well, I forgot. :)

Grace and Peace,

Tony

"The Name"

What's in a Name?...

Have you ever considered what is in a name? I know that in our western culture, we've lost some of the dynamic here, but even with that considered, names are powerful.

       Think about when you chose names for your children. There were certain names that you might have suggested, to which your spouse said something like, "Not in my lifetime," or "No way!" Why??? Because names bring memories to our minds. Memories that can be pleasant, or not-so-pleasant. When I meet a new person, I always try to remember his or her name. Sometimes it's easiest if I relate that person to someone else I know by the same name.
       For instance, I have a few friends named Brandon. When I meet a new person named Brandon, I try to make some connection between the Brandons I already know and the "new" Brandon. Something like, "Oh, he has brown hair like the other Brandons I know," or "He's about the same age as Brandon _____." HOWEVER... there are some times when I meet a new person and his name brings back some not-so-pleasant memories. You know exactly what I'm talking about... Heaven forbid you meet a man with the same name as your wife's ex-boyfriend. Haha!!! Now you see where I'm going with this.


       Whether we like it or not, even in our Western culture, names mean something. If I just say the name "Obama," I'll bet many thoughts come to your mind. Or how about "Bush," "Jackson," or "Shaq?" When we hear a name, it is representative of the whole person - culture, belief system, ethnicity, religion, personality, character, family - all of these things immediately come to mind when we hear a name we know and relate it to a person.


       The Hebrews knew very well the impact a "name" had on cognition. Every Hebrew name given (both in Old Testament days and in modern Israel) means something. And when the name is spoken, everyone who hears it (and knows the language) recognizes not only the vocal inflections and consonants/vowels involved, but what the name actually means. Vanessa and I were discussing this around the lunch table today. I know, I know... some couples talk about their children or their relationship - we talk about Hebrew names. Go figure.
       Take "Nathan," for instance. This Old Testament prophet's name means "to give." How about "Adam?" - it means "man." Here's an interesting one for you - Noah's son "Shem." His name means "name." Can you imagine? I wonder if he was picked on in school for that one.

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       There's one name, however, which has (and has had) such impact/meaning that it isn't spoken or written among it's people. It's the Hebrew name, "YHWH" (Yahweh). You probably recognize this as God's name for Himself. It was spoken by and among the Patriarchs in early Old Testament history, but over time, it became the name no one spoke or wrote. Their reasoning was faulty, but honorable, in a way; they didn't want to take the name "YHWH" in vain, so they just stopped speaking and writing it altogether.
       This word was written in the Torah, and Old Testament scrolls, but when the reader came across it, he would pronounce "Adonai" instead. It would be equivalent to us coming across "Jesus" in scripture, but saying, "The Lord," or "God," instead - every time. In addition to these oral restrictions, the Hebrews also would not (and still won't) write "YHWH" outside of scriptural texts. For instance, if they were writing a letter about YHWH to a friend, they would replace YHWH with "Jehovah," "Adonai," or some other substitute.
       In fact, this extends even into transliteration (from Hebrew to other languages). For instance, take your Bible and turn to Isaiah 1. In verse two, you'll most likely find the word "LORD." However, in the Hebrew text, this word is "YHWH" (in Hebrew, as pictured below in this blog). As far as I know, the New Living Translation is the only translation which transliterates this word into "Yahweh." (If you know of a different translation that transliterates into "Yahweh," I would really like to know. Comment on this blog and let us all know.)


       I'm in my Hebrew Language Tools class in seminary right now. I know, I know... it's just a language tools class. I DO NOT speak or read Hebrew anything close to fluently, but I am really learning a lot and enjoying the language immensely. There is something amazing about writing and pronouncing the words of scripture in the same way that Elijah, Moses, Jacob, Isaiah, and David did. I don't really know why - but it is simply captivating. Let me give you an example.

       Today, as I was learning some vocabulary words in Hebrew, I was encouraged to recognize, pronounce, and write "YHWH" (in Hebrew, as pictured above). Knowing the deep sincerity and reverence this name carries, I was moved with emotion as I pronounced it. Then, I wrote it. For the first time, I wrote God's name for Himself using the language in which He gave it. With every brush of my pen, I couldn't help but picture Moses and Hebrew scribes in 1400 or 1000 B.C. using the same exact strokes as they inked the Name that would come to be the most powerful, most feared, most respected Name there ever has been. But why? Why is this Name so revered?

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       Every time I think of God's name, Joshua 7 comes to the front of my mind. Joshua was to experience epic victories for the sake of God's kingdom. He (Joshua) had already seen God do some amazing things in his lifetime, and was now appointed to lead His armies in conquering the land they were promised. In Joshua 6, the Israelites conquer Jericho. 6:27 says that Joshua's "fame spread throughout the land." I've had the privilege of reading ancient Babylonian and Mesopotamian literature and have seen first hand where the leaders/kings of the pagan establishments in the land of Canaan and around were just scared out of their mind of Israel's armies. Yes, Joshua's fame was spreading throughout the land, but so was YHWH's.
       But in chapter 7, we read that Achan's sin caused the Israelite army to be defeated at Ai. It's really a tragic picture - YHWH's own army running like cowards as the soldiers of Ai gruesomely slaughter them. It was nothing shy of heartbreaking. But what is Joshua's cry in the wake of all this? His prayer to YHWH ends like this:

"When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will you do about Your great Name?"

- Joshua 7:9

       Joshua was concerned about God's "great Name." We could sure learn some kingdom lessons from this one, no doubt. But let's focus on the Name. Remember... to the Hebrews, someone's name was a representation of everything they were.  YHWH wasn't just a "label" for God. It encompassed all that He was. To Joshua, the idea of running away from Ai like antelope from a pack of lions was a slap in the face of God. And what if God didn't fix this? What if all of Israel - Joshua included - was wiped out by the men of Ai? Then what would God do about His glorious reputation? His name would be scarred for ever.

       I wonder - Christian... Whose name do you bear? What does that name represent? You are a child of Yahweh - the same God Whom Joshua revered more than his own life and accomplishments - the same Name that Hebrews to this day respect so much they are afraid to even pronounce or write it. You bear His name. How are you representing Him? 



Grace and Peace,
Tony