Study Guide Chapter 4, from Mark

 

1. How does our society address the two following questions? Which life is the good life? Who is the truly good person?

 

I am predisposed to answer the first question with the standard “Christian” response of the “good life” with that of material acquisition and success. But, in light of recent political events, possibly the good life is on you are involved in community service? Which leads to the second question of who a good person is…and that would be one that does good for others.

 

2. Who in today’s world are in “life circumstances that are beyond all human hope”?

 

What a disappointing thought. I cannot claim this as an original thought but I am inclined to support the concept of meeting a person’s “basic needs” as an avenue to ministry. My heart goes out to those who not only are subject to abject poverty but who are oppressed and as such are in a state where hope is crushed. Not just the impoverished but those in countries whose leadership chooses to keep them there for either their own power, ignorance, or cultural reasons. Myanmar (I don’t’ quite know how to spell that) is a perfect example, in my opinion.

 

3. What Beatitude might Jesus speek to you?

 

Blessed are those that seek community and have been rejected? Blessed are those that struggle with spiritual “discipline” vs. spiritual “desire” (or lack thereof)?

 

4. What do the Beatitudes tell you about the character of God?

 

Well, what comes to me is the thought that God is a just god and that he will ensure that his people get their just offering to his kingdom. I also have to comment that I may still have “traditional” thinking about the Beatitudes in my previous answer. In the intro to this question, it is stated the Beatitudes are NOT teachings on how to be blessed or how to do anything but illustrations of the availability of the kingdom through a personal relationship with Jesus. This thinking still needs to sink in with me. I am leery of “new” thinking. I ask for God’s wisdom in this endeavor.

 

5. In what ways are the Beatitudes examples of contextually and concretely mannered teaching?

 

One point I wanted to highlight in this chapter was the concept that Jesus was not about filling people minds with information. I liked the description of the “jug to mug” model. But rather, he was about “making a significant change in the lives of the hearers.” This is awesome.

 

6. Item to ponder and question to ask.

 

I am in-line in my heart with each of the teachings. But that is only because, I believe, God has worked on my heart over many years. However, were I there at the time, or if I had been asked these questions years ago, I may have been challenged. Have I “arrived”? Possibly, but unlikely. Do I “do enough” of these things? Probably not. But the corrected general principles listed should be pondered regularly and our lives examined to see if they embody these principles. And if they do not, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

 

7. What generalization might Jesus have used to challenge people in our time?

 

I must admit that I had never thought of the severity of impact of the “Samaritan” on the Jews in Jesus parable of the Good Samaritan. I thought the rub was always against the priest and Levite. I never really got the fact that the Samaritan was the salt in the wound.

 

Race relations are still raw – although I am of the thinking now there are those that do not want the relations to be healed. And the Muslim vs. Christian thing is real. I feel sad that I cannot grasp the full context of the question. Is there someone who I could place in the role of the Samaritan that would…disgrace me – or of whom I could not speak their name when identified as my neighbor? I can’t think of one.

 

8. Give an example of the Jesus teaching method.

 

I try to do this with my children. “Be nice to each other” is a principle that I want to embed in them. And boy, can I come up with examples. I generally try to make the point that they need to put themselves in the other’s shoes. I use analogy. What I have not tied into is typical philosophies regularly communicated to them in today’s media/television. Things like “getting back” or “getting even” are rampant and I cannot help but feel they are affected. Concepts of justice and mercy (unless you want to go down the road of if you don’t get caught you aren’t guilty) are rarely taught today. But part of me also thinks their minds are just too young to understand concepts presented through analogy. Oh, they are getting there, but I laugh internally when I see someone trying to reason with a two-year old. Somewhere in between two and thirty-two there is the capacity to learn by analogy. I think I just need to keep teaching and one day they will absorb the lesson.

 

9. Into what deplorable categories, if any, do you fit?

 

·         Hunger and thirst for righteousness.

·         Sometimes I feel taken advantage of, but I can cleanly identify those thoughts as not coming from a spirit-filled life. And they are fleeting thoughts for the most part.

·         Pure in heart (nothing is good enough). Now this item was a truly NEW perspective to me. And I have to admit that I truly suffered from this in the past. But I have seen how there is value nonetheless in the product of “doing your best, and forgetting the rest.”

·         I live as a peacemaker – at least as described by Willard. I am consistently trying to drive warring factions to victory through combined efforts. This really just recently came to me. I am, however, finding myself bifurcating my spiritual life from my secular life in my mind. I think I have been blessed J

 

10. Willard’s interpretation of the Beatitudes in light of Jesus’ other statements

 

Willard makes a strong argument using Jesus’ announcement of his ministry in his home town. Considering the cultural and spiritual perspective that Willard paints of that time, Willard’s interpretation of the Beatitudes are in alignment with the Jesus’ announcement.

 

The second example (Jesus’ response to John’s disciples) requires additional thought. Jesus points out that rather than arguing John’s/the people’s expectations, he points back to scripture and says “Look! Your thinking is messed up. I am the fulfillment of scripture.”

 

11. The Great Inversion

 

The statement printed absolutely supports the Great Inversion. I think it worthy to point out that in the definition of the Great Inversion the glory is to God and not to the inverted.

 

12. How have you been involved in making the kingdom of God available to any of these individuals?

 

Before I even scan the list my mind is prompted to the many times that we have truly lived by our principles! The glory goes to God and people are usually truly amazed that people live out the things that they hear preached.

 

I also was taken back to an interchange I had with someone who was choosing not to take communion because they were not “good enough” or had some issues. We argued – in a good way – and I do not know if the argument was acted upon. I hope it was. And that is, namely, that we can’t do anything to be worthy of God’s grace. Just take it and say thanks J.

 

I do have to admit that my patience is not infinite. I struggle with people who are in a bad way because of their own doing and, after being shown the way out, chose to not follow through – even with encouragement. The grumpy that choose to stay grumpy even after accepting the concept of joy.

 

13. A church that evidences the presence of Jesus.

 

I can’t quite get this question. Well, maybe I do and just think it too simple. “The will know we are Christians by our love.” That means action. Actions that are examples of Christ.

 

Now, where I am confused is the following paragraph that speaks of Paul’s comment on complete obliteration of social and cultural distinctions.

 

14. What do you project the different kind of righteousness to be?

 

In general I think the righteousness born of the Great Inversion to be one that is in line with the law not out of fear or knowledge but as a natural response – no that’s not a good enough description – as a RESULT of the response to God’s grace in our condition. If we are in alignment with Jesus’ teachings, there is no worry of being within the law. We don’t have to throw the law out.

Scripture Meditation Chapter 4, from Mark

Chapter 4 Scripture Meditation Matt 5:3-12

Condition	Do I embody that condition?	Do I know others that do embody that condition?
Poor in spirit	Yup	Yup
Mourn	Yes	Yes
Meek	Embody? Nope.	Yes
Hunger and thirst for righteousness	Yes	Yes
Merciful	Yes	Yes
Pure in heart	Embody? No, not yet.	Yes
Peacemakers	Yes – and no (see comments)	Yes
Persecuted for righteousness’ sake	I have been. But it is pretty rare.	Yes
Revile and persecute you for Jesus’ sake	I cannot recall ever having truly “suffered” for Jesus’ sake.	Yes

 

Side note: The concept that I may be “excluded” from the Kingdom of the Heavens because I do NOT embody these conditions is new to me. Jesus said, “Blessed are those…”  I have always been taught that those that embody such conditions can be/are blessed. Willard challenges me personally with the question “Do I embody that condition?” To what extent is it a goal to embody such/all these conditions? Isn’t that what he just argues against? And finally, are these noble conditions to be strived for or achieved? IMO, some are and some are not.

 

I was particularly challenged by a couple of these items today. First is the identity of peacemaking. I have been torn lately between “making peace” and “peace through victory.” I am not a huge proponent of many of the “peacemaking” efforts that have been of late in history. I think they have not resulted in… peace! I think the purist – or maybe the naive – think that if you just can get people to talk to each other the result will be peace. I do not believe history bears out this theory. I believe the two parties must recognize the interest of the other party and to be willing to seek a “solution” that is mutually beneficial. How does this align with biblical teaching, and this teaching in general? Well, I think the two perspectives of peacemaking and justice-seeking must be balance.

 

And yes, it is a GOOD THING that God will choose to reach down, have mercy, and offer those of us in miserable states entrance into the kingdom!

Study Guide Chapter 3, from Mark

1. Which idea about God surprises you a little? Which idea can be thought of in a new light?

God leads an interesting life.

God has always been a distant being to me growing up. This study has been a challenge to me – challenging my thinking about who God is and what “God’s life” is like. The fact that God could be interested in anything as mundane as a broken, cursed creation is a new idea to me; much less the concept that he is still engaged in daily life and could find some interest in it.

 

Which, if any, images of God have you entertained?

I have never entertained the images listed. I have entertained the “frustrated parent” image – thinking of Moses and his travails – but I could never include the “petty” adjective in the description.

 

2. Note one or two Psalms that could help a person know God.

Here I must admit that my “knowledge” of the Psalms is, well, negligent; or at least my capacity to “recall” content is slim. I will do my best.

 

Psalm 18: Rock and Fortress

Psalm 23: Shepherd

Psalm 28: Strength and Shield

Psalm 37, 38: Does not forsake (abandon)

Psalm 46: Refuge and Strength, Fortress

Psalm 47: King

Psalm 50, 58: Judge

Psalm 86. 89: Steadfast

 

3. Why is it difficult to believe the world is a perfectly safe place to live?

 

I would argue the question does not capture the essence of the material in the book. The world is not a safe place to be. Bad things happen. People get sick, injured, assaulted, die. BUT, we do not have to worry about it. The worry will change nothing. Now, as our thinking, perception, world view changes or grows as we continue the study, we may come to the conclusion the world is a safe place to be. To do so, we must expand our concept of what “safe” is.

 

4. A clear-eyed vision that a totally good and competent God is right here with us to look after us? How does this perspective help us trust God for basic elements of existence?

 

The challenge here is to trust God for the BASIC elements of existence…or more accurately, to recognize that we (I) have never had to worry about the basic elements of existence. I have never been in a position where I had to worry about food or clothing. I have been in a position where I HAVE had to worry about being able to afford SUITABLE ATTIRE for a job, but never the basic elements of existence. I don’t believe I have ever taken that for granted from a thankfulness standpoint, but I have to admit that I do not think about the issue much – at least for me. I do think about it for others around the world.

 

5. Image that most helps us understand God as watching from the space around us.

 

I would have to say Moses’ experiences (turned his back as the LORD’s presence passed by, etc) bring God closest to the earth for me. The images listed can still be “explained away” as a God who is somewhere else and comes to visit every now and then either as a voice or in a dream.

 

I was most challenged by the book when Willard writes the description of God as air, weaving himself through the pattern and existence of life…the very breath we breathe. This was a totally new concept for me and its impact has been profound in how I view God and how I pray with my family as we put the boys on the bus in the morning. Maybe that is coming in the questions.

 

6. Kingdom of the Heavens

 

AHA! The very next question J Willard (or Johnson, Matthews and Willard) write that the Kingdom of the Heavens describes the space all around us from which God watches and God acts. He describes is as the “nearness of God.” The heavens are not a place out in space, but rather, as close as our breath.

 

In thinking about it this concept, I think I am influenced 1) by my limited mind, and 2) by the teaching that God is a “person.” If God is a person then he needs to be “someplace.” And since that someplace isn’t right here next to me then it must be some far off place. In our youth we look at the sky. As our mind grows and beyond the sky is known then we think “beyond space.” But that just puts God farther away. What if God’s person wasn’t a “thing” at all? But rather he was a spirit; a spirit that flows in and through every space in the galaxy. Yup, that is beyond my comprehension, but it explains things. And when a view, frame, or map (see Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) explains what we experience, the view gains credence. I’ll stick with it until it is disproven or a better view comes along. I do not feel this is waffling, but rather, an assemblage of truths (what is fixed) in a way that my mind can “grok” them.

 

7. Limiting God

 

I think I have addressed the question above but to expand, it does flow from my previous analogy that if we think of God as a being in some distant space, we can think of God as finite in many other ways. He can be finite in his capacity to understand or process information. Surely we are reaching a population of the world where this is the case. Remember when there was just Moses and a few million Israelites? As soon as you limit God to a finite being in a finite space, he is no longer omnipotent.

 

The new angle I did receive from this section is the concept that such a view can inhibit prayer. I have felt a greater freedom in prayer since expanding my thinking in this area, so, possibly I had inadvertently limited my prayer by putting God in such a box.

 

8. What kind of growth in character do you think has to occur before a person is able to be “genuinely present” to others?

 

Well now we have hit a dichotomy. You see, I am working through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. One property of people that exhibit the first habit of proactivity is that is that proactive people subordinate feelings to values. And in this brief paragraph Willard describes what we drive Out of ourselves as we grow up – open expression of feelings. I am undetermined on this point. I am of the opinion that I am a combination of feeling and intellect. Is it “mature character” to openly display your feelings? Do you trust your feelings? Maybe the character trait to be developed is the elimination of fear of what others will think of you if you express your feelings openly. I think this is a GOOD thing BUT it must be done with tact. You can’t just go off and unload without thinking about the recipient’s situation. I am really annoyed by the “I don’t care” attitude many people have about how others should “perceive” our actions or thoughts or opinions. What empathy is in that kind of attitude?

 

9. What would an afternoon of seeing God continually look like to you?

 

I would envision just standing somewhere and have God swirl around me. At the moment I am looking out at trees, and grass, and shrubbery. Would it be creation? Would there be other people there? Unknown.

 

10. God is concerned with more than religious matters.

 

Well, once again I am caught off guard related to the widespread idea that God IS concerned only with religious matters. But, to address the question, the examples given of thoughts and wishes extend beyond religious matters, which, I think, focus on physical actions (rituals, sins of commission) and bad thoughts, and address more of things that go beyond “instances” pr the product of our intellect.

 

11. Give an example of how a person can be sustained by spiritual realities and rely less on physical ones.

 

First off, it is another stretching experience here. The quote in the question refers to integrating our life into the spiritual world of God. Once again, I got it backward. I try to integrate the spiritual world into my physical world. And that stretch of a bit more for me to take. It sounds like the ultimate culmination of the human spirit is to live one-on-one with God. It sounds so lonely. I mean, not that God would be lonely, but look at all the people that surround is here. Look at all the loves one person can touch, and integrate with, and experience LIFE with. I am afraid I am either not “mature” enough because I just can’t find Willard’s analysis exciting.

 

12.  A color or two of a perfectly safe place to be.

 

Blue. I picked it because it reminds me of a serene, calm lake. Not a big lake.

 

13. God’s help in our never-ceasing self.

 

Over the years, as I accumulate more “time” on the earth, I have gone through rich and poor spiritual times. It is coming off the poor times that I feel I have wasted that part of my life…from a spiritual development perspective. I would ask that God would “smack me upside the head” sooner during those “times in the desert” and to continue to mold me into who He wants me to be.

 

14. Examples of the Great Inversion

 

If you think of God as a human, then the “greatness” must be greater than what has been done to this point in time. I think of things like the X-Games. It just gets crazier. But if we change our standard of greatness from physical or financial product to a people perspective, God truly can do great things with either little or a seed that is planted and tended to over time.

 

For me, I have worked with people for many years. Our relationships have come and gone, but the message I try to present is consistent. Over time, with prayer and God’s working, I have seen those lives changed. Some are just changing but now I am figuring out how to see it. Maybe it just takes practice…lots of practice, and time.

 

15. Give examples of the ultimate issues of existence and life that remain unchanged.

 

I am a little confused with what we are asked to supply here. I have the first paragraph on page 93 marked as a note of importance. Namely, the Rudolf Bultmann quote and the reference that “you can be very sure that nothing fundamental has changed in our knowledge of ultimate reality and the human self since the time of Jesus.” I think what this refers to is that we may have advances in medicine, technology, etc., but the basic questions of why am I alive, what is this thing called “me,” and who created everything still exist in the same state they were in when Jesus walked the earth. Nothing that has happened over that time could invalidate or surpass Jesus’ teachings.

 

16. Descriptions of Jesus brilliance.

 

This was an excellent opening of my mind to the omniscience of Jesus as being God. Once again, I believe I was limited in my thinking of Jesus by the descriptions exposed to me at that time. Descriptions like, “humble carpenter” or “teacher.” My perception of Jesus was limited to the incarnation side of things. “He can relate to me because he was a person.” Well, DUH, he’s also GOD! He knows how things like gravity works (which we still can’t explain), and where the universe REALLY came from. And he can understand NOTHING. He can even get his mind about time…before time. He can surely understand my issues, my problems, the things I am trying to “solve” every day.

Study Guide, Chapter 3 from Gary

MEDITATION

· What word, or words from these verses speak to me about God’s work in me?  I am reading from “The Message” in my meditations for this Chapter, and in the passage in Philippians it speaks towards the fact Paul’s hopes have “deep roots in reality”.  I sometimes feel like the message that God is speaking to me is an other-worldly message, that it’s a nice “idea” to love my enemies, turn the other cheek, defend the cause of the fatherless etc…but it’s really nothing more than fanciful wishing.  But God’s plan, God’s “Torah” (way) for me really does have roots in reality, but I have to realize that it is a reality of his making and keeping and not my own.
· Why do I think these words stand out?  Because I so often put the teachings of Christ in the “dream” or “idealized” versions of faith, but never look at them as present day realities.
· What is God eager to say to me?  One thing that was very clear to me when I read through this book, not just these passages, but Willard’s book, was the fact that The Beatitudes, and the Sermon on the Mount, was not just wistful thinking…that it was in fact intellectual and theological discourse on what the “Kingdom” and subsequent “Kingdom” life that Jesus calls us to in the present day is really all about.  It puts into serious perspective for me that Jesus red letters really do mean something concrete for the way that I am called to live my life.  And looking at it in the sequence and order that Willard draws them out in, is nothing less than the most intellectual understanding of the Christian life that I have ever read.  God is eager to say to me very simply, “My way is not only My way, it’s objectively THE BEST way.”

QUESTIONS

Revisioning God and His world

God’s Joyous Being:

· Which of these ideas about God from “The Divine Conspiracy” surprises me a little?  “God leads an interesting life”.  This surprises me because it tells me something about God that I have never really considered, that he is “thoughtful”.  That God can actually stop and think of His own life as interesting, is something that intrigues me because it reinforces to me that God rests, that he ponders, that he categorizes his existence…that he takes “time” away from being God to understand that He is God.  It reinforces for me again that God believes in, and observes Sabbath.
· Which of the ideas seem familiar, but had never though about it that way before?  None really stick out, but if you look at the statement “God is full of joy” and say it out loud with emphasis on different words in the phrase it takes on some really deep meaning:
o God:  The ultimate reality
o Is: He is the “I am” the only thing/person/substance in the universe that is eternally existent.
o Full:  Complete to overflowing
o Of:  Ok, this one is tricky…either God contains, consists of, or is the fountainhead of…
o Joy:  Again, either God contains this like a glass contains water but is not in and of itself water, or he consists of it as a sun consists of Hydrogen and is in and of itself hydrogen, or he all that and the source of it for all humanity.

· Not sure on this question, I would say equally…but can’t really comment.

Finding language to express this great God

· Two Psalms that could help a person know God and understand life:
o Psalm 8 because it addresses how little we sometimes think we are, and puts it into perspective next to how great God is.
o Psalm 77 because I think deals with the depth of human emotion, and how it goes up and down.

The Heavens as the Human Environment

Some advice on living

· What are some of the reasons why it is difficult to believe that the world is a perfectly safe place to be?  The fact that we are so quick to use violence and war to deal with our issues and differences.  Turning the other cheek just seems plain stupid in light of our violent nature.  The fact that Churches cover up abuse causes us to believe that the places and people that say they are safe, are actually not…so where do we go for refuge.  The fact that wicked people live in abundance takes much good away from life.  I could go on here, but I think that would make me too depressed.

The Heavens are also here

· Why is it important to have a “clear-eyed vision that a totally good and competent God is right here with us to look after us?   I think, personally, that it is paramount…BUT, it is awful hard to believe in that, given the fact that the Bible clearly says that the Church, as the Body of Christ, is supposed to be an entity that fulfills(in part) this function…and by and large it doesn’t.  So the question for me, the one that I am wrestling with as I read this is, how do I gain that clear-eyed vision in the face of a Church that is apostate to that calling?  The only option it seems, at least on the face of it, is that God doesn’t exist…of course I don’t believe that, but still…it’s hard to deal with that absence and still find a way to believe in a totally good and competent God who is right here with me.  The difference maker has been those few, a remnant if you will, that have acted in that way towards me.  They have shown me that God is with me, that he is actively seeking and looking after me.
o How does this perspective help us trust God for basic elements of existence?  I don’t know…I know that for me, I find it mostly in-spite of the “Church”, that is to say the institution and leaders in the Church.  I trust it because I converse with many (a Church within the Church if you will) who feel the same way as I do, and they have become that community for me…but I still miss having a “Church”, an entire entity that is dedicated to being those hands and feet of healing, wholeness, and empowerment.

Heaven invading human space

· Which Biblical picture is most helpful to me, in absorbing the truth that God watches and acts from the space immediately around me?  The angel of God calling to Hagar out of Heaven to comfort her, Gen 21:17-19  I feel for Hagar because to me she represents something that is tangibly an American problem, single mothers…and God is very clearly bent towards her, caring for her. 

The experience continues today

· “The Kingdom of the Heavens” describes God’s rule, and God’s nearness.  How can this be?  I think the answer to this is found in the assumption that Willard states, that Matthew is basically a “Jewish” mindset Gospel.  I mentioned it earlier, but it bears mentioning again:  In the Jewish faith of the OT, there was no recognition of anything “secular”, and in a sense all things were considered sacred.  That is one of the reasons that ritual cleanliness becomes such a legalistic idea by the time Jesus comes.  In fact, in the Hebrew language, there is no word for secular.  A word that is often mentioned in the OT is the word “Kavod”, which we have haphazardly translated to mean “glory”.  But that word is to innocuous because “Kavod” has several very specific meanings, all of which can be applied to each mention of the word in the OT text.  “Kavod” means “weight, significance, and presence”, so if we look at a text such as “Isa 6:3  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his “kavod” (weight, significance, and presence).  So given it’s Jewishness, its very very easy to see how God’s Kingdom is not only his rule, but his nearness because all the earth is filled with his weight, significance, and presence.

Space inhabited by God

Spirit and Space

· Prayer is difficult when one feels that God is present only in faraway spaces, or only present in the human heart.  How do these ideas downsize God?  Its pretty simple, these ideas take God, who is “irreducible”, and they try to reduce him.  When we do that, then the “God” we are worshipping isn’t the God who is “I Am”.
o How do they make it difficult to trust God?  Well, in the first case if God is in fact “distant” then it makes us feel like he is disinterested, and not active in our lives.  It makes us feel like God is removed from our circumstances, and that he might even not “know” us or care about us.  In the second case, if God is only present in the human heart…then why won’t he fix it?  And since he doesn’t or hasn’t, well then he isn’t really good at all is he?

The Human Spirit

· What kind of growth in character has to happen before a person is able to be genuinely present to others? Willard makes the point in the book that relates to space in much the same way as we do our body.  That is that he occupies it and overflows it, just as he did when he was incarnate in Jesus.  He was localized in the “body” but was present in a way that transcended his body.  I think the character qualities that really typify this are character traits that Paul talks about it the 2nd Chapter of Philippians.  In that chapter Paul says that we have to have the same mind that Christ did, and then he basically says this:  Christ was humble, unselfish and sacrificial…so you be the same way.  I think that those character qualities allow us to reach beyond ourselves and (I hope I don’t get to “Eastern” here) be present to others even when we may physically be absent from them.

God wants to be seen

· If I were to plan an afternoon in which I could possibly “see” God continually, what would I do for this afternoon?  I would either: Sit behind a huge drum kit built for two people and jam with God, or I would sit in an adult bookstore and help God whisper to the people there that they still have worth, that their dreams can still come true, that God can and does want to be with them and that sitting here masturbating while watching this filth will never be enough to make God not want to be with you.

All things visible and invisible

What, then, is spiritual reality?

· Based on the 4 aspects of spiritual reality stated in “The Divine Conspiracy” , these three examples were offered:  Wishing for a candy bar, wishing for career success, the idea of an airplane…How does this understanding correct the widespread idea that God is concerned mostly about religious matters?  I am not sure, for me though…I already have this “unbelief” in the secular/sacred divide, so I don’t find it hard to believe that God is concerned mostly with religious matters.  I guess I think that we need to teach Christianity is light of it’s Jewish roots, that is Christianity is “Jewish” and “Eastern” BEFORE it was ever “Fundamental/Protestant/Coptic/Catholic” etc… and  “Western”.

The substantiality of the spiritual

· How can a person be sustained by “spiritual realities” and rely less on “physical” ones?  I go back to Paul pointing out that just as Christ was humble, unselfish, and sacrificial, we also should strive for the same.  I would also point out, and I don’t mean to point out only the “spiritual” things here, but I really do think (as Willard develops later) that if we find a way to dedicate ourselves to the “red letters” we can get to this place where we transcend what the physical world constrains us to.  Not that weird Eastern mystic stuff, but when we for example, really do buy into and believe that loving our enemies is the right thing to do, or when we believe that we can find the face of Jesus in “The least of these”…we upset a balance that exists in the human mind.  We believe in America that we can “love our enemies” and that we can also go to war with them…and we have branches of the “faith” that believe that being poor, being the “least” of these is a curse or shows lack of faith…but that’s not the reality that Jesus preaches, we in living the red letters we transcend the status quo.

A solution in the “mind of the spirit”

· Think of a color or two that represents a world in which it is a perfectly safe place to be, why did I pick those colors? I chose black and white because if things where black and white the world would be an easily recognizable place to live.

Which side is really up?

The first shall be last and the last first

(I skipped these questions for time’s sake)

Jesus, Master of Intellect

The growing wave of unfaith

· What are some of the “ultimate issues of existence and life” that remained unchanged in light of our more “enlightened” theories and facts?  Bad things still happen to good people and vice versa…why do we still make the same mistakes over and over…we still have war…people still believe pro-wrestling is real.

The smartest man in the world

· Which description of Jesus brilliance is most fascinating, and which is most challenging to accept?  Of those in the list in the study guide, I really can’t locate myself in any of them.  They are all true of course, but none of them really fascinate me or challenge me.  Outside of that I think the fact that Jesus identifies himself as “the least of these” qualifies on both fronts.  It fascinates me that in light of the brilliance that exists in Christ, there is also the utmost degree of humility.  But encountering Christ in that way, in the faces of “the least of these” is very hard to accept.  To actually truly face the least, I have to face and discard my self protective tendancies.

JOURNAL EXERCISE:

I chose to read and paraphrase Psalm 93 as a pray through it.

No more Ceasar…no more sin…no more brokenness or oppression, now there is only “Lord”.
Kings loathe Him because of His “Kavod”…because of His awesome power.
He sinks so deeply into all of creation that it cannot be moved, and yet He is eternally rooted above it all…
The waters reach up to him as the hands of a small child, their spray sounds like songs of refreshing…
When they crash upon themselves it is only because of the weight of the Lord upon them…
The Torah…The Way…The Christ stands…period
Holiness envelopes it…and He is Lord.

Scripture Meditation Chapter 3, From Mark

Scripture meditation: Philippians 1:6-7 and Romans 8:28-29

 

Ponder God’s commitment to us to make us into his image.

 

From Philippians the words began and the phrase, “carry it on to completion until…” imply to me the traditional view that God initiated the good work (conversion, reconciliation, belief in Jesus, ??) in me but also clearly states the process continues until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

The Romans scripture is a traditionally radioactive scripture. By that I mean there are topics tucked in it that one just “has to accept” because the meaning of the words have major implications. For example, what exactly does predestined mean? This is the old “robot” clause of the Christian critic. But let’s skip that for now and focus on the word conformed. One definition of conform is, “to act in accordance or harmony; comply.” (Dictionary.com) I don’t consider this a one-time event. While conform does not necessarily imply a continuous change, it does imply an on-going conformance or harmony. To me, that takes work.

Thoughts on Chapter 2, From Mark

I feel compelled to comment that I really felt out of my element this chapter. It seemed like I was a civilian invited to some kind of military planning session. I had no idea there were such wide-ranging views of Christianity. And I am a bit frustrated because it appears the author (Dallas Willard) is intimate (that is a good thing) but assumes that I, the reader, am also intimate with the issue. And, it is that area that I feel lacking.

I am most familiar with dogmatic (is that the right term?) battles between Catholics, Lutherans, and Evangelicals over things like baptism, purgatory, The Lord’s Supper and the like but nothing like that described in the current chapter.

I also think the author is laying the groundwork to either hit us over the head or guide us keenly into a committment to discipleship, and what his perception of discipleship involves. I must also admit that I am having to fight a bit to get through the chapters. It seems there is something at the beginning of each chapter that catches my interest and fuels my reading but then I have to “death march” it to the end of the chapter. Still, all-in-all a compelling work that I am interested to see develop.

I had one other thought cross my mind. Maybe it’s just naive, but, Jesus “made” his disciples, right? I mean, shouldn’t the model be a PERSON (or persons) who are (or claim to be) disciples making more disciples? Should it necessarily come from a book? I have been involved in “shepherding” programs but their goal wsas not explicitly spelled out to make disciples…and at one time, long ago, I recall, in my church at the time (I was much too small to participate) having a, yes, DISCIPLESHIP program. Am I missing it? Have we forgotten? Or maybe it is just my community. Spiritual gifts, disciplines, helping yourself or others through tough times, have your best life now…that’s all good stuff, but shouldn’t a staple in every church community be a culture of discipleship?. This is something I will have to pursue.

Study Guide Chapter 2, From Mark

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION – John 15:1-17

 

How does this speak to the gospels on the “right and left”?

 

According to Willard, I don’t see how this pertains to the “gospel of the right.” There does not seem to be much in this scripture related to “salvation” per se. I also don’t see much about saving the planet or righting the wrongs of society. In other words, in my opinion, it does not speak to the gospels of the “right and left.”

 

How does this speak to you personally?

 

Now this is a where the action (or lack thereof) is. The key verse to me is verse 8. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Or that by bearing fruit we would show that we are Jesus’ disciple. The verse implies that people could figure it out. But there are plenty of people doing good things in the world that are not disciples of Jesus. So, is it the fruit that makes is noticeable?

 

Which of the following ideas fascinate you? Which scare you?

·         that I can be involved in God’s “business”

·         that I can be called God’s friend

·         that Jesus will teach me what he has learned from the Father

 

Sadly, I am not fascinated by any ideas. And I do not feel “scared” but rather feel that I may have let God down by not being involved in God’s business…or maybe it’s more accurate to say, have not had my eyes open to the opportunities to be as involved in God’s business as I could/should have been.

 

QUESTIONS

 

The Invitation Diminishes

 

1. Taken to its logical conclusion, the idea that Christians are not “perfect, just forgiven “means that faith in Christ gets you into heaven, but does not change you or your behavior.  What does this tell other people about Christ’s effect on people?

 

Man, this chapter had caused me to think deeply and to get VERY frustrated. Who is teaching Christians are not perfect just forgiven as some kind of holistic religious philosophy? Talk about boiling things down a little too far! OK, deep cleansing breath. IF (and that is ONE BIG IF) one were to take such a statement to a “logical conclusion” I think the result would be just as the author claimed. You’ve got your ticket to heaven and you’re done. Changing your life or trying to become Jesus’ disciple would be just an afterthought for some folks – and hardly a “requirement” (legalism?). The real danger I would see in this would be the huge credibility issue (in other words hypocrisy) that would result from people who believe one thing but do another. In my opinion, this is the absolute foremost problem in Christianity today. Some video game company is releasing a new version of Grand Theft Auto this week. It is expected to sell something like 4 million copies out of the gate. Help me out here. How does one reconcile some incredibly high percentage of the population claiming to be Christian and record sales of a game that assaults traditional values? – strike that…ANY values! Beating up policeman, robbing prostitutes, drug smuggling, gun-running. I am IN NO WAY proposing censorship. And don’t try to hang a legalistic noose around my neck. Rather, I am downright confused about the demand for such adventure…by adults.

 

BAR-CODE FAITH

 

2. In your faith tradition, what act or actions serve as a mandatory bar code, assuring that you will be admitted to heaven when you die because God will “scan” you and credit your account? Perhaps you do certain things to ensure that your “bar code” is in place, such as not missing church too often. What are those things?

 

My Lutheran background has caused me some grief lately. Lutherans start at baptism – infant baptism. I heard a pastor say when you are baptized you are added to the family of God and your “salvation is secured.” But, later in life, there is a ceremony called “confirmation” where your faith is “confirmed.” You have to answer a bunch of questions and declare your faith publicly. That event is usually tied with one’s first communion. Now, what I have settled on, personally, is  Romans 10:9:

 

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 

It doesn’t say confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, AND…

 

It seems pretty clear this is the bar code passage. Now if we stopped with that passage we would do a great disservice to Christ…It is NOT how we are supposed to behave, but if you are looking for a bar code item, IMO, that’s it.

 

WOULD GOD REALLY DO IT THAT WAY?

 

3. Consider God’s character for a minute. Why does it make sense that in addition to offering people a way to heaven, God would also meet their earthly psychological, social, emotional and global needs?

 

Hmm. This is a tough one. I still segregate Jesus from God. And my view of God is still the Old Testament view. He heard the cries of his people in their captivity (Exodus) but there were a lot of people crying out for a long time…and a lot of them were DEAD before salvation arrived. Now, Jesus, on the other hand, brings a more loving view of the Father to the table. But, one has to ask whether the Father doesn’t dish out a little tough love every now and then. I was brought up with the teaching the earth was “cursed” – and we are correspondingly separated from God. I guess the bottom line is, I am not convinced. But I am also not convinced it is a necessity.

 

Why might God want to change a person’s character and spirituality here on earth – before the person reaches heaven?

To bring glory to the Father. To be a blessing to others. Or, to be an example to others of what the LORD can do.

 

GOSPELS OF SIN MANAGEMENT

 

4. Which view (of the human tendency to do wrong) if more familiar to you?

 

This is the part I am struggling with. I reject the framing of the question. Do “faith traditions” really cling to this stuff? I propose the following:

 

The Gospel as interpreted by Mark (me)

Focus: Salvation through Jesus Christ, life as a disciple.

Goal: Existence in God’s presence.

Post-salvation focus: Become like Christ.

 

After reading this chapter I am feeling pretty unqualified to even be engaging in the study. To be honest, I am completely incapable of understanding – even comprehending – the Gospel of the Left. Is this what we are seeing played out with the whole Rev. Wright issue? Man, I don’t get it.

 

5. God’s thoughts on those that only partake of one side of the coin.

 

I think he is saddened. It is like someone who has a “two-part” speech and everyone acknowledges it as a GREAT SPEECH, but no one comments on the second half.

 

What words of invitation might God have for those who don’t participate fully in the process?

 

Hey, BONEHEAD! You’re not one. Oh, I guess that’s not much of an invitation. Maybe more OT than NT. Well, He could invite us to a more “full” life. To this, I am poorly educated from a scriptural standpoint.

 

6. God’s thoughts on those that only partake of one side of the coin.

 

I think he is saddened. It is like someone who has a “two-part” speech and everyone acknowledges it as a GREAT SPEECH, but no one comments on the second half.

 

The Gospel on the Right

 

7. Jesus: means to an end or divine teacher and friend

 

Again, I struggle with the picture portrayed.  Wouldn’t the churches of the Gospel on the Right be singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus?” Are they just insincere? OK, enough resistance…I must admit that I DO think more of Jesus as a means to an end…if you MUST portray it as such than as a friend. I treat him with the highest reverence because he did something that a man – no man – could ever do. Does that make him a means to an end? YOU BETCHA! In fact, he’s THE ONLY means to the end of salvation.

 

RECALLING ABRAHAM’S FAITH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

8. How does Abraham’s journey illustrate that “we are to be friends of Jesus by immersing ourselves in his work”?

 

God promises he will give us everything we need to do his work. I am currently studying Moses in the Exodus and Abraham is a little foggy. But if you consider the patriarchs in general, they communicated with God – even in all their infirmity – and God blessed them in order to carry out his plan.

 

9. How do you respond to a larger role of Jesus in your life?

 

Well, history has shown that I have responded poorly. But I am not feeling as bad about it as I used to. If you want to put up the list of spiritual disciplines I am lacking. But, you know, I’m workin’ my job and raising my kids and doing the best to love my wife and every once in a while a glimmer of light comes out that the values I am so concerned about passing on to my children are actually in there! At the end of the day, I believe I can look back and say I did the best I could.

 

The Gospel on the Left

 

RELIGION BECOMES SOCIAL ETHICS

 

10. Why is the view of the gospel on the left so attractive to people?

 

No clue. Does the gospel of the left have the salvation part in it? I don’t get it. Is it attractive because people can have a mission? A cause to FIGHT for?

 

THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL MEANING OF LOVE

 

11. In what ways to people dismiss God and Jesus as nonpersons, who are not “now alive and accessible, standing in an interactive relationship with those who rely on them”?

 

Well, if you think of a person as a human…then God never was and Jesus is no longer…people. I wish God spoke to us now as He did in the Old Testament – directly to and through people. And a few burning bushes or deaths in the Holy of Holies would help out a bit also. But this leads me to think of another separation – the separation of body and spirit. I recently heard the scripture of worshiping God in spirit and in truth…but I am a person…I have never really felt connected to my spirit.

 

While all this dribbling is not a direct explanation, I think I paint the picture why “I” have difficulty understanding a daily, interactive relationship with God.

 

12. How do people who ascribe to the Gospel on the Left have a problem if the people they strive to assist are flying upside down?

 

I thought I had this question figured out but then it slipped away. I think where the study author was going with this was that the target of the social justice may have it all wrong and in essence while you may be helping a people you may not be giving them what is really important. (I’m looking for some help from Gary on this one).

 

13. Have you met someone who does behave differently, whose faith seems to permeate all of who they are?

 

YES, Teri P. I knew it and wanted to be influenced by him. I was most impressed by his patience. No matter how heated things got, he always seemed to contemplate his answer – running it through the filter of conviction and Jesus’ teachings. I was always struck that while I tended to focus on the rational he focused on building an opinion backed on scripture. As a result, on the few occasions we didn’t see eye to eye at first, I usually had to relent after seeing where he came from.

 

Toward Integration of Life and Faith

 

THE CASE OF THE MISSING TEACHER

 

14. Some Christians find the life of abundance but not me? I have had the following thoughts:

 

I have had a mix of a couple of the thoughts here. For me, growing up in a Christian home with Christian parents makes it difficult for me to get beyond a “head knowledge” faith. No “conversion experience”.

 

15. When a person’s faith lacks divine vitality and personal transformation, he or she finds substitutes for them. I have used the following substitutes:

 

Memories of previous spiritual experiences. I have felt closer to God in the past. There was a time where I felt VERY close. And I keep asking myself what is different now.

 

16. Respond to Jesus being our friend and teacher – that Jesus is more practically knowledgeable and authoritative than today’s speakers?

 

Intersting. This, coming from a writer. But seriously, I can agree with Jesus being a superior source for this knowledge, but the problem is the book of Jesus’ life and teachings is not written DIRECTLY to that point. We have to take it all in and APPLY it to our loves in that respect…or, become hid disciple J

 

17. What would it mean for you to undertake to have Jesus be your teacher in all of life? What do you believe God wants most from you at this time?

 

I have mixed feelings in this regard. On the one hand, there is only so much time. And I have commitments to family and friends…and this study. Does God want me to spend “more time” with him? Or doing things that are more disciple-like? Don’t know. I DO think, however, God wants me to evaluate carefully where I am spending my time related to being a disciple and living out his teachings in my life.

Study Guide Chapter 2

Meditation

1. How does John 15:1-17 speak to the “Bar Code” Gospel on the Right, and the “Liberation and Justice” Gospel on the Left?  It doesn’t really address it directly.  But I think that implication is sort of a “Prego” mentality:  It’s in there… I think that the unity of the Body that Jesus yearns for can also be said to be a unity of discipleship.  If the Great Commission is to “go and make disciples” who “obey all that I have commanded you”, then there is a certain unity regarding discipleship that demands we preach a Gospel of Holistic Salvation.  A salvation that includes freedom from sin, the oppressed, transformed social structures etc…Personally, I think that when Jesus spoke about doing to the “least” of these He was speaking to the grounding principle governing what it means to live as a disciple:  we are always looking for Jesus.
2. How does this passage speak to me personally?  I am struck, somewhat depressingly, that to abide in His love, I am required to keep His commands.  That almost sounds like legalism.  But also I am struck by the word “abide”.  It carries an air of comfort.  Not the kind of comfort that you get when you eat chocolate, but the kind of comfort you get when the bully down the street beats the crap out of you and mom cleans your wounds and hugs all over you.  But I still can’t seem to completely reconcile that legalistic idea, accept to say that I want the comfort more than I want to “break” the law.
3. Which idea fascinates me, and which one scares me?
a. Fascinates:  That I can be called “friend”.  I have so few friends in this world, so few who have stuck with me and not broke their promises to me.  It almost feels like I will never ever find that in anyone. So to think that I can find that in Jesus strikes a cord with me
b. Scares:  That I can be involved in God’s “business”.  I don’t need that kind of pressure man.  How can I live up to that?  I mean, what if I make a mistake with God’s business, won’t people equate my failure with the failure of God?  By the way, I think that this is what Paul was referring to when he talked about being a “stumbling block”.  I don’t think Paul intended to tell us that we should avoid things that are acceptable scripture wise (ie: having a beer) in order to not hurt someone who may have an addiction etc…  He was speaking towards the problem of people being led into sin because of a weak “faith” not a weak self control or self-perception.  Like Jesus, I think he was speaking to the overly religious and basically saying “hey, cool the rituals man!”

 
Questions:

The Invitation diminished

1. Taken to its logical conclusion, the idea that Christians are not “perfect just forgiven “means that faith in Christ gets you into heaven, but does not change you or your behavior.  What does this tell other people about Christ’s effect on people?  I think it tells people that Jesus has no power.  What’s more, for those on the “outside” who still have some semblance of admiration for Jesus, it tells them that we (the Church) do not RESPECT Jesus.  This whole “gospel is only about heaven” crap really makes me angry because there is nothing, absolutely nothing in the Jesus we learn about in scripture, and the life of the early Church, that suggests that you can decide to cling to Jesus for forgiveness at his expense and then have nothing to do with him in any area of your life.

BAR CODE FAITH
2. What is the “Restoration” Movement’s barcode?  Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Baptised.   What’s the assurance that the barcode works?  Idunno, stay wet…go to Church…teach baptism to your friends

WOULD GOD REALLY DO IT THAT WAY?
3. Why does it make sense that in addition to offering people a way to heaven, God would also meet their earthly psychological, social, emotional and global needs? If we understand “faith” as more than just “belief in belief” but as “trust in an object or person”, then when we have faith in Jesus we are saying that implicitly trust him in all things.  Ok, so here goes…You can’t trust Him without trusting that He is right about everything, and trusting that He alone has the key to every aspect of our lives here on earth NOW.  In reverse you could say it like this:  If He isn’t right about all those things, then how do we know He could even get us into heaven in the first place?  I mean, if God can’t help me with my addiction…well, then getting me into Heaven…that would be madness to believe.
a. Why might God want to Change a person’s character and spirituality here on earth—before a person reaches heaven?  I would say it this way:  If the life that you live here and now doesn’t matter, if the life you live before you die doesn’t really matter, then how in the world would you think that you would be comfortable in heaven for all eternity in the presence of the One in whose company you thought was worthless during the few breaths you took here?

GOSPELS OF SIN MANAGEMENT
4. Of the outlines of the Gospel (the right and the left), which is more familiar to me?  I have always been more to the right, at least for most of my adult life.  Recently I have been assimilating some of those elements from the left side into my approach to the human tendency to do wrong, with a notable exception:  I don’t believe that transforming individuals is non-essential.  I would say this, I think that it is easier, and more plausible for someone who is on the “right” side theologically to embrace those elements on the left that make the Gospel “bigger” and more complete, than it is for someone to come from the left to the right.  Jumping over that “you can’t transform people” fence is really hard to do, but once you believe that a person can actually change it is much easier to believe that systems, governments, and systemic sin can be dealt with.
5. About the 2 sides of the coin (event or process) What goes on in God’s heart when people settle only for the event (say the prayer, become a “Christian)? When we settle on the “Event” I think God feels disrespected.  I think knows that our worship is “filthy rags” if simple respect is not there.
a. What words of invitation might God want to say to Christians who do this? I am not sure what God’s invitation would be…for me, God started to put this image of a “table” in my mind.  It wasn’t words, but just the dreaming of what happens around a table.  Revolutions start around tables.  Around our table, my small group, we shared from the depth of who we were, and we all shared a profound sense of brokenness…I think sharing this brokenness, this communal confession…is the best invitation to get past an empty salvation.

6. If you were to add another entry to the chart—the role of an interactive relationship with God that permeates our daily lives—where would I pencil it in?  The other entry…Hmm, I am not sure…I think, using the coin as the illustration, I would have to say that the very substance of the coin would be that interactive relationship with God, a relationship that goes to the depth of my (and His) being.  I guess I would say it like this, either side of the coin, the event and the process, are nothing but mere imprints…they aren’t really the substance of the relationship with God.  My Dad used to be able to quote large sections of scripture, as a matter of fact…I think my Dad “knew” more about the Bible than any of my professors at Bible college.  So my Dad was could tell you about the event and the process, but he couldn’t really tell you “who” God was.  Of course, he was an atheist and he didn’t believe in God, but I think the point is valid.  You can look at the coin and speak to the information on both sides, but how many people can say what a penny is actually made of?

The Gospel on the Right
LORDSHIP SALVATION
7. In what ways do the Gospel views on the right (Atonement vs. Lordship) use Jesus as a means to an end rather than regarding Jesus as the master teacher and friend whom we can interact with in all the facets of our lives?  I am not sure how to answer this question.  I think the basic answer is this:  They reverse engineer their theology.  The end goal, Salvation in Heaven, is the starting point, and not “Jesus”.  I think this is a problem of the kind of systematic theology that permeates much of what is doctrinally on the right.  Rob Bell calls it “escapist theology”. I know that my answer is basically just a restatement of the question, but I just stopped and thought about it and prayed for some insight, and I just believe that Western Christianity starts looking at faith in the wrong place, in the wrong location on the map. 

RECLAIMING ABRAHAM’S FAITH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
8. How does Abraham’s journey illustrate that “we are to be friends of Jesus immersing ourselves in his work”?  Abraham illustrates friendships in a very simple way…His relationship with God was up and down.  He lied to God, ask forgiveness, doubted and questioned God etc…He engaged God as you or I would engage each other, and have, over all kinds of personal issues.
9. This question is a skip because I am all over the place with my answer here.

The Gospel on the Left
RELIGION BECOMES SOCIAL ETHICS
10. Why is the Gospel on the left so attractive to people?  I have had discussions for years with friends about “left” leaning politics and religion.  I think I have settled on two basic reasons why people so easily lean left:
a. It makes them feel good about themselves…
b. They can claim “enlightened” status…Look at the great failure that is dictatorial communism and socialism.  I asked a friend once why he still thought that this could still work, and his answer was “because we are more enlightened that those who have failed before”.  From a Gospel standpoint, although  “The God of the oppressed” is a Biblical idea, it is not THE only Biblical view of the Gospel of Jesus.  But if we decide that we are going to live for the “least of these” and the expense of the hard work of disciplism, it makes it real easy for us to say “hey, look how good and smart we are!”

THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL MEANING OF LOVE
11. In what ways do people dismiss God and Jesus as non-persons, who are not “now alive and accessible, standing in an interactive relationship with those who rely on them”? (pg. 53)  I go back to one of my initial assertions:  The central ethic of humanity is individualism, self protection, selfishness…I AM GOD!!!   If you believe at some point that you are in “control”, that you are God…then of course the real God and His son Jesus become non-persons.
12. About “liberating”  those who are flying upside down and don’t know it, How is this a problem?  If they don’t know they are flying upside down, then how in the world will they be able to determine that they have been liberated to flying “right side up”?  That is essentially the problem, and that is why a left-only Gospel is problematic.  If personal transformation, and restoration is not part of the equation, then it would be very hard to get to the point with anyone where they would even understand their need for “liberation”.

THE GOSPEL GAP
13. Have you met or read about anyone who does seem to behave differently, whose faith seems to permeate all of who they are?  Yes…and this may sound weird, but the story that most intrigues and impacts me is the story of Count Ludwig Nicklaus von Zinzendorf.  He lived in the 18th century and started this sort of underground, non-protestant, non-catholic group called The Honorable Order of the Mustard Seed. The members of this order wore a ring (yes as in “Lord of the Rings”…Tolkein was hugely influenced by this group) that had an inscription on the inside of it that read “None live for themselves”.  As part of this group they covenanted together and vowed together what they believed was the basis of “faith as a mustard seed”, those vows were 3 and they were simple: To be true to Christ, To be kind to all people, To take the gospel to the nations.  These guys started this underground, counter cultural, and counter denominational movement to simply take the “red letters” of Jesus seriously.  Nothing more, nothing less, and to let these red-letters dwell in all aspects of their lives.  That is why they took “vows” much like monastic vows, but they didn’t live in monasteries but instead viewed the very places that they lived as such.  Count Zinzendorf, as a part of this “order” had the opportunity to let Moravian refugees establish a small community on lands that he owned.  He did this because; as in his words “I took a vow to be kind as Christ is kind”.  Here is what happened as a result of this kindness:  1727 we have what was called the “Moravian Pentecost”, this birthed a small prayer community that prayed 24/7 for 100 years, it was out of this prayer movement that John Wesley’s life was transformed, and birthed a missions movement that took the Gospel to countries that up this that point had been un-reached…all because a man vowed and practiced kindness and hospitality towards “the least of these”.

Toward integration of Life and Faith
THE CASE OF THE MISSING TEACHER
14. I hated this question because I couldn’t get this question out of my head:  Why do the wicked prosper? 
15. When a person’s faith lacks divine vitality and personal transformation, he or she finds substitutes…what is my substitute(s)?  I think my substitute is, or has been anger.  Not the kind of anger that is explosive, but the kind of anger that puts people and things in controllable categories…that “I am God” kinda anger.
16. How do I respond to the idea that Jesus is my friend, that he is smarter than all those guys with goofy German sounding names, and the Christian “superstars” of today?  Love your enemy, who would have thought that would make sense? 
17. What would it mean for me to undertake to have Jesus be my teacher in all of life? And what does God want from me most now?  It would take me getting some control over my feelings of inadequacy.  I know that sounds like only a small step, but in my world that is the crux of all the evil that has happened, is happening in my life.  My addiction to porn was not about lust, it was about me being able to be “big”  (yes that kind of big, but also the kind of big that demands respect etc…)  I have gotten to the place where I know that seeking out “bigness” in those places doesn’t really do anything for me, because I leave those situations feeling worse than when I started…but I still need to deal more with those feelings of inadequacy, of not being the person I am supposed to be in the right job, etc etc…   I think that God wants most of me, now, is to be patient.  Not that namby pamby “wait” and see patience, but the kind of patience that just says “this is my life now, this is where I am, and this is where God is working”.

 

Gary’s fav Quote from Chapter 1

“Just think how unlikely it would be that this great world historical force, Jesus called “Christ”, could have left the depths of moment-to-moment existence untouched while accomplishing what he has!  More likely, we currently do not understand who he is and what he brings…What is it, really, that explains the enduring relevance of Jesus to human life?  Why has HE mattered so much?  Why does HE matter now?…HE matters because of what HE brought (Something no one, or no thing has ever brought) and what HE still brings to ordinary human beings, living their ordinary lives and coping with their surroundings.  HE promises wholeness for their lives. In sharing our weakness he gives us strength and imparts through his companionship a life that has the quality of eternity.

Page 13…

Thoughts?

Study Guide Chapter 1, From Mark

Life in the Dark

Question 1 from Mark:

What guidelines are used to fly right-side up?

What an awesome question that send my mind reeling! I have struggled with this question for the last two years. I believe there are two basic sets of “guidelines.” One is intellectual and one is emotional. And there folks that try to combine the two. I attempt with all my being to be in the intellectual camp. I try very hard to build a set of values – and to identify the CORE values that I am absolutely unwilling to violate – and then to live by those values. If that means someone’s feelings are hurt in the process or I have to suffer because of some decision I made…tough. Some values are un-violate-able .

Others base actions on feelings…they tend to attempt to find consensus in all things. Do these folks lack values? I don’t think so…I just don’t believe thinking about values are part of the “figuring out” process. Or they are willing to violate those principles for the outcome of some situation (read conditional ethics). The values are guides rather that rules.

The folks that live in the middle…well, I think they suffer from great guilt because they realize they are occasionally violating their core values.

And let me be clear that I hold no judgment over intellectual vs. emotional. Literally, who am I to judge? It’s just two different ways of looking at the world.

2. If knowing facts about goodness does not make a person good, what does make a person good?

This is a complicated question. Let’s start with the basics. Scripture says we are dirty rags in God’s eyes and can only even survive God’s perfect, holy view when perceived through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ.  Now with that said, does it mean it’s not worth trying? NO. In fact, if we are born-anew, and our heart is transformed, we should be “trying to be good” in a better way in a continual fashion.

What I think people lack in this regard is self-awareness. I once attended what turned out to be a very Baptist-oriented (not that being Baptist is in any way a bad thing) week-long youth seminar (if I recall the name properly it was The Bill Gothard Institute – http://iblp.org/) and a key component in their teaching was the concept of “grafting” scripture onto your being. Much like a branch of different “species” (?) can be grafted onto a tree and bear the fruit of the original tree, we are to graft scripture onto our being – our thinking – and bear the fruit of scripture. An interesting concept. I don’t have the answer here. WHILE NOT PERFECT, I believe I have a soft heart and a level of self-awareness and I have been vehement in my crediting my parents for instilling such qualities in me…but I am still at a bit of a loss as to “how” they did it other than the example of their lives.

3. In contemporary culture, we try to solve problems without examining the ideas behind them and how they are communicated. What “mere ideas” have had drastic consequences in your lifetime?

I have to take issue with the question briefly. In my opinion, it is nonsense to attempt to solve a problem without examining the ideas behind them. I believe we DO examine the ideas behind problems, BUT, if the cause of the problem touches on “certain areas” those causes are discounted (consider the “traditional” arguments against teenage pregnancy, suicide, etc) and not given their right position in a solution. As a culture we have rejected God’s solution to our problem and continue to search – as if there was a need – for “contemporary” solutions to “modern” problems.

Regarding mere ideas that have had drastic consequences in my lifetime…I have let this questions fester for a couple days now and I cannot think of anything in particular. Maybe I am thinking on too grand a scale.

4. What character qualities are involved in the items in the right hand column?

• Integrity
• Courage
• Kindness
• Persistence
• Self-Discipline

5. What other “sound bite slogans” betray a lack of depth…?

In working through these questions I am finding that I am having a hard time “recalling” items such as these…but I know them when I see them. Consequently, I am going to rely on my friend to stir conversation and intellectual stimulation.

We are in a political cycle and I find myself having to shrug off my usual disdain for the press coverage of the political process. They pick at what they consider every little character flaw or position change since birth and yet want to avoid the concept of character altogether.

6. How does misinformation about Jesus happen?

OK, I think I have this one. People take a ”nugget” of scripture or some teaching and they try to fit it into their lives as opposed to changing their lives to fit the concept or philosophy (see question 1). Consequently, if they are not living the principle, or some change is required, some “negotiation” takes place to reach “consensus” and TA-DA, you have compromised Christianity.

7. What startles me about Jesus – per the reading.

I guess I am one who runs the risk of being “too familiar” with the story for I find myself not startled. I am still…amazed? … with the concept of God incarnating himself in human form and being “common” in that.

8. Egotism vs. the drive to significance.

I had to go back and review the book here. When we are young we are asked what we want to be and what we want to do with our lives. We attempt to install in young people “drive.” An event came to my mind while writing that has always saddened my heart. I was youth leader at my church and once of my youth members felt the call and desire to be a pastor. I had commented that was awesome. Then as I was passing through the hallway, I overheard one of his parents expressing their disappointment that their son was thinking about being a pastor when he was capable of “so much more.” I was so depressed that they appeared to equate a great life with how much money you could earn as opposed to how many lives you could impact. I did not have the courage or wisdom at the time to tactfully confront parents about their misplaced thinking at the time. Such is the quandary of people that work with young folks in the church. It takes youth to connect with youth, yet is takes wisdom to effectively communicate philosophies.

Once again I go back to my parents; I believe they instilled the proper balance of striving for excellence while giving of one’s self – sacrifice – a word we could use more of today…IMO.

9. Blunderers

From scripture I have to think of Paul as a person who was on the “fast track” to success who had his priorities re-directed by an encounter with Christ.

Personally, my acquaintances that I can recall have not experience the “conversion experience” but rather have lived a gradual transformation in their lives. On the other hand, there are people with whom I have interacted that speak regularly of the time “before they were a Christian” and, I have difficulty relating to the concept of a life change – being “Christian” for as long as I can remember.

10. How am I turning into a thing like Christ?

As I get older (today is my birthday) I look back and see how Christ has continued to mold be but it seems to come and go. I do not feel it is a to-step-forward-one-step-back process but rather a rise-plateau-rise-plateau process. I remember hearing a sermon from a good friend Rick that spoke of “a time in the desert”. That phrase smote my heart and has stuck there. The plateaus are the times in the desert. I have to wait patiently for God to move in my life and lift me (as opposed to me climbing) to the next level. I believe this study is a time of lifting out of a plateau – praise the Lord.

11. Ruling vs. depending on God

God gives us the capability of building an intellectual infrastructure to create values, virtues, and principles through which to live our lives. We need to depend on Him to build them and then to live our lives through them!

12. The Kingdom Life in all areas

What an excellent way of looking at shortcomings in my life – toward areas of my life where sin still has a stranglehold. Rather than looking at it as something I must conquer it is an area of my life I must open and let the kingdom “invade.” Less me…more God…very cool.

13. Phrases for hope

God hears. God continues to work in us. He is not just sitting back and watching the timer that will go off and end this world and start the new.

Peace.