Posts Tagged: the Apostle Paul
“The Man Who Did One Thing”
This is the last in my series on “one thing.” It involves a man who did a lot of things, and yet, he claimed to do only one thing. Here is part of his story:
“If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Straining Toward the Goal
Phil. 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” (English Standard Version)
“One thing I do,” said the Apostle Paul. Actually, Paul had done a lot of things, both good and bad. Indeed, he had just listed a number of things that he had been and done that showed that he was about as Jewish as a person could be. This was important because there were people who were trying to convince the Philippian believers that if they wanted to be Christ-followers, they had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. Paul says a resounding “No!” to this approach to the faith. While Paul might have played that game, he had come to believe that it was a game neither he nor anyone else could win.
But, ironically enough, Paul’s one thing actually involves at least two things. The first part of his two-fold “one thing” was that he had forgotten the past.
The irony deepens. The things that Paul says he has forgotten are things that he has just mentioned. It would seem that Paul’s “forgetory”, like the memory of may people, was awfully selective.
On the other hand, I am not sure that forgetting in Hebrew or Greek is merely concerned with whether or not a person has retained something in his conscious awareness. I suspect that, instead, the words for remembering and forgetting involve focus. Remembering means “to focus on something,” and forgetting means “to choose not to focus on something.” So perhaps Paul wasn’t as inconsistent as he might appear—at least in this case.
So, if Paul was refusing to focus on certain things—even good things—from his past, where was his focus? It was on knowing Christ as well as he could. Paul was well aware that he didn’t know Jesus Christ as well as he wanted to. His understanding of Christ was not perfect. This should comfort the rest of us who feel like beginners at this Christian faith business. Maybe we are all beginners.
Still, knowing Christ deserved his most strenuous and sustained efforts. Paul uses a Greek word (διώκω), which is used for a runner who is straining to finish strong. And the present tense of the verbs suggests an ongoing, continual striving to know Christ better.
Even if Jesus was only a great teacher, prophet, and teller of stories, he would be well worth getting to know better. If he was, as some of us believe, God in the flesh, then we really need to strive to do this one thing: to know Christ better. I suspect that this One Thing will take more than a lifetime, more than several of them. Fortunately, God thought of this, and offers us an eternity to get to know Jesus better.
One of my favorite Promise Keeper’s hymns is called “Knowing You.” I close with its lyrics.
“Verse 1
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own;
All I once thought gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now compared to this.
Chorus
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.
Verse 2
Now my heart’s desire is to know You more,
To be found in You and known as Yours,
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness
Chorus
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.
Verse 3
Oh to know the power of Your risen life,
And to know You in Your sufferings;
To become like You in Your death, my Lord,
So with You to live and never die.
Chorus
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.”
“Enough Already!“”
I have never felt like I was enough—at anything. A sense of inadequacy pervades everything I am and do. Sorry to be so brutally out front about this, but there it is.
I’ve decided, just today, that I don’t have to be sufficient or adequate in any area of my life. At least, I don’t have to be sufficient or adequate on my own. That last phrase (“on my own”) is the crucial one.
Since the Garden of Eden, people have been trying to make their way in the world on their own. Do I need to tell you that this has not gone well? No, you’ve probably noticed.
We were not designed to “make it on our own.” We were made to help one another. Above all, we were made to be helped by God. To paraphrase a quote from a St. Augustine prayer, “Our hearts are inadequate until they find their adequacy in thee.” God is the source of our adequacy, our sufficiency, our enough-ness.
God called Moses to go back to Egypt to lead God’s people, Israel, out of slavery. “I’m not enough, LORD,” said Moses. And of course, he was right. But God said to Moses, “I am your enough-ness!”
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to Judah and the gentile nations. Jeremiah said that he wasn’t old enough. God said, “Shut up and prophesy!”
In discussing his gospel ministry, the Apostle Paul asked, “Who is sufficient for these things?” The answer that he expected was, “No one! Certainly not me!” But then, Paul said, “But our sufficiency is from God.”
So, I have resigned from my quest to be enough. It is not a godly quest, because it is not quest for God. Enough already! God is enough for me, for you, for the whole human race. In fact, God is more than enough.
“ON DRIVING MY OWN CAR”
I often read some snippets from 12-step recovery books. They are published by Hazelden to help addicts like me. These excerpts are also published to get people to buy Hazelden books. If you’ve got some extra coins lying about, these books would be well worth the price, even if you’re not an addict.
One excerpt that I read this morning made me laugh. It also made me think.
“It’s hard to keep from trying to control the lives of others, especially in a family. We can learn from the man whose friend drove twenty miles to and from work on the freeway every day. ‘How can you do it?’ he asked. ‘I’ve tried, and I can’t go a mile in such traffic without screaming at the crazy drivers who cut in, go too slow, change lanes. Nobody listens. I’d lose my mind if I had to do it your way.’ His friend replied, ‘Your trouble is trying to drive every car around you. I relax and drive only one car – my own.’” (Today’s Gift, December 18, 2018)
Driving one car is difficult enough. Driving more than one? Way too much! And yet, how often I try to drive other people’s cars! To stay with the literal aspect of the metaphor for a moment, my wife is an excellent driver, much better than I am. However, when I’m riding shotgun, she has to frequently remind me that she is driving and I am not. Driving a car from the passenger’s side is not easy.
The Apostle Paul warns the believers in Rome not to try to run other people’s lives. “Don’t judge your brothers and sisters!” he warns them in chapter 14. In Romans 14:13, Paul says, “If you are going to judge at all, judge this: Judge yourself! Don’t cause your brother or sister to stumble!
There are certainly times when we have to intervene in other people’s lives, but we rarely have the courage to do that. More often, we want to intervene when it is really none of our business.
The meditation from Today’s Gift ends by asking a wonderful question: “What acts of others can I ignore today?”
Choosing to ignore how other people are doing may be a sign that we are properly concerned with what we are doing ourselves. I need to drive my own car.
“AN UNHANDLED EXCEPTION”
“We’re sorry! We have encountered an unhandled exception.”
Have you ever had this message (or something similar) pop up on your computer? I have. I’m not sure precisely what it means, but I do know that it indicates that something has gone wrong.
I was listening yesterday to a song by Ryan Stevenson, called “No Matter What”. Here are the lyrics.
“A lot of us grew up believing
At any moment we could lose it all
And at the drop of a hat
God might turn His back and move on
A lot of us feel like we blew it
Thinking that we’re just too far gone
But I want you to know
There’s still a hope for you now
[Chorus 1]
No matter what you’ve done
You can’t erase His love
Nothing can change it
You’re not separated
No matter what
[Verse 2]
There’s never been a better time to get honest
There’s never been a better time to get clean
So come as you are
Run to the cross and be free
Oh, be free
[Chorus 2]
No matter what you’ve done
You can’t erase His love
Nothing can change it
You’re not separated
No matter where you run
He’s always holding on
You’re still a daughter, You’re still a son
No matter what
[Bridge]
Don’t know what you’ve been taught
Don’t know what you’ve been told
All I know is my God
Will never let go of you, no-o-o-ooo
And I don’t know what you’ve seen
Don’t know what you’ve been through
All I know is my God
Will never let go of you
He’ll never let go!
He’ll never, never, never let you go
[Chorus 2]
No matter what you’ve done
You can’t erase His love
Nothing can change it
You’re not separated
No matter where you run
He’s always holding on
You’re still a daughter, You’re still a son
No matter what
[Outro]
You’re still a daughter, You’re still a son!…
No matter what.”
After hearing this song, it suddenly occurred to me that I had believed this for a long time—with one “unhandled exception.” I didn’t believe it for my own self. I was the unhandled exception.
Why should I believe that I am so exceptional? I don’t know. I really don’t. Yes, I am unique; and so are you. But exceptional? Not so much!
The Apostle Paul, before he was the Apostle Paul, was known as Saul. He persecuted the church, casting his vote for death against anyone who named the name of Christ. In fact, he was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christ-followers there. On the way to Damascus, a very crazy-way-more-than-awkward thing happened: He was confronted in a vision with the risen Christ. “Saul, Saul!” cried a voice from Heaven. “Why are you persecuting me?” The “me” turned out to be Jesus Christ. It was “a blinding revelation” in every sense of that expression.
Saul/Paul never got over what a screw-up he was. Near the end of his life, Paul wrote these words:
“15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’– and I am the worst of them all.”
Paul knew that he was exceptional—exceptionally evil! Interestingly, even though he is now a Christ-follower, an evangelist, a church planter, he still says that he “is” the worst of sinners. It is in the present tense in Greek. He is still very much aware of his exceptional condition as a sinner. A saved sinner? Yes! But still a sinner, and the worst of the lot.
But then, Paul goes on to say,
“16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.”
Paul thought of himself as an exceptionally difficult case. However, Paul also thought of himself as an exceptionally wonderful example of God’s mercy. Paul is saying here, “If God can have mercy on me and save me, he can save anybody! There are no unhandled exceptions!”
And so, Paul ends with praise:
17 “All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.”
Here is the heart of the matter: I am exceptionally evil, and probably, so are you! However, there is an exceptional God with an exceptional Son, and there are no unhandled exceptions for them.
“Paul’s Way of Thinking and Writing”
Thanks to a good friend, I am now receiving the meditations of Richard Rohr. He is very good! Rohr’s works suggest to me that the daily struggles are also an opportunity for daily growth. According to Rohr, Paul was a both/and thinker, rather than an either/or thinker.
I think that Rohr is right. I call Paul’s means of communication as “BOOM! and back off.” What I mean by this is that the Apostle Paul will communicate a truth to his reader. It will be very strong. Indeed, it is often a categorical statement—almost too strong. In other words, “BOOM!”
But then, immediately, Paul will make a balancing statement. That is the “back off.”
Perhaps a couple of examples will illustrate what I mean.
Philippians 2:12b: “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.” (“back off.”)
Philippians 2:13: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (“back off.”)
Galatians 2:20a: “My old self has been crucified with Christ.” (“BOOM!”)
Galatians 2:20b: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (“back off.”)
Of course, I could also say that Paul tends to be more balanced than he is often thought to be. However, “balance” is such a boring word. And whatever you think about Paul, there aren’t many folks who would call him boring.
On the other hand, Paul’s vivid communication style can and does lead to misunderstandings. Some of us tend to hear the first statement and ignore the second one. Some reverse the order of what we hear. Some hear only one side of what Paul says and radically disagree. Others hear only one side of what Paul says, and agree.
As in every case of human communication, there is always a high probability of miscommunication. Alan Greenspan is reported to have said, “I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” The same might be said of those of us who think we understand Paul.
I’ll close with these wonderful words concerning Paul from Rohr:
“He now knows that he is both sinner and saint, as we too must trust. Once the conflict has been overcome in you, and you realize you are a living paradox and so is everyone else, you begin to see life in a truly spiritual and compassionate way, which demands that you let go of your too easy dualisms.
Paul often presents two seemingly opposing ideas, such as weakness and strength, flesh and spirit, law and grace, faith and works, Jew and Greek, male and female. Our normal, dualistic thinking usually wraps itself fully around one side and then fully dismisses the other—thinking this is truth—when it is much more just a need for control or righteousness. Like Jesus, Paul invites you to wrestle with the paradox. If you stay with him in the full text, you’ll see he usually comes to a reconciliation on a higher level, beyond the conflict that he himself first illustrates. Many readers just stay with the initial dualistic distinction he makes and then dislike Paul. It seems you must first seek an often dualistic clarity about the tension—but then grace takes you to a higher level of resolution instead of just choosing sides. Some of us call this “third way” thinking—beyond the usual fight or flight responses.”
“Overcoming ______________ (fill in the blank): Breaking the Wizard’s Wand”
Years ago, a Bible study group that I led was discussing how we tend to let other people define us. This is especially the case when we are little. In particular, parents, siblings, school classmates, teachers, and coaches have a huge influence on us.
One of the members of the study group used the analogy of a wizard. Wizards have wands, with which they can wield a lot of power for good or for ill. When we are little, we don’t have much (if any) choice about who has power over us.
However, as we mature, we ourselves actually are the ones who give people their wands, although we may not realize that we’ve given them power over us.
Then, this member of the group went on to say something I’ll never forget: “When we are adults, we have the right to demand that a wand be returned to us, if the wizard hasn’t used the wand for our good.”
So, here is what I sometimes do: I visualize a certain person to whom I have given a wand. If I do not like the way in which they are practicing their wizardry, I visualize myself saying to them, “I need the wand that I gave you back.”
Then, I visualize myself breaking the wand over my knee.
A friend of mine (who is so insightful that he should be doing his own blog) said to me this morning, “Resentment gives other people a lot of control over us.” Indeed it does! Perhaps it would be helpful if I broke a wand named “resentment” over my knee. Resentment is a wand that places me under an evil spell in a hurry.
Above all, as I have said in an earlier blog, I tend to resent myself. I make a lousy wizard for anyone else. But I’m not good at being a wizard to myself, either. Paul said that he didn’t want the Corinthians judging others, and that he himself did not judge even himself (1 Corinthians 4:3). Perhaps if I stopped judging myself, I would stop having so many resentments against myself.
However, no matter what you want to overcome, whether it is resentment or something else, it may be time that you broke some wizards’ wands. That is why this post is entitled “Overcoming ____________.” You fill in the blank. Whatever evil spell you are under, you have the right to break the wizard’s wand. Indeed, you have not only the right; indeed, you have the responsibility to do so.
And then there is God. God is not a wizard. God does not wield a wand. Rather, God is a loving heavenly Father, who wants all of us to be free. I believe that God will help you to identify the evil, controlling wizards in your life. If you aren’t strong enough to break their wands, rest assured that God is able to do so.
SERVING GOD, WITH SLEEP OR WITHOUT
I did not sleep well last night. I am reminded of two approaches to serving God. One comes from the New Testament, the other from Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim.
Paul, in defending his apostleship, boasts that he had served God “through many sleepless nights” (2 Corinthians 11:27).
I’m afraid that I don’t always use my sleeplessness to serve God or others. Instead, I use sleeplessness to serve as an excuse for being a self-serving so and so! (Truth hurts, but it also heals.)
But the question is, what will I do with my sleeplessness today? Will I be pleasant to people, or will be a member of that huge clan called “the Whiner Family?” Will I seek to glorify God, no matter how well or poorly I’ve slept?
Then, there is another story that goes in the opposite direction. It is the story of Rabbi Shmelke, one of the early Hasidim, who lived in Nikolsburg (a town in what is now called Moravia, near Austria). Rabbi Shmelke lived from 1726-1778. One of the wonderful stories about him involves sleep.
“Rabbi Shmelke did not want to interrupt his studies for too long a time, and so he always slept sitting up, his head resting on his arm. In his fingers he held a lit candle which roused him when it guttered and the flame touched his hand. When Rabbi Elimelekh visited him, and recognized the power of the holiness which was still locked within him, he prepared a couch for him and with great difficulty persuaded him to lie down for a little while. The he closed and shuttered the windows. Rabbi Shmelke slept until broad daylight. It did not take him long to notice this, but he was not sorry he had slept, for he was filled with a hitherto unknown sunny clearness. He went to the House of Prayer and prayed before the congregation as usual. But to the congregation it seemed that they had never heard him before. They were entranced and uplifted by the manifest power of his holiness. When he recited the verses about the Red Sea, they gathered up the hems of their kaftans for fear the waves towering to the left and right might wet them with salty foam. Later Shmelke said to Elimelekh: ‘Not until this day did I know that one can serve God with sleep’” (Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim, volume 1, pp. 187-188).
So, according to Paul, God can be served and glorified in, and presumably by, sleeplessness. According to Rabbi Shmelke, God can be served in, and presumably by sleep. Who is right?
I am rather fond of the saying, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” The truth is this: Everything, when submitted to God, can glorify God. God can and will use everything to bless us. We can also use everything to serve God and others.
The only question is this: Will we choose to do so?
No, on second thought, that is not the question. The question is this: Will I choose to do so?
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
“THE NAME OF JESUS AND A SPIRIT OF GRATITUDE”
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17, New English Translation)
Reading other people’s mail is fun. Sometimes, however, we find out that the letter is to us and about us after all. In Colossians 3-4, the Apostle Paul is giving some helpful advice about how to live to an ancient church. Strangely enough, it might also speak to decisions we all need to make on a daily basis.
Take Colossians 3:17 for example. N.T. Wright comments,
“Paul now closes the circle which began at 2:6. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acting ‘in someone’s name’ means both representing him and being empowered to do so. Paul’s exhortation is therefore a salutary check on behaviour (‘can I really do this, if I am representing the Lord Jesus?’) and an encouragement to persevere with difficult tasks undertaken for him, knowing that necessary strength will be provided. And again Paul adds the characteristic emphasis: giving thanks to God the Father through him. The centre of Christian living is grateful worship, which is to affect ‘whatever we do’: since ‘all things’ have been created through Christ and also, in principle, redeemed through him, Christians can do all that they do, whether it be manual work, political activity, raising a family, writing a book, playing tennis, or whatever, in his name and with gratitude. Jesus, the true divine and human image of God, the one whose cross secured our reconciliation, is the reason for our gratitude, and the one ‘through whom’ we can now offer that gratitude to the Father himself.” (N.T. Wright, The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and Philemon : An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentary, pp 150-151. )
While this is true, it is also true that, if I cannot do something “in the name of Jesus,” I had better leave it alone. And I can think of lots of things that I can’t do in the name of Jesus, or with gratitude.
One of the less serious examples is playing word games on my computer. Now, I hear someone saying, “Good grief! What on earth is wrong with that?!”
And the answer is, absolutely nothing—for some people. However, I am not some people. I’m just me. And the person that is just me doesn’t have any business playing word games on my computer. The reason is simple: I will tell myself that I’ll just play one game. However, I know I’m lying to myself even when I say this.
Two hours later, I’m still playing, my hands are hurting, I’ve neglected to write my daily blog, I haven’t been preparing for classes I’m teaching, I haven’t done some tasks around the house that need to be done, and I’m feeling horrible about myself. So, I play some more word games on my computer.
If I can’t play word games in the name of Jesus, or if I can’t be thankful for doing so, then I had better leave it alone. While it is very important to say and do things in the name of Jesus and with a spirit of gratitude, it is also very important to refuse to say or do things when I can’t, with a good conscience, do them in the name of Jesus with gratitude. Stationed beside the doors of all choices are two armed guards: The Name and Gratitude. I need to let these guards do their job.