Opus 2011-146, Headlines: The Late, Great Osama

The headlines are screaming it:  Osama is dead.  I noticed that the sun came up again this morning.  At least for us.

Setting aside the accuracy of the report and how reliable it is, lets move on to the question of how Christians should respond?  Someone has met a violent end.  Where do people who are followers of a Holy God understand this kind of reality show?

On one side you have the people with the gift of mercy.  They want to focus on the tragedy of a human life being taken.  They have a point.  Christianity, unlike Islam, does not endorse violence and killing as a standard fall-back position.  We are taught to turn the other cheek, love our enemies and to forgive. 

There is a verse in the Love Chapter that often pops into my mind in situations like this,

(1 Corinthians 13:6 NASB)  does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

This reminds me we are not to celebrate the failures or misfortunes of others, even if deserved.  We should not have a party when sinners suffer.  Since I am spending a lot of time in Proverbs I have also noticed that this thought is not original with Paul but has been God’s eternal policy,

(Proverbs 24:17 KJV)  Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

So a block party is not in order.

At the same time we should not be unhappy that this has happened.  Turning the other cheek is a way in which we are to respond to the everyday slights we face but God does not live in an ivory tower.  Remember what Paul said,

(Romans 13:3-4 NASB)  For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

The government has the authorization of God to take the sword and go after the “one who practices evil.”  If you accept that Jesus said turn the other cheek then you must also accept that having the military hunt down a piece of murdering baggage is also okay.  If you are one of those people who believe that Osama was just misunderstood or the product of a difficult childhood then go back and take Theology 101 and read about the sinful nature.

Do we have a Biblical equivalent?  How about the death of Goliath?  He was a violent challenger of God’s people and mocker of God.  When David took down the giant you will notice that the nation of Israel did not express shock at such violence or weep for Goliath’s mother.

(1 Samuel 17:52 KJV)  And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

I am sure the shout was one of triumph and celebration.  Then they went after the enemies of God with extreme prejudice. 

So don’t walk down the street giving high fives or dance in the parking lot.  Just have an inner satisfaction that evil is punished and sometimes we actually see it happen.

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-145, Key Scriptures: The Love Chapter, part 4

So what is love?  I am glad you asked.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 KJV)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love is a combination of choices, positive and negative.  On the positive side you have patience, kindness, rejoicing in truth, endurance, faith and hope.  And that is just what is listed here. 

On the negative side there are behaviors to avoid.  We should not envy, be arrogant or conceited, rude, selfish, sensitive, dirty minded or enjoying other’s pain.

The key here is the idea of conscious choice.  Love is not an emotion Biblically.  It is a way of living based on decisions.  You can choose to be patient or not.  You can choose to be kind or cruel.  When you look at the gifts of the spirit, love is not listed.  When you look at the fruit of the spirit, it heads the list.

(Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Notice that “love” is listed first.  Some have said that their should be a colon or semicolon after love.  That would follow the Love Chapter in showing how all of these things are simply expressions of love.  You will also notice that “fruit” is singular.

The fact that love is first on the list of the fruit of the spirit also reminds us that this kind of love is impossible without the grace of God working in our lives.  We can try and might even have times of success, but this kind of love is only sustainable with the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Does it sound like something that you might want a part of?

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-144, Key Scriptures: The Love Chapter, part 3

(1 Corinthians 13:1-3 KJV)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Although you may not be aware of it, what you are reading here refers to people with many sought after gifts of the spirit.  It begins with people gifted in speaking in unknown tongues and preaching.  It moves on to prophecy, wisdom and knowledge.  It concludes with faith and giving then throws in martyrdom for good measure.

The basic message is that no matter how gifted you are, if you do not “have” agape love, you might as well have nothing. 

This first part of the Love Chapter also focuses on telling us what love is not.  Sometimes that helps us to see what love is.  Our culture is so full of twisted ideas of what it calls “love” that the meaning has been totally lost.  Love is not squishy.  Love is not empathy.  Love is not irrational.

Love is required.

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-143, Key Scriptures: The Love Chapter, part 2

Now that you have had a chance to read I Corinthians 13, let me share a few basic details.  If you are a believer who regularly attends worship, this will be simple review.

The word translated “love” is the Greek word agape.  It is one of five words in Greek that are translated love in English.  The others include the ideas of brotherly love, friendship, family love and romantic love.  This word is special.  It is an expression of the unselfish love of God.  It is a love that believers are expected to demonstrate in their lives.  It is at the center of Christian morality. 

In my opinion the Old Testament equivalent of “agape” is the Hebrew word “chesed” which is translated best, “loving kindness.”

Notice that love is not an emotion; it is a decision. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-142, Key Scriptures: The Love Chapter, part 1

Years ago I was working in Sequoia National Park for the summer on the maintenance crew.  I was placed by Christian Ministries in the National Parks.  I worked a regular job five and a half days a week and lead worship in the campsites on Sundays.  I was a Vietnam veteran and in my second year of seminary.  I was working and living in a sub-culture based on college students away from home for the summer.  To say the least, it was interesting.

One day we were putting a new coating of sticky black stuff on a roof and one of the guys had to show me this tremendous love note that his latest heart throb had written him.  It began, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love...” 

In case you don’t recognize that, it comes from the Bible.  It is the beginning of I Corinthians 13, which is called the “Love Chapter.”  If you are someone who has never read it that probably also means you don’t have Bible handy.  Let me reproduce it for you from the King James Version.  Remember that the word “charity” is now translated “love.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 KJV
(1)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
(2)  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
(3)  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
(4)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
(5)  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
(6)  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
(7)  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
(8)  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
(9)  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
(10)  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
(11)  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
(12)  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
(13)  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Read it over and enjoy the message that God is trying to get across to us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-141, The Worship Wars

“Contemporary” worship bores me.  It isn’t evil.  It isn’t of the devil.  It isn’t bad, it is just plain boring.  We were visiting family out of town.  One Sunday we went to a big church that has contemporary worship.  They had people jumping up and down, waving their hands, clapping and having a great time.  Most people weren’t singing, just responding to the beat.  It reminded me of a crowd after a Super Bowl victory.  In a word, choreographed, conformist, vanilla and boring.  I can watch a sports event without making a fool of myself.  I can also be the clown of the class if I want.  In church I prefer to worship.

Sometimes it is not even a difference of style.  It is a difference of quality.  I do not hate new “praise” music.  You young whipper snappers think it is new.  It isn’t.  We used to call them choruses.  In fact I had song books titled “Praise Choruses.”  Music is a bit like the parable of the sower.

Some music is dead on delivery.  No one likes it but the praise band.  Since they are in charge (and a member of the team wrote the song) they sing it anyway.  Some catches on and you enjoy it for awhile but it has no staying power.  Some is written to endure and will be with us for generations.  One category I can’t fit into the parable are those songs that you hate at first but after singing them awhile they grow on you.  Part of the worship teams job is to decide which type of song it is and repeat the ones that are of value to worship. 

I realize that there is good new music.  But there is a great library of great older music.  You know, songs that are more than a year old.  And there are a lot of great hymns that have endured for centuries.  There is a reason they have endured.  It shows a lack of leadership to only do the latest tunes at the expense of the proven.

I often wonder how much of contemporary worship is based more on ego rather than the leading of the Spirit.  Of course this criticism can be applied just as readily to traditional worship.  I have been in worship teams.  I always felt like practice was a great time of worship and I was always asking myself, will this help others, or is it just for my satisfaction.  Some songs are great for professionals but torture for poor singers.  The leaders should take this into consideration.  Just because it sounds good on a CD doesn’t mean it can be sung by a congregation.

Let the worship wars come to an end.  Sing new praise music.  Sing the old hymns.  Sing it with enthusiasm and give quality leadership.  If you do, I will not find it boring, no matter what the style.

homo unius libri

Opus 2011-140, Discernment Watch: Opinion As Fact

I am currently working through a book called Unsolved Mysteries of History by Paul Aron.  It has a real grabber as a subtitle, “An Eye-Opening Investigation into the Most Baffling Events of All Time.”  Sounds good.  It was 50 cents on the used book table.  I thought it was a good deal, but I am finding out I was cheated.

When I got it home I looked through the Table of Contents and was surprised to find one of the chapters was “Did Jesus Die on the Cross?”  I don’t believe that there is any question about that except for certain heretics, some pagans and all Muslims.  People might not believe in the resurrection, but why question the crucifixion?  I read this chapter first and it gave me a good view of his research style.  He went through every attack on Christianity from the early Gnostics to the current Jesus Seminar.  He gave none of the historical or logical reasons to support the death and resurrection.  It was a one sided, anti-Christian hit piece.

I found the “scholarship” to be rather shallow in the rest of the book.  I continue reading to see if there is anything I can learn, but I have my doubts.

What brings me to this today is a statement he made on page 90.  He is discussing the “sign” that Joan of Arc gave to Charles to convince him to trust her.  He establishes in the first few sentences that no one knows but that does not stop him from repeating all the theories produced out of empty air and possible heads running on fumes.  The one position he totally discounts is the one with the most first person support.

“...historians are asking the same questions as Joan’s inquisitors:  Were there angels at work here?  Or devils?
    “To a historian, of course, the answer must be no.”

Why?  He quotes the most ridiculous theories and says they can’t be proven but might be true and discounts the words of the people who were there because he has chosen not to believe in the supernatural.  There is the assumption that people who believe in things science can’t measure are ignorant simpletons who don’t seem to realize that fire can make things hot.

Beware of assumptions when you read.  People come to write with limitations on their thinking.  We all do.  Filter what you read the way you would water from an unknown source.  Paul Aron comes with anti-Christian assumptions.  He seems to be willing to give some credibility to the idea of the Minotaur in the Labyrinths of ancient Crete and the magic of Merlin in King Arthur’s court but assumes that the cross was a hoax and that angels could not have spoken to Joan.

homo unius libri