KNOW
What a wonder to know that Christ knows us and understands us better than we understand ourselves- He stepped into our world not only to acquire salvation for us, but also to get to know us on a personal level; He shared in all our experiences of life. To me, that is amazing- He must have had quite a life! There are a lot of people with a lot of different problems . . . and He can sympathize with them all- WOW!
I also really appreciate the way Tripp gives us an honest view of humanity. How true it is that “we are more impressed with our righteousness than we are horrified by our sin” (181). Tripp not only draws out our need of Christ, but also our need of others in the spiritual battle in which we are engaged: “because of this, we all need people who love us enough to ask, listen, and, having listened, to ask more. This is not being intrusive. This is helping blind people to embrace their need for Christ” (181). I find this to be a real encouragement to engage in more meaningful conversations, and be willing to be an ambassador for Christ, to be used by Him as iron sharpening iron.
When engaging in personal ministry not only do we receive the blessing of being encouraged and challenged by others, but we also have the esteemed privilege of seeing God at work in our own lives as well as the lives of others. Tripp says we can point Christians to the resources that are theirs in Christ; for unbelievers, these same resources are available if they would turn to Jesus for their salvation! In my internship I have the privilege of witnessing this wondrous work of Christ that Tripp is speaking of. I meet with several groups of men who struggle with varying degrees of sexual sins. All can profess to the arresting work of God calling them out of their live of sin, and of His continual grace in their lives as they seek to carry on the battle against lust and the spiritual darkness that would lure them into the pits of hell if they were able. God’s grace is indeed a wonderful work of transformation, as I see in my own life as well. If we did not take the time or the effort to get to know people, we would miss out on seeing God in action in a lot of ways. I am thankful He has me where He has me.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Mark And The Coming Kingdom
In the beginning, God created all things, and He created them good. After the Fall of humanity, God promised to redeem all of creation and overturn the works of Satan. The work of redemption of man who was cursed and deserving of death thus begun, the story of God’s salvation continued to unfold. Leprosy, an incurable disease leading to death, was a result of the curse of the Fall.
God’s willingness to hear the cry of His people and bring healing and restoration to them is seen throughout the history of Israel in many ways. Exodus 3:7-8 reveals that God heard the cry of His chosen people and sought to deliver them from their slavery in Egypt. This same compassion is shown by Christ in the cleansing of the leper. Remarkably, in this passage in Exodus God says, “I know their sorrows” (Ex. 3:7).
One cannot help but make a connection to Isaiah 53. The Suffering Servant is called “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (3). The following verses say that He took our sorrows and griefs upon Himself, bore our transgressions, and was punished for our sin. In reference back to the levitical laws, Jesus was willing to take upon Himself the uncleanness of sinners by allowing the leper to come to him, and by touching the leper.
This cleansing of the leper also intimates Jesus’ desire to cleanse the hearts of His people. David, an archetype of Jesus, pled with God to create within him a clean heart, and to purge him with hyssop (in reference to the application of blood from the Passover rituals) because of his sin. Moreover, David mentions that sacrifices were not what God was looking for, but a contrite heart (Ps. 51). This internal washing that is signified in the cleansing of the leper is referred to in other places of Scripture as well. In Ezekiel 36 God says “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols” (v. 25); God works more than outward cleansing in His people.
Mark specifically mentions this later in His gospel in Jesus’ discourse with the Pharisees (chapter 7). Jesus tells them specifically that what is in the heart of man is what makes the man unclean. He calls them to purify their hearts. James reiterates this call in his letter: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (4:8, emphasis mine). Further, Jesus’ interaction with the leper is exemplary evidence for the truth found in the first half of this same verse: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
The reality of Jesus’ willingness to cleanse His people climaxed when He took our uncleanness upon Himself on the cross. Paul makes this direct connection in Galatians 3:13, noting that Christ became a curse for us because, quoting Deuteronomy 21:23, all who hung on a tree were cursed.
In a wonderful flourish of few words, Paul makes a direct connection in this same passage to the kingdom purposes of God. Christ’s agenda was to usher in the new covenant by fulfilling the old. This new covenant, according to Jeremiah 29-31 was a covenant of the heart. Paul states that the reason Christ became a curse for is so that we might be partakers of the blessings promised to Abraham and receive the promise of the Spirit of God in us. In order for us to have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we first need to be cleansed. God promised to place both a new heart as well as His Spirit in us (Ez. 36:26-7). As John wrote, it is the blood of the Son of God that cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9). The final outworking of this kingdom cleansing will be evident as we sit at the marriage supper of the Lamb, clothed in fine linen, clean and bright.
God’s willingness to hear the cry of His people and bring healing and restoration to them is seen throughout the history of Israel in many ways. Exodus 3:7-8 reveals that God heard the cry of His chosen people and sought to deliver them from their slavery in Egypt. This same compassion is shown by Christ in the cleansing of the leper. Remarkably, in this passage in Exodus God says, “I know their sorrows” (Ex. 3:7).
One cannot help but make a connection to Isaiah 53. The Suffering Servant is called “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (3). The following verses say that He took our sorrows and griefs upon Himself, bore our transgressions, and was punished for our sin. In reference back to the levitical laws, Jesus was willing to take upon Himself the uncleanness of sinners by allowing the leper to come to him, and by touching the leper.
This cleansing of the leper also intimates Jesus’ desire to cleanse the hearts of His people. David, an archetype of Jesus, pled with God to create within him a clean heart, and to purge him with hyssop (in reference to the application of blood from the Passover rituals) because of his sin. Moreover, David mentions that sacrifices were not what God was looking for, but a contrite heart (Ps. 51). This internal washing that is signified in the cleansing of the leper is referred to in other places of Scripture as well. In Ezekiel 36 God says “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols” (v. 25); God works more than outward cleansing in His people.
Mark specifically mentions this later in His gospel in Jesus’ discourse with the Pharisees (chapter 7). Jesus tells them specifically that what is in the heart of man is what makes the man unclean. He calls them to purify their hearts. James reiterates this call in his letter: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (4:8, emphasis mine). Further, Jesus’ interaction with the leper is exemplary evidence for the truth found in the first half of this same verse: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
The reality of Jesus’ willingness to cleanse His people climaxed when He took our uncleanness upon Himself on the cross. Paul makes this direct connection in Galatians 3:13, noting that Christ became a curse for us because, quoting Deuteronomy 21:23, all who hung on a tree were cursed.
In a wonderful flourish of few words, Paul makes a direct connection in this same passage to the kingdom purposes of God. Christ’s agenda was to usher in the new covenant by fulfilling the old. This new covenant, according to Jeremiah 29-31 was a covenant of the heart. Paul states that the reason Christ became a curse for is so that we might be partakers of the blessings promised to Abraham and receive the promise of the Spirit of God in us. In order for us to have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we first need to be cleansed. God promised to place both a new heart as well as His Spirit in us (Ez. 36:26-7). As John wrote, it is the blood of the Son of God that cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9). The final outworking of this kingdom cleansing will be evident as we sit at the marriage supper of the Lamb, clothed in fine linen, clean and bright.
Gilead: Response
This response is based on the book Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
I found this book a little difficult to get into at first. For the first thirty pages or so I found it difficult to follow the list of characters and put the stories together. Actually, not until about halfway through the book did I really begin to fit pieces together and figure out everyone’s relationship to each other. At that point, the reason for the John Ames writing this series of letters finally became clear. Although my discourse is not to be a literary response, I think the structure of the book really plays on the interpretation of it.
I found myself so preoccupied in trying to figure out the storyline that I found I was missing a lot among the details. Not until the emotional content was mentioned in class did I really begin to pick up on it. Once the story began to fall into place, I also began to notice other nuances that I hadn’t picked up on in the first part of the book.
Ames seems to have been rather in tune to the emotion of others around him, but does not seem to put his own affections into the historical aspects of the story. However, there is a lot of emotion portrayed through his writing and the present recollection of the past.
The generation gaps really play out as well. He mentions on numerous occasions while reflecting on the past that those times were different. He also acknowledges that his interpretations of his life as a child had changed over the years as he matured and looked back on his past. His perception of his father and grandfather, and the tension that existed between them, changed over the years, and seems to continue to change as he recollects the past and tries to recount this past to his son. Interestingly, he does not tell his young son these things, but writes them in letters.
The lack of immediate communication with his son is an interesting aspect of this book. Perhaps because of the age gap that exists between the two Ames is not able to communicate with his son well. Ames even writes the letters with his son in the same room, and even on his lap! Perhaps he feels his son would not be able to understand; perhaps he feels that his son is making the same types of interpretations of his life experiences as Ames did while a child. At any rate, Ames’ desire is definitely to pass on these stories to his son in such a way that he will be able to understand them as an adult; thus Ames chooses to write.
I suppose Ames also chooses to write because as a pastor for the past thirty odd years he has only delivered sermons that were methodically thought and written down on paper- he seems to be doing the same here. He writes in such vivid detail on some events, and repeats some events as well as his interpretation of those events several times over.
This is an aspect of the man that I really admired in this book: his ability to take in and appreciate seemingly mundane details. He mentions things like light patterns, the wind rustling through the trees, and the changing of the landscape over the years which cause him to reflect on the goodness of God. However, his years of introspection seem to keep him silent in his interpersonal communication, and he still seems to spend a lot of time in solitude.
For all this, he does show that he loves his son, and his wife, and his congregation, although the thought of his impending death troubles him a lot. To me it seems as though he is losing his feeling of worthiness toward his congregation and possibly his family as well. He reflects a lot on his grandfather’s change in attitude toward his congregation after the war, and how he seemed to slowly fade away (and eventually running away), as though he might actually identify with his grandfather at this point in his life.
Personally, I was affected by the lack of communication between the male figures in this book in general. Both Ames’ father and grandfather seemed to be gruff, distant men. Although Ames himself does not seem to share that character, it is possible that he seems this way on the exterior, but inside is quite the pussycat. I can identify with his Ames’ experience to the degree that I do not have a great relationship with my father or my grandfather. I can appreciate how difficult it must be for him to communicate with others on a personal level, as well as the freedom there is to rather write things on paper than express them in person.
Further, Ames’ relationship with his wife seems a bit odd. There seems to be a significant age gap between them, and it is clear that they love each other. Ames praise her in his book, but records very little of the dialogue between the two. He also seems to speak of his first wife and daughter more than his present wife. Perhaps their deaths have not been fully mourned or otherwise processed. Moreover, it seems strange that Ames is writing such a long series of letters to his son, and not to his wife. The father-son relationships definitely dominate the bulk of this book.
Finally, I found it odd that there was such little spiritual instruction in these letters. I would have thought that the letters of a dying preacher to his son would have included admonitions and encouragements to love and serve the Lord. Instead, Ames seems to refer to the myriads of sermons that he had stored in the attic as the message he has left for his wife and child to read for themselves, but in the end intends to simply burn. I find his especially tragic as he makes a point of blessing his best friend’s wayward son, and leaves off blessing his own.
I found this book a little difficult to get into at first. For the first thirty pages or so I found it difficult to follow the list of characters and put the stories together. Actually, not until about halfway through the book did I really begin to fit pieces together and figure out everyone’s relationship to each other. At that point, the reason for the John Ames writing this series of letters finally became clear. Although my discourse is not to be a literary response, I think the structure of the book really plays on the interpretation of it.
I found myself so preoccupied in trying to figure out the storyline that I found I was missing a lot among the details. Not until the emotional content was mentioned in class did I really begin to pick up on it. Once the story began to fall into place, I also began to notice other nuances that I hadn’t picked up on in the first part of the book.
Ames seems to have been rather in tune to the emotion of others around him, but does not seem to put his own affections into the historical aspects of the story. However, there is a lot of emotion portrayed through his writing and the present recollection of the past.
The generation gaps really play out as well. He mentions on numerous occasions while reflecting on the past that those times were different. He also acknowledges that his interpretations of his life as a child had changed over the years as he matured and looked back on his past. His perception of his father and grandfather, and the tension that existed between them, changed over the years, and seems to continue to change as he recollects the past and tries to recount this past to his son. Interestingly, he does not tell his young son these things, but writes them in letters.
The lack of immediate communication with his son is an interesting aspect of this book. Perhaps because of the age gap that exists between the two Ames is not able to communicate with his son well. Ames even writes the letters with his son in the same room, and even on his lap! Perhaps he feels his son would not be able to understand; perhaps he feels that his son is making the same types of interpretations of his life experiences as Ames did while a child. At any rate, Ames’ desire is definitely to pass on these stories to his son in such a way that he will be able to understand them as an adult; thus Ames chooses to write.
I suppose Ames also chooses to write because as a pastor for the past thirty odd years he has only delivered sermons that were methodically thought and written down on paper- he seems to be doing the same here. He writes in such vivid detail on some events, and repeats some events as well as his interpretation of those events several times over.
This is an aspect of the man that I really admired in this book: his ability to take in and appreciate seemingly mundane details. He mentions things like light patterns, the wind rustling through the trees, and the changing of the landscape over the years which cause him to reflect on the goodness of God. However, his years of introspection seem to keep him silent in his interpersonal communication, and he still seems to spend a lot of time in solitude.
For all this, he does show that he loves his son, and his wife, and his congregation, although the thought of his impending death troubles him a lot. To me it seems as though he is losing his feeling of worthiness toward his congregation and possibly his family as well. He reflects a lot on his grandfather’s change in attitude toward his congregation after the war, and how he seemed to slowly fade away (and eventually running away), as though he might actually identify with his grandfather at this point in his life.
Personally, I was affected by the lack of communication between the male figures in this book in general. Both Ames’ father and grandfather seemed to be gruff, distant men. Although Ames himself does not seem to share that character, it is possible that he seems this way on the exterior, but inside is quite the pussycat. I can identify with his Ames’ experience to the degree that I do not have a great relationship with my father or my grandfather. I can appreciate how difficult it must be for him to communicate with others on a personal level, as well as the freedom there is to rather write things on paper than express them in person.
Further, Ames’ relationship with his wife seems a bit odd. There seems to be a significant age gap between them, and it is clear that they love each other. Ames praise her in his book, but records very little of the dialogue between the two. He also seems to speak of his first wife and daughter more than his present wife. Perhaps their deaths have not been fully mourned or otherwise processed. Moreover, it seems strange that Ames is writing such a long series of letters to his son, and not to his wife. The father-son relationships definitely dominate the bulk of this book.
Finally, I found it odd that there was such little spiritual instruction in these letters. I would have thought that the letters of a dying preacher to his son would have included admonitions and encouragements to love and serve the Lord. Instead, Ames seems to refer to the myriads of sermons that he had stored in the attic as the message he has left for his wife and child to read for themselves, but in the end intends to simply burn. I find his especially tragic as he makes a point of blessing his best friend’s wayward son, and leaves off blessing his own.
First Corinthians: Response
Paul begins this letter by thanking God for his Corinthian brothers and sisters. In numerous places he reminds them that he is on the same level as them relationally as members of the body of Christ, although he had been given authority over them in the presentation of the gospel through his God-given apostleship- and even in this he exemplifies taking the lowest place among his brothers. Paul pleads with the Corinthians, and reminds them that they are together being sanctified in Christ. Paul also reminds them that throughout his ministry he has always focused on the cross of Christ.
Paul is bold in addressing the believers in this church. He is not worried about being judged by the Corinthians because he understands that God will judge the hearts of men. Therefore, he is direct with them, speaking the truth, and shaming them for the sinful practices of sexual immorality, disunity, misuse of the Lord’s Supper, and others. Yet he does so in a loving way, warning them for their souls’ sakes and for the sake of the glory of Christ and the unity of the Church of which they were part, addressing them as his “beloved children” (4:14).
Paul addresses their specific questions and concerns while constantly reminding them of their identity in Christ and their place in the Body of Christ. Further, he calls them to honest and humble discipline within the body, in order that the unity of the church would be upheld. Therefore, Paul admonishes them to be humble, to be sensitive to weaker brothers, and to seek the wellbeing of others and esteeming them greater than themselves. Paul models for them the servant attitude they ought to have for the sake of the gospel, so that others in the church would be encouraged and strengthened, and that unbelievers would be wooed to Christ.
Paul is bold in addressing the believers in this church. He is not worried about being judged by the Corinthians because he understands that God will judge the hearts of men. Therefore, he is direct with them, speaking the truth, and shaming them for the sinful practices of sexual immorality, disunity, misuse of the Lord’s Supper, and others. Yet he does so in a loving way, warning them for their souls’ sakes and for the sake of the glory of Christ and the unity of the Church of which they were part, addressing them as his “beloved children” (4:14).
Paul addresses their specific questions and concerns while constantly reminding them of their identity in Christ and their place in the Body of Christ. Further, he calls them to honest and humble discipline within the body, in order that the unity of the church would be upheld. Therefore, Paul admonishes them to be humble, to be sensitive to weaker brothers, and to seek the wellbeing of others and esteeming them greater than themselves. Paul models for them the servant attitude they ought to have for the sake of the gospel, so that others in the church would be encouraged and strengthened, and that unbelievers would be wooed to Christ.
Instruments In The Redeemer's Hands: Ch. 7-8
LOVE
I just finished reading these two chapters on the element of LOVE, and I am a little overwhelmed. There is a lot of practical strategy for application, which is great. I think at this point I am struggling with wondering how I am going to remember all these things when it comes time to actually apply them. Even more than that, I am concerned because I typically do not move toward other people in this way, and I begin to wonder if I really love others at all.
I guess in the midst of these thoughts, Tripp’s words remind me that I am still a work in progress also. I have begun to see God working in me to view my relationships in a redemptive light, although I often still don’t feel like putting in the effort. Tripp’s example of the marriage in conflict in chapter seven really struck a chord in me, especially after the conflict my fiancée and I went through the other day.
I think I realized that God was at work in that particular situation, yet because of the guilt I was feeling did not know how to introduce this fact for fear that I would be seen as trying to take the attention off of my wrongdoing. However, bringing to the foreground what God was doing in the midst of that struggle would have allowed us to shift our focus more off ourselves and the ‘redemptive purposes’ we had for each other, and to look for God’s redemptive purposes.
Also, with respect to entering the person’s world, in my initial conversations with my fiancée I did not seek to understand her experience of the situation. I was thankful that I had not, by God’s grace, given in to temptation; for me, the issue ended there. I was not keen to the fact that knowing I had been struggling with the temptation was causing her to struggle. Thus, her experience of the situation was different from mine, and I didn’t take the time to see that. I pray that God will give me a heart that is more in tune to her perspective, and that I will be able to apply this principle in other relationships also.
I just finished reading these two chapters on the element of LOVE, and I am a little overwhelmed. There is a lot of practical strategy for application, which is great. I think at this point I am struggling with wondering how I am going to remember all these things when it comes time to actually apply them. Even more than that, I am concerned because I typically do not move toward other people in this way, and I begin to wonder if I really love others at all.
I guess in the midst of these thoughts, Tripp’s words remind me that I am still a work in progress also. I have begun to see God working in me to view my relationships in a redemptive light, although I often still don’t feel like putting in the effort. Tripp’s example of the marriage in conflict in chapter seven really struck a chord in me, especially after the conflict my fiancée and I went through the other day.
I think I realized that God was at work in that particular situation, yet because of the guilt I was feeling did not know how to introduce this fact for fear that I would be seen as trying to take the attention off of my wrongdoing. However, bringing to the foreground what God was doing in the midst of that struggle would have allowed us to shift our focus more off ourselves and the ‘redemptive purposes’ we had for each other, and to look for God’s redemptive purposes.
Also, with respect to entering the person’s world, in my initial conversations with my fiancée I did not seek to understand her experience of the situation. I was thankful that I had not, by God’s grace, given in to temptation; for me, the issue ended there. I was not keen to the fact that knowing I had been struggling with the temptation was causing her to struggle. Thus, her experience of the situation was different from mine, and I didn’t take the time to see that. I pray that God will give me a heart that is more in tune to her perspective, and that I will be able to apply this principle in other relationships also.