Destination:Unknown Pictures!

Check out the recently-updated Flickr account we share as a church for new photos of the youth's recent outing at Turner Field!

Meet Your Maker, Vol. V (The Long Awaited One)

Sorry, O gracious and ever-thirsting audience of the SOTH blog, for the absence of this particular post from the page you no doubt check everyday! I have been away both of the last two Fridays. Forgiveness is mine, though, so its time to move on.

In today's Wesleyan wisdom, I read his explication on Ephesians 2:8 which reads like this:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith..." (TNIV)

Wesley, after stating the scripture, poses this question:

What faith is it through which we are saved?

An interesting thought that may not have crossed our minds previously. He draws out four different "kinds" or "levels" of faith and determines whether or not each is the faith by which we are saved.

"The faith of the heathen" - This is merely an idea of who God is, largely based on heresay. Wesley states: "A Greek or Roman, therefore, yea, a Scythian or Indian, was without excuse if he did not believe thus much: the being and attributes of God, a future state of reward and punishment, and the obligatory nature of moral virtue." Though we may have this faith, it is, quite obviously, not the grace by which we are saved.

"The faith of a devil" - This is knowledge of who God and Jesus are. In Luke 4:34, you can read the account of a demon that declares: "I know who you are - The Holy One of God!" In this one exclamation, that demon shows knowledge of the Father and the Son. But it is silly to say that this kind of faith, though we possess it, is the faith by which we are saved.

"The faith of the apostles while Christ still walked the earth" - This is faith by seeing and not faith of heart or belief. Sometimes we find ourselves convinced that had we walked the earth when Jesus did and followed him around, watching him perform these miracles of which we read, we would, no doubt, have greater faith. But if you read the story of the disciples closely, we see quite the opposite from time to time. Wesley cites one instance in particular, Matthew 17:14-21, where the disciples are unable to cast out a demon. They ask Jesus why, and his responce is, "Because you have so little faith." This, again, is not the faith by which Wesley believes we are saved.

"The faith in Christ" - This is to be distinguished from the knowledge of Christ. Wesley says, "it is not barely a speculative, rational thing, a cold, lifeless assent, a train of ideas in the head; but also a disposition of the heart." So this is the "everything-and" faith. It is the sum of the first three with an addition - belief coming from the heart. Wesley leans on Romans 10:9:

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (TNIV)

Where in the faith-chain are you?

Its great to be able to tell me who God and Jesus are, but I know athiests, agnostics, and even Muslims who can tell me as much, and are we not claiming to be different than they? The faith by which we are saved is that faith which comes from the heart; a faith that is more than academic, it is essential in the definition of who we, as individual Christians, are. It is a faith that calls forth the desire for devotion to the one towards whom it is directed.

Seven Years

The title to this post is not to be confused with the chilly line from the horror movie The Ring. It does, though, carry with it some significance.

During my devotional this morning, I read Deuteronomy 15, the first eleven verses read like this:

¹ At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. ² This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. ³ You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. ⁴ However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, ⁵ if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. ⁶For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

⁷ If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. ⁸ Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. ⁹ Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. ¹⁰ Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. ¹¹ There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

The ideal set forth about the cancellation of debts is a difficult one for us to wrap our heads around in our day and age. If enforced today, everything from credit card debts to student loans and even whole home mortgages and car bills would be wiped clean every seven years! That just doesnt seem sensible, does it? I mean, it seems very appealing to us, the folks with these kinds of debts, doesnt it?!

And did you catch verse 9? It hints that there will be times when debts are incurred right before the seventh year, and we are still to oblige. Everyone would be purchasing their new cars and homes and maxing out their credit cards THEN, wouldnt they?

None of this seems logical in today's economic world. We do, admittedly, operate is vastly different ways than the world did back when Deuteronomy was written.

But I think that the seventh year isnt the point. The point trying to be made here, I believe, is this:

God has blessed us all with much, and He doesnt want us to mistake His blessing for our property. This exercise for the Israelites was one of humility and recognition. It wasnt intended for financially sound reasons, but for spiritually sound ones. And God calls us to much the same. Even beyond that, He promises in verse 10 that He will not leave us with empty pockets should we choose to empty them for the right reasons for which He details in this passage.

Old school economics: Less reliant on our hands and more reliant on His.

Within

Ephesians 3:20-21 (Message)

^20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!

He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

During my seminary years, I had the amazing privilege of taking a class taught by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

I'll always remember many things that he had to say. He is a breathing piece of history, and his life is a testament to how love and justice can always overcome hatred, oppression and darkness.

Today's scripture makes me think of what he told us about how God relates to people.

"God is a gentleman," he said. "He does not force himself on anyone."

In my life as a pastor, I've encountered lots of folks who seem to want God to abuse them. They look for an authoritarian who will force and dictate. They want to be overpowered by God.

That's just not the case. Even in God's most overwhelming appearances in scripture, he still chooses to leave us humans a choice.

When we choose to allow him, he works within us. What a beautiful thing that is. And, it's the only way to real, lasting transformation.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Stupid fast food

^{Psalm 14 (The Message)}

¹ Sickening and bloated, they gas, "God is gone."
Their words are poison gas,
fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
thistles are their cash crop.

² God sticks his head out of heaven.
He looks around.
He's looking for someone not stupid—
one man, even, God-expectant,
just one God-ready woman.

³ He comes up empty. A string
of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending
to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
follow their fellow.

⁴ Don't they know anything,
all these impostors?
Don't they know
they can't get away with this—
Treating people like a fast-food meal
over which they're too busy to pray?

^5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
for God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess
with the dreams of the poor?
You can't, for God
makes their dreams come true.

⁷ Is there anyone around to save Israel?
Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
turned-around Israel sings laughter.

Have you ever said it?

You can admit it. It happens to almost everyone. In our most human and least spiritual moments, we definitely think it, and maybe say it.

"God is gone."

It's not true, but we can feel that way. What is our spiritual state at that moment?

We like to use words like, "frustrated," "disillusioned," "broken," "angry" or "hurt." Those are good words, and they probably are all fair descriptions of what goes on inside us sometimes.

But how does Psalm 14 describe us in those moments?

sickening
poisonous
bloated
foul
stupid
pretentious
impostors
too busy

You know, I may not like hearing the words in that list...but I hope I remember them.

The next time we're tempted to say, "God is gone," just remember: don't be stupid.

Spiritual food isn't fast. It's slow, and it's the good stuff. It's the real stuff.

Grace & Peace,
Adam

Flickr Update!

Hey, all! I just uploaded a bunch of pictures of the youth's Summer Camp to the our Flickr account. Soon to come: VBS photos!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sothumc/

Forever

From Psalm 48 (The Message)

We pondered your love-in-action, God,

waiting in your temple:

Your name, God, evokes a train

of Hallelujahs wherever

It is spoken, near and far;

your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.

¹¹ Be glad, Zion Mountain;

Dance, Judah's daughters!

He does what he said he'd do!

^12-14 Circle Zion, take her measure,

count her fortress peaks,

Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,

climb her citadel heights—

Then you can tell the next generation

detail by detail the story of God,

Our God forever,

who guides us till the end of time.

What things have permanence in our lives?

What things last forever?

For some reason, I've been really enjoying the new TLC series, "Life Without People." It imagines a world where human life has just instantly vanished...and then shows how time would take its toll on our most "permanent" human endeavors.

Kind of morbid, I know...but really fascinating. I think it actually helps us spiritually to spend some time reflecting on the transient nature of our lives and the stuff that surrounds us. It helps me understand that really only one thing is forever:

"Our God...who guides us until the end of time."

Ponder that "love-in-action" and let it teach you to depend on the one permanent thing.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Meet Your Maker, Vol. IV

If you recall the last Wesleyan blog I posted, I talked about this third-party being's perception of what our purpose on this world might be. I challenged you to consider what that being might guess your purpose to be based on how you spend your time. If this isnt ringing any bells, peep this link: Link.

Anywho, I also dropped the hint that Wesley posited what our one concern, our ultimate aim should be:

"All his actions are the result of pure choice: the thing he would, that he does, and that only. Love is the health of the soul, the full exertion of all its powers, the perfection of all its faculties. Therefore, since the enjoyment of these was the one end of our creation, the recovering of them is the one thing now needful. May not the same truth appear, secondly, from hence, that this was the one end of our redemption; of all our blessed Lord did and suffered for us; of his incarnation, his life, his death?...Therefore this, being the one end of our redemption as well as our creation, is the one thing needful for us upon this earth."

This decree should come as no surprise to us. Wesley, though the author of his own thoughts, pulls significantly from the established Word of God. If you recall from Matthew, a Pharisee questions Jesus:

"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40 (emphasis mine)

As you can clearly see, love was important to Jesus. These two commandments are priorities for Christ. And, in being Christians, "Christ-like," we should adopt His priorities as our own.

This is precisely what Wesley is getting at. Just as Christ's entire existence and purpose was love, so, then, should ours be.

Imagine how vastly different the world would be if we lived to love.

Take a closer look, too, at Jesus' life. He did not just love those that loved Him; He loved all - completely and unconditionally, and He calls us to much the same. In His famed Sermon on the Mount, he says:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" Matthew 43:47

We are called to be different. If we were no different than the rest of the world in the ways that Jesus calls us to be, why have our own, separate title (Christian)? We are called "Christians" to set us apart, and we stand out most drastically when we love unconditionally - those that love us and those that dont.

Love is our design. Its our purpose. So how much of our intended purpose are we fulfilling?

Well

Mark 5:25-30 (The Message)

^25-29A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe.

She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well." The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.

³⁰At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"

"If I can put a finger on his robe..."

What amazing faith!

But maybe the most incredible part of her statement is its conclusion..."I can get well."

How many times have I met with people who just didn't believe that they could "get well." It's not just a matter of physical illness. Folks all over have decided that there are spiritual and emotional broken places that they'll carry to their graves.

They haven't even begun to consider how to "put a finger on his robe," because they're not convinced that even God can make them well. The anger will never subside. The loneliness will never go away. Joy will never come. Pain will never be made easier.

If we can learn anything from the amazing woman in this story...maybe it's the truth of our own answer to that question. Can we get well?

Faith always says we can.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

Heart

From 2 Corinthians 8 (The Message)

So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along.

You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it.

Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even.

As it is written,

Nothing left over to the one with the most,

Nothing lacking to the one with the least.

Paul is out "stumping" for an offering in this scripture, right?

He's just told the Corinthians about the generous giving of their brothers and sisters in Macedonia.

He is encouraging the Corinthians to give, and to give generously from their abundance.

Why give?

Well, based on Paul's words, it seems that giving, when you have the opportunity (or more truthfully, the inclination...everybody has the opportunity), helps things "even out." And that makes God happy.

Giving isn't just an action. It's an attitude of the heart. It's an inclination. It's a way of life, a posture of gratitude.

For Paul, it is "finishing what was started," among the Corinthians. It is the natural outgrowth of grace in the life of a maturing disciple.

Let me put it as plainly as Paul did. Here's the deal: the heart regulates the hands. So let's look at our giving...it's a window into our hearts.

Grace & Peace --

Adam