We Do It Our Way

We tend to be independent.  We tend to want to do things our way.  It seems that we are born that way.  I have 10 grandchildren divided equally between the binary genders.  In each case they are all independent.  They all go through the stage where “no” is the most common word out of their mouth followed closely by “mine.”  They are not alone.  I would wager that if you have children or grandchildren you have experienced the same phenomenon.

It is genetic.  Not – well yes, it is from me.  But it is really a function of being human.  There is an example of how this plays out negatively in 1 Kings 12:25 – 33 (here @ BibleGateway).  Jeroboam, wanted to reunite the kingdom, so he did it his way.  He built a couple of golden calves (where have we seen that before?) and set them up in a couple of places so Israel could worship “god” without going to Jerusalem.

There were several problems with this approach.  Not the least of which was the fact that God had centered worship at the temple in Jerusalem.  But Jeroboam had a problem that he needed to solve so he figured that it would be more efficient if there were a couple of places that the people could go to worship, it was a much better setup than having everyone trek to Jerusalem to worship.  Great idea, other than the fact it was a direct violation of the second commandment and the directions God gave about where to worship.

It is a good thing that we do not do this anymore.  We don’t come up with better alternatives for obedience to God.  

When Jesus says that if we are to be His disciples in John 8:31 – 32 (here @ BibleGateway), that we are to abide in His Word.  It would be just as good, actually, more efficient if we would read books about His Word.  That way we don’t have to do the work of study ourselves.  We can just read about the work others did.  Nothing wrong with that.  Much easier.  I can even listen to those books in my car on the way to work.  

Also, there are great teachers in my church and the pastor has a seminary degree.  I can learn from them.  That way I don’t have to think I can just soak up their knowledge.

Right.

Making Things Clear

Yesterday I referred to a study in 1 Corinthians.  We are in 15 (here @ BibleGateway) this week.  14 (here @ BibleGateway) Last week.  12 – 14 is a difficult passage.  This time through I saw something that was tangential to the typical discussion that is usually started when one engages with 14.  

Before we get into that, lets think about one of, if not the major, theme of 1 Corinthians.  In each chapter Paul seems to deal with an issue that is causing division in the Corinthian church.  For instance:

Chapter	Divisive Issue
1	Competition of whose mentor is best
2	Lack of growth
3	Arrogance of conversion
4	Pride or Arrogance toward leaders
5	Misplaced tolerance
6	Mishandling of legal issues
7	male female relationships
8	Liberty misused
9	Rights demanded
10	Forgetting all in the same situation, choosing what one likes without regard for the choice’s impact on others
11	Misbehavior at the Lord’s table, differences about head coverings
12	Spiritual gifts
13	Lack of love

Which brings us to 14.  Most would probably suggest that it is a rehearsal or expansion of chapter 12, and at some level that is correct.  But, I believe there is more going on under the surface of the arguments Paul is making.  There are hints of this all through the chapter but 14:10 - 11 (here @ BibleGateway) is perhaps the clearest example.  Paul remarks that there are many languages and if two people are not speaking the same language one will think the other is a barbarian, they are not communicating.  

As I thought through the chapter, it began to dawn that that issues of not communicating was underlying all of what Paul is saying in this chapter.  Whether it is tongues, either in the charismatic sense, or prophecy, if those hearing do not understand what is being said, there is no edification in the church.

Shortly after thinking this through, I was in several meetings that included both staff at churches and men in Bible studies, I observed miscommunication happening in each meeting.  One person would say something and the person listening would hear something else and respond to what they thought they heard rather than what was said.

That happens between generations as well.  I am a baby boomer.  I have a different language, for the most part, than millennials.  I must work to both understand what they are saying, and work to communicate what I am thinking to them in language that they understand.

This past weekend we had a speaker that used the DISC personality inventory to help those in our church understand the different ways that different personalities communicate and hear what is communicated to them.  It was again a validation of what I saw in 14.

When I read articles on current events, I sometimes wonder from what planet the person writing the article recently arrived.  They are viewing what I see through a completely different lens.  

Interestingly When you consider Paul’s prayer request in Colossians 4:3– 4 (here @ BibleGateway), the main thing he is asking for is to be able to speak clearly, to make the mystery of the gospel clear to those to whom he speaks.  Communication.  James in 3:1 – 12 (here @ BibleGateway), you know the passage, the word translated tongue is the same word that is used in 1 Corinthians that is similarly translated tongue or tongues.  Lastly, in Genesis 11:6 (here @ BibleGateway), the Lord looking at what the people were building in the plain in Shinar, acknowledged that they all spoke the same language, thus they could do anything they chose to do.

If we communicate, across generations, across theological differences, across cultural differences, as believers, think of what we can do in pursuing first the Kingdom, Matthew 6:33 (here @ BibleGateway).

Slow Learner

Since last September some men I have known for about 40 years, and I have been studying 1 Corinthians.  We meet each week online and compare notes.  It is a good time.  There is no pretense.  In the early part of last October, during my quiet time I was reflecting on part of 1 Corinthians 13.  Specifically, verses 5 and 7 (here @ BibleGateway).

The notion that love, “does not seek it’s own,” caught my attention.  It made me think of Philippians 2:3 (here @ BibleGateway).  The idea that we are to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than” ourselves, seemed to echo Paul’s thought in 1 Corinthians.  

That thought – the “nothing” – took me to Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ BibleGateway), we are to “be anxious for nothing”.

As I pondered these three passages, I concluded that these instructions are impossible for me to do.  I am not sure I have ever had an unselfish thought, if so, it was probably by mistake, in a moment of weakness.  The truth is that in my own strength I can’t.  Without Christ in me, without His strength, without His enabling grace, and without the leading and transformation of the Holy Spirit – there is no way.

I am grateful that He is patient with the process of moving me in these directions.