Richard Rohr’s Meditation: Finding God in the Depths of Silence
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Authentic
Matthew 7:12-27
Jesus calls us to judge ourselves and others by what we do and not by what we say. Even more, he teaches that he does not judge by what is done through us by God; Father, Son and Spirit who we worship as One – God is concerned with our authenticity. It is not our kingdom works but who we are that brings us in to the kingdom; in to his ever-flowing presence where heaven, the dwelling place of God, and earth are made one.
It is a mystery that in Jesus Christ, the kingdom is so present that it is revealed with a word. Many works of the Spirit may be performed, but the speaker who does not do the will of the Father is guilty of lawlessness. The question is; is our identity in speaking authentic? What is it based on?
A reflection on sexuality
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2013/fall/help-im-gay.html
A pastoral conversation about same sex attraction by Stanton L Jones.
The reference list for this article looks very useful.
Where Did We Come From? | Christianity Today
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/october/where-did-we-come-from.html?paging=off
Andrew Wilson tries to reconcile the seemingly unreconsilable positions held by Milton, Paley and Darwin.
Neo Pharisaicalism
Roger E Olsen is an Arminian Evangelical who wrote an article defending his position against seemingly unfair criticism from a fellow, Calvinist theologian ( http://t.co/FW2fc8W23G tweeted by @AJWThoelogy – Andrew Wilson; 5:53 PM – 21 Sep 13). The positioning of Arminians and Calvinists seems so quaint these days but their differences and disputes are interesting mines for wisdom.
What is interesting about this dispute and rebuttal is its revealing of a truth we all need to hold on to; Scripture rightly informs and moulds tradition not the other way round. What many Church streams do is put their interpretation of Scripture (Tradition) on an equal footing with Scripture. In effect, to question their Tradition is to question Scripture. Of course this would be anathema to them but in practice this is what is evident.
To me this results in the scriptures becoming a prison and a death sentence. Instead of the truth setting me free I experience a distancing from God when subjected to interpretation as fact. I feel that in our presenting of scripture we ought to inform and suggest to the hearer so that the Spirit can bring the truth. This isn’t relativism as the scripture applied correctly , teaches, admonishes and transforms.
It is so easy for practice and confessions of belief to substitute for deep encounter and transformation so that people are sold short. We can teach people to say, Lord, Lord! but only a life lived close to God can produce the fruits that reveal God in our reading of scripture.
Speaking in Tongues
Reflections on 1Corinthians 12-14
Spiritual Gifts…
1 Cor 12:1-2
Paul tells us everything we did back then, before we were Christians, had its roots in idolatry and worship of things that don’t speak; we have now been changed so let’s look at the now and learn about what has happened to us.
1 Cor 12:3
Don’t worry if the person next to you in a worship service is hard to understand; look at their lives and trust in God. If you know he loves Jesus as Lord, and his life attests to this, he can’t curse Jesus. Trust he is of God and what he is saying is good even if you don’t understand it .
1 Cor 12:4-7
And that’s the whole point, there will be many manifestations of the Spirit to build the church up.
1 Cor 12:8-10
Let God work in the church and trust Him.
1 Cor 12
One Body with Many Members…
1 Cor 12:27-31
In case you haven’t quite understood; here it is again; it’s the love of God and obedience to the teachings of Christ that matter and, if that is evident, then out of this love and obedience God will bring gifts.
The Way of Love…
1 Cor 13:1-13
The gifts are important, some more than others, but we must get it in proportion, it’s the heart they come from, the character that informs them, that is key. However spectacular the gifts are, if they do not come from a humble, quiet person steeped in forgiveness they are nothing. When Jesus returns we will find ourselves in the presence of the Perfect and all the gifts will have fulfilled their purpose, to build up the church. And then there will be no need for the gifts as we will have the substance the gifts point to; what we could only know in part we will know in person. It is important that we work on our character and pursue the gifts….
Prophecy and Tongues…
1 Cor 14:1
Want a definition of tongues? It does appear that all of the above is a build up to address a concern about tongues in the church. Look back to the beginning of the chapter and it has a theme: speaking.
This is what Paul is means about when he talks about tongues and forms the basis of his teaching…
1 Cor 14: 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
And prophesy? Well Paul tells us that it contrasts with tongues; you know what is being said.
1 Cor 14:3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up-building and encouragement and consolation.
So that is back to chapter 12 verse 7 and 11 again. Prophecy ticks all the boxes and a prophet has a gift for this, which is why it is a higher gift, a gift for others whereas the gift of tongues builds up the speaker.
1 Cor 14:4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
Paul is a very generous man because he is speaking the words of a generous God. God wants the best so, if there are tongues in the gathering, there may be those who can interpret them as prophecy. This is a gift that some will have; I suggest it’s not an interpretation of one language to another, as by definition it is something spoken to God, not to men, which wouldn’t be true if some could understand it word for word. The interpretation will be from the heart of the interpreter, he hears and puts it into words (see v 2).
1 Cor 14:5
Again here comes a good definition of tongues in the text by contrasting it with prophecy, knowledge and revelation.
1 Cor 14: 6-7 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? [7] If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? [8] And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?
Here is another definition of tongues…
1 Cor 14:9-13 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air…
It may be worth going back at this stage and underlining how many times Paul uses the idea of building up the church. He wants worship to be inclusive and to bear fruit in us and in those gathered. He so wants it to be inclusive he asks individuals to pray so that if they do pray to God in tongues that they will receive the interpretation themselves! This idea of being inclusive is the idea Paul is now going to lead off on. Paul is speaking about worship in a gathering where there will be believers and those who do not know Jesus as Lord.
Another definition of tongues coming up… Take a look back at the definitions already given first, this gift is quite strange and obviously needs some understanding in a public gathering.
1 Cor 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.
Here comes the practical advice…
1 Cor 14:15-16
So yes, you’ve guessed it, yet another definition of tongues has been written in the text.
1 Cor 14:17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
Paul makes it personal now, reinforcing the definition of tongues by contrast with normal speech…
1 Cor 14:18-19 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. [19] Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Paul brings some scripture into his teaching…
1 Cor 14:20-22
Signs can be negative as well as positive. If an unbeliever whose heart is driven by idolatry comes into your gathering and they only hear tongues then what they will know is they are separate from the gathering, they need a message that convicts them and brings them in.
I think it is made clear that the tongues spoken of here are different to the tongues spoken of in Acts 2 and 10 where the intention was that all who heard, heard the message. The tongues in Acts did not need an interpreter as they were a miracle for unbelievers, whereas the tongues spoken of here are for a different purpose and a gift to the believer for the believer himself.
1 Cor 14:23-25
Orderly Worship
So what would a public worship service look like in Corinth at the time of Paul?
1 Cor 14:26-33
This is pretty simple and good advice and for some of us a very different kind of meeting to the one we are used to especially in the type of gathering where only one or two people speak and the gathered flock sing set words and say amen to the prayers and readings of the leader.
Notice how interpretation of tongues isn’t haphazard, it is a gift that is exercised by an individual and can be called upon.If the leaders know that no one is able to interpret then they should ensure this is made clear to the gathering.
But then comes a seeming contradiction to 1 Corinthians 11:5 and 1 Corinthians 11:13 where it talks about women speaking in the church. Try reading it as if it were part of what has just been said and then see what you think.
1 Cor 14:33-35
Could it be that Paul is saying that there are those in authority in the meeting who can decide and question prophecy and interpretation and could it be that this gift is fluid but, because of the culture it would be wrong to allow a woman to take authority?
Whatever, it cannot be an absolute prohibition, as then there would be an internal contradiction within the letter.
To conclude, if tongues were merely the speaking of a prophecy in another foreign language this next bit doesn’t make sense…
1 Cor 14:39-40 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. [40] But all things should be done decently and in order.
(1 Corinthians 12-14 ESV)
Paul has put tongues in their place and set limits to them.
Reflecting back on this piece of scripture, and what I have written, it could be countered that the gift of tongues could be a person speaking in a known language and not knowing it or tongues is not a human language but has meaning to the extent that it can be translated or interpreted. The tongue is a coded message that those who are gifted can interpret.(DA Carson, Showing the Spirit, Baker Book House Company 1987, pp.77-88)
If so, then the tongues I personally experience would not be scriptural. But my reading of the scripture stems from the conviction from the text that tongues are an outward expression of my spirit praying to God (14:5).
Silence may be another, or falling prostrate. Tongues for me are a way of praying without the mind, which, as with silence or kneeling, build me up and, in the context of public worship, need interpreting so that the unbeliever can be included.
The message seems to be that all should be in order and every church must know what God is calling them to in their cultural context. 12:29 says that not all will speak in tongues, but we must not go beyond the scriptures and forbid speaking in tongues.
Straw Dogs; Thoughts on Humans and other Animals, by John Gray
Our guide dog puppy Riley
The thesis of this book is that we are all suffering, cruel animals and humans are bent on destroying their environment with technology. Pretty gloomy stuff but very well written. To be honest, I am not qualified to critique the book but I did read it.
Gray presses home his argument with shocking examples of humans behaving badly. He really despises humanism’s hope that things are getting better, and sees secular humanism as an empty philosophy worse than Christianity, because it does not face up to the facts as he sees them. They, ‘…have given up an irrational belief in God for an irrational faith in mankind.’ (Gray, 2003, p.38) Morality does not exist, there is no self and he ventures that what distinguishes us from animals is we, ‘…have learnt to cling more abjectly to life.’ (Gray, 2003, p.131)
Strangely I found his shocking examples rather tame compared to the cruelty and depravity in the bible. Even his thesis is biblical, though he wouldn’t acknowledge it. He reads like the Preacher in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 ). Indeed Gray writes in the tradition of Wisdom Literature.
Gray’s assessment is unashamedly Godless. He espouses Buddhist awareness and reflection as the answer to human rapacity. Death is the release, and we are burdened by our awareness of time in waiting for it. He concludes,
‘ Other animals do not need a purpose in life. A contradiction to itself, the human animal cannot do without one. Can we not think of the aim of life as being simply to see?’ (Gray, 2003, p.199)
I must admit I found this book made me laugh, as it was so earnest and self reflectively serious. The illustrations made me want to cry, but the bible had hardened me to the depravity of mankind and the destiny of creation. Gray’s whole argument makes sense; it has to, I offer, or faith would have no meaning. I wouldn’t put my trust in them though as someone clever will rip his ideas to shreds one day.
In the bible, God does not prove himself; argue for his own existence, he reveals himself. The sun, the moon and the whole realm of nature are as much bleak as they are inspirational. Nature is as cruel and chaotic as it is rational. God speaks into this.
Yes the bible supports the idea that we are all animals, but take Gray’s advice, look within. There you will find an inner land to explore; there God will reveal himself. Yes, to live is to suffer, but to see, to seek, is to find God and his Image in you.
I have deliberately not given detailed quotes to support my biblical insertions because I want you to read the scriptures and find out if I am right. I’m not sure what merit there is in reading this book, except that it lays bare secular humanists and updates you with examples of the depravity of man.
Reference
Gray, J. 2003 Straw Dogs. London: Granta Books 2003.
Putting grace to the test
Hatfield Heath
Roman’s 12:2 says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Now what does this mean? In the context of the scripture and because of what Paul has just spoken of about grace; that’s what the “therefore…” is there for; it’s speaking of grace transforming our lives by transforming our minds, and this being tested.
We are to be active in this, doing what is right and not being conformed, or moulded by and formed by the world’s ways, but by grace. The goal is knowing what is good, acceptable and perfect.
Can we make it also mean that we are to believe what God has done in our lives, ignore the evidence to the contrary, and wait for the reality in our lives to catch up with the reality of what God has done? No. Not in morality, not in health and not in wealth. This is empty headed, over-spiritualizing intellectualism that ignores the visceral reality of the scripture. We are called to live right (Ephesians 4:17-24). Associating this scripture with the process of healing diminishes its power.
The scripture is talking about the realities of living in the world. It’s talking about doing the right thing despite the pressures around us to do otherwise; despite what we think. That is, not gossiping, not slandering, not telling lies, not getting angry, not being bitter, not being proud… things that start in our minds and destroy the work of grace.
Romans 12 to 15 let us know what we are to do as a result of receiving grace. Not if we like, or as the Spirit leads: we are to allow grace to transform our minds so that the realities of the life in Christ we live are pure. Romans 12:2 is not an excuse to wait for our minds to be transformed before we do right. It’s not an encouragement to believe in a healing that has not happened.
Paul’s call for us to renew our minds in Romans 12 prefaces 3 chapters of dos and don’ts. It’s an invitation to the hard work of living by grace, actively casting off and putting on, because we are founded in grace. Grace takes us to painful places and much of the battle is in our minds which need to go through the pain of transformation through testing.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
(Hebrews 12:11-10 ESV)
Should Christians buy Apple products?
Now that’s a thought for the day. Stephen Foley writing in the i, (p.4, 14/02/2012) leads with, ‘Thousands of Chinese factory workers will be given the chance to detail the punishing conditions on assembly lines producing Apple iPads and iPhones…’ We also learn that workers typically earn 30p an hour, working 10 hour shifts with only one break. In 2010 in one factory there was a spate of 13 suicides or attempted suicides.
It’s a difficult one but, whatever you think, how has this made you feel? Threatened? It’s surprising how wedded we are to our technology. Dismissive? It’s not my problem and there are many other equally difficult questions to avoid each day, and I don’t need something else to feel guilty about. They work and they look good; what’s your problem? (Genesis 3:6)
Apple are incredibly brand aware. They ferociously protect their brand image and defend their product integrity. At present they are fighting to ban Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smart phone in the US because it looks and behaves like an iPhone. An illustration used recently at our church noted how Steve Jobs insisted that every part of an Apple product conformed to his design ideals, even the parts you couldn’t see. You can see the parallel aspiration in the life of the church.
What is the Christian brand and how far do we go to protect it?
Luke 4:17-22
If you get a chance read this comments on the i news story. The comments make fascinating reading. I have highlighted Apple but, it has to be said, they have owned up and are trying to do something about it.
The joys of text giving
I’ve always been a cheerful sort of chap.
The Ancient Greeks had a saying that a thought is a thread and that a storyteller spins yarns. These are all pictures from weaving. Yarns are threads and they are formed by spinning. A textus is a piece of weaving and so a piece of writing came to be known as a textus from which we get the English word text. The metaphor has moved into common speech as we spin yarns and follow the thread in a story.
It is funny to think that this ancient term that referred to the craft of writing and depth of thought is now used to refer to what we do on our mobile phones and following a thread is an online activity.
But we can redeem the humble text!
Every month my pay as you go account offers me 100s of free texts and free access to the internet for £10. My credit just builds up and I religiously top up not wanting to waste my money on sending a text, when they are ‘free’. I hardly ever use my phone to talk, except in emergencies; old school.
So what to do with my bulging pay as you go account? Give it away!
70007 text ‘Barnabas’ and Barnabas aid gets £3. www.barnabasfund.org
70070 text ‘CHUN09’ & £amount to donate to the Leprosy mission http://www.leprosymission.org.uk/
And just to see how generous you lot are I have set up a page http://www.justgiving.com/Marc-Humphries and if you text
70070 with MEMH48 £amount and you will have donated to Shelter.
Just a thought… do your children top up £10, use their free stuff, then run down their credit. You could encourage them to give by creating a page as I have done. The pay back could be that you give them £10 a month to top up, if they give away more than £1 a month in text giving. They could set up their own page to track their giving and encourage their friends to join them as a fund raising team.
Have we redeemed text? I hope so because giving is a habit our children need to learn. Now how are we doing…
M Emlyn Humphries 