This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you. (Eph 3:1-2)
Being a missionary involves having the ability to separate what is truly the gospel from the cultural trappings in which we experience it. For Paul, that meant distinguishing between the scrupulous form of Judaism in which he was raised and to which he was committed and the spiritual needs of pagans throughout the Mediterranean world.
Not everyone is cut out to be a missionary. To be honest, many Christians have a hard time coming to terms with their own culture, much less a completely foreign one! That doesn’t mean, however, that anyone can bow out of the biblical mandate to share the good news of Jesus with others.
We should thank God for missionaries. And whatever gifts we possess, we should find ways to use them to proclaim the gospel.
For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (Eph 2:14)
The second half of Ephesians 2 deals with two topics of highest importance to Paul. First, there is a discussion of the salvation of the Gentiles (vv. 11-16), building on the previous description of salvation by grace through faith (vv. 1-10). Paul argues that, although they were once outsiders with respect to the long history of God’s dealings with Israel, through Christ this longstanding spiritual divide has been erased.
The gospel is for everyone because, by dying for all, Jesus has torn down the walls that divide us from each other. Since everyone is saved by grace through faith (2:8), everyone may come near to God through Christ. If we have been reconciled to God, we must accept that we have also been reconciled to each other and are growing together into one holy temple, the church.
Second, Paul reflects on the nature of the church (vv. 17-22). Having brought Jew and Gentile together in salvation, both are now citizens of God’s kingdom and members of God’s household. They are being built into a holy temple-a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit—with Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Eph 1:3)
Like most (former) pastors, I am generally able to speak in public without too much effort. Need a word of welcome at the beginning of the children’s Christmas Pageant? You got it! A brief “devotional” thought on love for the Valentine’s Banquet? Sure thing, and if you give me more than five minutes’ notice, it might even be coherent.
I can pull off these sorts of stunts (my seminary education wasn’t a complete waste of time, after all!), but I would rather give more thought and preparation to what I say. So much of the platitudes we bandy about, especially in church, don’t really amount to much in the long run. I find that I am a much more effective communicator when I have something to say.
Paul had the right idea. He began his letter to the Ephesians with a lengthy meditation on the person of Christ. Christ was his theme, and he never strayed from it.
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. (Isa 55:1)
Every day my inbox fills up with emails making the most astounding promises. If even a tenth of them were true, by now I would be a multi-millionaire with several college degrees, a full head of hair, and lifetime supply of inexpensive medications for every complaint. The catch, of course is that not even a tenth of the promises the spammers make are worth taking seriously. Whatever their claims, they are merely someone’s attempt to separate me from my money.
The exiles in Babylon may have been every bit as skeptical of God’s promises in Isaiah 55. Defeated and demoralized, they may well have heard the promise of divine refreshment and restoration and wondered, “What’s the catch?”
There is no catch. God’s thoughts and ways are not the same as ours. God can be trusted bring justice on the earth. God will do right by Judah, though they are facing their darkest hour. Therefore, the prophet urges, “Seek the LORD while he may be found.” Act now, he says. You’d be a fool to pass up this offer.
We’re heading to San Diego for a family vacation. Blogging will be light—and automated—for about a week and a half.
Ben Myers offers an interesting comparison over at Faith and Theology.
I wonder, however, if immediate-experience-oriented evangelical worship isn’t so much an attempt to “strip God” as it is an excuse not to go to the trouble to “dress ourselves” appropriately. Either way, the point is the same: we just can’t be bothered with “romance” so we settle for something that takes less time and is ultimately far less satisfying.
The latest Christian Reconciliation Carnival is posted at Pseudo-Polymath. Go see! Go see! (He’s even given you the password.)
How did I miss the existence of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International? The Biblical Recorder has the scoop, but doesn’t tell me nearly enough about how a Baptist body can operate with bishops. I know it has been done elsewhere, but I’m curious about the particulars. Inquiring platypuses want to know!
In fact, it’s enjoying a bit of a revival thanks to intellectual elitism, academic competitiveness, bawdy Hellenistic humor, oh, and an obscure religion somewhere whose main texts are written in it.
(H/T: PaleoJudaica)
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. (Jn 3:1)
Nicodemus is an enigmatic figure. Did he come to Jesus by night because he wanted to avoid detection, or was he simply a busy man with a full schedule? Our answer to that question (and, of course, we can only speculate) will color what we think of him.
Later passages in John portray Nicodemus as a secret believer. In chapter 7 Nicodemus argues for giving Jesus a fair trial—but only in such a way that won’t tip his hand that he is “one of them” (7:50). In chapter 19 he accompanies Joseph of Arimathea, another disciple “though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews” (19:38) and helps him bury Jesus’ body. Did he ever profess Christ publicly?
Nicodemus was an esteemed teacher, yet Jesus chided him for the shallowness of his spiritual insight. His later behavior suggests that by the end of the Gospel, he had not yet come to terms with all that it means to be a follower of Christ. Will Nicodemus ever get it right? Will we?
For Nicodemus, beholding Christ’s glory was apparently never as bright an epiphany as it was for others. His faith always seems tentative. He saw Jesus’ signs and came to speak with him, but there is no resolution to the encounter. The Gospel writer identifies him as a believer, but one would be hard pressed to find much evidence that this is the case.
What do we do with an encounter with the divine? We can abandon ourselves to the transformations it calls forth, but that may be harder than it sounds. Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born from above” (v. 7). The teacher of Israel struggled to understand. He hedged his bets and preferred to follow Jesus under cover of darkness and at a safe distance.
Rearranging one’s life so thoroughly that one can speak of “rebirth” doesn’t often happen all at once, no matter what the revival preachers tell you.
