Mission Faithwalk

  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16”) “OK, God, get me moving…” There are mornings when I grumble as I get out of bed. I sound like someone trying to start a motor that just won’t catch. “Help, God. Left…right…hup, two, three, four.” Grumble, grumble, grumble. I am working on doing this less, but there are body parts that grumble at me, and sometimes it helps if I grumble back. And as my body and mind start, I get into gear and I don’t think I grumble, or at least not as much. Then, of course, there is the whining. Paul didn’t mention whining, but I suspect it’s a form of arguing, or flat-out rebellion. “I caa – aan’t.” We’re not even talking one-syllable. ...

                 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” (Job 1:6-7)   For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:14-15) There’s a major gathering of angels and Satan shows up. Why would Satan show up? Why would the angels at the gate let him in? Why didn’t God attack him, bind him, throw him in hell, or whatever? How do you read the Job passage above?  Did God say, “Hey, have a seat. Want some coffee? Where’ve you been?” Or is it closer to the tone of a mother? “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for the past century! Just look at you....

            To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)           I can’t quite claim that this passage is “nonmagical.” It is, but I think a better description is that it’s universal and basic. If we hold to anyone’s teachings, we are their disciples because that’s what a disciple is: a person who follows teachings. If you follow the teachings of Christ,  you’re a disciple of Christ. If you follow the teaching of the Buddha, or Mohammed, Bart Simpson, or either Dr. or Mr. Spock,  you are their disciples. If you try to follow the teachings of more than one teacher, unless their teachings are identical, you aren’t a disciple of either.           The other part that isn’t magical is that the truth will set you free...

                 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (I John 4:20-21) I felt the need to check an interlinear Bible, to look at the Greek as well as the word-for-word translation, centering on the words “a brother or sister.” First, of course, “or sister” wasn’t there because brother was understood in a universal sense that took in both male and female. But that wasn’t what I was looking for. I wanted to know about the article. The NIV says “ a brother.” The interlinear says “ the brother of him. ” So, the NIV version is “his brother” made politically correct. And I’m not criticizing, just verifying. So, keeping in mind that the sibling language was used to indicate fellow Christians, it come...

                 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of  r econciliation: God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (II Corinthians 5:18-20)             Sometimes, I think we see evangelism as a contest, as if every person we “win” to Christ shows up as a point in our favor on some celestial scoreboard. Years ago, a Christian I know was approached at work by an evangelist. When she declined to follow his script, he and his friend basically shook the dust off their sandals and declared themselves free of blame for her fate. I suspect many who share their faith are...

            So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)           Maybe it’s because I’m an Introvert. Maybe it’s because I’m of a certain political persuasion. Maybe it’s because I have been studying passages like today’s. It could even be because I was raised in the 60s and 70s. It could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, I tend to think that how a person thinks and what a person believes is ultimately more connected to who they are than one’s race, ethnicity, class, or gender/sexual preferences. And in a sense, those who disagree with me prove my point, because they believe that those things are more important than anything else.  ...