You are looking at posts that were written in the month of May in the year 2009.
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Tonight I have been moved to tears.
It has been a familiar feeling in the past year.
I was reading on my friend’s blog as he talks about the one year anniversary of the death of his precious son, John Robert Dobbs.
And while my heart breaks anew at the heartache John & Maggie and family must still experience, I must admit to some profound anger. I don’t really blame God. I really don’t.
But I am angry that Satan has so much power in this world to hurt and destroy. I am angry that we often participate in Satan’s work and cause even more pain with our words, attitudes, and heart. I am angry that death can claim the lives of children. I am angry that people I love have to feel that kind of pain. I am angry with the reality of this world that a mom & dad end up hanging wind chimes over the grave of their son.
In my anger I weep.
I weep for the loss my friends will struggle with until eternity calls them home.
I weep for the stupidity so many of us get all wrapped up in while real people hurt.
Anger and tears… it’s what I feel tonight.
Les, Jr.
In many ways I have spent far too much of my life drawing lines.
Sometimes there have been mental lines that maybe others didn’t know about—some fear or pain best kept to myself.
Sometimes they have been lines that needed to be drawn and talked about such as immoral behaviors or attitudes.
Right off the bat, I think of a line needing to be drawn and needing to stay drawn: discrimination. As believers, as a fellowship, we must draw a line as long as it takes that says no discrimination will be tolerated among us as the body of Christ.
None, zip, nada.
And I mean it. No discrimination based on race, no discrimination based on economics, no discrimination based on politics, no discrimination based on the status of your marriage, no discrimination based on your particular sin struggles, no discrimination period. Let’s draw that line and refuse to be a discriminating people.
But other lines have not been so needed or helpful. In fact, many of the lines we draw are disrespectful to the body of Christ.
Many others have written of late over lines of fellowship. Sometimes those lines are drawn between differing branches of Christian belief and thought. And truthfully, I understand the need, the desire to maintain certain doctrinal distinctions. But how right do we have to be in order to be right with God? Does God’s grace cover my inadequate understanding of whatever doctrine or idea is under the microscope? If it covers mine, does it cover others? Furthermore, if we draw lines of fellowship, do we not then limit our ability to teach and learn from each other?
Worse yet are the lines we draw among ourselves.
The local church of which I am blessed to have continuously served for over 11.5 years is a solid conservative group who places a high value on scripture—we are safely ensconced among Restoration theology and tradition.
And yet, we seem to have a somewhat vague perception of being this liberal group of Christians. Truthfully, it would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
What makes us liberal or progressive?
Are we really willing to draw a line of fellowship among God’s people over things never even addressed in scripture? Are we really willing to make laws and rules where God hasn’t? Are we really willing to fellowship or not based on our own familiar or comfortable traditions?
I wish I could say I have never drawn such lines in my past, but I have all too willingly.
God forbid! Yes, God forbid that any of us ever be a party again to disrupting the fellowship of God’s people wherever they may be.
Are there any lines you might need to repent of and harder still, figure out how to undraw?
What are the flaws in my thinking?
Let’s talk!
Les, Jr.
D. A. Carson, an evangelical scholar and author of many well written theological tomes of which Exegetical Fallacies is one, has quoted his own minister father with the following: A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text.
In simple language, when we use a Bible verse out of context to prove a point or a position we have already arrived at in our minds, then we have created a doctrine or teaching without any real theological backing.
Truthfully, it happens more than you might realize. For example, Matthew 18:18-20 says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
There are at least three common positions or teachings taken from this passage that completely miss the context and point Jesus was making. Briefly, this passage is not about spiritual warfare—the binding and loosing of Satan and his influence—second, this passage is not about the power of prayer when two people are in agreement—and third, this passage is not about having a valid worship service while traveling, etc. because “where two or three come together” in Jesus name means he is in the midst.
To get what Jesus is saying, you have to read the verses that come before!
Matthew 18:15-17, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
The short of it is this is about church discipline. This is all about the process of confronting those caught up in sin!
So, how do you read the Bible? Do you use the pick and choose method of pulling verses out of their context to make them say what you want? Or do you make the decision that context is king and no verse can say something different than what is intended by the context?
How we choose to honor scripture makes a world of difference in understanding what scripture really has to say!
Blessings on your study of God’s Word!
Les, Jr.
It’s a Saturday night in the Ferguson house.
The kids are asleep—at least the ones here.
Clothes for Sunday morning are laid out for me to iron early in the morning.
My sermon is prepped and ready to go.
I am enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet—reflecting on the blessings of family, friends, and God.
O, how I am blessed!
And so as this day draws to a close, as I lay my head down to sleep, I pray the Lord…
“Thank you for my family—my friends—our church family… thank you for taking my burden of sin away… thank you for providing all I need and then some… thank you, Lord. Amen!”
May you be as richly blessed!
Les, Jr.
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