Ramblings on What We Share: Evil and Temptation

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did —and were killed by the destroying angel.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.                I Corinthians 10:1-13

What a blessing it is to sit here and read how Paul opens up the annals of history for the Christian. If you’ve ever asked why it is important to read the Old Testament, he tells you – to learn from its example. Christianity builds on the history of a people who often failed by succumbing to the evil that surrounded them.

But the wonder of Israel’s history Paul also makes clear – they were never alone. Christ was always with them…

…making a way where there was no way,

…making food where there was no food,

…making drink where there was no water.

He had to have been there in order to be rejected, tested and grumbled against. His path of mankind’s mistreatment began generations before he hung on the cross. Yet, He still offers us a way out – what an undying love!

Ramblings on What We Share: Understand, Indentify, Share, Protect

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I Corinthians 9:19-27

Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? Do you feel what I feel? Jesus does, and He calls us to step out of our comfort zone and look, listen and experience the world through the eyes, ears and heart of others.

The blessings of the gospel are to be shared, not only by the act of our verbal witness, but with our minds, hearts and lives – shoulder to shoulder, side by side with our fellow man.

Yes, this means we will be likely be uncomfortable. It means our faith will be tested and tried. This is why personal discipline is essential. We push ourselves outward, but not to the point of making us vulnerable. Our own eyes, ears, and heart need continual spiritual training to keep us safe from temptation and evil. We never want to forget that we belong to no one save Christ and are bound to no creed but His.

Support for Our Pastors

 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.                                                      I Corinthians 9:1-18

Since its inception, the church has struggled with the issue of whether or not to pay its pastors and whether pastors should find work outside of the church or minister full-time. I think the answer that Paul gives us in this chapter is simple – YES!

If the work to be done in a church justifies a full-time pastor, then the church should pay the pastor wages appropriate to his efforts. If there are ample lay leaders to share the burden, a church may choose to engage a minister who has a job outside the church.

However, too often a church does not grow because it cannot afford a full-time pastor who can give the work the attention it needs and there are not enough qualified lay leaders in the congregation to make up the difference. The church has two choices – hire a full-time minister or train lay leaders to oversee various ministry efforts.

Some pastors may not want to be full-time. I am sure that part of the Apostle Paul’s objection to paid ministry was that it would take him out of the marketplace and rob him of opportunities to witness to those who engaged him as a tentmaker. Often the answer is for the pastor to be self employed so he can set his own hours and leave his work should an urgent ministry need arise.

Whether or not your pastor is paid, be open to opportunities for the development of lay leadership. The Bible shows us clearly that the work of ministering to people is not just for paid clergy. There may be untapped potential in others that the Lord wants to use.

Knowledge, Freedom & Conscience

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God. So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.                                      I Corinthians 8:1-13

What makes us a better Christian – Understanding the Scriptures or implementing their precepts into our lives? One of the gravest enemies to Christian brotherhood is a knowledge that results in arrogance. One who has studied the Scriptures for 30 years fails to show forbearance to the one who still sins because they are yet unaware that their behavior displeases God. One who has accepted the teaching of biblical scholars that some practices commanded in the Bible were only applicable to the people of biblical times and in their specific situation may feel released from the obligation to follow certain practices commanded in the Bible. Now they think that their brothers and sisters who still feel those certain practices are relevant for today are backwards and ignorant.

In this chapter, the Apostle Paul challenges the church about our attitudes. He calls us to examine ourselves. Have we allowed our knowledge to puff us up? In our freedom, have we endangered our “less enlightened” brother or sister’s faith? If we have, what are the eternal consequences of these things? Does not our pride open the door for sin within our own lives? Does our lack of conscience towards our brother or sister’s welfare endanger their relationship with God?

How great is our need for knowledge and freedom if we misuse it once we have it? With greater knowledge, we should desire greater charity towards those who do not yet have it. When we find greater freedom, we should desire greater concern for our brother and sister still in bonds.

Ramblings on What We Share: Blessing of the Single Life

Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs —how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better. A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God. I Corinthians 7:25-39

Complete and utter devotion to the Lord is a luxury that often only a single person can attain. A life that is unfettered by the responsibilities as spouse and parent can be a life of pure purpose and consuming passion for the Lord. One who is alone has the freedom to explore a life of intimacy with God at their leisure. Time that others spend caring for their families can be invested in the Kingdom of Heaven. A single person’s loyalty is to God alone and to the Church, His family.

This world is passing away. Our time to do God’s will is short. Jesus said that we should work for the night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4). For those of us who are married, Paul challenges us to live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. He tells us to live as if we are single, taking care to not become entangled in our possessions and the things of this world. Our goal should be to emulate the heroes of faith that lived as pilgrims and strangers on earth (Heb. 11).