Our Good Samaritan

On Friday night of camp this year, I presented a different approach to the parable of “The Good Samaritan”.  I would like to recap here for anyone who might find it interesting. 

Usually, the message is simply stated.  We are to avoid being hypocrites like the Levite and Priest, to see to the immediate needs of the wounded, and to address their longer term needs as well.  The fact that Christ used a Samaritan as the good examples has the necessary shock value to show us that “outsiders” have a place in the work and kingdom of God. We are to “go therefore and do likewise”. 

I am not at all seeking to minimize the parable’s typical application, but I believe there is likely more we are to learn from the example.  As was often the case, Jesus may have been presenting a challenge to his disciples that he would soon accomplish as an example.  Let’s look at the story again:

First, the traveler is alone on the road, robbed, beaten, stripped, and left for dead.  This is an illustration of the reality for most of mankind.  Each of us, after we reach a certain age, is often determined to travel the dangerous paths of life apart from the safety of parents, godly companions, or fellowship with Christ.  Encountering “robbers” is inevitable, and many of us have been left in various stages of distress “in the ditch”.  Some have been merely robbed, and continue to plug along bitter but self reliant.  Others have been beaten, and are covered in the wounds sin has left.  Many have been stripped bare, forced to face the shame of their sin but unable to overcome it.  And sadly many seemingly have lost all hope, left for dead along the road in utter despair. 

Next we have the priest and Levite.  Obviously these are those that simply do not help; they merely seem to pass judgment and continue on their way.  I wonder if this could be the Law—powerless to do what needed to be done to save the desperate traveler.  If so, it is not simply a matter of choice but the reality of the depth of devastation that the priest and Levite faced. 

What about the Samaritan?  An outsider, rejected by society, he was despised.  Still he alone had the means and the will to offer aid.  He tended to the needs, began the healing process, and delivered the wounded traveler to the Inn.  The care was provided at His expense, and yet the long term needs would be entrusted to others.  Of course, this seems a clear reference to Christ himself.  Jesus told the story fully aware of the role he would ultimately play.

Imagine, though, how the story would have ended if the next lines in Luke had been:  “then the innkeeper took the money, and, once the Samaritan was out of sight, he put the wounded traveler out on the street.” 

I can imagine some hostility leveled at the innkeeper for such an offense.  So who does the innkeeper represent?  I submit that we—the Church—are the innkeeper in the story.  Think about this for a moment.  Christ alone is capable of truly rescuing the sinner hopelessly left in the ditch.  Christ alone possesses the means for the long term needs.  Yet he places those he rescues along the road in the care of the church and expects us to meet their needs.  In return, he promises to return to us and repay us in full. 

I wish to draw just a few more applications.  The Church often serves merely as a place for applying a bandage or two, and then we simply put the wounded back out on the street.  In addition, many who are charged with the care have no interest in the work—they simply like hanging out at the inn!  Some statements made by the innkeepers are, “She doesn’t look so bad”, “Can’t the inn down the road take this one?”, and “how much longer is he just going to lie there?” 

Surely we must do better than this.

As a final observation, none of us can truly be the ultimate “Samaritan”.  Christ alone is able to rescue.  Our job is to be his agents along the road, at the inn, and everywhere else that people are found.  Then we can point them to the Samaritan that can actually help.  Much harm can be done when the best the wounded have to hope for are some good people wandering around trying to help who never put the wounded in contact with the Physician. 

Agape—or at least the best I can do,

Chris

Middle School Series Starts Next Week

“The XXXceptional Lie”

Addressing the Destructive Power of Pornography

 

Wednesday Night Lesson Series

Lakehoma Church of Christ

Beginning April 22, 2009

For Statistics, go to

http://www.familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html

 

I.                   The Truth: (Genesis 1-2)

Sex- meant for the glory of God and people.

Our bodies:  God said “it was very good”

Porn- Why do we look at it?

 

II.                 The Lies:  (Romans 1: 24-25)

 We can’t trust God’s plan—ours is better. 

          We can always repent later

          Love = one sided relationships

 

III.              The Traps: (II Samuel 11-12)

          Addiction

          Loss of capacity for intimacy

          Crumbled relationships

 

IV.              The Solution: (I Corinthians 6)

Recognition of God’s intent

Repentance and Accountability

Restoration of Holiness and Purity

 

7:00 PM:  Devotional in Auditorium

7:15 PM:  Singing Grades 6^th-12^th in Thunder Alley

7:30 PM:  Lesson Series grades 7^th-8^th  

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on Government

A conservative friend of mine sent around an article written by Joseph Sobran, a former columnist for the National Review, in which he describes his transition from conservative, to libertarian, to philosophical anarchist. His main conclusion was that government might be restrained by Christian principles in the short or medium term, but that in the long run, as those forces waned, “we can expect the state to show its nature nakedly”.  In these uncertain times, more people will give credence to that assertion.  My friend asked for our thoughts, and I—ever the reluctant one—forced a reply:  J

 

I found Sobran’s thoughts very interesting; but not at all revolutionary.  James Madison said:

 

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

 

That is in Federalist #51.  A key problem is that a constitution is often a better reflection of it’s framer’s ideals than the actual practice of their power.  The Alien and Sedition Acts of the Adams administration made it clear that the first amendment was no protection against one party rule. Jefferson and Madison became the chief critics of this expansion of federal powers, and their new party won the next election. Yet, one of the first things James Madison (the father of the constitution) did upon becoming president in 1809 was to confirm the power of the Congress to charter a national bank (something long considered to be unconstitutional by Madison and Jefferson’s supporters.)  It would seem they scrapped their ideological scruples for what “worked”. 

 

The author of the article discussed his transition from blind belief in the “intent of the framers” to disillusionment in government altogether.  The truth is that there was no “intent of the framers”.  There were only the “intents” of each individual framer, given strength through coalition and realized only through compromise.  The arguments, fears, motivations, and even strategies are little–if any–different than those of today. 

 

The Civil War was not the death of the Constitution; it was the reshaping of its application in simply another (albeit more radical) departure from those practices that no longer worked–at least to the standards of contemporary policy makers.  The author’s argument has been made about Nullification in the 1830s, The Progressive movement of the 1900s, and the desegregation of the 1950s and 60s, to name a few.  The intents of many framers would have us living in a state run only by landed aristocracy and devoid of any rights for those who are not white men. 

 

Still, he makes a valid point.  Government, as an institution of man, is a failure.  Unfortunately, the purpose of our lives is not to overcome all the failures of man-made institutions, but rather to deal with them the best we can while recognizing that in a fallen world, there are no ultimate solutions outside of the second coming of Christ. 

 

This fact, however, does not make me disillusioned about government; rather it avoids any illusions about it in the first place.  I will, as a citizen of a representative democracy, be thankful for my political freedoms but realize they are not guaranteed by God.  (The Declaration of Independence is a fine document but devoid of true Christian principles).  Therefore, as a participant in our political process, I will vote and act in ways that I believe will leave the most people open to conversion to true faith.  For me, that means giving people opportunity along with freedom, choice along with education, and the message of Christ along with the protection of traditional institutions.  I may disagree with conservatives, libertarians, anarchists, and other liberals, but I will not see those disagreements as fundamental to my expression of faith or practice of mission.  Instead, I will seek to encourage others to view no human institution as a solution to the problems of mankind.  Government is a tool, like money, that can be an asset or a liability for Christians as they seek to do the will of God. I hope people of faith will have the wisdom to discern whether it is a tool they want to train themselves to use.   

 

Agape—or at least the best I can do,

 

Chris

I am the Problem.

Recently I heard a lesson about the obstacles to God’s grace in our lives.  The speaker noted that “I” is in the center of “SIN”.  Sounds like something right out of James.  I think I know why Luther didn’t like the book of James very much—it puts the burden of guilt right on us.  Paul is much nicer in Romans when he dwells on sin as a power unto itself, but I do believe the two views are not mutually exclusive.  The reality is that sin is both the result and the cause of the inflation of “I” in “LIFE”.   Our desire to put ourselves ahead of others, ahead of Christ, and even in the place of God is the chief obstacle to the grace that can be so richly bestowed upon us. 

 

I am reminded of the old saying, “But for the Grace of God, there go I.” It makes me thankful that God’s grace is not easily deterred by the obstacles we throw before it.  I am reminded of the words, “While we were still sinners”, and realize that is an individual truth over and over in my life.  I am the problem. 

 

I AM:  The Answer.  

 

 

Agape—or at least the best I can do…

 

Chris

 

Plans?!!

It was a fair question. 

 

While enjoying a wonderful early Thanksgiving meal with the kids’ family, their grandmother asked me what our plans were for the children.  I had no good answer, and I have been thinking a lot about the question ever since. 

 

She said that she was wondering if we had any regrets.  That’s a much simpler question; these are now our children as much as Samantha and I can’t even imagine regretting that for a minute.  I am thoroughly in love with all of my family.  But, “plans”? 

 

I can’t plan past today.  We are in over our head.  “Mice and men” look like strategic geniuses compared to Mel and me most days.  Still, I have never felt closer to God.  In fact, as a result, I have never been closer to God.  

 

I have some daily goals:  yell less, praise more; scold less, correct more; punish less, discipline more; love more, love more.  Each day, I have little successes and big failures.  But every day I thank God for the challenges and joys of parenting four children.  Each day, I thank God for the church family we can lean on for support and encouragement.  Each day, I thank God for a biological family that is as interested in healing the broken hearts of these children as much as we.  Each day, I thank God for my family that has reached out to love these kids without reservation. And each day, I thank God for my wife, who never realized what she was getting us into and is learning to rely on strength beyond her own. 

 

I have some broader goals:  I want our children to realize that life is not “all about them”; that it is “all about God.  I want them to get the best education that they can, because it helps them establish a paradigm that is outward looking.  I want them to know the peace and security of two loving parents in a home that is structured and overflowing in love.  And I want them to know Christ and the power His resurrection gives us every day. 

 

Ultimately, I just want a front row seat in seeing the plans God has for our family. 

 

Job 42:2

 

 “I know that you can do all things;
       no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

Agape—or at least the best I can do,

Chris

An Open Letter to Christian Facebook Users

 

 I enjoy using Facebook.  As a teacher, it allows me to stay connected with former students and communicate with current ones in an open forum.   As a youth ministry leader, it gives me another way to be involved as a mentor with our young people.  As a Christian, Facebook adds another way for me to reach out to those who may be open to the message of Christ, and to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Him.  The potential for good in this application I believe far outweighs the negatives; and that is why I maintain a page in the network.  Still, this networking program, like any other, has serious risks for the individual Christian and the Body of Christ.  Following is an incomplete list of potential hazards to those who would represent Christ on this earth (and on the internet).

 

First, although Facebook is a great forum for friendly and godly conversation and fellowship, it is also an exceptional tool for gossip and division.  People have the ease of flowing from wall conversations (open to scrutiny) to private messages (safe from onlookers), and therefore can easily fall into a trap of saying one thing publicly and quite another privately.  This is of course a hazard of any group dynamic, but Facebook facilitates it intrinsically.  In addition, innocuous conversations between friends of the opposite sex become fodder for some to allege impropriety. 

 

Secondly, although the openness and public nature of Facebook can foster accountability, it also can contribute to voyeurism.  You must be willing to scrutinize yourself on this when necessary.  If you spend more time looking at others’ conversations than participating in your own, this is likely a problem.  If your tendency is to search others’ walls for signs of impropriety, Facebook is likely a bad choice for you.  If you can’t avoid jumping to conclusions, skip out instead. 

 

Of course, Facebook wouldn’t attract voyeurs if it wasn’t also a great facilitator of impropriety in the first place.  Facebook allows for all of the dangerous traps of internet chat rooms, without all the social prohibitions.  Internet affairs can easily start with harmless streams of wall posts that progress to private conversations over time.  Again, you must be willing to discern your own motives and actions.  Just because you’re paranoid, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t out to get you; and just because you may be the subject of malicious gossip doesn’t mean that you don’t have to hold yourself accountable for maintaining your integrity. 

 

I have personally witnessed the devastation that gossip, infidelity, dissension, hypocrisy, and betrayal can have on all sides inside and outside of the Body of Christ. Facebook is, at its heart, simply another means by which we can develop the best—or the worst—aspects of our character as His Church. 

 

Agape–or at least the best I can do,

 

Chris

 

Standing Firm in the Truth

At this point in my life, I refuse to blog about politics.  I would certainly alienate many of my friends no matter what I said; and any message of ultimate truth would be lost in the fray.  So, I will instead blog about not blogging about politics. 

 

I am currently addicted to the news.  I fall asleep in front of cable news and wake up in the middle of the night watching reruns of the major commentators’ shows.  I watch along with the nation as investments wither and debt continues to soar.  I think of my own financial mistakes and become disgusted—first with myself, and then with those who expect the government to divest them of any risk.  I think of those who are losing jobs and those who are hopelessly underwater and realize how blessed I am.  Today I bought a bottle of hope (overpriced lemon cleaner) from an inner city “salesman in training” who is trying to escape the cycle of poverty and most likely is being exploited by the company to whom I wrote the check.  I can’t help but wonder what the current economic outlook means for him.

 

The political season is in hyper drive; and both candidates purport to have our best interest at heart.  Followers on both sides present their version of the truth.  Sound byte solutions and personal attacks fill the airwaves.  I have my own view of that truth; but—again—I refuse to blog about politics. J 

 

Then I think about my day.  Opportunities abound to witness to the students and friends I have at school.  I have limits on what I may say, but no limits on the way I live.  Where are my energies spent?  How do I convey the relevance of the issues of today in my social studies classes while demonstrating that the real solutions are not political? 

 

On Wednesday night, we looked at I Timothy 6:3-21.  This passage addresses the issues of my world of today.   Our focus is so often on “controversies and quarrels” that may be of importance in the world, but that stir up malice and discontent that can jeopardize our eternal future.  We have not learned to be content with food and clothing.  Instead, we demand a healthy 401k.  How we need to heed the words of Paul in vs. 17-19: 

 

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

 

We indeed are all rich if we have “the life that is truly life”.  No politician can endanger that wealth, and no risk is involved if we continue to invest our faith.  

 

Yet, if this is truly the case, then why do I get so angry when I get a political e-mail?  Why do I yell at the TV when they refuse to address the real causes of the economic crisis as I see them?  Perhaps it because I stay up too late watching the world grapple with its problems instead of recognizing that Christ solved the most important ones already.  Perhaps it is because I don’t feel as comfortable talking salvation as I do talking politics.  Or maybe I am just so caught up in the world that I can’t stand it when God makes it clear we can’t serve two masters. 

 

Agape—or at least the best I can do,

 

Chris

Bedtime.

I have to say that the biggest change around here is bedtime.  It is a great time of prayer and talking, but it also is usually a struggle.  Each of them has different ways of coping with the stress of the nightly “shutting down” process. 

Samantha organizes her stuff.  She never was a neat freak but now has a touch of OCD.  She can’t shut down until her belongings are accounted for.  That doesn’t necessarily mean her room is neat–but she definitely checks to see that everything is all there.

Jackson straightens up his room, then reads to himself until I come in to pray with him.  He usually has the physical ailments to report:  “It’s too hot”, “My throat hurts”, and “My nose itches” are the most common current themes. 

Maddie falls asleep in our bed until Brooklyn is asleep, but her complaints are straightforward.  “I’m not sleepy” and  ”I’m thirsty” get repeated often.  But she is out pretty quickly. 

Then there is Brooklyn.  This is her time to process all that has happened.  She is struggling with the situation and wants to be in control.  She gets up over and over until she is exhausted from the confrontations with Momma.  It’s so hard to know how best to handle the situation.  Later, eventually, FINALLY, she falls asleep. 

The funny thing is, there is something in all of this that is so common to the human experience. 

Our task is to embrace the rest offered by God.  Most of us never enter that rest until we are forced by sheer exhaustion to give up and let Him reign.  Like Jackson or Samantha, we spend countless hours worrying about material things that never really give us comfort.  Like Maddie, we act as though the rest is simply not necessary–until such time as we collapse from our own failures.  And, like Brooklyn, we want to be in control.  We don’t know why we aren’t content, we don’t know how to make it better, and we don’t want to surrender.  We wander about, refusing to acknowlege the obvious–that the we can’t fix it, that we don’t know what is best for us, and that if we will simply let it go, life will look much better in the morning.   

Dear Lord, help us to enter your rest.  Give us the strength to quit fighting the battles we can’t win and embrace the victories you have already secured for us.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Agape…

Chris

Thoughts on Love.

Camp was a great experience for me this year.  I think when you go to a place set aside for the glory of God for an entire week, and then spend the week studying the nature of God, you are likely to receive an abundance of spiritual blessings.  I certainly feel that was the case for me.

We studied the four loves (from Greek).  We talked about the first love (storge) that we learn from our families; and how God is our Father and disciplines us as sons and daughters.  We discussed friendship (phileo) that we learn as we develop common interests with others; and how God is a friend to those who share his interests.  We also talked about desire (eros) that we experience so strongly in this world with regard to things and people; and how God both desires us and wants us to desire him with the passion of David.  Finally, we discussed the active and Godly love (agape) that is discussed in I John 3 and 4; and how God loves us with action and expects our actions to reflect our love for Him and each other. 

That brings me to the key thought I had for the week.  The first three loves are described by C.S. Lewis as “natural” loves.  Actions based on those loves are responses to feelings.  But agape is different.  The source of agape is the image of God.  The actions of Christians are not merely responses to feelings, nor are they simply obedience to God’s commandment.  The actions based on agape are a product of who we are, and who we are becoming.  As we are transformed into the image and likeness of Christ, our actions reflect the change. 

Agape–or at least the best I can do,

Chris

I Wonder What Kind of a Father David Was…

If Solomon were alive today, I wonder what he would look like.  Perhaps he would be covered in tattoos or piercings.  His writing is pretty “emo”. To hear him tell it in Ecclesiastes, he had “been there, done that, and had a massive collection of T-shirts“. 

What do we know about Solomon, anyway?  Sure, he was wise.  But what a tragic thing to be remembered for turning his heart away from God.  He was the son of David and Bathsheba.  His father had been a man after God’s own heart, but he had also been a man of many faults.  It seems that in some ways, Solomon was questioning everything his father believed.  Ironically, at the same time he was falling into every trap that had ensnared David.

 Clyde’s lesson today was about the molding of our children-a “twig-bending ministry”.  I was reminded what my mother said about children:  “When I was a young mother, I thought God gave parents a lump of clay to mold; by the time we had you, I realized God tossed down a chunk of granite for us to chip on until you turned eighteen”.  I think I am somewhere between the two views on the nature of parenting.  Sometimes I think I’m molding or bending, sometimes I know I need a chisel.  

I wonder what type of father David was. 

 It is amazing to me that David could be a man so close to God, and yet be the father of Amnon, Absalom and Solomon.  Amnon raped his sister, Tamar, Absalom killed Amnon and later would try to take his father’s kingdom, and Solomon would squander the favor of God and cause Israel to permanent split.  When Solomon was young, he showed such promise with his request from God for wisdom.  How could this young leader become the man with a thousand women and a heart that turned toward other gods?  Could it be that he lacked good parenting?

 David was so dedicated to God, yet his family was a mess.  I am mindful every day that our kids see our faults, and seem to follow those examples more consistently than the godly decisions we try to model.  I wonder if David sang and played the Psalms to his children when they were young.  I wonder if he taught them; or if he relied on his servants to handle the parenting.  I wonder if David died with regret about how his children-and grandchildren turned out.  God help us as we try to instill in our children the devotion for God that will shape their eternal destiny. 

Agape-or at least the best I can do,

Chris