Church jottings 2022-10-02

 

 Today's sermon from WSFC: living in step with the Gospel

Galatians 2:11–16 

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (ESV)

•  Cyndi opened service this morning, and I really appreciate how she spoken about the Lord's Table as the "best meal" in our lives. In other traditions it's called the Eucharist, which comes from the word "to celebrate", and that seems very fitting. Should there be some somber reflection on the death of our Lord? Yes, but moreover it is right that we rejoice in such love as we proclaim his sacrifice for us.
  

•  I'm thankful the heaven won't be overly repetitive, but that we have so many myriad ways now and forever to worship and enjoy our God. He created (and allows us to use as tools in worship) multi-part musical harmony, and physical symbols like the Lord's supper, and poetic use of words in lyrics and oratory to convey beauty and power, and bodily movement like dancing and upraised hands and weeping, and...
  

•  The sermon continues Galatians and the point that we are set free from the law to live in grace, yet that doesn't mean that our actions don't matter. We cannot be saved by our actions or morality (Trent did a great job of defining "works of the law"), but our lives should be in step with the Gospel. Not only should we not deny the Gospel in word or deed, but we should live in such a way that positively affirms it.
• As an aside, the division of the OT law into ceremonial/civil/moral is, in my opinion, forced onto the Bible from an outside thought and not something we see anywhere related in the Scriptures themselves. We don't have to obey any sort of law, even the "moral" ones, to be right with God. Rather, if God has made us new and given us hearts to love him, etc., we do these things because that's how we love our Father and walk with Him, not because of any legal obligation whatsoever. I think I have an older post about that, or I'll write one in the future; comment if interested.
  

• The opening of this text shows both the need for loving confrontation and the grounds for it. 
• We should work things out, even sometimes heatedly, with our brothers and sisters (cf. Matt 18), wherever possible. The prohibition on gossip is good, if sadly and infuriatingly abused by some who call gossip what is not. I have a whole essay on this I'll share another time; comment if interested.
  
• On the other side, Paul isn't eagerly seeking confrontation over trivialities. He addresses Peter's problem "because he stood condemned." And if I stand condemned, is it not loving (to me and to those affected by me) to point that out and call me back to the Way?
  
  
•   One of Trent's, and Paul's, main points is how ethnocentrism has no place in Gospel community. As I mentioned last week, this should really be gutted out of any American by the simple fact that as Paul is writing, we are the Gentiles, the outsiders, the ἔθνη (ethne), those far distant in culture and time and geography.
• I also appreciate how Trent mentioned the importance of sharing a meal. This wasn't some obscure or ancillary "who cares who you choose to eat with" thing. Think about it: what does it mean for you to take time to share a meal with someone? Who do you generally eat with? It's a source and sign of community, and fracturing the community by segregating our meal-mates is a huge problem if the Gospel bigger than these distinctions.
   
• The "road map" of tracing the Biblical themes of marriage and ethnicity and how they magnify the power and grace of God throughout redemptive history was glorious; go back to that part and listen to it, because a summary won't do it justice. A brief highlight or two:
• Marriage showing God's nature as unity in diversity is not something wholly new, but they way Trent articulated it hit me afresh.
• I wish time had permitted a bit more, especially because a (probably unintentional) gloss was made that seemed to imply that the "Christ as husband, Church as bride" was new to the NT. That imagery of marriage between God and His people (especially Israel as an unfaithful wife) is throughout the OT, too.
• The point about how at Pentecost, God didn't make everyone understand one language, but allowed everyone to hear in their own as an endorsement of diversity, was new to me and a point very well made.
  
  
• I mentioned last week about how "God shows no partiality" is both immensely important and really good news. Referencing 1 Tim. 5:21, Trent mentioned how prejudging and partiality are linked. The most clear-cut way of putting it for me is that partiality and prejudice have at their root a problem with assuming from a generality ("all X people are Y, and you're part of X, therefore you're Y") and of including irrelevancies (what difference does your nationality make about baking, or your gender about coding, or your ethnicity about the Gospel?).
• That last bit is I think where many of us can go astray. We make distinctions between people all the time, and their ought to be in many ways. I don't want a neurosurgeon who knows nothing of plumbing to install my sink, or a farmer to teach theoretical physics, or an atheist to help my marriage better reflect Christ and the church. But we should only include those things that are relevant, that directly impact the matter at hand, to be part of any decision-making and judgment.
  

• Trent mentioned the trap of "the fear of man" and well described it. 
• Because the Gospel is chiefly about the glory of God in the salvation of His people, we can't try to save people from sin by giving into ungodly opinions and beliefs.
• Trent's practical note seemed profound and wise: to get over people-pleasing, the best method may be disappointing someone for Jesus's sake (not for your own), surviving the damaged relationship, and realizing that you're still OK because Christ is with you.
  
• I prefer the old-school term vanity, and could (have?) written about the distinction between vanity and pride and true humility; comment if interested.
  
  
•  In dealing with hypocrisy (which iirc the Greek word is rooted/used for actors on a stage), the Gospel frees us from play-acting by separating our acceptance from our actions. If I don't have to act like I have it all together for God to accept me, then I can live in authenticity, neither hiding my struggles nor trapped by them.
•  God is glorified in our goodness and the transformation He brings in our lives toward righteous: this is absolutely true. But Christ is also glorified in our honest admission of our not-yet-fully-sanctified selves, our dependence on His grace for our remaining sins, and His abundant provision of mercy and help for us. We are out of step with the Gospel when we act like we have it all together, even if we attribute that to the Lord. We need not be afraid of showing our faults, because He is glorified in our weakness. We affirm the Gospel by living a life of constant returning to the cross and receiving the forgiveness and the new life that was bought costly and provided freely by our Savior, and doing so publicly.
  
  
•  During communion, I have a habit of taking the piece of bread I receive and breaking it, because its purpose is to remind me of the broken body of Christ. The bread breaks, never to be made whole, outside my power to fix, and only further to be broken as I eat of it. This is what Christ chose to do, to save even me. What struck me today was how, even though Jesus is fully capable of having a healed body, He chooses to maintain the ignoble scars of His crucifixion even unto eternity. When I consider the scars I have and those I've inflicted, I often shudder at the inescapable permanence of my sins, even beyond the power of forgiveness to completely wipe from the face of history and reality. But if the Son of God chooses to keep His scars for His greater glory and joy as my Savior, then perhaps He likewise plans the indelible mistakes of my story to bring a fuller weight of glory that surpasses the shame and reproach of them. Soli Deo gloria!
  

Church jottings 2022-09-25

 Today's sermon from WSFC: the Gospel must be preserved

Galatians 2:1–10
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. (ESV)

• At the beginning of service, Pastor Ian mentioned about missions. The best argument for missions is God's own character and missional activity; Jesus says "as God sent me, so I send you". The most empathic reason for someone in the U.S. to care about missions is that we are "the ends of the earth" when you stand near Jerusalem. We only know the gospel, hundreds of years and thousands of miles away, because faithful brothers and sisters brought the good news to our distant shores. Let's not let that end with us.
  
  
• God's Word is timeless, but we need to be careful not to separate texts from their historic background and purpose. The Holy Spirit certainly intended for us to find meaning in Galatians for ourselves, but Paul wasn't writing to us, he was writing to a particular people and context and problem. Much of that is relevant for us today (e.g. how do we know Paul preached the one true gospel), but it wasn't to our mindset and questions that he directly wrote. Let's not be egotistical.
  
  
• Pastor Trent emphasized that Paul had to wait and be prepared in Arabia for three years, and that we too often need prepared. This point, about waiting and not being overly anxious to get on with the work, hits home for me.
   
•  It's important not to conflate the good things we should do with what we must do to be with God (i.e. be saved). There are things we should do, not to earn love but because we are loved.
• Christians make lots of mistakes, and our standing before God, His love for us, does not rise and fall with those mistakes. Repentance is measured and known because of a baseline impulse to recognize sin as sin, confess, apologize, and try again. It is not measured by success at doing better and not needing to do the above all over again.
• I need to repent to my kids about not showing this well, and I need to find ways to communicate this to them. We want to strive for better, but messing up again doesn't ruin everything.
•  Doing good and loving things (e.g. caring for the poor in v.10) is not adding to the Gospel; it is the life that flows out of it. It's not "you have to do this, or you're not saved." It is "my heart is new and wants to love people and honor God... how do I do that?" (This has frequently come up in regards to evangelism. We don't need to be told yet again to do it, we need training on how.)
  
• Jesus + nothing = everything (not original to me). Jesus + something means you're a slave to whatever that something is (law/works/etc.). Jesus + nothing means I'm only a slave to Jesus, and He's a much better Master than anything else, including me.
  
  
• Something to wrestle with: Is targeting our ministries at times/places where it's easiest for people to change (e.g. college ministry) a mark of doubting the power of God to change people at less-than-opportune times? Not knocking college ministry (I've been amazingly helped by them), but where's my heart when I think through this?
  
  
• Justification is only part of / one analogy of salvation and what we are saved to. The resurrection is as important as the cross: epistemology, relationship, hope, all derive from a risen Savior and King.
  
  
• "God shows no partiality" is part of the good news, too. It doesn't matter where or to whom I was born, etc. God shows grace regardless of all those things that divide humanity.
• This is a good part of our country (at least it's ideals). Someone had a book about American history, "Boston Revolts!", and I wrestle a lot with how political revolution could fit in a Christian worldview. Our history (and everyone's) is full of the good, the bad, and the complicated. More on that some other time.
   
• Evangelism isn't my responsibility to save everyone I can by my own means/power. It is God using me to proclaim the Gospel to all, then He will save His own.
  
  
• I want to keep working on my side project essay collection/book on forgiveness. I've been thinking a lot about the part on when is forgiveness complete and what really defines it, and particularly the role of repentance in that and reconciliation. Need to remember Acts 11:18, that God gives "repentance that leads to life", so repentance is an important and necessary part of how God forgives and reconciles. 
  
  
• I need to check out a timeline of the NT and how various events fit together (e.g. Paul's time in Tarsus, Barnabas's initial visit to Antioch, their famine relief effort and collection, the Jerusalem council, etc.). Inspired by the timing of the events described in today's text.
  

 

future before present

i just read an interesting article on teaching children that the Bible isn't really about them, but about Jesus. i've heard this idea often, and have used it several times myself. but something struck me new tonight.

what if we won't be fixed? what if our generation isn't going to get it right? what if, for all our hope and angst, we fail to live up to what we want the church to be? what if we stay broken til God calls us home?

but that wasn't too big a revelation. after all, i know we won't be perfect this side of heaven. but there's a flip side to that coin that i've rarely considered.

what if instead we focused on getting it right for those who come after us? what if our aim was not to make it all right, but to set us moving that way? what if we could take some of our junk to our graves, no longer to disturb the church? what if we could give our disciples a better start than we had?

now a risk is there, that we'd set our hope on a golden age this side of the resurrection, that we'd become like parents who set all their hope on their kids and drive them into the ground in seeking perfection. but maybe by aiming at the betterment of our disciples instead of ourselves, by putting the future before the present, maybe we'll do more good for our King and His kingdom.

maybe that's why the "great commission" isn't about us being better men.

prayer of restless angst

there are some times where something will hit my heart, and whatever i'm doing doesn't feel right. i often don't know what to do in those moments. this is one of those moments. i'm torn between writing down my thoughts and prayer, so i figure i'll do them both. feel free to join with me in wrestling.

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God, as casey and i were sitting here playing cards and listening to songs, "God of this city" came on, and after a minute or so of just tapping my foot to the good musid, my mind was grabbed by the lyrics. i was taken back to last spring, where 50 or so of my brothers and sisters were gathered in a dinky little apartment in north philly, singing with hearts full for Your glory to fill that place. we burned for You, and yet how quickly those flames can die down. yet You never let them go out. more than that, You freely bring that passion back to us; how great is Your grace to poor sinners like me! but God, i know not what to do with this passion that burns in my heart. this card game, being able to sit with my wife and enjoy some music and each others company, it is so nice, and it is a gift from You, and i want to receive it with thanksgiving, as You have instructed me to. yet i feel no peace about it now, for i long to see You own this place, where there are so many who know the name "jesus" but do not know Your Name. this culture is full of "church-ianity" as my brother once called it, and many hear seem inoculated to You and the glory of Your gospel. and even among my friends who i play poker with, and hang out in bars with, though i rejoice at being able to talk with them about You, yet they seem so unmoved! God, i would that Your power be made known in this place. my heavenly King, bring Your kingdom in greater fullness here, that Your Name might be known and praised among these people!

God, thank you for calming my spirit some, knowing that You will do what is right in Your eyes. yet You call for and expect our prayers, so i beg you for this area, for those at the trailer park tonight, for the members of this, Your church, and for those who hear Your Name on my lips. o God, may it ever be on my lips, that You are never far from my thoughts or my speech. show me my part to play, o Lord, and give me the strength to see it through. God, i feel so weak, and rightly i should, for i am. but Your Word says that in weakness is Your strength shown to be perfect, and so i offer You my all, weak and puny though it may be, and beg You to move through me. Lord, i would that You would even move in spite of me, for i am not as i ought to be, nor act i as i ought, but You, my God, are the one who talks the low and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are. would You use me, in spite of my mind, which gets in the way so often, and my heart, which stumbles over itself, and my strength, which is very small and often consumed by laziness, and my soul, which grows weary so quickly.

God, i mean to be faithful to where You have called me. help me not to wonder what it would be like to answer some "more glorious" or "more epic" call, but to wonder still that You have entrusted this ministry to me, and though it may seem small, You care very much for these, Your children, and Your children's children. Be at work in them, and if it be Your gracious will, to use me in the process, that they might know You more fully, and be transformed by Your Word and Your ways, that they might look more like Your Son, and praise You all the more, because they see You more like You are, then the tiny bit they, and even we, see now. grow them for Your Name's sake, o Christ, that through You they might bow at the Father's feet, and be the objects of His love, and that they might display how great that love is, even as You did. be with me, Dad, for i am frail, and my heart is fickle, and i need You desperately. help me to rest in You, and take comfort in Your sovereign will, and hope against hope because You who have promised so much good are the One called Faithful and True. blessed be Your Name.

thank You for being with me. thank You for letting me know You. thank You that even though i type these words into a computer, yet You hear them in heaven, because You are near me, and because Jesus is my great High Priest, and perfect Mediator as the God-man. thank You for the cross, through which i can approach Your throne of grace with confidence and courage, knowing You will give me all that is good for me. i rest in Your care. thank You for hearing me for the sake of Your Son.

roman piper

i really enjoy the fact that john piper, in 3 of his 6 messages on romans 1:16-17, spent significant time passionately urging his people to think and use “their God-given brains” to wrestle with the argument and meaning of the text. i need to learn how to do it humbly, but this gives me hope that you can say stuff like that and not chase everyone around you away.

he also talks about needing to fight to believe the gospel every day. it comforts me to know that “even someone like him” does. i hate to admit it, but i do set those guys (podcast preachers) up on a bit of a pedestal. but it is encouraging to know that men who have been at this for many years and can think circles around me theologically have this struggle as well, and are "fighting the good fight of faith". on the other hand, it scares me a bit. but Got is faithful, as it is written, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

thoughts between the cross and the empty tomb

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

a few things that came to mind today, of how great the glory of our God in His gospel is.

it is true that Christ died the death we deserved, but it is not true that He died the death we now deserve, because we are counted righteous in Him, and we are new creatures, and that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. so we no longer deserve that death, because it was paid for at calvary.

i would highly recommend that anyone with a free hour over the next few days listen to session 11 of the resolved conference last summer, in which c.j. mahaney addresses Christ's cry, the scream of the damned, from the cross. it is powerful.

i think i've mentioned this before, but i love some of the paradoxes of the Christian faith. some frustrate me, most confuse me, but there are some that make my heart leap for joy. the fact that we celebrate the wondrous cross on which our Savior died on a day we call good friday is further proof of great our God is, to take the awful and make it wonderful.

all this has pointed me to the idea that, though we ought to take time to look at the seriousness of our sin and the depth of our depravity, especially on good friday, we ought to celebrate it all the more because of the love of God poured out in it. we ought not get so caught up in our sin that we miss the love and grace of God which is displayed in the cross. though it is dark and gory and awful, at the same time the cross is wonderful, joyful, and glorious. and so let us celebrate the cross, rejoicing in it, because it truly is good news.

"in this the love of God was made manifest among us, tha God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. in this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

a grace-filled day

some random thoughts from a good day in our blessed God's hand:

~head-banging to rebel while reading a book on athanasius's battle with the arians in the library is definitely a different way of doing things.

~i find that i am more satisfied in God and more affectionately joyful in Him when i am forced to put it into words to express His grace to others. thanks to all who asked me how i was today.

~writing prayer requests on my hands makes them hard to forget, and draws me more often into reliance on God to be at work when i am not, helping me to be "overwhelmed to the point of prayer."

~if we are Christ's bride, not yet married, then i think dwelling on the feeling of being engaged may perhaps heighten my understanding of what it means that we groan for our future union with Him and the revealing of His full glory.

anything for Jesus

so i think about language more than most. it's a weird thing for me, being an engineer, but the nuance that can go into and come out of words fascinates me, often too much. but this time it led to something awesome.

i was reading a really inspiring story today, which i would encourage you all to think over. the thing that really caught me, though, was one thing that jp mentions at the end: "i will give up sleep for Jesus any time."

now to most of us, the meaning is simple. he was giving up his sleep in order to serve God, "for Jesus" meaning "for the sake of Jesus". what got me thinking is that this same phrase can mean something else, especially when used for our Savior. giving up something "for Jesus" can also mean to give it up in order to gain Jesus, to trade what you're giving up in order to gain more of Christ. and, in a very real sense, he gave up his sleep so that He would gain more of Jesus.

what would you give up to gain more Christ? what will you?

nuggets of thought

first, ed stetzer wrote a great article on being with and investing in your family. it is deeply insightful and encouraging.

also, Bible study magazine (a service of logos Bible software and mars hill church are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church, five subscriptions to the magazine, and a copy of logos Bible study library software! you can enter to win on the B.m.s. mark driscoll page.

lastly, i'm discovering more of what it means to die to myself. Jesus has thankfully been beating my pride into a bloody pulp recently, and though it is exceedingly painful, the joy that i am finding in His great grace is so worth it. we sang i surrender all last weekend at bg, and it's such a wondrous blessing to do that, and by His grace i'm learning to more and more, and finding more satisfaction in Him than i have in a long time. praise be to the King of all things, that He is gracious even unto me.

peeling the layers of reality

asking why and always trying to go a layer back can lead to some really deep thinking, and some unusual answers. i can’t pinpoint when this started for me, but this past year several friends of mine have encouraged this process of thinking in me like steroids. the idea is that almost any statement you make, especially when dealing with the deeper things of the universe (i.e. not small talk), can be taken a level or a layer backward in meaning, generally by simply asking “why?”. eventually there is a stopping point, because at some point there is a foundation of axioms or universal truths by which everything else is defined. here are a few building blocks, or some of the deepest answers, that i have found, specifically from a Christian worldview.

ultimately, when taken back to its absolute deepest, the basis of all things is God. the Bible is clear that God is the only uncreated thing, that there was never a time that He was not, and nothing ever defined Him, but He defines everything. in my understanding, He did not choose to be who He is, nor did something else choose for Him: He simply is who He is, as He has always been and ever will be. therefore, being the ultimate reality, all else is defined by God: who He is; what He’s like; His characteristics and attributes.

taking one of these attributes, namely, that God is good, leads to some interesting thoughts. all that we would call good are reflections of God’s character. whatever we enjoy that is good is enjoyable because we see God in it and we were made to worship God by enjoying Him.

also, taking a step back, we see that because God is the only uncreated thing, all that is is defined by Him, either positively or negatively. goodness, faithfulness, love, joy, truth, fellowship, power, beauty, peace, justice, righteousness, unity, authority, every good thing is defined by the part of God’s character that we define by these words. sin, perversion, deception, treachery, discord, weakness, every evil thing is defined by looking at God in negative: what He is not, how He did not make the world to be, etc. thus, when we speak of love, we should start by defining it in relation to God, rather than defining it by ourselves and holding God accountable to that definition. often our definitions are thus flawed, because we do not by nature treasure God. however, this does not mean that our definitions are meaningless, because it is also true that God has written His law and the story of eternity both generally, throughout His creation, and specifically, on our hearts.

if this is so, then it seems our understanding of God is best served by first knowing who He has revealed Himself to be (most specifically through the Bible), and then both adjusting our intuitive definitions of goodness, justice, etc., by how we find Him revealed there, and also trying to reconcile the various attributes and ways of God we find with our working knowledge of these ideals.

another clear Biblical idea is that God does all things for His glory.* in my understanding, glory is synonymous with weightiness, awesomeness, or renown. thus, God does all things to display His greatness for the fame of His name. now, if my earlier bit about God defining all things is true, then His glory or greatness is Him being Himself, as odd as that sounds. in that case, God does all things to display His character, so that He would be praised in all the earth.

it is often argued that God did not sacrifice His Son because something in us was worthy of His great love, but that He did so for the sake of His glory, that He would have a people to worship Him for all eternity, and so sent Christ to die in our place for our sins that we might praise Him forever. and this is true, but i think it’s stopping a bit short. if God’s glory is displaying who He is, then His death on the cross is not for some abstract thing called “glory”, but that we might see what true love is, because God is love – He defines it. and yes, He doesn’t love us because of us, He loves us because of His own eternal character. but that doesn’t diminish the fact that it was for love that He endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, that He might enjoy us reveling in His great love forever.

that is what makes God’s desire that we worship Him not tyrannical. it’s not begrudging praise or obligated obedience that He wants, but rather that we would find our truest and most satisfying joy in Him, which is the essence of what it is to glorify Him. we enjoy Him because He is good, and we were made to enjoy that. now some would say that a skilled dictator may convince his people to enjoy him and what he does, despite the fact that it is not truly what is good for them or what is most enjoyable. the problem with this – and one of the main reasons i started thinking more along these lines in the first place – is that this cannot apply to God, because there is no higher truth to appeal to for what is good and true and enjoyable. those who would claim that God is that sort of tyrant must believe in some higher power, some more ultimate reality, by which they could judge Him. and if there was such a power or reality, then God would cease to be God, and this higher being would be God.

hopefully that gives you some insight, either into who God is, or what truth is and how it is defined, or how i think, or simply something more to mull over. in any case, i hope you are well, that God is blessing you richly, and that you are finding more and more joy in Him, to the praise of His glorious grace.












*i know some of you at this point are probably thinking that that makes God the biggest narcissist ever. allow me to pose you a question to mull over: if God commands us to worship Him alone, which means centering ours lives around Him alone, and yet He is not God-centered, then would not God be an idolater?

and Scripture cannot be a broken

this little insert in Jesus' argument in john 10:35 seriously made my day. God's Word does not fail, it cannot be broken. that means all it says about His faithfulness, His love, His holiness, His greatness, His grace; all of it is true and will not change.

yup, i love the Bible, because in it i see my True Love, the Lover of my soul.

grace and peace from our glorious King.

jumbled thoughts

"why is [love your neighbor as yourself] a summary of all that God calls me to? oh, get this truth: because it's only when i love God above all else that i'll ever love my neighbor as myself. it's only when God is in the rightful place in my life that i will treat you with the love that i have received from Him. brothers and sisters, hear this: you don't fix language problems, you don't fix communication problems, you don't fix word problems horizontally; you fix them vertically!" ~paul tripp, war of words: getting to the heart for God's sake, at desiring God national conference '08

"love your neigbor as yourself" doesn't just mean love them as you love yourself. here's another way of looking at it: love your neighbor as if he is part of you. treat him as a part of yourself. this is especially poignant if they are a Christian, because then you are truly a part of the same Body, namely, of Christ.

acts 4:34 & acts 6:7, people giving up houses and lands for people, and priests becoming believers. first, becoming homeless so the homeless aren't anymore makes no sense, because then they do the same and it's cyclic. so i would assume this means they lived more communally, or at least more simply, in smaller houses, because they realized they didn't need their luxury stuff as much as those in need needed what they could give from the sale of their stuff, because people are worth more than stuff.
secondly, if the priests became believers, and a large portion of what the priests did was offer sacrifices, and Christ is the great and final Sacrifice as the Lamb of God, then wouldn't a lot of them be out of work? what does this say about how we should see our jobs compared to being true to Christ?