Godly Sorrow and Confrontation: 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

          Godly sorrow is a concept that appears often in scripture; you'll see it in the Proverbs whenever the author is discussing discipline and how it brings life. In the same way, there are several situations within which we are able to grow mightily by the influence of sorrow in our lives. To start out with, let us go to 2 Corinthians 7:10-11:

10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

          When I hear this verse, I immediately think of classes I've been in where I needed pain or punishment in order to continue forward. I would keep making one small grammatical error on every assignment and I continued to do so until I lost a point for it. Afterwards, I never made the same mistake again. It was because I had experienced some kind of loss and it stuck with me.
          I think we realize this when it comes to disciplining children: we know that the child will never improve in his behavior or attitude unless he experiences some kind of loss to connect with the lesson. As hard as we try to explain why good actions are their own reward, there come appropriate times when we need to use negative reinforcement to show the lesson since they cannot see what we can.
          Everything up to this point has been very simple and without needing much to expound on. However, the application for this verse goes a little farther. Have you ever needed to confront someone? There is a good that you want to achieve in someone's life that they cannot see on their own. The only downside is that the person might be hurt or offended by our piece of advice. Certainly, we are to survey whether someone is open to receiving advice or not. We see this in Proverbs 26:4-5:

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
    or you will be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
    or he will be wise in his own eyes.

           Also, we are told in 1 Peter 3:15b-16 that we are told to offer words of righteousness with gentleness:

 15b Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

          However, the general response of most people to verses like these and their desires to preserve the self confidence and happiness of the person needing change leads them to say nothing at all. The fear of hurting the person is weighed against how much good the change will make. Obviously, even a raging madman should be advised to stop killing people, but most of the time it is very hard to tell if the change is worth the pain, find ourselves unable to balance the two, err on the side of caution, and say nothing. However, if you look at the previous passages, you will see that you are not actually balancing a pro versus a con. Instead, you have two pros. Both the desired change that you want to bring in the person's life and the little bit of pain that will come with this information are both positive things! That small bit of pain will help the lesson to stick and, according to our first passage, will produce earnestness, eagerness to clear themselves, indignation, alarm, longing, concern, and readiness to see justice done. You are doing the person a favor by bringing godly sorrow into their lives. On the other hand, you do not set out to produce sorrow for sorrow's sake alone. That is to rely on the sorrow of the world, which, the passage tells us, leads to death. Additionally, we should only burden someone with one or two suggestions at a time to prevent burdening someone with too much sorrow. We see this in 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 when Paul is dealing with a sinner in the community:

6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 

          A similar verse appears in Galatians 6:1-2:

 1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

         These contrasting themes are brought together in 2 Timothy 1:7:

 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

         While there is nothing wrong with a shy or introverted personality, God gives us the Spirit to be bold and powerful whenever love demands it. You do not truly love someone if you let them sit in their darkness. If we see darkness in someone's life, then it is our responsibility to warn them of their darkness (or find someone close to them whom they would be more willing to listen to). We see this responsibility in Ezekiel 33:6:

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.

         and if we recognize our roles as priests in God's kingdom, we will heed the words of Malachi 2:6-7 when he is discussing priests:

 6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.

         So, as you go about this week, remember that the Spirit is in you and tap it's power to confront sin with boldness and power.
Peace,
Simeon Snow

Brave Warriors: 1 Chronicles 5:24b-25

             The topic for today's discussion has to do with some troubling men's movements that have been popping up along with a theme in scripture that is getting more attention in recent times. Although there is no official name for it, you can call it the Courageous Warrior or Masculinity movement. The recent spotlight on this idea centers around one theme: men are not what they should be and it is because we have lost a biblical definition for manhood in our churches. To restore this manhood, we need to emphasize the godly qualities that are also masculine, such as righteous confrontation, strength, and courage. The argument goes that real men stay out of church and the ones inside it have been brainwashed into acting like women. This movement blames the deficiency of "real" men in churches today for the church's inability to take a bolder stance on current hot button issues and for the inability of men to be leaders among the congregation. The proposed solution for these problems is to gather groups of men to cultivate these male qualities and, thus, restore the church. This is also to counter the problem of men only maturing in ways that are feminine. The biblical foundation for this movement comes from Old Testament stories about godly men, like David or Samson, showcasing legendary manhood and emphasizing the need to emulate this masculinity. One Bible study I read, called Chase the Lion, focused on the story of Benaiah in 2 Samuel 23:20:

20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

             The moral of the story is that a guy in the Bible did a manly thing. That's it. We don't hear anything more about this man's character or his relationship with God besides going on to be a military leader and executioner for Solomon (see 1 Kings 2), but we do know that he killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The Bible study takes this single verse and expands it to mean that God calls us all to take more risks, but it qualifies this by saying that these risks should be calculated. What they fail to mention is how killing a lion in a snowy pit is a calculated risk, but maintains that we must follow this man's approach to life based on this single action. The other verse I see frequently attached to this movement is 1 Corinthians 16:13:

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

            The specific part of this verse focused on is "be men of courage", which is often translated, accurately, as "act like men" or "be men". While this passage does ask men to have godly characteristics that are Masculine, I think it would be putting words in Paul's mouth to say that true Masculinity is Godliness. While the goals of being brave and leaders of our families are noble, these characteristics are not guarantees of righteousness in any way. To start my counterargument, let's turn over to 1 Chronicles 5:24b, which describes an Israelite family:

24b They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 

           These Israelites have the same heart as Benaiah! In fact, they do even more! Not only are they brave, they have importance in the eyes of the public and are strong leaders of their families. I could start my own Masculinity Bible study with much further applications, but to do so would be to lie to and mislead you about their character. Now I am going to add verse 25 on to this passage and see what you think of these new role models:

24b They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

            Character adjustment is never a guarantee of righteousness. I want to be a spiritual leader in my family and I would like to be courageous and make bold stands for what is righteous, but I need to develop that character out of a growing relationship with God rather than follow a Law of Masculinity. The men in the previous passage were part of the family of God and they met all the demands of the Masculinity movement and more, but they have nothing; their spiritual treasuries are empty. Not only so, but Masculinity is very subjective and changes based on the culture. For instance, the Karo men of Ethiopia prove their Masculinity by how many cows they can jump over; contrarily, the Bunna women of Ethiopia prove their Femininity by how many whip lashes they can endure (See also Global Prayer Digest). Instead of trying to make ourselves more godly by pursuing a subjective Man Law, God gives us the power for life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says:

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

          Here, we see that God's divine promises (such as the power for life and godliness) give us the ability to mature towards the divine nature and escape corruption. The passage goes on to describe how to pursue maturity by spending time with God. While there is nothing wrong with Masculinity, we are not called to pursue it. The reasons that we are strong, brave, or courageous are because of our love for God and women are called to be these things as well. In fact, the female heroes of the Old Testament were famous because they were strong, brave, and courageous. They killed people in the Old Testament, too, lol. While the Bible does give a few different instructions to guys and girls and affirms their major differences, the authority of these commands rests on scripture and the differences are to be embraced and celebrated without being enforced as law.
        To close, let me leave you with a passage that shows the continuity between time with God and the resulting Godliness that so happens to be Masculine. Joshua 1:8-9 says:

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Peace,
Simeon Snow

Disputable Matters: Romans 14:1-8

              I'd like to introduce you to a chapter in scripture that has provided me a lot of direction in theological disputes between Christians. However, I would also like to preface this talk with the warning that I do not claim to have all the answers to the questions presented by this passage nor do I yet know how to fully apply this message, but I know enough that this does not discourage me from sharing it with you or allowing you to meditate upon it with me. Let us dive into Romans 14:1-8:

1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

           This is certainly a long passage, so let me attempt to break it down for you. First of all, it is apparent that Paul wishes to reduce conflict in the church, especially conflict between people who's faith is weak and those who are more mature. Right off the bat, Paul serves us the example of vegetarianism; there are Christians who are very divided over this issue despite clear Biblical passages (such as Acts 11:9 and Matthew 15:11) that tell us that all food is free for our consumption without guilt. Although you can know for a Biblical fact that this position is correct, it does not mean that other Christians will agree with you. What are you then to do? You are clearly in the right, but the other Christian won't change his mind. How are you to respond? Paul clearly tells us not to judge him. We are told here that the vegetarian refuses to eat meat because he wants to please God and that we should respect that. He says that each person is individually set before God to be judged and that we have no part in that judgement. In the middle of his argument, Paul also extends this idea of acceptance of theological differences to what day you worship on. To me, this looks like it means we should accept Christians who treat Saturday as a special day instead of Sunday without forcing them to change their mind. Also, even if we were able to force them to act against this conviction, Paul tells us that this is sin for them at the end of this chapter (v. 23):

23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

           Do you see what happened there? Even though eating meat is not a sin, if you convince that vegetarian Christian to eat meat (when they think it is a sin), you cause them to sin even though you, yourself, would not sin if you performed the same action! That means that there is a little bit of a difference of what constitutes sin from person to person.
            Now, of course, I need to offer some major disclaimers about how to apply this passage practically. First of all, one should limit one's freedoms based on three things: Word of God, Prayer, and Considerations of what is Beneficial/Constructive for others (1 Timothy 4:4-5 and 1 Corinthians 10:23-24). If any of these tell you that you cannot do something, don't do it or it is sin for you. However, a second observation I must make is that Paul tells us to respect people who have MORE restrictions than us, not less. Therefore, Paul calls me to respect the boundaries of people who think there are MORE ways to sin (i.e. vegetarianism), but does not call me to respect people who think there are LESS ways to sin (i.e. homosexuality). In fact, in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, Paul tells us to push people who are in unrepentant sin out of the church and to do this with gentleness and love:

9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

           This passage tells us there are three criteria for kicking someone out of a church. These are if someone is a 1) Christian, 2) has been involved in a regular sin and, 3) is not repentant of that sin. If they meet all three of these criteria, you are to exclude them from your community and, as tough as it is to say, avoid fellowship with that person. We see the motivation behind this in verses 4-5:

4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

           So now you see that we cannot allow people in our community to actively engage in what we consider sin in our midst. Now, if you are the meat eater, and the veggie eater is in your midst, this means abstaining from eating meat in his presence and not pushing the debate with him. Paul tells us this in Romans 14:20-22:

 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. 22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

           One last disclaimer that I would like to put on this passage is that Paul seems to be focusing on issues that are very small like what food you eat and what day of the week you worship on. Paul is not advocating a pluralistic faith where we all can believe whatever we wish in spite of the Bible and our Christian community. Nor are we told to simply ignore what we believe in. We see this in 1 Timothy 4:16:

 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

          Therefore, we are called to be certain of what we believe in and to share those beliefs with others. However, this is tempered by what we have been studying in Romans 14 because Paul tells us that there are some beliefs that are meant to be kept between us and God. This is where the unanswered questions come in. Which beliefs are important enough to debate? Which should be left undiscussed? Which doctrines can I talk about just for fun and when? I think Paul helps us work toward some of the answers when he says that we are not to destroy the work of God for the sake of food. Therefore, if we know an issue will cause division, we should be more cautious about discussing it, even for fun. However, if a specific issue is bothering you in a Christian community, I would suggest that you go to your pastor or community leader for the answers to your questions. The pastor is there for your spiritual direction and provides an environment where you can discuss all your theological questions and concerns.
          Since this material can be a bit touchy, please do not be offended or take me to be unable to change my opinion or take advice on both what I say and how I say it. Therefore, don't feel shy about letting me know that you disagree or if you want to add any thoughts or comments to my discussion. You can put those comments below this post or to my facebook or twitter accounts. This is a topic that I broach with many people, including guys I disciple, so if you improve me or my position, your effect will be multiplied out to whatever ministry I do in the future.
 Peace,
Simeon Snow

God's Will: 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

               For this post, I wish to tackle a difficult phrase that has caused a lot of trouble in Christian circles and frame this phrase, God's will, in positive ways that we can act on without being paralyzed in fear. There is a good desire in most of us to do God's will for our lives. However, when we use this phrase, we often get caught up with the idea that there is a secret book of answers floating in the sky, just like the answers to the math problems in the back of a teacher's textbook. If only God would let us look at his answer book, the argument goes, then we would really find satisfaction. What if I said that we have the answers right before our eyes? What if God's will for our lives isn't as mysterious or distant as we feel so often? To start this discussion, let's take a look at 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

             Do you notice the phrase, "God's will" in this passage? Does it seem too easy to label this passage as God's will? The response I know most people would give is that this doesn't answer the question they are trying to ask God. For instance, if I want direction on who I should date or am trying to make a major career decision, how could this passage possibly help? Perhaps it helps by making us ask more questions. It is not that your question is illegitimate. God is intimately aware of the desires that are bubbling inside of you. You can see it in Psalm 38:9:

9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.

           Therefore, the wise thing to do is to bring these desires before God in prayer and continue seeking direction on our decision. But, here's the clincher, we usually don't feel satisfied or at peace after making these petitions to God, right? We do have good moments, but usually our prayers and petitions to God seem to echo void and useless. This is because God wants us to pursue his will past this prayer. However, this pursuit might not mean what you think it means. This pursuit is to find what God wants us to find. In the above verse from 1 Thessalonians, we see that  God's will is for us to be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. Therefore, we get to see that, although we have successfully come before God in prayer, he still wants more of us. The phrase "God's will" comes up in a variety of places in the Bible, like two chapters back in 1 Thessalonians 4:3:

3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

           Thus, the question, "What is God's will for me?", goes way beyond whatever you are hoping to get from your future spouse or job. God wants us to continue to ask that question, but to let him guide us to what that means. Already, we have seen that it is God's will for us to be joyful always, give thanks in all circumstances, be sanctified, and avoid sexual immorality. Therefore, asking God about your future spouse or job is an incomplete question. You don't just approach God about one topic and then walk away. Instead, you keep engaging him about what your whole life should look like. God answers the question about what his will is over and over again in scripture and it all pertains to your original question. When you ask, "Who is God's will for me to marry?", you find the answer to that question in all of God's will. This means finding joy in God today, being content with what he has given you, and purifying yourself sexually. God guides you to your destination through every day obedience to his will and, by will, I don't mean this mysterious answer floating in the sky. I mean taking the step that God has shown you to take today. That is part of the answer to your question. If you dedicate yourself to following ALL of God's will, he will take you to that spouse (or lack of spouse) or job (or lack of job) in his own timing and in his own way. To clarify, it is not wrong to seek a specific answer to questions about jobs and spouses (that is God's will for you), but you need to add on to what you are doing. You seek Him in the everyday, mundane things, and he will bring you to the destination that you are seeking. Not only will you arrive there in the future,  but you will arrive at where you truly desire here and now in seeking God's presence. This is the key behind Psalm 37:4:

4 Delight yourself in the Lord
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

           As I said earlier, God knows the desires of our hearts. In fact, he knows them better than we do. Since he loves us, we sell ourselves short when we seek satisfaction by forcing our ways into God's answer book. Did you know that finding the answer to your question can be an idol? Have you thought of God's will as becoming an idol with more importance than God himself? He will lead you to your answer, either directly or indirectly, but finding the answer to God's unknown will is not the point of your life. The point of your life is to follow and obey God's known will, which means pursuing and delighting yourself in God here and now. Seeking God's unknown will is a small part of all of God's will for you and should be kept that way; it is a piece of the puzzle, not the whole thing. Therefore, you seek the piece by seeking the whole.
            In closing, meditate on Ephesians 5:17-20:

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace,
Simeon Snow

Appearances: 2 Corinthians 12:6

                Today, we are looking at two seemingly opposite ideas in scripture that actually complement each other. The first is to avoid managing our appearances and the second is to manage our appearances. The first piece of scripture I want to show you is 2 Corinthians 12:6:

6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.

           In this scripture, we see that Paul is holding himself back from the temptation to make people believe about him what he wants them to believe. In other words, not telling people that you are good and trustworthy. Instead, Paul asks us to let our actions speak for themselves. We, as Christians, should not have to beg people to trust us and make good opinions of us. Rather, our words and actions should be so above reproach that people know that they can trust us without much thought. In this sense, we are not supposed to carefully manage our image before other people. This is the message behind James 5:12, which says:

12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

            In addition to this, it does not seem to matter very much what people think of us in the first place because  we receive value from God's opinion of us rather than man's opinion. This can be seen in 1 Corinthians 2:15:

15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment

         So far, we have two verses that explain how and why we do not manage our appearances: we should let our words/actions speak for themselves and we are only to get our value from God in the first place. However, these verses are balanced by other thoughts in scripture that show that it is very important what other people think, but this importance comes from a different set of reasons than the world has for valuing the opinions of people. First, look at 2 Corinthians 8:20-21:

 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

           Also, look at 1 Peter 3:15b-16:

15b Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

          Therefore, we see that we are to place a very high value on the opinions of others and should change our words and actions so that they will look good in the eyes of other people. This managing of one's appearance is not done out of insincerity. One verse that discounts this idea is James 3:17, which tells us that:

 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is... sincere.

            We recognize that we need to be a great example for other people and we do so out of a sincere heart. Therefore, what I am trying to say is that we need to take pains to do and say what is right in the eyes of others without staking our personal value in the eyes of others. We see Jesus having to deal with this tension himself. In John 5:41-44, he says:

41 “I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

         But in Matthew 17:27, he tells Peter:

 27 “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

         It may seem shocking, but Jesus tells Peter to give the tax for the sake of appearances. You would never think the Supreme Ruler of the universe would have cared about what anyone thought. However, in this case, we see that Jesus recognizes the need to maintain good appearances, even if the action itself didn't have much value. To Jesus, it didn't matter whether or not they gave the tax, but he didn't want to ruin the image of his ministry by getting it caught up in a scandal over taxes. This is not to say that Jesus was a people pleaser; throughout the gospels, it is very clear that Jesus values righteousness over appearances. However, this allows us to draw a very practical lesson from this verse. When the righteousness of an action is neutral, we are to choose the path that looks best in the eyes of others. This will keep us from pushing people away from the faith and will allow us to pick and choose the battles that do matter without causing a big ruckus over every decision that we make.
          In a church, this means that the leaders need to be clear and accountable to others, even if there is no risk of mismanagement! In a romantic relationship, it means not putting yourself in sexually compromising situations, even if you both have great self control! Around other Christians, it means avoiding what other people think is sin, even if we know it is not sin!
         In conclusion, there is a very healthy place in the back of our minds for what other people think of us. However, instead of letting these thoughts determine our value or bog us down in worry and regret, we should leave the end result up to God and view the management of righteous appearances as a ministry and opportunity all on it's own; this is not a hypocritical act, but a radical righteous that not only obeys God's word, but goes above and beyond obedience to make sure people see our words and behavior as God glorifying rather than leaving them in doubt.
        In closing, this concept is best illustrated by Paul's talk on food sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8:7b-13:

7b Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Peace,
Simeon Snow

The Ministry of Conversation: Ephesians 4:29

          I'll admit that this verse has some hard things to swallow in it, especially when you'll see it compared with another piece of scripture, but I think it will do us both good to meditate on it today. Here is the first piece of scripture, Ephesians 4:29:

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

          First of all, nothing unwholesome is supposed to come out of our mouths. For a clearer vision of what this means, let's flip forward a few verses into Ephesians 5:4

4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

         I love a good joke more than anyone else, but, I must admit, there are times when it is hard to keep the jokes clean. One would seem to counteract the filth of a joke by the community that is built by it; I make people laugh and draw closer together. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? However, although unity is an ideal of scripture, it is definitely balanced by the concern that we are unifying around what is good and wholesome. That is why we have church discipline and correct doctrine: if we let anyone say or believe anything in a church, it will quickly collapse. How does this apply to the words that come out of our mouths? If we refer back to Ephesians 4:29 from above, we can see that we are trying to build other people up with the words that are coming out of our mouths. Not only so, but we are trying to take special concern for the specific needs of each of the people who are listening to us. I think there are several needs of our friends and acquaintances that we are not aware of. If one of my female friends is battling lust issues, any kind of sexual innuendo is going to hurt her. However, you wouldn't know that about anyone unless they are very close to you. Therefore, we are to forgo all obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking, in all circumstances, to prevent ourselves from hurting our family in Christ.
         Instead, we are called to use our words to encourage those around us. I would propose that this is to be deeper and more thought out than simply saying nice and pleasant words all the time. Ex: "Good job, Billy! You always bring a smile to my face!" Instead, I would ask you to turn your eyes to Deuteronomy 6:6-7:

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

         This verse talks about using our daily conversations as ministries to reach out to the people that we run into every day. We see that we are to talk about our faith and scripture in almost every context from walking down the road to being around the house. Almost every context can be leveraged for the kingdom of God. All it takes is a little creativity and attentiveness on your part. If you take any kind of evangelism training, you will be told that there are great conversation starters to get you started with sharing your faith such as asking if someone's life would be better or worse with God in it or asking them if they need any prayer. This prevents the awkward situation of running up to someone and diving right into the gospel. There might be appropriate times for such an approach, but generally the subtle and relational style is much more effective. We are not called upon to use our faith as a verbal brick to beat someone's head in. Look at 1 Peter 3:15b-16:

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

          It is the same with encouraging your brothers and sister in Christ! We aren't supposed to drop big spiritual bombs on people's heads in most situations. Instead, we keep a look out for anything meaningful in the conversation that you can relate to. For instance, I was recently watching television with a friend and we saw a commercial of a girl who won tons of money and was crying and drooling with excitement. Not to sound too cold, but I wondered out loud, "I wonder if we should be that excited about winning a hundred thousand dollars. I know that it's not wrong to be excited about that kind of thing, but, at a certain point, I would hope that we didn't place that much trust in what wealth can gain for us." From there, it's possible to go in all kinds of directions with the conversation. I am aware, however, of something called the "Jesus Juke". This is when you completely change the direction of a conversation to some deeply serious spiritual matter. For instance: "The Cardinals are doing so great this year. Their players are putting record numbers up and my fantasy team is doing so well!" "Yeah, but I wish people would focus more on Jesus. Football is flushing our country down the moral drain." Not only is this kind of language embarrassing, it also usually invokes an element of shame. To avoid this, try to bring up a topic that is very relevant to the subject matter and pull on positive thoughts that you are sincerely interested in. Remember, every day is full of ministry, you just need to keep your eyes open.
Peace,
Simeon

The Big Secret: Philippians 4:11-13

           Today's post circulates around a text that has been often misused by the glib Christian world of quick fixes for personal problems instead of a focus that brings glory to God and encourages us to live rightly. The text that I am speaking of is Philippians 4:13, as follows:

13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

           This, of course, can be applied to any and every part of life with moderate success. I do believe that God wants the best for us and will always want to give us what we need for life, whether that be in finances, goals, or relationships as shown in Romans 8:28:

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose

          and Matthew 7:9-11:

 9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

          However, I think the application of this verse to every situation has been somewhat harmful because it has taken the teeth away from this verse. Not only so, but we have also instructed Christians with the exact opposite application from this verse than is given in the passage. In order to see this, one needs to look at this verse with the two verses behind it: Philippians 4:11-13. Paul has just talked to them about his thankfulness for their financial support.

 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

          Paul is telling us that we need to learn the secret of being content. That's what verse 13 is all about: we can be content in any and every life situation because we can do all things through Christ. Instead, we get the impression from modern Christianity that this verse is helping us to "escape mediocrity" (Nod if you recognize this phrase and who uses it, lol). Instead, Paul is telling us that we need to (wait for it) ACCEPT MEDIOCRITY when God has called us to it. This is reinforced in 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, which might say a few things that will shock you:

17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

          We do not accept it in our own power, but accept it because Christ gives us the power to accept it. Now, this verse doesn't always mean mediocrity, as is shown by Paul's statement that Christ helps him to be content in situations where he was well fed and living in plenty. These situations also require us to be thankful for what we do have. Getting things is one of the quickest ways to build up desire for more things, ironically. So, in a sense, being rich and successful makes it tougher to be content than if one were not well to do.
          Don't take me to be saying that you can't have dreams or goals, but, to be absolutely realistic, you probably won't accomplish all the goals that you set out to achieve; there are disappointments and failures ahead. Therefore, while you can use Philippians 4:13 to encourage you to win a competition or complete a hard assignment for work or school, the much more appropriate application for this verse is when you fail to accomplish that assignment or win that competition. These situations are difficult to be content with and we have a hard time dealing with them. This is why Paul refers to his reliance on Christ's power as a secret; it is not altogether obvious that Christ gives us the power to fail. Unlike what the health and wealth gospel preachers will tell you, it requires a lot more trust in God to accept failure and mediocrity than it does to trust Him to escape it.
          Therefore, look to God and thank him for the many blessings that you have. If you are reading this in the United States, you are probably in the 1 percent, as in the 1 percent of the world that will get to accomplish the things that you want to and live at the quality of life that comes with almost no effort at all. I think it's amusing that we want Philippians 4:13 to give us so many things, but fail to realize that Paul could not even imagine getting the things we have today when he wrote this verse. He didn't have dreams of living the "good" life, as in getting a raise at work so he could buy the houses, cars, and comfortableness that we already have before we try to use Philippians 4:13 to get even more.
In closing, meditate on Proverbs 30: 7-9:

7 “Two things I ask of you, O Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.

Peace,
Simeon Snow