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Paul through Mediterranean Eyes

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Paul Through Mediterranean EyesThe study of Scripture in its cultural background has always been a primary interest to me. Even more than grammatical context, the cultural context of Scripture provides keys to properly understanding and applying the Scriptures. I believe that when we begin to understand the culture and history behind a Scriptural figure or book of the Bible, the Scriptures not only come to life but are also more easily applied to life.

And so it was with great excitement when I was recently asked to review Kenneth Bailey’s new book, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians. Kenneth Bailey is one of the leading scholars in the world on cultural background studies of, and his books on Jesus and the parables have been extremely helpful in my own research of Scripture.

Cultural Background of 1 Corinthians

But since I recently finished writing the rough draft of a Commentary on 1 Corinthians, I was especially excited to read what Bailey had to say about the cultural background of 1 Corinthians. I had done my best to uncover as much of the cultural background material as I could for my commentary, and I wanted to see if I had missed anything.

As it turns out, I missed quite a bit. Bailey spent forty years living and teaching in the Middle East, and while much has changed there since the days of Jesus and Paul, there is much that has not changed as well, and these forty years of first-hand experience provide Bailey with a unique perspective on the Scriptures which every reader and teacher of Scripture can benefit from.

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Cherry-Picking the Gospel

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Crusade Evangelism Gospel

One primary problem I have with Crusade Evangelism is that I am not sure the Gospel can be fully or adequately preached in a mass-evangelism setting.

In other words, I am not sure that the typical message which is preached at an Evangelism Crusade is actually the Scriptural gospel. The Gospel message of Evangelistic Crusades is not biblical.

The Crusade Evangelism Gospel

The Crusade Evangelism message usually focuses on these points:

  1. God loves you.
  2. You are a sinner.
  3. The penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God.
  4. You can never be good enough to return to God.
  5. God created a way through the death and resurrection of Jesus for us to be restored into a right relationship with Him.
  6. If you believe in Jesus, you can be saved.

Point number six, of course, is stated in about a dozen different ways, with people arguing over what the actual requirement should be (repent and be baptized, confess your sins, say this prayer, etc, etc), but for the sake of this blog post, I don’t really care about that.

Here is my point: These six points, in this order, are not biblical.

By this, I do not mean that they cannot be found in Scripture. They can.

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Is the Gospel Really Preached at Evangelism Crusades?

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There are lots of people who become Christians at Evangelism Crusades. There is no denying it. I believe that the number of conversions reaches into the millions. I have argued in previous posts that despite such numbers, personal relationships might be a better and more effective way of reaching even more people.

But there are additional problems with Crusade evangelism. The first concerns what we are teaching these new converts. When a person becomes a Christian at an Evangelistic Crusade, what is the first thing we teach them about Christianity and following Jesus? What theological ideas about God and church are we affirming?

Crusade Evangelism

The Gospel of Crusade Evangelism

The typical message at an Evangelistic Crusade follows this structure:

God loves you, but you are a sinner. As a sinner, you are alienated from God, and can do nothing to correct that alienation. If you continue in that state, you will suffer eternal alienation from God in everlasting hell. But God, out of His great love for us, created a way of escape from eternal punishment—you must be born again.

There is little agreement among evangelists about the method of being born again. The requirements often include raising a hand, coming forward, saying a prayer, signing a card, confessing Christ, repenting of sins, believing in Jesus, and getting baptized, which is altogether a separate issue…

Holes in the Crusade Evangelism Gospel

The message itself is not exactly wrong, it just leaves out a huge portion of the Gospel. The message is too otherworldly. It is a message about the afterlife only, about heaven and hell and what happens to us after we die. The message rarely has much application or relevance for life here on earth, unless it is some vague notion that God wants to help us with our needs if we will just pray, obey, and go to church.  I understand that the evangelist can only say so much, and that the message of eternal life is the most vital, and that the ministries encourage local churches to do the follow-up discipleship.

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Convert or Die!

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Convert or DieI have been to a few evangelism crusades, and I always got the uncomfortable feeling that people were coerced into converting. These crusades reminded me a little bit of the “evangelism techniques” of the Middle Ages when Christian soldiers went on the Crusades to retake Jerusalem from the “heathens” and in the process “converted” many people at the point of a sword.

We don’t use swords today. We have other methods of persuasion.

Many of the techniques used in crusade evangelism were learned from the fields of marketing, sales, entertainment, and group psychology. The carefully crafted appeals to come forward at a crusade are often emotional in nature, based on success stories of people who converted, or tales of woe about people who did not. Sometimes these stories contain vivid portrayals of heaven and hell, where those who come forward can enjoy eternal bliss with God, while those who do not will suffer eternal torment in the flames and blackness of hell.

Barrel of Fluff or Barrel of Fire

I once saw a speaker at a teen rally have all the high school kids write their names on a piece of paper. Then, up on stage he had two barrels. In one, he put fluffy cotton, a Bible, and some gold (fake, of course). In the other barrel, he started a raging fire. Then he told the kids to come forward and drop their name in the barrel which signified where they wanted to go when they died…heaven (the fluffy barrel) or hell (the fire barrel). Not surprisingly, this speaker was able to go home to his church and report that every single teenager at this camp “made a decision for Christ.”

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The Unexpected Gift from Jesus

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Following Jesus Away from ChurchWhen I was a pastor, I committed myself to following Jesus wherever He led, whatever the consequences, no matter what!

So imagine my surprise when He led me away from church.

Following Jesus Away from Church

Some people say that sin led me away, and that I am justifying my “apostasy” by claiming that “Jesus made me do it” which only compounds my guilt.

I understand the feeling. That’s how I used to feel too.

But on this issue, I can say with Paul that my conscience is clear (1 Cor 4:4).

I still haven’t figured out what Jesus is up to, but He keeps beckoning me onward, and though I’m not moving fast, I’m still moving forward.

I still remember how, when I was a pastor, I thought that it was the good, godly, obedient people who “went to church” and everybody else was just irreligious or disobedient. Now I see that the lines are not so clearly drawn. In fact, for some church goers, the part of their life which they think is religious, may actually be the irreligious. Part of the problem of “attending” church is that we begin to think (even though we would never say this), that God is most active in those who also “go to” church.

Everything is Worship

But one of the surprise gifts which Jesus has given to me since I followed Him away from church is the recognition that I can see God in everybody and everything. No, I am not a universalist or a pantheist. Instead, I am beginning to see the truth of the image of God in man, dirtied as it is by sin, and the teaching of Scripture that all creation sings the glory of God.

I love church hymns, but now I hear a heavenly chorus in the sound of the wind rushing through the trees, and the birds welcoming the morning sun. I see the smile of God in the face of stranger when I let them go in front of me at the supermarket check-out line.

The voice of God, the hand of God, the worship of God is not just reserved for something that happens in a building on Sunday morning, but is a daily occurrence, an hourly experience. By following Jesus away from the church, He is showing me what church really is, and teaching me that everything, absolutely everything, is worship.

This path is not for everybody, but it is the path I’m on, and given my past, I could not be more surprised.

My Gift from JesusThis post is part of a post-Christmas Synchroblog. Here is a list of the other contributors:

The Way of the Kingdom

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Herodium complex

When reading about the birth of Jesus in Scripture, many people do not realize that Bethlehem was situated within a mile or two of the Herodium, a huge palace fortress built upon a hill for King Herod, who had set himself up as the King of the Jews. Undoubtedly, as Joseph and Mary worked their way toward Bethlehem, their eyes looked frequently to this fortress upon a hill, reminding them of King Herod’s power, glory, and might.

The contrast between Herod and Jesus could not be more stark.

Herodium MapHerod’s fortress and all the wealth and strength it represented was contrasted by the poverty and weakness of Joseph and Mary struggling to make their way to Bethlehem where they were not even able to find a room to sleep in.

Instead, Mary had to give birth to her son in a dirty stable, surrounded by animals, and the only clothing she had for Him were some strips of linen to wrap Him in.

But this is the way of God and His Kingdom.

This Advent season, if you think that you are too poor, too weak, or too insignificant for God to use, remember Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Their beginnings could not have been more humble. God loves taking the poor, the weak, and the humble people of this world, and using them to bring glory to Himself.

This is an excerpt from A Scripture on Advent: Luke 2:4-7.

His Name will be Called…

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His Name will be Called

We looked briefly at Isaiah 9:6 yesterday, and the government of Jesus. In that same Scripture, Isaiah 9:6 also says that “his name will be called…” and then goes on to list a bunch of names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Most often we tend to think that Isaiah 9:6 contains several names for Jesus. But I don’t think this is the best way to understand this Scripture.

No Names for Jesus in Isaiah 9:6

First of all, Isaiah says that this child will have one name (singular). But if this is so, why would Isaiah then go on to list four names in Isaiah 9:6? (Or five names, depending on how you count.)

Second, if these are names of Jesus, then we run into some serious problems understanding the text. For example, nobody in Isaiah’s day though that the Messiah was going to be God Himself. And so Isaiah would not have written that the Messiah was “Mighty God” if he meant by this that the Messiah would be “God incarnate.” Even more seriously, the third “name” is “Everlasting Father.” Unless you don’t believe in the Trinity, you are probably not ready to say that Jesus is God the Father.

So in light of these sorts of difficulties, it seems better to understand the “names” of Isaiah 9:6 not as “names” but as descriptions of the one name, Jesus. In this way, Isaiah 9:6 is saying, “And He will be described in this way…”

What then do the four descriptions in Isaiah 9:6 mean? Here is brief summary of each:

His Name will be Called Wonderful Counselor

This does not indicate that the Messiah is like a good and loving psychologist. They did not have counselors like this in the days of Isaiah. Instead, counselors were those who were expert military and political strategists. The surrounding context indicates that He will be such a good strategist, that there will be no end to His Kingdom (9:7).

His Name will be Called Mighty God

Jesus was certainly God, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his contemporaries understood that the Messiah would be God in the flesh. Instead, this was originally a reference to someone who acted as God’s representative on the field of battle. In Ancient Near Eastern thinking, this title would be given to someone who was God’s champion on the field. It was believed that God actually fought the enemy in and through divinely-empowered warrior kings.

His Name will be Called Everlasting Father

Again, this is not a reference to the Trinity, and even if it was, we would have problems with this title, because Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, is not God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. Instead, “Father” should be understood in the sense of “protector, provider, or benefactor.” The Messiah would be the protector and provider over all people for eternity.

His Name will be Called Prince of Peace

Finally, the ultimate result of the Messiah rule and reign will be Peace. there will be peace and prosperity on earth for all people throughout all time.

This is the might, power, humility, wisdom, and peace that was wrapped up in a tiny little bundle and laid in a manger of hay so many years ago. It was not what we expected, nor what we looked for, but it is what God provided, and it is through Jesus that peace on earth will come.

Note: This is an excerpt from: Scripture on Christmas – Isaiah 9:6.

The Government of King Jesus

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Government of JesusAs we watch the comedic behavior of some of our elected officials in Washington D. C.,  we long for the return of Jesus when He will rule and reign over all the earth with righteousness and justice.  If we ever wonder what His government will be like, we don’t have to look any further than His birth.

The birth of Jesus reflects what the future reign of Jesus will look like.

One Scripture that describes His government is Isaiah 9:6. It says this:

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Those four “names” are not really names, but are descriptions of his name (singular). Over at Scripture-on.com, I wrote the following about this verse:

When Jesus rules and reigns, He will be a “Wonderful Counselor”, making wise decisions for the good of all. “Mighty God” might be better translated “Mighty is God” or “Mighty of God.” Jesus, of course, is God incarnate, but this verse does not teach it. Instead, it is teaching that His might and power as ruler comes from God. Similarly, “Everlasting Father” does not mean Jesus is God the Father. It means that Jesus is the benevolent father of all people, watching over them and caring for them as His own children. Finally, He is the “Prince of Peace.” Though many governments promise peace, true peace comes only through Jesus Christ.

And for these reasons we cry, “Maranatha!” Come, Lord Jesus!

Head on over there to Scripture-on.com for the rest of this post.

Advent Synchroblog

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Advent

Don’t forget that there is another Advent Synchroblog next week. Please begin thinking now about what you want to write for it! These Synchroblogs are great ways for people to discover your blog.

Here is the description of what to write on:

Christmas Day has come and gone, even the after Christmas sales far more exciting for some than the birth of Christ, are behind us. But did any of us really get what we expected? This long anticipated season celebrating the birth of Christ our Saviour, often comes with unexpected consequences. The gifts never quite meet everyone’s expectations and leave behind mountains of wrapping paper and ribbon that will add yet more indestructible rubbish to the landfills. And Jesus doesn’t always give us what we expect either. We welcome him as a cute little baby but if we continue to journey with him, we soon realize that he wants to turn our world upside down. A child born in a stable is much easier to cope with than a revolutionary leader. This month’s synchroblog is centered around the unexpected consequences of our journey with Jesus. Where has it led us that we never anticipated? In what ways has it really turned our world upside down?

Coming down from Christmas always leaves us in a little bit of a fugue state. Let us know your thoughts and perspectives on this with links to your blog in the comment section at the Synchroblog blog. Please get them in by 7 pm (EST) on Tuesday, December 27, 2011.

As always, the breadth and depth of perspective here will be one more gift for all of us to open.

I plan on participating again. How about you?

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