Recently I’ve had several students express concern, even despair, over the spiritual condition of friends and loved ones. These friends and loved ones seem to be a million miles away from ever becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. In fact, these prodigals are so antagonistic toward the gospel, it’s nearly impossible for my students to conceive of their ever coming to their senses and making a move toward the God of the Bible. 

My devotional reading in 1 Timothy 1 this morning, however, contained this inspiring testimony from the pen of the Apostle Paul:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

Sometimes I shock my students when I refer to Saul of Tarsus as an antichrist. 1 John 2:18 refers to many antichrists who had already come into the world. In the most basic sense, an antichrist is anyone who stands in opposition to the true Christ–Jesus of Nazareth–and who seeks to make it difficult for others to follow him. Based upon this defintion, Saul of Tarsus certainly qualified as an antichrist. In the passage presented above Paul refers to himself as having formally functioned as “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” Acts 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:9; and Galatians 1:13 all portray Saul of Tarsus as someone who had made it his life’s ambition to persecute the followers of Jesus, even to the point of having them imprisoned, tortured, and killed. Sounds kind of like an antichrist to me. Right?

On the one hand, it’s no wonder that Paul referred to himself in the past tense as the worst of sinners. On the other, we all know the rest of the story, how that Saul of Tarsus eventually became the Apostle Paul. The one who once persecuted the faith became it’s chief proponent! Such is the power of God: Jesus is big enough to convert even an antichrist!

Now, I could go on into more detail about how I believe God used the preaching and example set by Stephen, the church’s first martyr, in the process of Paul’s conversion, but, instead, I’ll just point out that in the testimony presented above Paul refers to God’s “mercy” and “grace,” and to Christ’s “unlimited patience.” Read the passage again. This is good news for anyone who feels like they know someone who seems to be beyond redemption.

So, don’t give up hope on your wayward prodigal. There is an amazing, transformative power in good preaching, a good example, and a bunch of sincere prayer offered on behalf of those who have yet to embrace the lordship of Christ. Though not all will be saved, unfortunately, it is not God’s will that any should perish (2 Pet 3:9). No one is theoretically beyond Christ’s ability to convert. Not even an antichrist!

Please pardon the long excerpt, but I begin chapter two of my book Defeating Pharisaism thusly: 

            It is reported that a sign on the wall of Mother Teresa’s children’s home in Calcutta displayed the following words of exhortation: 

ANYWAY 

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered, 

LOVE THEM ANYWAY 

If you do good, people will accuse you of 

selfish, ulterior motives, 

DO GOOD ANYWAY 

If you are successful, 

you win false friends and true enemies, 

SUCCEED ANYWAY 

The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow, 

DO GOOD ANYWAY 

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable, 

BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY 

What you spent years building may be 

destroyed overnight, 

BUILD ANYWAY 

People really need help 

but may attack you if you help them, 

HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY 

Give the world the best you have 

And you’ll get kicked in the teeth, 

GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU’VE GOT ANYWAY.[1] 

            Evidently, even Mother Teresa had her critics.[2] My theory is that every significant personality in history, even those to whom history ends up being kind, has had to deal with enemies who sought their undoing. This was certainly true of Jesus of Nazareth. Most New Testament scholars will readily admit that, as a group, the Pharisees are portrayed in the Gospels as the enemies, rather than the friends, of Jesus.[3] 

My point in sharing this excerpt here and now is to provide some encourage for anyone who might be tempted to think that just because they have a critic or two that they should stop doing the good work they believe God has called them to do. What if Mother Teresa had done this? What if Jesus had done this? 

Of course, because we are not Jesus, we should endeavor to monitor the true motives behind our actions. According to both Proverbs 16:2 and 21:2, our motives matter to God, and we should not assume too quickly that we are actually in touch with them ourselves! Let’s do our best not to deceive ourselves about why we’re doing what we’re doing. The Scriptures, the witness of the Spirit, and confirmation coming from a variety of spiritual friends can help us achieve some degree of clarity in this discernment process. 

But at the end of the day, if you have good reason to believe that the good you’re doing really is good, not just for you and yours, but for the world as a whole (especially the poor, hurting, lonely, hungry, exploited, discouraged or oppressed), keep doing it despite the clamor created by your critcs! 

Let’s strive to be like Jesus and Mother Teresa today: despite what any critics might say, let’s do some good anyway!

Something to think about.

[1] Lucinda Vardey, Mother Teresa: A Simple Path (New York: Ballantine Books, 1995), 185. 

[2] For example, see Christopher Hitchens, The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice (London: Verso, 1988). 

[3] For a fairly concise survey of how each of the four Gospels portrays the Pharisees as the enemies of Jesus see Kathleen Kern, We Are the Pharisees (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1995), 32–53. For an even more thorough analysis see Günter Stemberger, Jewish Contemporaries of Jesus: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 21–38, and Donald Riddle, Jesus and the Pharisees (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1928), 8–54.

My Bible reading this morning caused me to come across a passage in which the Apostle Paul speaks of people perishing because of their refusal to “love the truth” (2 Thess 2:10). That’s an interesting phrase, isn’t it? It got me to thinking: Just what does it mean to love the truth?

Of course, those of us who are familiar with our Bibles know that passages such as John 14:6 refer to Jesus, himself, as the “truth.” It could be that this is all Paul had in mind when he wrote to the Thessalonian believers saying:

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹² and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Again, perhaps all Paul had in mind here was the refusal of some people to love Jesus who is the “truth.”

On the other hand, for a variety of reasons, both exegetical and existential, I want to suggest that it’s possible on a grander scale to love/accept or hate/reject the concept of “Truth” in general, or the “truth” about this or that situation in particular.

In our book Beyond the Bliss my wife Patti and I refer to the life discipline of being dedicated to the truth, demonstrating the importance of this dynamic to various issues that can cause the best of marriages to unravel. It seems to me that being “dedicated” to the truth and “loving” it have a lot in common. (I’m assuming here a “soft” rather than “hard” postmodern view of truth: that while we cannot claim to possess complete objective certainty about any matter–even our own motives according to Proverbs 16:2 and 21:2–we can with God’s help possess a “good enough” view of things to discern truth from error and navigate our way through life in a God-pleasing manner. According to 1 Corinthians 13:12, though we see as through a glass darkly, we still see; though our knowledge is now in part, we still know.)

A long time ago I embraced the idea that to love someone with God’s love (agape) is to wish them the highest possible good no matter the cost of this to oneself. This is the way God loves us. This is the kind of love which, according to 2 Thess 2:10 we can and should have for the “truth.” Certainly we should love Jesus in this way. But we all know that there are times in our lives when embracing or accepting a particular “truth” about a particular situation will be an inconvenient, personally costly thing to do. What should we do in such situations? I want to suggest that we should love the “truth” anyway, despite the personal cost and incovenience!

Why is this so important? I’m afraid that if we ever get used to not loving the “truth” about any particular matter, if we ever get used to suppressing the “truth” in any situation due to a desire to avoid the painful consequences that will accrue should the “truth” win out, we run the risk of eventually not loving the “Truth” who is Jesus himself. According to Ephesians 4:15 it is by “speaking the truth in love” that we as individuals and communities “will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” In other words “truth” and “Truth” are related. We can’t truly love Jesus the “Truth” if we are not people who are radically dedicated to the “truth” winning out in our daily lives. We simply can’t be in the habit of suppressing or denying “truths” in particular and still be lovers of the “truth” that is Jesus! 

We can’t truly love Jesus the “Truth” if we are not people who are radically dedicated to the “truth” winning out in our daily lives.

So, is there some truth about a particular matter you are currently tempted to suppress rather than accept because of the personal cost involved? More than that, are you doing all that you can to make sure that the truth about this or that matter wins out? Let’s not just be dedicated to the truth, as important as that is, let’s be lovers of it! The truth is our friend. The “truth” about the situation you’re dealing with, and Jesus the “Truth,” are related. Let’s never be guilty of hoping that the truth doesn’t prevail. Let’s never grow weary of speaking nothing but the truth to one another in love (Eph 4:15).

Something to think about.

Now. The word now means “at the present time.” But the interesting thing about a blog posting is that the author’s now and the now of the reader will necessarilty be different. So, I can write a blog either expecting the reader to place him or herself in my now, or I can write the blog from the perspective of my reader’s now. Today I’m doing both!

You see, I’m convinced that someday someone will stumble across this posting will have God speak to them in their now through the following two biblical passages which I feel strongly led in my now to put into the blogsophere:

Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. (Proverbs 20:22)

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

Are you that someone? Is today that day? Is there some reason why you need to be reminded today (your now–the day you’re reading this) of these biblical exhorations to put your hurt into the hands of God rather than seeking revenge yourself?

It can be so very tempting to want to strike back, to get even with those who have deliberately damaged us with “malice aforethought.” But those of us who follow Christ are exhorted … not to. As a matter of fact, we are encouraged to actually love our enemies, praying for those who persecute us (Matt 5:44). In this way, says Jesus, we take the tack of our Father in Heaven whose loving posture toward all human beings has the effect of causing people to reveal the true condition of their hearts, either good or evil. In other words, our loving response to those who hurt us will either cause them to feel remorse and to repent, or it won’t. While we should hope for the former to occur, either way, the true condition of their heart before God will become obvious and God’s ultimate judgment of them will be beyond reproach.  

Could it be that your reading these words today is no accident? Maybe there’s a reason why you’ve stumbled across this blog at this point in time. Could it be that God had me write something in my now that he knew you would need later on in your now?

I don’t know who you are, but I’m praying for you in my now. May God apply the effect of my prayer to your life right at the moment when you most need it–in your now. You’re not alone. We are connected, you and I, by a God who loves us both and is at work in both our nows. Be encouraged. God knows what has happened to you and what you’re feeling in your now. The One always lives in the eternal now saw it coming. So, do the right thing. Keep waiting on the Lord instead of taking revenge. Pray a prayer for the one who has hurt you instead of hurting them back.

Something to think about.

I was in a meeting yesterday morning with my colleagues in the department of religion at Vanguard University. The meeting began with a brief but important season of spiritual centering. During this time requests for prayer were solicited. Now there happens to be an issue in the life of a loved one that I’m personally praying about with a good deal of consistency and fervency. But the folks around this table (about 13 of us including staff) had already been asked to pray for some really heavy, life-and-death matters. So I sat there wondering to myself: “Should I bring up the less serious but still significant issue that I’ve been so concerned about?”

I suspect that the dynamic I just described happens a lot during group “prayer times.” People wonder whether they should go ahead and ask the group to pray about an issue that’s on their minds, or just keep quiet and continue to pray in a solo manner. 

On the one hand, I appreciate it when group members refrain from asking the rest of us to pray about just everything that occurs to them. On the other hand, if a matter is genuinely important–to the point that it is productive of anxiety in the life of the group member–then I say … share it! Let us help you take that burden to our loving heavenly Father in prayer.

In my previous life as a pastor, I used to encourage church members to recognize that when it comes to the prayer, the principle presented in Scripture is … the more the better. This principle is articulated in the pages of the Bible in three main ways. First, we have Jesus’ teaching that we should never give up on prayer (e.g., Luke 11:5-10). Second, we have the Apostle Paul encouraging us to pray as much as possible (e.g., Rom 12:2; Eph 6:18; Phil 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17). Third, we have the Apostle Paul’s repeated requests for prayer himself (e.g., Rom 15:30-32; Eph 6:19-20; Col 4:3-4; 1 Thess 5:25; 2 Thess 1:11; 3:1-2).   

Had you ever focused on that last set of biblical passages–the ones that contain Paul’s repeated requests for prayer for himself? It seems obvious to me that Paul believed that, all things being equal, it was a good thing to have as many people as possible praying for him and his ministry team. In other words … the more the better.

So, my encouragement to anyone reading these words is this: First, don’t stop praying about anything that’s important to you, especially if it is producing anxiety in your heart. You have a loving heavenly Father who cares for you and who wants to make a difference in your life, not only in the age to come, but here and now as well. Second, when it comes to group prayer times and whether or not we should share what’s on our heart with the rest of the group, maybe our default should be to share rather than not to because … the more people we have praying with us the better.

Oh, and by the way, I did ask my colleagues to pray about the issue that I’ve been concerned about. It feels good to have spiritual friends who will sense the burden of your heart and compassionately give voice to it in prayer on your behalf. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do now.

Something to think about.

So I’m out for my morning prayer-walk yesterday when I meet a lady on the sidewalk striding in the opposite direction. We smile and exchange our “good mornings” as we pass by one another. Just as soon as I’m shoulder to shoulder with her I detect a strong fragance. She’s obviously wearing perfume. Now, she’s sporting work-out clothes and is obviously exercising. It’s not like she was on her way to work. Still, before she left the house she apparently felt like it would be nice to spritz herself … perhaps more than once. A good ten yards past her I could still detect her fragrance. It’s like for several seconds I was moving through her aromatic jet stream!

In this case, I didn’t mind. Frankly, the fragrance was a nice one. But the idea that though she had moved on I could still smell where she had been arrested my attention. I thought of the following words penned by the Apostle Paul:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

At the risk of greatly oversimplifying what Paul was doing in this passage, I want to point out how that he speaks here of Christians bearing the “aroma of Christ” and of spreading everywhere the “fragrance of the knowledge of him.” It makes me wonder: When I’m in someone’s presence, what kind of aroma, spiritually speaking, am I giving off? To what degree am I redolent of a wise, courageous, compassionate Jesus? Do my words and actions remind people of Christ, or is it just me they see? And, after I’m gone, what kind of spiritual aroma, if any, lingers? Is it the smell of death, or the fragrance of life?

Common wisdom says that most people who wear perfume or cologne tend to overdo do it. But when it comes to bearing the aroma of Christ can this ever really be the case? Can we ever do too good a job of spreading everywhere the knowledge of him? I don’t think so.

Oh, and by the way, I suspect that the only real way to put on Christ’s brand, is to spend time with him. Which begs the question: Did we spritz today?

Something to think about.

Don’t you love that little button in your word processing program that allows you to undo any keystrokes you’ve made or actions you’ve taken that turn out to be mistakes? And for those of us who have DVRs don’t you appreciate the way they allow us to rewind what we’re watching on TV so we can see something that interests us over and over again?

The problem is that we can get used to this ability to “rewind” and “undo” and assume that we can treat real life in this way as well.

Just the other morning I was out for my morning walk. I turned a corner just in time to see a waste managagement vehicle (garbage truck) loading some big item that a homeowner had apparently requested be taken away into its cavernous bowels. It was really none of my business but I was curious as to what discarded item the truck had just swallowed. For a split second I sort of mentally “reached” for the “rewind” or “undo” button in my brain! Has this happened to you yet? Have you ever caught yourself thinking, if for only a moment, that you’d like to do just hit that magical button and have a go at a redo of some kind?

Alas, there is no such button in real life. We can’t simply undo something we’ve said or done, can we? It’s this fact that makes God’s grace and the forgiveness he offers us on the basis of it so very important.

1 John 1:8-9 contain the familiar words:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

While this is not exactly an undo–the temporal consequeces of our sin remain, consequences we still must live with–it is a new beginning. I often remind people I’m counseling or simply encouraging conversationally that we serve a God of new beginnings. He never tires of providing truly penitent people with the opportunity to begin anew, to have a fresh opportunity to get things right. The Gospels are filled with such stories.

So, on the one hand, we should be careful how we live, fully aware that there is no “undo” button that will magically make our mistakes disappear. On the other hand, isn’t it good to know that we serve a God of new beginnings? Do you need one today?

Something to think about.

The Book of Proverbs contains many passages that warn the reader to either steer clear of, or to avoid becoming, a mocker. There is some serious stuff here. For example:

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. (Proverbs 9:7)

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:8)

If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. (Proverbs 9:12)

A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise. (Proverbs 15:12)

The proud and arrogant man–“Mocker” is his name; he behaves with overweening pride. (Proverbs 21:24)

Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. (Proverbs 22:10)

The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker. (Proverbs 24:9)

The idea is that a mocker, due to a combination of intellectual arrogance and cynicism, is essentially unteachable. 

How sad.

This is why every semester I frontload a couple of my courses with a lecture in which I present the following chart which depicts four very different learning attitudes:

The Learning Matrix

I tell my students that I’m hoping they will choose to spend the semester with me endeavoring to function as “critical” thinkers and learners. While I don’t want to indoctrinate them, it is my hope that they will at least have an open mind and be willing to have their worldviews tweaked.

I’m thinking that this is an issue all of us need to think about from time to time. Am I still a learner? Am I willing to have my worldview tweaked? To what degree am I dedicated to the truth?

The wold has enough mockers. I am committed to doing my best to remain a humble, eager, life-long learner. How about you?

Something to think about.

Many years ago, while preparing an expository sermon, I focused on the individuals to whom Paul refers in Colossians 4, a passage that functions as the letter’s conclusion. In this pericope (discrete portion of Scripture) Paul is either explaining why someone (like Tychicus) is doing something, or sending saluations on the behalf of someone (like Artisarchus), or expressing his own heart toward people located in Colossae or nearby Laodicea (like Nympha and Archippus). Whether it was good exposition or not, the tack I took in this sermon was to comment on what might be deduced about the ministry potential of each person named, and to challenge the members of my congregation to emulate the best while eschewing the worst.

For example, there is Tychicus–a Christian who is willing to be sent. There is Onesimus–a new convert willing to make things right between himself and another brother in Christ at great cost to himself (see Philemon 1:8-21). There is Aristarchus–a devoted Christian worker willing to suffer imprisonment for Christ. There is Mark–a brother willing to bounce back after an embarrassing ministry set-back (see Acts 15:36-40). There is Justus–a believer willing to put aside inherited cultural distinctives because he felt an even greater loyalty to the kingdom of God. There is Epaphras–the prayer warrior with a pastor’s heart. There is Luke–a highly educated man who humbly believes and serves the cause of Christ. There is Demas–a Christian worker who, sadly, will later defect from the ministry, if not the faith (see 2 Tim 4:9-10). There is Nympha–a Christian woman willing to have a church meet in her home. Finally, there is Archippus–the brother in Colossae who has received a ministry assignment from the Lord, and who, apparently, needs to be encouraged to complete it.

Believe it or not, the sermon went over pretty well!

Recently, while reading this passage as part of a morning quiet time, Paul’s reference to Archippus in Colossians 4:10  seemed to jump off the page at me. I got the distinct impression that I was supposed to create a post that would direct someone’s attention to these words. Why? I can only surmise that someday, someone will read these words and have the Holy Spirit whisper into their heart the message: “You are Archippus. You need to complete the work you have received from the Lord.”

According to Philemon 1:2, Archippus seems also to have been host to a church meeting in his home. Perhaps Archippus was saying to himself, “I’m already doing enough. I can’t, or shouldn’t have to, do anything more for the cause of the kingdom.” Then came Paul’s letter to the Christian community there in Colossae. Just before the missive concludes, Archippus finds himself being called out by Paul. “Archippus, you need to complete the work you have received from the Lord.”

Are you Archippus? Is there something (maybe something else) you know down deep in your heart that you’re supposed to do for Christ?

Something to think about.

After a couple of overcast days, yesterday’s morning walk was bathed in sunshine. This allowed me to experience anew the phenomenon of “diamonds in the grass.”

I first heard this phrase while I was participating in a Doctor of Ministry seminar taught by Dallas Willard. “Spirituality and Ministry” was a two-week intensive course of study that was conducted at a Catholic retreat center nestled in the foothills above Sierra Madre, California. Sharing the center with us Fuller Seminary D. Min. students for part of those two weeks was a group of nuns from a neighboring parish. One afternoon I overheard a nun speaking to a staff member of the center. When she discovered that he was the groundskeeper she said, “Oh, you’re the one we have to thank for the diamonds in the grass!”

Early the next day I went out for a walk and observed for myself what she had been referring to. When the bright morning sun shone upon the center’s recently watered lawns, the droplets of water on each blade of grass glistened like sparkling diamonds.

Eventually the course concluded and I returned to my home, but the image of those diamonds in the grass stuck with me. While out for a walk one morning I realized that the phenomenon could be experienced here too. The bright morning sun shining on the freshly watered, long-bladed grass-like plants located in my neighborhood’s greenbelt glisten just like the diamonds portrayed in the Snow White ride at Disneyland. (Remember those scenes?)

Obviously, whenever this occurs I think of that nun and her expression of gratitude to the retreat center’s groundskeeper. That’s a good lesson right there: the need to let people around us know that we appreciate what they do. But beyond that, I’ve learned to allow this sight to serve as a cue for me to express afresh my gratitude to a good God who put so much beauty into the world, and then gave us human beings the capacity to appreciate it. When I’m at my best, witnessing the simple beauty of nature will lead me into moments of worshipful intimacy with its beneficent creator.

I hope that everyone reading these words will have the opportunity sometime soon to observe for themselves the phenomenon of diamonds in the grass. Then again, the phenomenon need not require a special time and place. We can see the “diamonds” that remind us of God’s goodness just about anywhere—from the twinkling of the stars at night, to the twinkle of light we observe in the eyes of the people we love. The question is: How will we respond to this beauty? Will we develop the habit of allowing these “diamond” sightings to result in special moments of intimacy with God?

Something to think about.