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Ragamuffin Gospel: The Scandal of Grace: Fifteen Years Later

Call to Action

Apparently, Brennan Manning was scolded harshly by some in the Christian community for this book. Perhaps he speaks as a prophet for our current Christian culture, calling out those who would reduce Christianity to a Sunday morning activity–which happens to include most of us. I suggest “us” in this sense because, like it or not, those who are not assimilated into our culture view Christians as all one people lumped together. They don’t know the difference between a nun and evangelical. We (collectively) have built institutions–not Jesus. We are the ones that make rock stars out of gifted musicians, celebrities out of gifted preachers, untouchables out of those who publish books.

Manning implores us to destroy these titles and simply share the gospel of grace through living lives of loving our neighbors.

  • Ragamuffins don’t sit down to be served; they kneel down to serve.
  • Ragamuffins give thanks for the smallest gift
  • They don’t complain about the feeble preaching of their local church, but are grateful for the smallest crumb that tumbles from the preacher’s mouth
  • No long prayers or big words (just small words that force you to look up the definitions!1)
  • There is no pretense about self-sufficiency
  • Raw honest becomes part of the character of a ragamuffin
  • Radical dependence and trusting surrender are the heartbeat of a ragamuffin
  • They have found the hidden treasure in the field–nothing compares to the kingdom of God

Our churches are not country clubs, decked out to impress our communities. We must not endorse nominal Christianity, but at the same time we need to figure out how to graciously move to defrost the frozen chosen. Belief in Christ is not the end of the story–it’s the beginning of a new life.

Perhaps the supreme achievement of the Holy Spirit in the life of ragamuffins is the miraculous movement from self-rejection to self-acceptance. It is not based on therapy or the power of positive thinking; it is anchored in their personal experience of the acceptance of Jesus Christ.

Though I prefer to meet someone who is lost in the self-help section of a bookstore over one who is addicted to some mind altering drug or drink, all are in need of the accepting grace of Jesus Christ. It would not be authentic for me to wander into bars to meet those who are seeking to soothe themselves with alcohol, but it would not be a stretch to put a band together and play in locations that would force me to get to know those who don’t even know they’re lost. Such behavior isn’t taught in Sunday School, let alone from the pulpit, but I wonder, is that what ragamuffins do?

Perhaps that’s a bit provocative and the bi-vocational pastor is the answer. We need to get creative and listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to do whatever works to remove barriers that prevent those who are living without the awesome love of God that we all know is freely available. No more playing it safe.

Reading this chapter is like reading a synopsis of the book, like Manning was agitated just enough to recap the main points of the book–he couldn’t help himself! The preacher preaches. That’s his gift. This sermon is in writing for us to hear over and over again, to underline and highlight the thoughts that speak to us individually.

I can’t help but believe that if our churches were filled with ragamuffins, we would be so attractive to the outside world that we could not contain the people–and they would not mind a bit.

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19 Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat »

 

Notes:

1 systole and diastole. Diastole is the part of the cardiac cycle when the heart refills with blood following systole (contraction). Ventricular diastole is the period during which the ventricles are filling and relaxing, while atrial diastole is the period during which the atria are relaxing.systole-diastole

2 mysterium tremendum: overwhelming mystery.

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #11 – A Touch of Folly

Chapter 11

The Power of a Great Affection

Manning relates a story from the archives in New Orleans: instead of being “born again,” those who came to know a personal relationship with Jesus Christ would say, “I was seized by the power of a great affection.” This is the phrase that describes an authentic and complete conversion to Christianity.

During his visit with an Amish family, Manning describes his surprising welcome on his arrival. I was immediately drawn to a great worship song, How He Loves Me.  The song was written by John Mark McMillan who includes the controversial phrase, “heaven meets earth with a sloppy wet kiss.”  Check out his blog post that briefly explains how David Crowder modified the words just a bit. Link. It’s controversial because it seems like we Christians don’t like things that are sloppy, out of order, not up to our standards. Not that I’m endorsing chaos, but I must agree we are looking more like the “frozen chosen” than those freed from the bondage of sin!

The truth of the Gospel…deserves to be accepted or rejected for what it is: an answer to the most fundamental questions a person may ask: Is life absurd or does it have a purpose?

Jesus came that we all might find the joy of life in unity with God. There is no other way for this to happen but through Christ. This is a scandalous, insane position from the world’s perspective. Jesus knew that’s how we would be perceived and addressed that in the Gospels, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

I wholeheartedly agree with Manning’s thesis that our modern, well organized religion is missing the crazy love that Jesus offers. We get so wrapped up in process that we forget the very people Christ came to save–the very people He commanded that we go find and offer His gift of salvation.

Yet there are still precious few of us with sufficient folly to make the mad exchange of everthing for Christ

I’m still trying to understand the book of Hosea, the craziest book in the Bible. Seriously. It completely makes sense that Manning points to this book and offers an exercise in prayer and contemplation that is truly humbling when you think about Hosea. He suggest we read through Hosea 11:1, 11:3-4, 11:8-9 and substitute our name in place of Israel to make this a personal story.

A few more readings to support this crazy approach: Hosea 2:14-15, Isaiah 49:1, Isaiah 49:15-16, Romans 8:31-32.

Deb Federico, the Community Outreach Director at Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, CA, challenged me with an exercise that comes to mind here. At the end of your quiet time, the time you prayer earnestly and listen to the Lord speak to you, express your thought in one or two words. What words come to mind? “We win,” I responded the first time I thought about this. We win because we are on God’s team. We can’t lose. That doesn’t give us the right to talk trash; rather, that requires that we spread the Gospel, as commanded, because there is no limit to the number of people who can be part of God’s family. The “we” is huge, it needs to grow, and people will think we’re crazy for having the audacity to suggest we have the answer.

Lord, help me to show the world I am crazy enough to believe You have provided the way, the truth and the light in Jesus Christ. Keep me from hiding behind procedures and policies that prevent people from accepting the folly of your gracious gift.

 

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #9 – The Second Call

Chapter 9

Halftime

This chapter reminds of Bob Buford’s book, Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance1. In October of 1995, I transitioned from the Air Force to civilian life–it was time to move into a new season in my life. The truth is, I’m still growing and trying to figure out what’s next, but this hasn’t prevented me from trying, failing, tripping and falling flat on my face.

As Manning explains, there is a point where we realize something needs to change. Most of the time it takes some significant event is required to jolt us from comfort to action. That’s why preachers and politicians search for words to stir emotions, wake us from our relative comfort zones. I’ve probably just offended a bunch of people by putting preachers and politicians in the same sentence, but sadly I’ve seen both use tactics to provoke people to action.

We must reach a point of holy discontent, of righteous indignation, a place where we know something inside us must change. How we arrive at this point matters if we want it to stick. It’s not a New Years resolution to lose ten pounds, it’s a lifestyle change that just happens to result in losing weight. More significantly, we must reach the point where we see the door closing, where we understand the words of Jesus in the parable of the wedding banquet and simply can’t sit still, Matthew 22:14: “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

The second journey begins when we know we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the morning program.

(After reading this, Chaotic Love (You’re The One That Really Matters) started playing in my head over and over again!)

In our cynical society we are reminded that one individual cannot make a difference, that we are insignificant. Over and over again, Satan uses such tactics to keep us down, to make us believe we’re wallowing in pride when we have a God-inspired idea. The Adversary wants us to be self-conscious about singing out, raising our hands, pouring our hearts out. Sadly, this is true too much of the time, but we have the antidote in front of us, printed in numerous languages and styles, God’s word is there for us to “grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 3:18. Use the Bible to learn, to grow, but Lord teach us to get out of our comfort zones and into the world that desperately needs to see the word in action.

Lord, I pray that we become a people that understands from the deepest part of our being that “you’re the One that really matters.” And in that knowledge we find the faith, hope and love to act.

From the Chapter

  • The second call is a summons to a deeper, more mature commitment of faith where the naïveté, first fervor, and untested idealism of the morning and the first commitment have been seasoned with pain, rejection, failure, loneliness, and self-knowledge.
  • Three obstacles: a crisis of faith, of hope and of love.
  • #1 Faith.
    • God’s answer: The next time you preach about My love with such obnoxious familiarity, I may just come and blow your whole prayer meeting apart.
    • Evangelical faith is the antithesis of lukewarm news: It always means a profound dissatisfaction with our present state.
    • If we are criticized, let it be for the right reasons: because we are not emotional enough, because our emotions are puny, because we lack a deep, passionate, uncompromising affection for Jesus Christ.
    • We need to ask ourselves: Do I really believe the Good News of Jesus Christ? Do I hear His word spoken to my heart?
  • #2 Hope
    • Matthew 22 describes a feast. Do we really believe we are going to a wedding feast that has already begun?
    • Our hope, our acceptance of the invitation to the banquet, is based on the idea that we will triumph over pain and suffering (not escape it).
    • To really be a disciple of Jesus, one must be as committed to the message of the kingdom as He was, and to preach it whether or not the audience finds it relevant.
    • The issue is not whether the world considers it relevant; it’s whether it is true.
  • #3 Love
    • We must love and, even more, we must run the risk of being loved.
    • God wants us back even more than we could possibly want to be back.
  • One significant barrier: fear. We are afraid of failure.
  • We tend to think we have to project some image of perfection:
    • It’s simply not true
    • Keeps us from reaching the lost
    • it would be a shallow existence
  • Depth of character is achieved by one who has failed and who has learned to live with it.
  • God longs for someone daring enough to be different, humble enough to make mistakes, wild enough to be burned in the fire of love, real enough to make others see how phone we are.

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Notes:

1 Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance, by Bob P. Buford et al.

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #8 – Freedom from Fear

Chapter 8

Freedom Awaits All

This chapter starts with a summary of Dostoyevsky’s, The Brothers Karamazov. For the church, this is a rather fatalistic view of its organization and intention to control parishioners. Quite depressing. Following this brief discussion, Manning asserts, “Some Christians want to be slaves.” This is not the freedom taught by Jesus, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed John 8:36.”

The fear that Manning wants us to deal with is perhaps best described as a lack of positive self-image. We don’t see ourselves as truly saved, adopted into the family of Christ. If we did, we would NOT worry about the taunts and pointed words of those who don’t know Jesus. Instead, we would understand their doubts and skepticism and love them anyway.

For many, and I’m sure I’m included in the bunch, we want “to be well thought of by everyone,” but this doesn’t mean with must adapt a new personality for each situation (p. 152). I completely agree with this statement:

In Christ Jesus freedom from fear empowers us to let go of the desire to appear good, so that we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are.

The real challenge is to love others as Jesus loved others. That’s a simple statement, but not so simple to do. My careless words leave people hurt and often don’t reveal their impact for weeks! The key is listen to the hearts of those around us more than we wrap ourselves up in our own concerns. “The gentleness of Jesus with sinners flowed from His ability to read their hearts.”

Then there’s the struggle between discipline and love. I know discipline is good and I understand that loving someone means I accept their faults. So where do we draw the line? The only way to answer this is by changing our own hearts first. If I am a man chasing after God, doing everything in my control to love God and love others, the time for discipline should be evident. If I am serving my own best interests, discipline could simply be a method of climbing the corporate ladder or getting something I want. There our sinful nature takes over.

However, the point of this chapter is this: “we are free from the slavery of sin–for what? For the saving grace of the living God!” It’s not about us. Sorry to break the news to the world!

The more we read the Bible, converse with God through prayer and meditation, the more we understand we have nothing to fear in this world; rather, we have something to tell the world, some amazing Good News! If we fully believe what we sing about, we must share the gospel with our neighborhood, city, state, etc. Kinda sounds like Jesus command to us doesn’t it?

Thank you, Lord, for the freedom from fear. Help me live that out in my daily life.

 

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #6 – Grazie, Signore

Chapter 6

Decide, Trust and Show Heartfelt Gratitude

  1. Decide. Take Action. The gospel of grace calls us to action! This chapter calls us to arms, to action, to get out of the bleachers and onto the playing field. Manning we are indecisive, caught between a rock and a hard place because we cannot will ourselves to accept grace.
  2. Trust. The love of Jesus demands trust. We are accepted just the way we are. “Trust at the mercy of the response it receives is a bogus trust.” In other words, you can’t prescribe Jesus’ response to your prayers or predicaments–you simply have to trust Him!
  3. Show Heartfelt Gratitude. “The third characteristic of our response to the gratuitous intervention of Jesus in our lives is heartfelt gratitude.”

Grazie, Signore, for Your lips twisted in love to accommodate my sinful self;
for judging me not by my shabby good deeds but by Your love that is Your gift to me;
for Your unbearable forgiveness and infinite patience with me;
for other people who have greater gifts than mine;
and for the honesty to acknowledge that I am a ragamuffin.
When the final curtain falls and You summon me home,
may my last whispered word on earth be the wholehearted cry,
“Grazie, Signore.”

 

From the Chapter

  • Story of the palsied kiss…heartwarming and insightful
  • First, the love of Christ and His gospel of grace calls for a personal, free, and unconventional decision.
  • Luke 16:1-8: Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Unbelievers put us to shame. Imitate their shrewdness!
  • When Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened,” He assumed we would grow weary, discouraged, and disheartened along the way. He knew that following Him was as unsentimental as duty, as demanding as love.
  • When we wallow in guilt, remorse, and shame over real or imagined sins of the past, we are disdaining God’s gift of grace.
  • Preoccupation with self is always a major component of unhealthy guilt and recrimination.
  • Catholic woman’s vision of the Bishop’s confession: I CAN’T REMEMBER. Nice.
  • The Gift of the Magi: Woman sells hair; husband buys special combs for her.
  • Mark 14:3-9: Mary pours expensive perfume on Jesus and He marks the occasion for all to remember. “He wanted the tale of this woman’s recklessness told and retold across the generations until the end of time.
  • Amadeus, film about Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Salieri whispers, “Grazie, Signore” Thank You, Lord. This song of Salieri lies at the heart of our response to the graciousness of God and the gospel of grace.

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Ten Questions: #5 – How could a good God allow so much evil, pain, and suffering — or does he simply not care?

Summary

  • Many times when people ask this question, they are in the midst of great suffering.
  • Jesus himself warned us we would all face trials and suffering; it’s important to help our friends see this truth with love.
  • As Christians, we believe in three seemingly incompatible truths — God is good, God is great, and evil is real.
  • Remember the illustration of driving in the fog by following the taillights of someone just ahead of you.
  • Evil was not created by God; instead, he gave us a choice.
  • People desire a place without suffering–and God has promised that! One day…
  • God knows about suffering: Jesus suffered in unimaginable ways.
  • God can bring good out of all kinds of evil and suffering.

The question that’s not always a question

  • Realize that when your friends are experiencing pain they are probably not asking for explanations as much as they’re looking for empathy, concern and tangible expressions of love. See James 2:15-16, 1 John 3:18-19
  • Here’s a scripted answer to consider:
    • “Well, that’s a really good question that we can talk about sometime, but I’m pretty sure what you need most right now is not a deep philosophical discussion about pain and suffering. Let’s talk about that later. For now, how can I help you get through this?”

The problem of evil

The conundrum: God is good, God is great, evil is real. How do we deal with this reality?

  • Solution 1: Deny God’s existence — and, with it, the reality of evil.
    • as soon as you throw out the idea of God, you’ve also thrown out the meaning of evil
    • C.S. Lewis: “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.”
    • If all we have is a human race that evolved by chance without a God in the picture, then there is no absolute standard.
      • If there is no absolute standard, then there is no real evil.

Consequently, atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p.45-46

  • Solution 2: Make evil part of God–thus deifying it.
    • Primarily an Eastern thought, especially Hinduism and Buddhism and through New Age teachings in the West.
    • If everything is a part of God, so is evil…the Dark Side of the force.
  • Solution 3: Diminish God’s power
    • This teaches that God himself is a growing, changing being who is caught up in the struggle against evil, and he has only the power of persuasion to aid him in his efforts to, hopefully, win out one day over it
    • There are major problems with this teaching!
  • Solution 4: Diminish God’s goodness
    • Some suggest that God knows about evil and has the power to vanquish it, but apparently doesn’t care enough to deal with it.
    • During bad times it’s easy to forget the good things that God has provided.

Living in the Tension

  • There is a God — One who is good, who is great and who nevertheless allows real evil in our world for a season and for his greater purposes.
  • It’s wise to admit we don’t have a simplistic solution

Addressing the question with our friends

  1. First point of light: the world is as Jesus predicted John 16:33
  2. Second point of light: evil was not created or caused by God. Real love can never be forced.
  3. Third point of light: the cause behind most suffering is human. We live in a world where people do what they want to do, and therefore all kinds of sin, abuse, and damage occur. God didn’t want any of this and he warns us against it all.
  4. Fourth point of light: we live in a fallen world. Romans 8:19-21.
  5. Fifth point of light: God will finally judge evil. 2 Peter 3:9.
  6. Sixth point of light: God suffered too. Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:14-16.
  7. Seventh point of light: God can bring good out of bad. Romans 8:28.
  • He can use pain to deepen our character (Romans 5:3-4).
  • He can use pain to reshape us as his sons and daughters (Hebrews 12:10-11).
  • He can use pain to give us a more spiritual and eternal perspective (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
  • He can use pain to protect us from ourselves.
  • He can use pain to grab our attention and teach or redirect us in ways that will be important in our lives.
  • He can use pain to lead us to himself.

Tips for Talking About This Issue

  • Remember that many times people’s questions are not really questions, but cries for help. Pray for wisdom and discernment, but lean toward the side of listening and serving.
  • Don’t overreact when your friends blurt out some strong feelings about God or their faith. Remember, “Skeptics argue with each other, but true believers argue with God.” (See Psalm 13)
  • It’s better to admit you don’t know what to say or to say nothing.
  • Don’t tell people that loved ones died because “God must have needed them in heaven” or “This must have been God’s will.”
  • It’s rarely appropriate to quote Romans 8:28 to people in pain; rather, encourage them and love, support and serve them.
  • Remember that prayer is almost always an appropriate response.
  • Don’t underestimate the encouragement and influence you can have on people’s lives by simply being there to love and serve them.

Questions for discussion

  1. Why do people tend to not think about God when their lives are going well, but then blame him when bad things happen?
  2. How would you describe to someone “the problem of good?”
  3. Why is it difficult for people to reconcile the three truths that God is good, God is great, and evil is real? Have you ever struggled with any of these?
  4. Why does the denial of God leave us with no absolute standards? Why is a standard for judging good and evil vital for life in this world?
  5. What does it mean to you that God offers a choice–to love and follow him or to not love and follow him? How does that affect your approach in talking to friends about this question?
  6. How do the words not yet apply to God’s dealing with evil and suffering in the world?
  7. Describe a time when God brought “good out of bad” in your own experience or in the life of someone close to you.
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Ragamuffin Gospel: #3 – The Ragamuffin Gospel

Chapter 3

This chapter explores the love Jesus showed to the least in society as demonstrated by his actions. Much of the chapter focuses on the lowly position of children and the assertion that we must be like children when we approach Christ. Jesus taught this by His daily actions where he never held back from embracing those that were considered outcasts by the Jewish elite. The lowly status of children and the importance of dining with someone was very interesting to consider. We’ve talked a lot about children, but the cultural significance of having someone over for dinner provides a key insight into the Pharisees hatred of Jesus.

It’s funny how most church activities revolve around food (at least they did when I grew up), breaking bread together involves being vulnerable. In Jesus’ time on earth, sharing a meal with someone was more than just having some food, it was sharing life together. It was a process to have a meal. I remember being invited to dinner in England (our neighbors) for the first time. What I learned quickly was this had little to do with the food, though it was fine, it had much more to do with getting to know one another. I don’t remember when the dinner started, but I do remember that it wasn’t officially over until 11pm!  This makes me want to have people over more often, to spend time sharing a meal, cleaning the dishes, just hanging out, with people who are in our local church as well as those who are not part of any church. It seems my life has become too compartmentalized, too structured and scheduled. I pray that God opens these doors as I begin to get more involved in our community.

The last part of this chapter was really significant in my mind. The Alcoholics Anonymous buzzword: H.A.L.T. is significant. Too many times poor decisions are made when we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired.

  • Hungry: Most of the time we can fix the hungry problem by going to the fridge or pantry…most of us don’t have to worry about where the next meal is coming from.
  • Angry: The problem of anger is generally the result of not getting what we want or feel entitled to receive. It doesn’t really matter why we’re angry, what matters is how we deal with that. We need someone to confide in, someone who will listen without judging — and yes, we need to be that kind of person as well.
  • Lonely: I think we’re lonely a lot more than we realize. The “I can do it myself” mentality often leads to loneliness because we think we need to do it by ourselves. We think that asking others for help is a sign of weakness, something that reveals our inability. We really were meant to be a community of believers doing life together. The more we share the ups and downs of life together the more we avoid being lonely.
  • Tired: Oh my are we ever a tired people! Go, go, go! Where’s my list of things todo…rush, rush, rush! I’m tired just typing that! We will be tired because of the expectations and responsibilities. As parents this never ends. As employers, employees, pastors or parishioners, life makes us tired. What we do when we’re tired makes all the difference in the world. There’s no surprise that the 4th commandment is there for a reason. God knows we’re going to be tired. Plan on it and take a Sabbath weekly.

All kinds of problems happen when H.A.L.T. is violated. Lord I pray that we become a community that recognizes our weaknesses and learns to live together. Help us to turn to you in these times, for sure, but to learn to turn to each other, to be the cord of three strands that cannot be easily broken.

Jesus spent a disproportionate amount of time with Ragamuffins

  1. The least, the last, the lost and the lonely
  2. He related to the upper class as well, but not to gain clout or position

The kingdom belongs to
people who aren’t trying to look good
or impress anybody,
even themselves.

The Kingdom belongs to those who come like children

  • Odd story about a Zen monk, a tiger, some mice and a strawberry. The point is to focus on the here and now, but it’s a bit odd.
  • The past is crucified with Christ, victories and disgraces, all now have a new focus
  • Children in ancient Jewish society “had no status at all–they did not count.”
  • “Jesus gave these scorned little ones a privileged place in the kingdom”
  • The napioi were Jesus’ image for the uneducated and ignorant

Jesus deals the death blow to any distinction between the elite and the ordinary in the Christian community.

  • There is nothing we can do to earn any position in the Kingdom, it is all by the grace of Christ.

Sharing a Meal

  • “In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity and forgiveness–the shared table symbolizes a shared life.”
  • When Jesus met Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), He was judged by the Pharisees immediately–he broke their law.
  • By dining with these “sinners” Jesus took away their shame, humiliation and guilt–He restored their dignity.

Jesus feasted while John fasted Mark 2:18-19

  • Jesus demonstrated what it meant to live with joy
  • He laughed, cried, smiled — he lived on earth like a real human

H.A.L.T.

  • Hungry, angry, lonely or tired. An AA buzzword: “Don’t let yourself get H.A.L.T.”

 

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Notes:

1 napioi, nēpioi.  Used 15 times in the New Testament in various forms. From Mounce: “an infant, babe, child, Matthew 21:16, 1 Corinthians 13:11; one below the age of manhood, a minor, Galatians 4:1; met. a babe in knowledge, unlearned, simple, Matthew 11:25; Romans 2:20.”

2 eudokia. From Mounce: good will, favor, Luke 2:14; good pleasure, purpose, intention, Matthew 11:26; Luke 10:21; Ephesians 1:5, 9; Philippians 2:13; by impl. desire, Romans 10:1; Philippians 1:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:11.

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #2 – Magnificent Monotony

Chapter 2

An intriguing title for a chapter that forced me to look for an appropriate definition. It seems that Manning wants to help us focus on the constant, consistent, even monotonous theme we find throughout the Bible: God’s love. He loves us through creation, through the Fall, in our sinful nature, in our best and at our worst.

Another recurring theme in this chapter is the call to prayer. From Isaiah’s paean of praise1 to the call to be men and women of prayer, Manning implores us to see the God of compassion, to stop blaming and see the love of God woven in the Gospel of grace and understand that grace is the active expression of his love.

Yet if we were truly men and women of prayer,
our faces set like flint
and our hearts laid waste by passion,
we would discard our excuses.

Manning provides several examples of how the legalistic interpretation of sin leads us nowhere. “If your God is an impersonal cosmic force, your religion will be noncommittal and vague…but trust in the God who loves consistently…a loving God fosters a loving people.” I love the example of Jonah’s reluctant call as a prophet and how his desire for God to fit his definition is completely ignored by God (funny how that works!). As kids, we recall the story of Jonah as the man in the whale saved by God, but this misses the point. I am Jonah, the man who wants God to listen to me. I’m the hothead that calls God to strike down those who are worse sinners than myself! Thankfully God doesn’t react to my selfishness or that of billions of other people. God is love.

It’s interesting how we quickly read beyond the first three commandments, how we have convinced ourselves that we are not like the Hebrews that Moses led. When we shape God into the image we demand we are guilty right out of the gate. When we stop reading the Bible in Exodus because of guilt that we are reminded of by the legalists, we miss the point — God is the God of grace — read the whole story!

The Word we study has to be the Word we pray…from sitting still in the presence of the living Word and beseeching Him to help me understand with my head and heart His written Word.

Manning implores us to accept ourselves so we can begin to grow. There is some tension here, especially in our culture, because we tend to define success in terms of wealth and position, of power and popularity. There is no support for this notion in the Bible at all. Our call in this life is to “go and make disciples” not become wealthy and popular. We need to be attractive magnets to those who are far from Christ. The key ingredient is love. “Love is a far better stimulus than threat or pressure.”

I’ve told my wife, “I love you” a thousand times and I will likely tell her another thousand times. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t think that’s boring or monotonous. 🙂 God tells us over and over again He loves us. This is a Magnificent Monotony. Thank you God!

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Notes:

1 Paean, as in Isaiah’s paen of praise to the all-powerful Creator: song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving.

 

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Ten Questions: #4 – Wasn’t he a wise teacher, why try to make Jesus into the Son of God?

Summary

  • Many people believe Jesus was given a “divine promotion” after his crucifixion that he never claimed for himself.
  • Contrary to that belief, the dramatic explosion of devotion to Jesus points back to his teachings as the source.
  • The New Testament record affirms that Jesus was believed to be the Messiah and that Jesus’ followers trusted in him, prayed to him and worshiped him as such.
  • Jesus made multiple claims to equality with the Father, and he never sought to change the perceptions of his listeners.
  • Jesus predicted that all his claims would be proven by his death and resurrection.

Introduction

  • The beginning of this chapter is quite interesting as Mittelberg takes time to describe how followers of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise know as the Buddha, was transformed from a “spiritual guide with unique insights and wisdom” into a movement that became a major world religion.
  • Gautama did not want to be considered as a divine person, in fact, he was actually not interested in discussing the existence of God at all, but many Buddhists today treat the Buddha as deity and worship him as such.
  • The belief that Jesus was just a good teacher has been around a long time. Thomas Jefferson notoriously cut up a copy of the New Testament to remove all references to Jesus’ miracles or his divinity. Many people take this approach today.
  • Muslims claim he was a great prophet, but assert he would never claim to be the Son of God.
  • Jews consider him a great teacher, but certainly NOT the Messiah.
  • Even some who profess to be Christians gravitate toward this position—this is a dangerous and slippery slope.

An Explosion of Devotion to Jesus

  • The common claim today is that belief in Jesus as a unique, divine person evolved over the first three centuries, not while eyewitnesses were still alive. Yet as it turns out, the best historical scholarship shows that simply is not the case.
  1. First of all, every New Testament writer refers to Jesus as the “Christ,” or Messiah; they were proclaiming that Jesus was the preeminent Priest-King sent by God to fulfill his promises.
  2. Second and Third, the earliest and the latest New Testament authors alike use the most exalted titles and divine honors for Jesus; there was consistency.

Here’s the key point to remember: there never was a time when the earliest community of followers of Jesus did not regard him as far, far more than a good teacher.

Just who did Jesus think he was?

  • Jesus referred to himself as “the Son of Man” eighty-two times in the four Gospels (even more than the “Christ”).
  • This refers back to Daniel 7:13-14, where Daniels foresees “one like a son of man” being given all power and dominion.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62 “I am,” said Jesus.  “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

  • This couples the title, “Son of Man” with the prophecy in Daniel and the frequent occurrences in the New Testament.
  • The reaction of the Pharisees confirms Jesus’ claim.
  • There are numerous examples of Jesus’ adding to the teaching with “but I say…”
  • What’s interesting is that in all these cases Jesus had ample opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings about what he was really saying, but he did not. Instead he reinforced his claim to be the Son of God, true deity, and equal in nature to God the Father.

Evidence that Jesus’ claims are true

  • Just what was it the convinced Jesus’ followers he was the Messiah?
  • His death, which no one disputes, provides convincing evidence. But it was his resurrection that changed everything.
  • Christianity did no begin with a group of people trying to remember and follow Jesus’ teachings, it began with the belief that God resurrected him from the dead.
  • Jesus told them in advance that he would die and then be resurrected by God

Reasons for believing the reality of the resurrection

Three facts to conclude that the Resurrection is an actual historical event:

  1. No responsible historian denies that Jesus died on a Roman cross
  2. The tomb in which Jesus’ body had been buried was found empty
  3. People had experiences that thy were convinced were encounters with Jesus

Tips for Talking About This Issue

  • Remember that many opinions are based on incomplete information as well as fictional sources such as novels, movies and TV shows. Encourage them to take time to look into these matters, even to read the Gospels as a starting point.
  • Beyond the Bible, here are some good books to consider:
  • Remember the Gospels are at the very least a reliable historical record about the life and teachings of Jesus. Our friends can respect and learn from the Gospel report without first having to decide whether the Gospels are the inspired Word of God.
  • Even if our friends are skeptical, it’s good to encourage them to keep an open mind and even to approach this with a simple prayer.
  • It’s important to remember, and to impress gently upon our friends, that if Jesus is who he claimed to be, then understanding and embracing what he taught is a really big deal.

Questions for discussion

  1. What did you believe about Jesus as you grew up? Have your views changed? If so, why?
  2. What is the most convincing evidence for you that Jesus truly is the Son of God, deity incarnate in humanity?
  3. What are the most serious challenges you’ve heard to the teaching that Jesus really is God in human flesh? What did you do (or can you do) to address those challenges and bolster your own confidence?
  4. How might your answer to the previous question prepare you to help your friends understand the reality of who Jesus is?
  5. Imagine you’re in a conversation with a friend who, after some discussion, finally acknowledges that Jesus seems to be more than a man and probably is the Son of God. What could you say next to help your friend take steps toward actually receiving Christ at as his or her own Savior?
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Ten Questions: Intro

The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask (with answers)

The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask (with answers), by Mark Mittelberg

Here are my notes on the referenced book to be used for group discussion.

Introduction

Right off the bat we’re reminded of 1 Peter 3:15-16, “…do this in a gentle and respectful way.” Mark Mittelberg uses the analogy of a coach and professional athlete when he offers three keys: preparation, prayer and proximity.

  • Preparation:
    • There’s no substitute for reading and reflecting on some key spiritual questions before you get into conversations.
    • It will be tempting, especially as you study and get increasingly ready to answer hard questions, to talk more and more but listen less and less. You must discipline yourself to do the opposite.
  • Prayer
    • Probably the single most important part of the process
    • Remember this is a spiritual battle
  • Proximity
    • Luke 19:10 — “seek and save those who are lost”
    • The Great Commission

Our Purpose

  • NOT to address every fine point or nuance
  • NOT to exhaustively satisfy our friends’ curiosity
  • Rather, we should learn to destroy obstacles — “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…” (2 Cor 10:5)

Our Motivation

Our purpose must be motivated by love….not just to win an argument.

  1. Question 1: What makes you so sure that God exists at all–especially when you can’t see, hear, or touch him?
  2. Question 2: Didn’t evolution put God out of a job? Why rely on religion in an age of science and knowledge?
  3. Question 3: Why trust the Bible, a book based on myths and full of contradictions and mistakes?
  4. Question 4: Everyone knows that Jesus was a good man and a wise teacher–but why try to make him into the Son of God, too?
  5. Question 5: How could a good God allow so much evil, pain, and suffering –or does he simply not care?
  6. Question 6: Why is abortion such a line in the sand for Christians–why can’t I be left alone to make my own choices for my own body?
  7. Question 7: Why do you condemn homosexuality when it’s clear that God made gays and that he loves all people the same?
  8. Questions 8 & 9: How can I trust in Christianity when so many Christians are hypocrites? And why are Christians so judgmental toward everyone who doesn’t agree with them?
  9. Question 10: Why should I think that heaven really exists–and that God sends people to hell?
  10. Conclusion: The questions our friends need us to ask them.

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