Rappin’ With Rick

The sixth chapter of Hebrews begins with the all important “therefore.” When trying to discern what the “therefore” was there for at Bible Study last Wednesday, we were taken back to the mention of Melchizedek, and how Jesus was designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

The author realized that the mention of Melchizedek would puzzle his readers because they had become “dull of hearing”, so before going on he stressed the need to go from milk to solid food, to leave the elementary teachings, and to press on to maturity. What he listed as elementary teachings, however, is surprising. He said we shouldn’t keep “laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” As a class, we were forced to sharpen our senses to hear what he was saying.

If the focus of our preaching and teaching isn’t to be about repentance and works and faith and baptism and spiritual gifts and the second coming and judgment, what are we to talk about? If those things are elementary foundational teachings, what are the more advanced teachings we are to focus on?

We pondered that for quite a while, and someone suggested, tongue in cheek, that we could just talk about Melchizedek. We eventually came to realize this doesn’t mean we never talk about these things, but that we must dig into the implications and application of these foundational truths, and then build upon them. Our conclusion was confirmed by Thursday’s reading in The Message.

“Don’t lose a minute building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.”

Let’s not be afraid to think, to dig a little deeper, and to expand our spiritual diet.

God Bless, Rick

“God helps those who help themselves.” How often have you heard someone supposedly quote that from the Bible? It’s not in there. At least I didn’t think it was until last week.

In a selected passage for the day from The Message, Micah was responding to false preachers who were saying he shouldn’t tell people bad things were going to happen. They even questioned the message he had been sent to declare by asking, “Does God lose his temper? Is this the way he acts? Isn’t he on the side of good people? Doesn’t he help those who help themselves?”

I had to laugh when I read it, and I figure Eugene Peterson laughed as he wrote it. Some, however, don’t think paraphrases are a laughing matter. In fact, they don’t even like translations of the Bible, thinking the only way to accurately read the Bible is in its original languages.

I recently read an interesting article in CT entitled “Your Bible Translation is Imperfect.” It acknowledges that all translations from one language to another are imperfect, but points out the need to hear or read the Bible in a language, or even a dialect, you can understand. It pointed out that after years in captivity Ezra explained the Law in Aramaic because the people no longer understood Hebrew, and that on the Day of Pentecost the people heard the mighty deeds of God in their own tongues.

I studied Greek for three years in college and was led to believe if I conquered it I would have a correct understanding of everything written in the New Testament. Later, to my chagrin, I discovered that those who had studied biblical languages on a much deeper level than I often disagreed on what was meant.

So what do we do? Just keep reading the Bible in any and all formats you are able, pray for guidance from the Spirit, and strive to understand what God is trying to tell you.

For the last two years many of you joined me reading the Bible chronologically, first in the NIV and then The Message. Next year I’m going back to my favorite, the NASB. The Daily Reading Bible in NASB is only available in a Kindle version, so I’ll be reading the Bible on an iPad next year, which is a new format for me.

Please feel free to join me.

God Bless, Rick

Not only is Thanksgiving just around the corner, so is Christmas! In fact, we’re going to be celebrating both of them this Sunday evening…sort of.

The evening will begin around 4:45, when those who are bringing food are asked to have it here, ready to serve, so the serving tables can be set. We will then meet together in the auditorium at 5:00 for a brief time of giving thanks. We don’t have a special speaker scheduled this year, but we will give any who desire to do so the opportunity to share what they are thankful for after we sing a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Then, after a blessing for the food, we’ll head for our annual Thanksgiving Pot-Luck Dinner.

After dinner a crew of volunteers will continue showing gratitude by cleaning up, and we’ll transition into Christmas. The kids who are working on the musical will meet with Rhonda for a brief rehearsal, and the rest of us will start digging through boxes of decorations. Before we leave, the church should be dressed for Christmas.

To help you plan for Christmas this year, let me give you a few things to put on your calendar.

The first is the Ladies’ Christmas Ornament Exchange that has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 3rd, at Mario’s. The children’s Christmas musical will then be presented during our worship service on December 8th. On Sunday evening, December 15th we’re planning to go Christmas caroling, ending at Jeni and Jonathan’s for Christmas goodies. And on the 24th we’ll be holding our 49th annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service.

Since I’m talking about the Christmas Eve service, I guess it’s not too early to start encouraging those with musical gifts to start planning to share them. I will once again plan the service around the specials that are offered, so please start thinking of what you might like to do, and what you want to sing or play. The first to let me know their choice will be the one given the opportunity to present that selection, so let me know what you’d like to do ASAP.

God Bless, Rick

Those of us who are reading through the Bible this year using The Message paraphrase have been spending the last couple weeks in Ezekiel, and it hasn’t been pleasant. The messages that God gave Ezekiel to proclaim, and to even demonstrate, were primarily messages of judgment. And God was very explicit!

In an attempt to make the judgments of God even more explicit, the author of The Message sometimes makes it sound even worse than it does in the NASB. On the flip side, however, the promises of God, and the way He feels, are stated in ways that paint an even clearer picture of the heart of God. I especially like the way God is pictured in Ezekiel 20 expressing how He decides to act the way He does.

After expressing His anger over the repeated sin and unfaithfulness of His people, and His resolve to pour out His wrath on them, the NASB accurately says, “But I acted for the sake of My name.”

Peterson puts it this way: “They rebelled against me, wouldn’t listen to a word I said. None got rid of the vile things they were addicted to. I seriously considered inflicting my anger on them in force right there in Egypt. Then I thought better of it. I acted out of who I was, not by how I felt.” And then, after documenting a couple more times when God’s people sinned against Him, Peterson has God twice again saying, “I acted out of who I was, not by how I felt.”

That phrase really struck me, and I think that paraphrase really nails it. God acts out of who He is, not by how He feels. And since we are made in His image, I’m certain He would have us do the same. He even makes it possible for us to do so.

“For here’s what I’m going to do: …I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. …You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God.!” (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

Let’s make sure we act out of who we are, not by how we feel.

God Bless, Rick

The last thing she said to me before leaving the house was, “Don’t go alone to talk to him.”

He had left a message earlier in the day, and called again while we were in Bible study. His message was that he goes to a new independent Christian church in the Los Angeles area, was not too far from us, and needed a pastor or elder to talk with on the phone. When I called him back he asked if I had time to talk, and I told him I really didn’t, but would call him back in the morning if that was okay with him.

When I did, he informed me that he had AIDS, had been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and was at Motel 6. He said he had gone to Maryland to see his mother and sisters, who he hadn’t seen in a long time. They didn’t know he was sick, and were shocked when they saw he had gone from 230 pounds to 119. They were even more shocked when he told them he had come to know Jesus, and had left his gay lifestyle. His mom was an orthodox Jew, but she and his sisters had all embraced new age beliefs. They made it very clear they wanted nothing to do with him now that he was a Christian, and tossed his luggage into the street, without his train ticket home. He ended up here because the person who picked him up along the road was heading to Springfield. His only remaining friend was sending him a train ticket, and had arranged for him to get from Litchfield to the train station in St. Louis, but he needed to get to the Baymont in Litchfield to sign for the ticket.

What do you do with a story like that? Are you being played, or is it a real need? It was decision time. I decided I would take a chance it was for real, and would drive him to Litchfield. When I called to tell Marilyn, she begged me to ask Mark to go with me, and he graciously agreed to so do.

After we got him a room and had lunch together, he said he had really enjoyed spending time with brothers. We felt the same way. Whether he really is a brother is not relevant to his current need, but it will be wonderful if one day we do meet again as brothers around the throne of our heavenly Father.

God Bless, Rick