Monday, November 28, 2011

The Apostle Paul’s Practical Advice

Saint Paul Writing His Epistles,
V. de Boulogne c. 1594-1632
As we have noted in recent posts, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of the gospel as a message of reconciliation. He highlights the fact that God has given us the task of being his agents of reconciliation in the world and that’s part of our witness as followers of Jesus.

But then Paul offers some very practical advice on what this means in terms of our daily lives:
  • “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4, NIV).
  • “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14: 19, NIV).
  • “Live in peace with each other. . . . Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances. . . . Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (I Thessalonians 5: 13-22, NIV).
Practical advice like this is hard to follow in our rough-and-tumble world. But Paul gives us an assurance that if we are ”in Christ,” we are a “new creation.” He goes on to write that God has committed to us the message of reconciliation and “we are therefore Christ’s ambassadors” (II Corinthians 5: 17-20, NIV).

So God is telling those whose sins have been “blotted out” (forgiven) by Jesus’ death that now they have the privilege of carrying that message to the rest of the world as royal appointees of the King!

So What?
  • An ambassadorial appointment – not bad for people like us! I remind myself periodically when I am meeting with government or business leaders in Russia that I am there on an “ambassadorial appointment” and therefore have no reason to be fearful. This gives me strength and courage, in times when I could be intimidated.
  • What a radical concept in our culture – make the interests of others, not just of yourself and your family, a priority! “Consider others better than yourselves” – what a testimony this would be in our world if we practiced this teaching!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Jesus Holds All Things Together

The Apostle Paul,
Rembrandt c. 1633
The Apostle Paul was a Jew, trained in the finest religious instruction available at that time. Fervent in his faith and committed to eliminating false religious beliefs, he was a zealous persecutor of Christians before his conversion on the road to Damascus. How did he understand Jesus’ teachings and deeds related to peacemaking? Recently we discussed other disciples and their views on this topic, but how about the Apostle Paul?

When Paul was in prison in Rome, he wrote a letter to the church at Colosse that was arguing over different views of who Jesus was. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians is a marvelous statement of the role of Christ and, in fact, biblical scholars believe that six verses (Colossians 1:15-20) of this letter may have been an early Christian hymn, used to teach important doctrines.

Take the time to read these powerful verses. The text begins by establishing Christ’s reign over all of creation, both in the spiritual world and the physical world. Paul emphasizes this point by deliberately referring to things in heaven and on earth; to make sure the point is not missed, he then refers to the visible and the invisible.

Paul describes Jesus’ central role in the process of redemption and summarizes Christ’s ministry as one of reconciliation. God the Father chose to reconcile all things in creation to himself by “making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” For the Apostle, the gospel message was summarized in the concept of reconciliation and peacemaking. It was not reconciliation merely on the spiritual level, but – as these verses make clear – a reconciliation that included all the dimensions of shalom described in the Old Testament and reinstated in Jesus’ “manifesto.” For indeed, “in him all things hold together.”

So What?
  • I find great comfort in the fact that in Jesus all of creation holds together. When things seem so out of control in our world or in our personal lives, it is reassuring for me that the Bible teaches I can trust God because “he’s got the whole world in his hands.”
  • The Apostle Paul also teaches me that reconciliation and peacemaking is not just an abstract theological concept, but is practical – it relates to “things on earth.” God is in the reconciliation business, making people whole, making communities whole, and that’s part of our calling as well.
  • To be Christ-like, then, means to work for peace and reconciliation. This is what it means to “follow Jesus.”

Monday, November 7, 2011

Try a New Greeting

I have a challenge for you. Are you willing to try something new? I would like to encourage you to change the way you greet people and to use the word “shalom” or “peace” instead of the greetings you normally use. It can also be used as a farewell.

In our culture, the typical greetings are “Hi!” or “How are you doing? (for which we do not really expect an honest answer) or “What’s up?” or “Hey!” If we are in “polite company,” we might say “Good morning.” None of these greetings really say very much, so how about being creative.

The same is true with our typical farewells: “Take care,” “Don’t work too hard,” “Good-bye,” or “See you later.” I think we can do better than this.

Let me tell you why I think it is a good idea to greet friends, especially Christian friends, with the words “shalom” or “peace.” During the first century, church leaders often used the words “grace” and “peace” to summarize the heart of the gospel. It then became a standard practice in the early church to greet other Christians with these words and to bid them farewell in the same way.

For them the words were not a casual greeting, as many of our present-day greetings or farewells are, but were powerful reminders of the essence of the Christian faith. Every letter written by the Apostle Paul begins with a greeting that includes the words “grace” and “peace.” Paul’s standard greeting is: “Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7). Most of Paul’s letters end in a similar fashion, usually with a benediction about God’s peace. In the letter to the Romans, for example, he writes: “The God of peace be with you all. Amen” (15:33).

The Apostle Peter follows the same pattern in his two letters, greeting his readers as follows: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (II Peter 1:2). Jude, the brother of James, uses a slightly different greeting: “Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” (v. 2). For the disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the “good news” of God’s grace and peace – their summary of Jesus’ message – was always on their lips.

I am not proposing that we use the full greetings of the Apostle Paul or the Apostle Peter, but how about a shorter version? Do you remember some of the early posts in this Blog where we talked about how shalom incorporates interpersonal relationships, good health, the well-being of society, and living a full life? It is a beautiful word, a rich word, that includes everything humanly speaking you could desire for a friend.

I try to make this a habit in my correspondence or when I meet people. I sometimes end my e-mails to friends with “Blessings!” because I want them to know I wish God’s richest blessings on them and their families. A few are starting to send this blessing back to me.

Some friends I know say “shalom – salaam,” using both the Hebrew and Arabic words for peace. I like this as well. Why not greet and say farewell to friends with words that have substance, words that encourage them? Why not use this greeting or farewell with new people you meet? They might even ask why you use these words – and you have a chance to share something about your beliefs.

Any of you willing to try it? Soon it may become a habit and you’ll be blessing people who come into your life.

So What?
  • If you try this for several weeks, let me know about your experiences and any responses that you might get – either good or bad.
  • I’ve talked about the “pluses” of greeting with the word “peace” or “shalom.” Are there “minuses” or issues arguing against this? What might they be? Do the “pluses” outweigh the “minuses” or not?