Do we take time to think?

I have been reading a great deal of blogs and forums lately. Many of the posts have been truly inspiring while others are merely entertaining as I learn more about the people who have been around me for years.

Within those countless posts, have been a few very involved debates on everything from "movies about gay cowboys" to "what is the basis of our faith" to "should The Salvation Army continue to view itself as an army." Some have been debates of religion, some have been political (unadmittadely by most involved - is that even a word?!) and some have been just plain silly (what would you do if you saw someone fall?) Apologies to any discussions I may have misrepresented in my titles - those are just what I came away feeling the discussion centered around.

Then I came upon this passage in my devotions this morning:

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

And I came away realizing why I find myself so frustrated at times over what I am reading on-line. So often I have read comments that start with "I don't have time right now to look this up, but the Bible says somewhere that . . ." Or "I wish I had more time to think this through a little more thoroughly, but I don't, so I think I believe . . ." I have even caught myself saying some of these same things.

Ultimately, we end up with endless discussions based mostly on personal opinion or feeling. It is not often that our answers are totally in line with the Word of God.

Look out, here comes my personal discovery . . . This morning I realized that debates that I win based soley on my limitless wisdom (tongue-in-cheek) and personal insight typically leave me with a damaged relationship with the person I was debating. Whereas a discussion resolved directly from a correct handling of the Word of God leaves us both feeling as if we have found the truth without a loss in our relationship. I haven't fully processed this yet (althought I am attempting to take the time to do so), but it seems to me that this realization may be something that enables me to grow in my understanding of things without sacrificing those with whom I am growing.

I end with a couple of questions: Is this too simplistic of a way to think? Can all of the discussions we have been having be clearly resolved through scripture? Are we maybe moving so quickly from topic to topic that we don't ever really take the time to resolve our understanding of any of them?

Extreme Simplicity?

As I continue to explore the writings of Bonhoeffer, along with my regular times in the Word, much of what they practiced, as it relates to Finkenwalde, has begun to stir my soul. In particular, this idea of "Extreme Simplicity." During that same time, The Salvation Army, too, emphacized this important discipline. However, it seems that as time goes on, this discipline has certainly fallen by the wayside both individually and corporately. I must start by looking to myself as I sit and write surrounded by every modern convenience.

My mind races to what we may have lost in our pursuit of the comfortable and the convenient. Distractions! They are all just distractions from that which we are called to focus on!

As an Army we have fallen into this same trap. We spend so much time and energy keeping the hairball spinning, that we totally lose touch with the purpose for which we were raised. When we focus solely on functions of battle support, we cease to be the force who can achieve full victory on the battlefield. Support is a necessity, but the ultimate purpose of an Army is the fight!

So that's why!

My family and I were driving home from the Medina Corps tonight and my son, Jimmy (7) was reading some pamphlet on dolphins and the fact that they can't breathe under water. Well, eventually the conversation ended up with my daughter asking how sharks sleep considering that they have to keep moving in order to breathe.

An interesting question indeed. Any ideas? I had none. Jimmy, however, seems to have figured it out in short order. He declared that "they must not sleep, which would certainly explain why they are so cranky!" I haven't stopped laughing. I love kids. They can explain everything!

The Gathering . . .

In a collection of writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called The Way to Freedom, Bonhoeffer asserts that "it pleased the Holy Spirit to promise Himself not to the individual but to the gathering" (of the church). I wrestled with this because all of my life I have believed that a person could live a Christian life apart from being involved in the church. The church helps, but I thought when push came to shove that it was somewhat dispensible. It seemed to me that the most urgent need was for prayer and Bible study. And yet, all the while, I have been compelled by God to preach relationship with God and man as the ultimate purpose of our life. On a side note, it never ceases to amaze me that God can speak truths through people that they don't even fully comprehend themselves until long after.

In Acts 1:4, Luke reports that it was to the gathered assembly that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit. Further, it was while they were gathered together in one accord that God chose to send His Holy Spirit to fill them. Throughout the book of Acts, when we read accounts of the Holy Spirit filling people, we see it happening within the context of relationship. In some instances, it is a gathering of the church and in others it is a gathering of two, such as in the case of Ananias and Saul.

I guess the understanding has to start with a better grasp of the definition of church. I have always understood the church to be a group of believers who choose to be associated with each other. And in this culture, this may still prove to be an accepted definition. However, God defines the church as being all who have ever trusted in the Grace of Jesus regardless of whether they choose to associate with each other or not. When a person marries, he becomes part of the family whether he attends reunions or not.

God is recreating society, in its intended form, through, or within, the church. If we are to be in His will, we must be part of His new creation. It's not all about the body, but it is within the context of the body.

"24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:24-25 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society