Christian Homes: "As to the Lord"

Spirit & Truth # 273

“Christian Homes:  As to the Lord”

By Greg Smith

            Some denominations practice infant baptism.  Others prefer to dedicate their babies to the Lord, and leave the baptisms until an older age.  On Mother’s Day, three families in our church dedicated their children to Jesus.  Meanwhile in southern India, some Hindus practice a similar dedication, giving their young daughters to the service of the goddess Yellamma.  But unlike Jesus who asks for our love and devotion, Yellamma asks her devotees to give their bodies to the terrible practice of temple prostitution.  As young as four years old, girls are dedicated.  Around the onset of puberty these girls begin to service the male worshippers at Yellamma’s temple.  Fortunately, Christians are sharing the truth of the Gospel with them and helping those who convert from their old life to find new homes, employment, and a new identity in Christ.

            In the ancient city of Ephesus, life was much the same for the young temple prostitutes who were dedicated to Artemis.  Ephesians believed that when a male worshipper joined with a prostitute whose body was possessed by the goddess, he was uniting with Artemis herself.  You can imagine how popular the Artemis cult was with male Ephesians, and the level of degradation that these young women experienced in the name of religion.  The sex cult of Artemis affected not only the prostitutes, but nearly all the women of Ephesus.  Imagine being married to a “pious” man who felt justified in his many trips to the temple!  All of this contributed to the degraded status of women in Ephesus. 

            You can understand how attractive Christianity became to the women of Ephesus.  Christianity offered forgiveness of sin and renewed purity for those who became the “bride of Christ.”  In addition, some reports say that Jesus’ own mother who feared for her life in Jerusalem had relocated to Ephesus.  If these accounts are true, then Mary’s presence must have elevated the status of Christian women even more.  Surely she took these former prostitutes under her wing and became a living example of what a Christian woman should be.

            It is with all this background that we approach Ephesians 5:22 which says, “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.”  While offensive to many modern Americans, this verse and the following two verses must be understood in its context of Ephesians 5:21, which says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  Wifely submission is in the context of mutual submission.  Husbands must submit to their wives as well, as we’ll learn in next week’s scripture.  Rather than advocating male domination of women, verse 22 instead originally gave hope to Ephesian women.   “Submit yourselves to your own husbands” sounded awfully good to former prostitutes who had once submitted to everybody’s husbands.  Now, these newly converted women simply had to submit themselves to the care and nurture of Christian husbands who wanted to heal their physical and emotional wounds and help them become the pure women God created them to be.

            “As you do to the Lord” reminds women that their husbands are not their masters.  Rather, Jesus is Lord of their lives.  Colossians 3:24-25 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  Submit to God, the apostle Paul says, and the rest of your marriage will take care of itself.  Next week, we’ll continue to examine the joy of mutual submission within marriage as we talk about the husband’s role.  I hope you’ll join me then.

           

Christian Homes: "Godly Wisdom"

Spirit & Truth # 272

“Christian Homes:  Godly Wisdom”

By Greg Smith

            In these weeks between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I want to spend some time with you talking about Christian homes.  Psalm 68:6 (NIV) says, “God sets the lonely in families.”  From the day that God created Eve for Adam, God was in the business of making marriages.  The Lord gave them beautiful children, and the human population has been growing ever since.  Sometimes, families have made godly choices, and other times they have made worldly decisions.  Nevertheless, God still draws us to Himself.

            Today, families are under attack.  Satan, the “Father of Lies (John 8:44)” has deluded half our nation into believing that the government has the right to change the definition of marriage from God’s original intent.  In reality, government can no more redefine the meaning of marriage than it can redefine the meaning of words like “table” or “itchy” or “murder.”  (Wait…sometimes government tries to redefine “murder” as well.)  The problem is that government forgets that it didn’t invent marriage.  From the beginning, marriage was never a human institution.  It was created by God, to be for one man and one woman, for life.   A government that thinks it can redefine marriage as something that it’s not is a government that believes itself to be God, instituting things like right and wrong at the whim of the people.  Such a government has lost its moral compass, along with the people who believe that morality is a relative thing to be decided by a vote.

            Isaiah 5:20-21 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”  Isaiah laments the spiritual plight of those who call sin acceptable.  He grieves for those who use words like “intolerant, bigoted, or stupid” to describe people who uphold the truth of God’s word and the morality that God calls His people to endorse.

            The author of Ephesians 5:15-18 (NIV) says, “Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

            These words are just as true today as they were nearly two thousand years ago.  Rather than following the opinion of godless society in evil days, God’s word calls us to godly wisdom.  God calls people foolish who don’t seek to understand what His will is, but instead allow good and evil to be defined by their own flawed opinions.  Sin will always be popular, but God calls His people to holiness.  Instead of being controlled by vice, Christians should be filled with the Spirit.  Only when we allow the Spirit of holiness to influence our decisions, rather than following the politically correct opinions of ear-tickling, vote-seeking politicians, can we know true wisdom in these evil days.

            I invite you to journey with me for the next six weeks as together we find out what the book of Ephesians says about Christian homes.  Maybe you’ll be inspired.  Perhaps you’ll get angry.  Hopefully, you’ll be challenged by God’s word, and decide to commit your family to living a godly life.

Stubborn Screws

Spirit & Truth # 271

“Stubborn Screws”

By Greg Smith

From now until the end of June I will be busy spiffing up our home.  My eldest daughter is getting married (gasp) and wants to have the wedding reception in our back yard.  Among many preparations, I need to take care of the floor surface of our deck, which shows signs of years of abuse and lack of upkeep. 

            “Never fear,” I said to myself.  “I can just flip the boards.”  While a deck’s surface can get ridiculously worn, every board has two sides.  To give a deck a like-new look, all you have to do is flip the board and stain the fresh surface.  Easy.  While I’m no carpenter, I have done it before myself.  But only on decks that were constructed with nails.  This deck, however, is screwed.  Nails you can pull up with a hammer and cat’s paw.  Screws must be (of course) unscrewed.  This sounds easy—so long as the screws aren’t too stubborn.  Stubborn screws will stay stuck, no matter how much torque you apply.  And if your super-powerful cordless drill gives it too much torque, you may just end up stripping the screw heads.  After that, there’s nothing to be done, unless you want to drill out each screw (which I don’t).

            On my deck, some of the screws lifted out nicely.  But others wouldn’t respond at all to the overwhelming force of my Craftsman Contraption.  Instead, the screwdriver bit just skipped up and down, tearing the screw head until it bore no resemblance at all to anything that could be removed.  That’s when I wanted to throw my tools and start cussing.  But I didn’t.  Instead, I moved to another screw and smiled when it responded favorably to the loving guidance of my drill.  Zip.  Zip.  Zip.  Three more came up with no problem.  After I’d had my discouraged machismo re-inflated by the screws that responded favorably, I had enough composure to return to work on those stubborn screws once more.

            Sometimes leading people can be frustrating.  Often people can be like those stubborn screws.  No matter how much you try to move them, they just won’t budge.  Instead of having a tool-tossing tantrum, why not just smile and move on to someone else who will respond to your gentle coaxing?  Don’t let unmovable people get you down.  Instead, focus your attention on those who can be moved.  And who knows—maybe after a few successes, you’ll have enough confidence to return to the sticky screws and get the job done.

            Some boards, however cannot be flipped.  On my deck, I had to eventually face the fact while many of the screws came up with no problem, there were enough stubborn screws to make my boards unflipable.  Rather than getting discouraged, the problem forced me to rethink my approach and realize that there’s more than one way to make my deck beautiful.  Time to get out the power sander and smooth out those splinters.

            If God has called you to lead people, you may be blessed with a whole deck full of movable screws.  On the other hand, sometimes you find so much resistance that the group just can’t be flipped.  Don’t despair.  There are other ways to make your deck beautiful.  In Revelation 21:5, Jesus says, “Behold, I make all things new.”  Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, that God “has made everything beautiful in its time.”  Trust God to help you with the repair work that your group needs.  Wait on His timing.  Let the Master Carpenter do His work.

Peter, Paul, and Many

Spirit & Truth # 270

“Peter, Paul, and Many”

By Greg Smith

Telemachus and Mentor

            In Greek mythology, Mentor was the caretaker of prince Telemachus, son of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca.  While Odysseus was away fighting the Trojan war, Mentor served as the prince’s teacher, guide, friend, and protector.  Today, mentors fulfill a similar role, providing professional tutelage and serving as informal role models for their “mentees.”  For the past two weeks, we’ve looked at faith partnerships where spiritual leaders passed on their wisdom to their students, who in turn became leaders themselves.  I’ve challenged you to consider who your teachers may be, who your peers may be, and who may be the students to whom you can pass on your wisdom.

            In the Old Testament, Moses benefited from the support of seniors like Jethro and Jochebed.  He enjoyed the companionship of his wife Zipporah and his siblings Aaron and Miriam.  He passed on his faith to Caleb and Joshua.  In the New Testament we have the example of the apostle Paul.  Like Moses, Paul wasn’t a genius in his own right, but profited from the input of scores of people around him who contributed to his ministry and made him who he was.

            Paul was called to be a minister—but who ministered to Paul’s needs?  After his conversion to Christ, Ananias was the first furtive Christian to care for the former persecutor of the church.[i]  Having received Christ’s call to ministry, Paul went to Arabia for three years, then returned to receive fifteen important days of intense training from Peter and James the brother of Jesus.[ii]  Peter continued to influence Paul’s ministry.  At times they agreed with each other[iii] but at other times they disagreed.[iv]  Barnabas (whose name means “Son of Encouragement” took Paul under his wing when Paul was new to the ministry.[v]  Though Barnabas was the senior Christian in their missionary team, Barnabas allowed Paul to be the chief speaker[vi], ostensibly because Paul was in training.  Paul and Barnabas didn’t always see eye to eye,[vii] but total agreement is never necessary for one person to learn from another.  Much more could be said about other contributors like Priscilla and Aquilla, Epaphroditus, Phoebe, Chloe, Erastus, and many others, without whom Paul could never have accomplished what he did.

            Of course, no teacher is complete without his or her disciples.  Paul fed into the lives of young and rising church leaders like Titus and Timothy.  Paul’s letters of encouragement to these young men are today a support to all who are young in ministry[viii].  He encourages them to preach God’s word without reservation, whether it’s popular or not.  He reminds them of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are available to them for ministry.  He teaches them both how to rebuke and encourage God’s people.  Paul made sure that his legacy went on, so that long after his life’s journey was over his work would continue.

            If you are a Christian, then most likely you are somewhere in the continuum from student, to peer, to teacher.  Perhaps you are a bit of all three, taking on different roles with different relationships.  I hope you will take seriously your role as a disciple, as a friend, and as a godly influence to those around you.  Seriously consider who God has brought into your life, to partner with in faith and to strengthen by Christ’s love.

           

           

           

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[i] Acts 9:10-19

[ii] Galatians 1:15-23

[iii] Acts 11:2-4; 15:7-11

[iv] Galatians 2:1-14

[v] Acts 11:19-25

[vi] Acts 13:11-12

[vii] Acts 15:36-41

[viii] Titus, 1 & 2 Timothy

Hand-Me-Down Genes?

Spirit & Truth # 269

“Hand-Me-Down Genes?”

By Greg Smith

            Like many kids growing up, I received my share of hand-me downs.  In addition to secondhand jeans, they also pass on hand-me-down genes.  Someone recently remarked that when they saw my mother speak in church, “It was like Greg—in a dress!”  We pass on material goods to our kids.  We share our genetics.  We also share spiritual legacy, insight and wisdom with the next generation.  But God doesn’t want us to keep our spiritual hand-me-downs “all in the family.”

            Last week we talked about the great influences in Moses life: his mother, wife, siblings, and father-in-law.  Like Moses, you may have a close-knit family.  They may have contributed greatly to make you who you are.  Supportive families are a blessing from the Lord, but I know some people who have become so clannish that their only friends are family members.  They have drawn a tiny circle around themselves, letting in only their closest relatives and (maybe) a few good friends.  God wants you to draw your circle wider—to include those who may not be very much like you.  He has wisdom for you to share with others.  God also wants you to open your heart to learn from others who may be different from yourself.  He wants you to choose a much larger family than you ever thought you could have.

Ruth & Naomi

            The book of Ruth is a beautiful story that begins with heartbreak.  A Jewish woman named Naomi has two sons.  Each of her sons is married to a Moabite woman.  Tragically, both sons die, leaving their wives and their widowed mother to fend for themselves.  One of the daughters-in-law, Orpah, decides to return to her own family in the hopes of remarriage and a new start in life.  But Ruth chooses to remain with her mother-in-law to support her and to learn from her.  She says, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”[i]  Though they had little in common other than shared tragedy, Ruth and Naomi became a dynamic spiritual partnership that became an example of faith for many.

            There’s the family you’re born into, and the family you choose.  Ruth and Naomi chose covenant with one another.  The young woman contributed her ability to glean in the fields to provide their needs.  The older woman offered Ruth her wisdom and counsel, by which the duo were rescued from their plight.  God brings people together to form spiritual partnerships.  Sometimes they’re the most unlikely of associates—but if God puts them together, they’re certain to succeed.

            “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts,” says Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (HCSB).  “For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.  Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?  And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”

What potential faith partners have come into your life recently?  These people may have characteristics that make them an obvious choice.  On the other hand, you may have little in common with them at first.  But if you keep an open mind, you may find that they are just the friend that God has in store for you.

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[i] Ruth 1:16

"Mo & Co."

Spirit & Truth # 268

“Mo & Co.”

By Greg Smith

            Has God called you to be a leader in your church, in your workplace, or in your home?  Believers need look no further than Moses for a great example of what it takes to be a leader.  Moses was a spiritual and political adept whose contributions continue throughout Judaism and Christianity to this day.  His influence affects not only adherents of those two religions, but through them he continues to shape the world.  Though famous for his sagacity, Moses was not a genius all by himself.  He enjoyed the benefit of a company of advisors, both from his own generation and the generation above him.

            Moses’ mother Jochebed exercised great faith in placing him in the care of Pharaoh’s daughter by way of a floating cradle.[i]  The Egyptian princess who raised him surely provided him with the finest of tutors, in addition to all the advantages afforded to a prince of Egypt.  Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro Ruel of Midian, offered astute advice concerning the administration of justice in Israelite court cases.[ii]  While Moses’ insight into the divine surely came from heaven above, his worldly wisdom was a gift from loving people one generation above him.  

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam

            Good leaders need to listen to the wisdom gleaned from their elders.  They also avail themselves of the counsel of peers.  Moses’ wife Zipporah saved his life with her quick thinking at least once,[iii] and certainly proved that “behind every good man is a good woman.”  As a young child, his sister Miriam was the agent by whom Jochebed became her own son’s wet nurse.[iv]  As a grown woman, Miriam the prophetess led the Israelites in worship,[v] and offered Moses advice (whether he wanted it or not).[vi]  Moses’ brother Aaron served as the stuttering prophet’s spokesman,[vii] and later became the high priest of Israel,[viii] helping his brother Moses turn Hebrew tradition into an established religion.  The three siblings worked so closely together that there was little divide between where the work of one ended, and the work of another began.

            Leaders need advice from those who have been around the block a few more times than they have.  They also should listen to input from their peers.  But leaders are nothing without the people they lead.  As Jesus called His disciples to make other disciples,[ix] so He expects all believers to pass on the wisdom He has given them.  Moses was a mentor to Joshua and Caleb, who carried on his work long after he was gone.[x]  In turn, these young disciples assumed the mantle of leadership and passed on their knowledge to the generation beneath them.

            If God has called you to be a leader, then remember the resources He has given you.  You don’t have to go it alone.  Receive help from those who have already blazed the trail.  Prayerfully consider the opinions of your peers.  Pass on God’s truth to those who follow you.  And the wisdom-giver “will be with you always, even to the end of the age.”[xi]

           

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[i] Exodus 2:1-3

[ii] Exodus 18:17-18

[iii] Exodus 4:24-26

[iv] Exodus 2:4-7

[v] Exodus 15:19-21

[vi] Numbers 12

[vii] Exodus 4:13-16

[viii] Leviticus 8:6-9

[ix] Matthew 28:19

[x] Numbers 13:16-30

[xi] Matthew 28:20

"Cleansing MY Temple"

Spirit & Truth # 267

“Cleansing MY Temple”

By Greg Smith

            Every year around this time, my wife gets the notion to do some spring cleaning.  She’ll say, “Honey, we need to de-clutter the basement.”  Or, she’ll tell me, “Look at those windows!  They need to be washed.”  Or she’ll ask me to go to the hardware store and buy some paint.  Every year around this time, I get the urge to go fishing.  I wonder if somehow there’s a connection.  I don’t think I’m alone.  A lot of men try to avoid spring cleaning.

            In Mark 11:1-20, Jesus doesn’t avoid spring cleaning, but marches right up to it.  He doesn’t just choose any house.  He chooses God’s house.  Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey while shouts “hosanna!” that ring from the palm-waving crowd.  He then goes to the temple, takes a look around, and walks away.  Yes—He just walks away.

            Every now and then, I’ll read the Bible and discover something I’d never noticed before.  Previously, I’d always pictured Jesus entering the temple, seeing the money changers, and overturning the tables immediately.  But in actual fact, his first trip was a reconnaissance mission.  He scoped it out, got angry about what he saw, but didn’t immediately react.  Instead, he walked away to plan his protest for the following day.  When Jesus drove out the merchants, He wasn’t throwing a “temple tantrum.”  He was staging an intentional demonstration.  Jesus was angry over the commerce that kept people from freely entering the house of worship.  But if he had acted the first evening, his anger may have led Him into sin.  Instead, He contained his anger and applied it to a deliberate decision to stage a more controlled complaint the following day.  Yes, Jesus’ near-violent response was more controlled than it might have been, had he reacted the moment anger began to burn within him.  Waiting a day allowed Jesus to temper his temper, and approach the situation in a sinless way, rather than a senseless way.  All who have anger issues would do well to take a lesson from Him.

            As He overturned the tables, Jesus said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”  Just as He drove the rip-off artists out of the temple that day, Jesus wants to drive the robbers out of my heart today.  In John 10:10 (NIV), Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Jesus wants to cleanse MY temple (my heart, where God desires to dwell), and drive out everything that steals true worship and service from my soul.  This means He wants to drive out my sin and anything else that robs me of purity, obedience, and blessing.

            Jesus still cleanses temples.  Today, He wants to drive the anger, greed, laziness, pride, lust, envy, and over-indulgence from your heart.  I believe He wants to cleanse MY temple today.  Don’t you think it’s time to let Him cleanse yours?