Repent: Associate

Consider what Jesus preached:

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repent [3340- metanoeō – change of mind, repentance, the state of changing any or all of the elements composing one’s life: attitude, thoughts, behaviors concerning the demands of God for right living. From 3326 (meta – marker of association) + 3563 (nous – mind, thinking; understanding, insight; “to open the mind” means “to understand something”)]

What He was saying to the lost sheep of Israel:

1. Associate with God and understand something.

That’s an odd thing to say to a people whose culture revolved around God. Maybe they really weren’t associated with God in the way or to the extent that He wanted them to associate. So how is that done?

2. Change your attitude, thoughts and behaviors

about the demands of God

for right living.

They were “expert” with the demands of God. Why change anything?

…for the kingdom of heaven…

Heaven 3772 – ouranos – sky, air firmament, any area above the earth; heaven(s) the place of sun, moon and stars; heaven, in which God dwells; heaven in some contexts is a euphemism for “God”

…is at hand

Near 1448 – engizō – at hand, come near, draw near, close

Because God is close? How close? Very close.

²⁶ that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His ^[a]saints, ²⁷ to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim Him,admonishing every man and teaching every man ^[b]with all wisdom, so that we may present every man ^[c]complete in Christ. Colossians 1:26-28 (NASB)

Even after the God-man, Jesus, left this earth to sit at His Father’s right hand, all peoples everywhere were entreated to participate in this same repentance…this same change of mind and subsequent change of behavior.

29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge [a]the world in righteousness [b]through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men [c]by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:29-31(NASB)

What do we share with the nations about association and change?  Do the things we say include that Jesus is close at hand? …That He is our King? …That He will judge all peoples in righteousness?

May our words be chosen intentionally to that purpose…brought about to align with that good news.

What is your calling ?

 

“What is your calling ?”?

Desperately trying to process what the information was she was attempting to extract from our conversation in the short time we shared, all I managed was a semi-blank stare.

She was frustrated.

So was I.

Was she asking me what “gifting” I had? Was she asking about the time I first met Jesus? Was she asking me what work I wanted to focus my life on as a career? Did she want to know what I chose to pour myself into? My solution was to talk about all the options and hope I hit the right one.

Nope. That wasn’t happening.

“But what is your calling?” She repeated.

“Dang! I thought. “Woman, if you can’t figure it out by what I’ve already told you, neither one of us will probably ever know.” How could I articulate something I did not understand?

This church-people concept of “the calling” continued to bother me. What is it? Did I have one? Is it really such a big deal? Or is this just an annoying religious trend people can get caught up in? 

In our Voices: Hearing God in a World of Impostors Bible study this past week, I came across the topic of a person’s calling again, hiding out in the middle of one of our assignments.

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart [a]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the [b]saints, Ephesians 1:18 (NASB)

Well, Yes. I had to investigate this “calling”. Where did I go? To the concordance. First I had to define the word.

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The word used in Ephesians 1:18 is Strong’s word #2821 – klēsis – call, calling, situation, situation in life.

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A light bulb went off.

Situation in life! That’s what this calling stuff was all about?!

Ok, I can tell people my situation in life. Rejected the day I was born by my mother, saved by Jesus’ divine intervention at age three, abandoned at age five by my birth dad, divorce survivor, childhood commitment to lifetime Christian service, exposed to the fakery in religion and false teachers at age seven, discipled by strangers arranged by my Heavenly Father. Currently, I am married, loved and in love – Steve and I have been together 31 years. We serve our local church family together, I am a mother of four grown children (2 boys and 2 girls), I am a grandmother to one boy who will turn 2 next month, and one 5 month old baby girl both of which I take care of each week on the evenings they need me. I am not employed. I write. We are a one income, one small house, family. Some would classify us as poor but that really depends on the window they look through. 🙂

Paul was talking about the hope of Jesus’ calling. His calling is His situation in life. This calling belonged to Jesus but I could learn about it. I should learn about it because of its connection to the word ‘hope’.

OK, I can tell people about Jesus and His“situation”. He was born to a mother who wasn’t catered to and during his ministry called him crazy. He was raised by a daddy who wasn’t a blood relation. He learned obedience by what he suffered. He was tempted, hated, schemed against, betrayed, abandoned, and killed. He was also loved, affirmed, supported, strengthened, and raised to life, witnessed by many, and currently lives to intercede for all the saints. 

Does Jesus situation in life matter in any way when I think about my own situation? It does if I want to follow Him.

I have been trying to be a doer of the Word not just a listener. There are some defaults that go along with that choice. …Blessings and challenges. While I prefer the blessings over the challenges, if I am connected to Jesus’ situation in life, I cannot divorce myself from either the challenges nor the blessings. Both come into my situation by personal invitation... my calling.

Here is Paul’s situation in life…that he told people about as he defended his right to minister and as he shared his defense of the Gospel. 

6 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the [a]Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!”Acts 23:6 (NASB)

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22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they[a]descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in [b]far more labors, in [c]far more imprisonments,[d]beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, [e]through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and[f]exposure. 28 Apart from such [g]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is [h]led into sin [i]without my intense concern? 2 Corinthians 11:22-29 (NASB)

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7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to [a]torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast [b]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with [c]insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NASB)

Paul was personally invited into this life by name. 

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Paul was called and so are we. Though not called as he was.

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29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:29-31 (NASB)

 

Concerning Change of Status

17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

In this passage ‘calling’ is separate from ‘situation’. This ‘calling’ is #2564 – Kaleō – To call, invite, summon – The authority of the speaker determines the nature of the calling; friends invite, kings summon. Also translated, “to name” – the giving of attribution to someone or something.

What has Jesus invited us to? When does He summon us?…and for what purpose?

Where did we start? Where are we now? Where are we going?

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We are called heavenward in Christ Jesus of course!

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13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Let us therefore, as many as are [a]perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; Philippians 3:13-15 (NASB)

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Win the prize people. Pay attention to your personal situation. Use it for Jesus … In Jesus’ Precious Name. Amen.

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Doing the Word: Honoring My Father and Mother

As a part of Doing the Word of God this year, this bit about parents came up a few times. Honor is problematic. 

How does one honor the disrespectful? How does one give recognition to parents who have abandoned their offspring? …or done worse? Why would I want to promote someone who makes consistently bad choices that harm others? Am I trying to be nice because people want me to rather than because God wants me to? Is diplomacy at the expense of my wellbeing what the LORD really wants from me?

It’snot that I’m trying to get out of honoring my folks. It’s that it is really hard to honor them the way I think honoring should be done. Time and time again I find the need for secure boundaries…for the rescue of God in family relationships.

 My choice has always been to speak factually in regards to the choices of family members.

Never-the-less, I must find a way to honor Christ’s commands. Five times Jesus himself restates this command to honor our fathers and mothers – twice really. (Matthew 15:3-10; Matthew 19:19; Mark 7:10; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20) This good advice is also revisited in Ephesians 6:2. The first mention is about what we say regarding our parents. The second is Jesus teaching on what must be done to be saved. The third effects the conditions of our livelihood here on earth.

Can we, the afflicted, the abandoned, the trampled, find a way to obey this Biblical exhortation without lying to ourselves or to others? Let’s investigate.

3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor [5091]your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil [2551] of father or mother is to [a]be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been [b]given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother[c].’ And by this you invalidated [208] the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. Matthew 15:3-10 (NASB)

Some definitions are a must.

Honor (5091) timaō – to honor, show respect, give recognition

Speaking evil of, curseth :- (2551) – kakologeō, to curse, malign, speak evil of. From (2556 + 3004) / Kakos – evil, wicked, wrong, bad, a perversion of what pertains to goodness; as a noun, an evil thing can refer to any crime, harm, or moral wrong + lego – a general term for speaking.

Invalidated (208)- akyroō – nullify, to make void, to make of none effect

OK.

Honor your parents. Do not speak evil of them. Don’t forsake them in order to “give” to God. Got it.

BUT…

What if parents are actually evil, wicked, perverted (using good things for purposes other than they are intended), criminal, harmful, or morally wrong? How do I speak of them then?

I suppose we could take the path of saying nothing about them at all. Except for the fact that they hold positions of primary relationship in our lives and we interact with each other and with others regarding them.

Shall I make an effort to honor, show respect, and give recognition to evil? Shall I support what indeed is harmful? NO!!!!

Am I then condemned to cause Heaven harm? Heaven knows I do not want to place myself in a position of making God’s Word ineffective or worthless.

This is where all of God’s word comes into play not just pieces of it.

We are also supposed to speak the truth to each other.

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25 (NASB)

AND we are to call things as they truly are.

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who [a]substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who [b]substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 (NASB)

It hurts to say, “ Yes, I am so-and-so’s child. They are _____. That is provable. The consequences in my life are a testimony to it. Circumstances do not change reality… nor does wishing alter the truth.” It’s a shame that lingers. Mostly because we all know and want our own family to be all kinds of good things as they should be… but some families aren’t.

God knows this.

Both of my parents made some pretty bad choices. No matter how I word it, those will always be bad choices. Yet, I do not fall into depression, anxiety, or hopelessness. Instead I call on God, The One who exists and causes all things to exist. I say only two words. Sometimes they are a barely audible moan. “Save… me…” At other times those same two words come out like a battle cry as I lower my head and charge into the fray.

My hope is that God will take the reality of the bad primary relationships I call my own, transform them and at the end of time, show me that sorrow indeed is turned to joy. My worthless looking, heavy rocks were gem stones at the core… my irritations, treasured pearls . … or as in Isaiah, my grieving heart found among fallen tree debris is a precious acorn of great splendor waiting to be born.

To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a [a]turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 (AMP)

My hope, my trust, is in God and that kind of hope never disappoints.

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and [b]we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but [c]we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5(NASB)

Go. Recognize your father and mother in the Name of Yahweh who Saves (Jesus). Tell them and everyone else that HE loves you even if they do not.  In that way we can draw attention to good and love sincerely with His love while hating evil.

…And may God go with you, Friend. Amen.

Anger Lesson #1: Don’t Throw It Away

Everybody gets angry. Older people to child people. Some more. Some less.

God never said , “Throw away your anger.” He said through the voice of Paul. Be angry and sin not. 

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil [a]an opportunity. Ephesians 4:25-27 (NASB)

The first Anger in this passage is defined as #3710 – orgizō – to be angry, enraged, to feel strong displeasure and hostility; this can range from petty human anger to the righteous anger of God toward sinful disobedience.

The second ‘anger’ is actually “wrath” # 3950 – translated as wrath, indignation, or vengeance.

Sin in this passage is #264 – hamartanō – to sin, do wrong; usually to do any act contrary to the will and law of God. (So then, This applies to those who have decided to make God their boss.)

A little later in the same chapter Paul urges us to put away all anger. What does he mean? Is he conflicted? No.

The third ‘anger’ is #3709 —orgē —  the word from which the second anger springs–wrath, anger, the feeling and expression of strong displeasure and hostility; this can range from petty human anger to the righteous anger of God toward sinful disobedience.

Feeling angry is not wrong.
What we do with it can be wrong.
It can also be useful.
We decide.

Here are some thoughts to help you make those choices.

Where does anger – (unfriendly, antagonistic, opposed) hostile thoughts – come from? Well, we know where they do NOT come from. They do not come from God. We also know where they originate. They come from within us.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted [a]by God”; for God cannot be tempted [b]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin [c]is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:13-15 (NASB)

How we think about things like justice and injustice, kindness and self-control may ignite our thoughts. One of the benefits of anger is its power to alert us to function and dysfunction…who or what is not the way it is supposed to be.

Previous experiences and the knowledge base we call our frame-of-reference have a lot to do with how we think about what goes on in our world and therefore a great deal to do with those things that make our blood boil.

When sorting all these out, it is wise to also separate out opinion  from facts. Those ideas that make your anger alarm go off are just as important as which hard evidence data takes you to the red zone.

Decide whether you are viewing an event from the nosebleed section of the situational “stadium” or if you are up close enough to smell sweat and the grass your cleats dig up on the way to the goal’. This may regulate the amount of personal resilience investment and help you to perform well within the proper boundaries allotted to you.

When do thoughts morph into hostile feelings? When do my emotions begin to dictate what I do? At the very instant I snap the ball to their waiting hands.

What am I supposed to do with unfriendly antagonistic thoughts?

• Take all thoughts captive. Do not allow them to carry you away. (footballs don’t carry people, do they?) It is no accident that Ephesians 4 mentions anger twice and also mentions captivity. Who leads captivity captive? Christ Jesus Does! When we cannot cope with or control our thoughts Jesus Saves. Ask him to control your thoughts and rescue you.
• PRAY
• Leave room for God’s wrath. There is no receiver more qualified to carry your thoughts – hostile or otherwise to make a great play. God’s wrath is one way He shows his love for us. Let Him fight for you. 🙂 “19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [a]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 (NASB) This is a real pleasure to watch unfold because of the satisfaction that good triumphing over evil brings.
• Let God’s anger be complete. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Or the Lord will see it and [a]be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.  Proverbs 24:17-18 (NASB) (This works in football and in parenting relationships too. Incompletions don’t score.)

How is my anger transformed into something of great value to God? Answer: When my thoughts are renewed and brought into alignment with the will of God. The “anger” book of the Bible is Psalms. You will find in its pages many prayers that transform angry hearts into properly functioning praises. One essential part in all of them is the acknowledgment of a lack of personal dominance and/or control in comparison to the dominance and control of the King of the Universe. It’s awesome!

Rebuke is one expression of displeasure. If I rebuke somebody sharply (#664 – harshly, sharply, severely, rigorously), have I sinned? No. Neither have you, friend.

Titus is admonished to do just that with rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers. (Titus 1:13)  The goal of such a rebuke (#1651- elenchō – to expose; rebuke, refute, show fault, to convince, convict) is so that they will be sound in the faith. That would be a good thing. Be warned, it is not always well received but such a treasure when it is. In parenting, and in any governance really, it’s an essential skill set.

So think through your opposing and hostile thoughts. Benefit from your anger. Allow the LORD, who causes all things to exist, to achieve God’s purpose through your totally valid emotions. Don’t throw away God’s good gifts to you. Use them to score for the team.