The Blessings of Suffering

The other day I was supposed to share in class about some Devotional Classics I’ve been reading. I sat in front of the class and told them, “I’ve had a lot going on lately. It all seems to have coated my soul in Teflon and nothing I’ve read has stuck. I’m sorry, but I can’t share with you about the readings. Instead, I’m going to tell you about my last few days.” I went on to tell them about some dear friends of mine who found out they were pregnant with their first child. A few weeks into the pregnancy they learned that their baby had a birth defect that would kill their child within hours of birth if not during birth. They carried their child for several more months, enjoying their little boy for the short time they could. During those months we found out that we were pregnant with our third child. A week and a half ago, we were in the doctor’s office viewing our 20 week ultrasound. While the technician was telling us how wonderfully perfect our little baby is my phone vibrated. I instantly knew that it was the text message telling us that our friends’ baby had died. In that instant I was slammed with the heights of joy and depths of grief. I felt sad, joyous, relieved, grief-stricken, guilty, angry, happy… a flash flood of emotions washed over me in a moment.

After I shared, my professor talked about a passage from Julian of Norwich in which she prays for suffering. This is such a strange concept to my 21^st Century ears. My default setting is to avoid suffering at all cost. This is really a silly notion, though. I can’t get very far through my day before I’m standing nose to nose with the affects of suffering. It is part of living in a fallen world. As Julian lay dying, though, she thought of Christ on the Cross:

…I have never asked for any kind of revelation or vision from God – I only wanted to have the compassion I thought a loving soul would have for Jesus by witnessing his suffering. It was at that moment that I saw red blood running down from under the crown, hot and flowing freely, just as it must have been beneath the crown of thorns that pressed upon his head. I fully perceived at the moment that it was Jesus, both God and man, who suffered for me, for I now knew it directly without anyone telling me.[1]

Slowly, I think I’m beginning to see the role of testing and suffering in faith. But this understanding does little to mitigate the pain of living in a fallen world. I’ve heard many well-meaning folks talk about losing a baby like it’s a good thing because the baby is with Jesus now. While I believe the child of these believers is now with Christ because of his covenantal promises, I find that my heart still grieves over this loss. It isn’t supposed to be this way. I cannot look at this as a “happy” thing. I will not look at the deadly affects of sin on God’s good creation and say it is a good thing. But I can be thankful for it. I am thankful because there is a God who stepped into this mess. There is a God who is not only compassionate but empathetic to us in our sufferings. And through his sufferings and victory over death he will redeem this world. Death will be no more and then he will wipe away every tear. I will not like it but I will be thankful that I can lean hard into a Savior who understands the pain of death far more intimately than I do. I will not like it but I will look with faith and hope to the day when the death of Christ fully accomplishes the death of Death.

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[1] Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, in Richard J. Foster, Devotional Classics: Revised Edition: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, Revised. (HarperOne, 2005), 75.

Serving Those in Extreme Poverty

Like much of the US, the state of Florida is being enundated with political attack ads. One particular series of ads is centered around whether on particular candidate either does or does not agree with the current Arizona laws regarding illegal immigration. The illegal immigration issue is a serious one that will not be solved by simple pat answers. Border laws and strict enforcement will not prevent people from trying to provide for and save their families. It is a symptom of a much larger issue that is not unique to the US or Mexico. It is a problem, however, that can be understood and resolved only through the power of the Gospel. The Armonia ministry was begun with the goal of alleviating this extreme poverty through the power of the Gospel.

Context is always helpful, so a brief history lesson is necessary. Over 500 years ago, Spanish explorers came to Central America looking treasures and riches. They found many fascinating and profitable things, but they also found a native people who didn’t exactly understand who these new people were or what it meant for their way of life. The native peoples initially thought the Spaniards were gods who were part man/part horse whose skin shined like metal and they arrived on floating mountains. In truth they were simply men on horseback with armor who arrived in tall sailing ships. The native peoples had no grid for this new encounter.

The Spaniards then began a wholesale extermination of the native peoples. This continued until 1552 when a friar, Bartolome de las Casas, published A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. In this book, Casas pleaded the case of the native peoples of Mexico. The King Phillip II of Spain ordered an end to the extermination of the native peoples as a result of this book. Since extermination was no longer an option, the Spaniards forced the native people off the best lands and into the mountain highlands. Now, 500 years later, these native peoples still live in these mountain highlands. They are the poorest of the poor in the Mexico with little hope of a better life. Generally, these are the Mexicans that in hopes of saving their families illegally cross the border into the US. The dispossession and oppression of these peoples drive them from their own land and to the US in hopes of surviving. The roots of our country’s immigration crisis goes back to before the US was a country.

The Armonia ministry was founded by Dr. Saul Cruz to serve the poorest of the poor in Mexico. Many of the kids in these villages have no chance of getting an education. They have no chance of doing anything in their villages to improve life. They often have no chance. Armonia brings kids from these villages to Casa de Margarita (The Daisy House) to educate them and give them a chance at getting into a university in Mexico City. After graduation, these kids commit to coming back and working with the younger students before they return to their villages to serve. While in the house, the kids are often exposed to the Gospel for the first time. To this day, many of their villages are essentially unreached people groups.

Saul’s ministry flies in the face of conventional wisdom in the West. Our ideas of alleviating poverty often includes giving hand-outs and essentially Marxist or socialist philosophies. He was actually mocked and attacked by a Marxist professor during his PhD defense. His Gospel solution is the only one that will work, but the enemy seeks to continue to oppress people.

Even in the evangelical world, we will descend on a poverty stricken people, hand out bibles, money, and clothes. Then we leave and feel good that we have “shared the Gospel with the poor.” In fact, we’ve only taught them that they don’t need to embrace the call to build cultures that honor God.They simply need to rely on rich western Christians. We teach them that work is something that rich people do. If the poor are lucky, the rich will share with them. We cannot make the poor our “pet projects.” The poor need to recognize that they are created in the image of a Creator God. They have a call to create. They have a call to work. This honors God because it reflects his character. They are stewards of God’s riches every bit as much as Christians in the West. They have to learn this. We have to teach them. When the Church parachutes in and redistibutes our Western wealth, we only hurt and further disadvantage and oppress the poor. The Church must come alongside the poor and empower them to create and to work. Do the poor need our resources? Yes. Do the poor need our money? Yes. Do the poor need our time? Yes. Do the poor need our relationships? Yes. Our obligation is to be radically generous and divinely wise so that we help and not hurt.

In the process of this relationship we verbally proclaim the truth of the Gospel. These two wings (social action and verbal proclamation) allow the Gospel to soar. This is the ministry of Armonia. Armonia helps the poor by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and by empowering the poor of Mexico to serve others.

It is far too tempting in the US to answer the symptoms of poverty. We can try to shut down the border to keep out illegal immigrants. But the answer to this problem is to address the causes of poverty at its root. And that answer is the power of Gospel to redeem broken people. Is this not what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer? “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven.” May the God of Grace give us the wisdom of help the poor and disadvantaged.

Gregory of Nazianzus on the Mystery of the Incarnation

“He was tempted as man, but he conquered as God; yea, he bids us be of good cheer, for he has overcome the world. He hungered—but he fed thousands; yea, he is the bread that gives life, and that is of heaven. He thirsted—but he cried, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.’ Yea, he promised that fountains should flow from them that believe. He was wearied, but he is the rest of them that are weary and heavy-laden. . . He prays, but he hears prayer. He weeps, but he causes tears to cease. He asks where Lazarus was laid, for he was man; but he raises Lazarus, for he was God. He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only for thirty pieces of silver; but he redeems the world, and that at a great price, for the price of his own blood. As a sheep he is led to the slaughter, but he is the shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also. . . He is lifted up and nailed to the tree, but by the tree of life he restores us; yea, he saves even the robber crucified with him; yea, he wrapped the visible world in darkness. . . He lays down his life, but he has power to take it again; and the veil is rent, for the mysterious doors of heaven are opened; the rocks are cleft, the dead arise.”
- Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 29.10
Thanks to Dr. Swain for sharing this in class.

Modern Day Corinthians

"The problem with the Corinthian church was not so much that they were relapsing into paganism, as that their Christian faith, however sincere, had not yet transformed the worldview they had adopted from the surrounding culture. They had not grasped how the theology of the cross not only constitutes our basis for our salvation but also and inevitably teaches how to live and serve - and such teaching is in radical contradistinction to a world dominated by self-promotion and social climbing" - DA Carson & Doug Moo, Intro to the New Testament p. 427

Gotta Work on My Vocabulary

I'm taking a class that surveys the Biblical books of Judges through the Poets. One of the texts I am using is Bruce K. Waltke's An Old Testament Theology. It's a great book that outlines the themes and structures of the books of the Old Testament. Dr. Waltke (who is teaching my class) does have an amazing vocabulary. I mean, it's sick. Here's a list of words I had to look up just in the one chapter I read tonight:
regnal
fecund
peripeteia
irruption
onomastic
redivivus
nugatory
majordomo
surd
usufurcts
My dictionary didn't even have all these. I had to look some of them up on the internet. Crazy. I'll give bonus points to anyone who can define these without a dictionary.

A Little Bit of a Stretch

The other day I preached in my Preaching Lab on Judges 13. I spoke about the divine visitation that Samson's parents received heralding his birth. One of the interesting aspects of this divine visitation is that was totally undeserved. The Israelites not only were doing evil in the sight of the Lord (v. 1) but this is the first point in the book of Judges were that phrase is not followed by "And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord..." (see 10:10, 6:7, 4:3, etc...). The apostasy of Israel had spiraled down in such a way that they no longer even cared to repent. Sin was just a part of life. The sinfulness of sin had completely escaped their minds and hearts.
Consequently, the Israelites found themselves at the altars of Baal and Ashteroth, the local fertility gods, and worshipping by having sex with temple prostitutes. It's easy from our 21st Century perspective to look down on their gross immorality...but we're not that different, just more sophisticated.
Every day we are bombarded with the a gospel. It's a gospel message that says consume me and you will find happiness. The whole Marketing and Advertising profession is built on a gospel message that says, "Your life is deficient. This product bring fullness to your life." Check out the claim on the back of my Gobstoppers package:

"Inside this scrumdiddlyumptious package you will find mystic & marvelous surprises that will entrance, intrigue & delight you beyond measure."
That's pretty bold coming from a glob of dextrose, maltodextrin, and less than 2% corn syrup.
But, we fall for these false gospels everyday. Lord, would you give us the faith to repentant of our desires to find satisfaction apart from you and turn to you through Christ, who alone is our satisfaction.

Back from the Summer

Kim and I just got back from our summer at Camp Vesper Point. It was a tremendous summer, full of great ministry. There were many opportunities to explain the Gospel to kids who had never heard or understood it. There were also many opportunities to explain the Gospel to the counselors. The Gospel isn't just the message that we preach to unbelievers, so that they can know Christ. The Gospel is also the message we preach to believers, so that they can be changed by Christ. The message of repentance and faith is for our sanctification as much as it is for our justification.
We are glad to be home and gearing up for another semester of school. We got back to Orlando the day before Summer Greek I started. I had the privilege of being the Teaching Assistant for Greek I, and that was also a great experience. It was, however, my first real "classroom" teaching experience. Personality-wise, I am much more of a "feeler" than a "thinker." It really pained me to mark off on quizzes and tests...especially when many of those guys are my close friends. But, we must be faithful to teach well, which includes grading honestly...even when I just want to put happy face stickers on everyone's tests! (not really, but you get the picture).