The Message of the Cross - foolishness or power?

In today's scripture reading I came upon the verse I had committed to memory for quite some time and which has offered me lots of insight and strength in my faith journey.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

My wife and I have recently been listening to "Unbelievable" - a British podcast with the apologetics theme:

Each Saturday, in the award-winning programme Unbelievable, Justin Brierley asks questions like: Can Christianity live up to the claims it makes? Can we trust the Bible? Why should I believe in Jesus over anything else? Justin tackles these and other issues, on a show that gets Christians and non-believers talking to each other.

It has been very helpful to hear thoughtful and intellectual debates between Christians and non-Christians, moderated by a very mild manner British moderator. Jane and I have learned a lot not only why non-Christians don't believe, but more importantly why we believe. It helps me not only to know what I believe, but also how to engage in a respectful dialog with my non-believing friends.

To get back to Paul's message to the Corinthians (here is a very good background information about Paul's trips to Corinth), here he was dealing with internal division within the Corinthians church. Paul was trying to point them to the central message of their faith, which was what Jesus did on the cross.

It is important to know that as much as our faith is grounded in historical facts and is based on intellectually sound propositions, ultimately whether one would commit his life to this faith journey will be the work of the Holy Spirit. If it is left to human being to design a salvation message, it would surely not to hang God on a cross! Yet this simple (and apparently foolish)  message has turned the lives of many around. This is definitely true for me:

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 1: 26-31)

Who were the sons of Korah?

It began with the general question "Who were the writers of the Book of Psalms?". I was reading Psalms 77 & 78 this morning and the author of both of these psalms was Asaph. I then remembered some were written by the Sons of Korah and the name Korah reminded me of someone in a famous story in the Old Testament. So I decided to look things up. From wiki.answers.com the best concise answer to the author question was:

Many psalms are signed by their author but others are not. Seventy-three bear David's name . Asaph is listed on twelve. Some are attributed to Solomon. Moses Ethan and Heman are thought to have written one each. The remainder are unknown in authorship. The Davidic psalms bear other hallmarks of David. He was known as a master musician throughout the Old Testament period and these psalms bear testimony to this. Many are reflections of events in his life. The New Testament writers also referred to David as being the author of specific psalms. The Sons of Korah wrote 11.  

Who was Korah and who were his sons? There were 44 references in the Bible on Korah or Korahites (i.e. descendants of Korah) of which 11 were on the Sons on Korah who wrote the 11 psalms in the Bible. They are some of the most beautiful psalms and they can be easily mistaken to be psalms of David. Here are some of my favourites:

As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God. (Psalm 42:1, listen to the hymn)

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42: 5 & repeated in 11)

It was not by their sword that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
    and the light of your face, for you loved them. (Psalm 44:3)

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear (2x), ...
The Lord Almighty (of host) is with us (2x);
    the God of Jacob is our fortress (refuge). (Psalm 46:1...7, 11 - one of my favourite hymns)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in (all) the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 - listen to the hymn)

Clap your hands, all you nations (people);
    shout to God with cries of (triumph) joy. (Psalm 47:1 - another favourite hymn)

Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
    in the city of our God, his holy mountain. (Psalm 48:1 - another favourite hymn)

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God. 
Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (Psalm 84:1-2 & 10 - two of my favourite hymns)

The fact is the Sons of Korah had a very humble beginning. Korah was a descendant of Levi, who had been set aside by God to be priests for the people of Israel. They would not have inheritance of their own for their inheritance is the Lord himself (Deuteronomy 10:9). Instead of being content with the privilege of serving in God's temple, Korah aligned himself with 250 rebels to challenge Moses and Aaron's leadership (Numbers 16). Korah, along with some of the ring leaders and their families, were swallowed up by the earth when the ground opened up beneath them. The rest of the 250 rebels were consumed by fire from the Lord as a penalty because they treated the Lord with contempt. Obviously some of Korah's descendants survived. After seven successive generations, the prophet Samuel arose from the line of Korah, the genealogy of which is recorded in 1 Chronicles 6:31-38, and Heman and his sons became temple musicians. So Heman was a Korahite. Of interest, Asaph was a Gershonite, also a direct descendant of Levi.

Gotquestions.org has a beautiful writeup on the Sons of Korah. Here is a reflection (and my take home message) of what I can learn from the Sons of Korah:
One wonders if the poet who penned these lyrics was remembering his ignoble beginnings, his distant ancestor who perished in an earthquake for his pride and rebellion. Perhaps it was that reflection that prompted the following words of the Psalms: “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’” (Psalm 46:10). For each of us, our own songs of renewed purpose and redemption should flow out of a heart of humility as we remember the fallen state from which He raised us and the redemption that we experience through His grace. This was certainly the case for the sons of Korah.

Psalms to read in times of war

In the past week I read a number of Psalms that were written during times of war. And top in the news this week was a young man gunned down by Toronto police on a street car. Since I am now attending a church that preaches peace over violence, I thought I would dig a little deeper what King David has to say (or sing) during times of war.

I found another helpful site called EasyEnglish Bible that not only translates the bible into easy to read English, but also provides helpful commentaries. This is particularly helpful for Old Testament passages. In today's reading on Psalm 60, this is what Gordon Churchyard has to say:

The Story of Psalm 60

Psalm 60 is a *miktam. A *miktam is either something made of gold, or special teaching or something hidden. Bible students think that there is a story hidden in Psalm 60.

David was at *war. He was a long way from home, near the River Euphrates. That means that he was in Babylon. The old name was Mesopotamia and the modern name is Iraq. 2 Samuel 8:3 tells us where he was. On the way home he fought the Syrians. While this was happening an old enemy of Israel called Edom attacked Jerusalem. David sent one of his soldiers with part of the army to fight the Edomites. They beat them and killed 12 000 of them. This happened in the Valley of Salt, near the Dead Sea.

David wrote the psalm because he thought that God had left him and his people. That is what David thought that the attack by Edom meant. The Edomites must have broken the walls of some of the towns in Israel. But something else must have happened as well. Verse 2 sounds *like an earthquake. This is when the ground moves, and trees and buildings fall over. There are holes in the ground, and animals and people fall into them. All this was hard for David and his people to understand. Why did God let it happen? They felt as if they were drunk after drinking wine! Wine is a drink with alcohol in it. We still have earthquakes today.

We still do not know why this happened. The psalm does not tell us. But it does tell us that God did answer David and his people and he did give them help.

And what was "the *Lily of the Covenant"? A lily is a very pretty flower. A *covenant is what people have when they agree together. Bible students explain "the *Lily of the Covenant" in two ways. Either it is the name of a piece of music that they could sing the words to. Or it is the name of a *musical instrument that they could use to make music while they sang.

The word *SELAH is another problem. It probably means a place for thinking about the words, or praying, or listening to music. When we say or sing the psalms today we do not stop at *SELAH: maybe we ought to! But when we study the psalms, we must think about the words, and pray about them. Even when we do not understand them well, God can and does still speak to us through them. If he does, then the psalm will be as gold to us, because God’s words are still of very great value.

Now that's a lot of good stuff in there. But what does that say to me about my attitude towards my enemies or when I am in the midst of conflict? I think deep down I still subscribe to the "just war" teaching. But I am willing to learn. I have not been in situation where I had to "strike back". I am not sure how I would react then. The Mennonites, who are considered Anabaptists, helped me to worship with the Psalms in Time of War. This is an extract (I put emphasis on the take home points):

We offer the following psalm groupings and their order as a guide for constructing worship services in time of war.

We begin with empathy for the suffering, those who have lost friends and property at the hands of their enemies. These psalms of imprecation allow us to hear the cries of those who are powerless and who suffer in the face of war and unjust suffering. These psalms ground our worship in reality, in the harsh realities our times. They are the voices of those we bomb.

We follow the cries of the victims of war with psalms of lament, psalms that cry out to God in the face of enemies, in the reality of their success and prosperity. They remind us that people make war, it is people that kill. Laments give voice to our feelings of helplessness and to our hope in God, the judge of the universe. We pray that God will thwart their power and bring justice and righteousness to this earth.

Having explored the feelings and expressions of those who are suffering and those who feel powerless in the face of war making, we need to express our confidence in God. The hymns, the psalms of God's sovereignty claim that God is in control, the foundations have been established, and the waters of disorder and injustice will not prevail against our God. We need to be an affirming and confessing community. We need to believe that God is not with the forces of invasion, but is opposed to them.

Finally, we end with psalms of praise, psalms of hope and celebration. Surely, God is to be praised even in our times. Surely, God's praise can be voiced even in a time of war when the current stage seems so bleak and mindless. Praise is an act of hope and of faith. Hope for the future and faith in our God who has the interests of the suffering at heart. 

Don't kick against the goads?

In Paul's testimony before King Agrippa, he recounted the trip to Damascus when the Lord spoke to him:
"We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’" (Acts 26:14)

What does "kicking against the goads" mean?

I really like this explanation from wiki.answers.com:
Interesting question. There is some discrepancy about that verse, because "kick against the goads" is actually not in the original manuscript of Acts 9:5 that tells the story of Paul's conversion. Some think that an overzealous monk may have added it when transcribing when it appears later in Paul's retelling of the event in Acts 26:14. But more than likely, it was either 1) something that Paul received personally from God during the event or 2) a then common day proverb that, in hindsight, Paul later related his pre-conversion life to.

Ultimately, "kick against the goads" is a metaphor. Goads were used to prod cattle and livestock forward, and they would frequently kick back at them, only causing themselves more injury. The thought is that Paul has been kicking against God's "goading," and God has been trying to urge him to go in a certain direction.

The relation in modern day is that Paul is telling us that people still "kick against the goads" today. There is a way of right life & right belief but we fight it. And in doing so, we aren't hurting God... we are only hurting ourselves.

Michael Houdmann, CEO of gotquestions.org gave this application:
There is a powerful lesson in the ancient Greek proverb. We, too, find it hard to kick against the goads. Solomon wrote, “Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path” (Proverbs 15:10). When we choose to disobey God, we become like the rebellious ox—driving the goad deeper and deeper. “The way of the unfaithful is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). How much better to heed God’s voice, to listen to the pangs of conscience! By resisting God’s authority we are only punishing ourselves.

C.H. Spurgeon delivered this sermon #709 he named "Kicking Against the Pricks". I'll take some of the points he made as my take home message:

1. Don't be an ox! Don't be like this dumb beast, which despite God's gentle prodding, has a propensity to wander away; or worse, to push back at God only to suffer the consequences of my own folly.
2. Listen to the goads! His discipline can be sharp and uncomfortable. But it's for my good. As long as I follow its guidance I won't be hurt.
3. And don't kick (against the goads)! Don't rebel against the teachings of the Bible. Don't sneer against those who kindly advise us. Don't "persecute" God's people (maybe not as bad as Paul, but do I ignore or mistreat those who belong to the household of God?).

"Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4)

A Psalm to remember - Psalm 23

Today's scripture reading is from the famous Psalm 23.  Over the years I have made numerous commitment to memorize scripture verses and the Psalms are definitely my favourite. There are several Psalms I have managed to memorize in their entirety, at one time or another, for example, Psalms 1, 8, 103 and of course Psalm 23. And here is the version (probably a mix of several versions!) I remember:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pasture, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.
He leads me in the path of righteousness, for his name sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me,
   your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil,
  my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

And here is the New International Version (NIV):
Psalm 23
1     The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
       he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
       He guides me along the right paths
         for his name’s sake.
4     Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
         I will fear no evil,
         for you are with me;
         your rod and your staff,
         they comfort me.
5    You prepare a table before me
         in the presence of my enemies.
      You anoint my head with oil;
         my cup overflows.
6    Surely your goodness and love will follow me
        all the days of my life,
      and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
        forever.

The few things I appreciate about this Psalm over the years:

• King David started using "He" to address God in the first 3 verses then switched to "You" in verses 4-6. It's like he was telling the reader what he knew about God then he shared from his own experience about his relationship with his God.
• In verse 1, I prefer to say "I shall not be in want" instead of saying "I lack nothing". I think "not being in want" speaks of a deeper acknowledgement of God's provision. He not only provides my daily necessities, he himself is all I need in life!
• Verse 2 speaks of God's daily guidance in my life. As a sheep following the voice of the shepherd, my job is to hear his voice (i.e. reading scripture and praying) and I will find myself in places and situations that restore my inner being. Yes there will be troubles and heartaches, but He is always there to guide me.
• Verse 3 speaks of the assurance we have in Christ through whom we have access to the righteous God. We learn from Christ and we seek to obey him for we know that it is the way to God. "For his name's sake" is also reassuring. We know that God will accomplish this. He has chosen a people he will love and he will not let us go too far astray because his very own name is at stake! This is a recurrent theme in the Old Testament, e.g. "For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own." (1 Samuel 12:22).
• Verse 4 - His presence will take us through the darkest hours of our life. His rod (i.e. his discipline) and his staff (i.e. his support) both serve to comfort me in these situations.
• Verse 5 - What more can I say? We are more than conquerors! If God is for us who can be against us? (See Romans 8:31-39)
• Verse 6 - "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" is definitely an Old Testament idea. In Christ we have the promised Holy Spirit who dwells in us!! "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?" (1 Corinthians 3:16)

A God-message for the philosophers

Today I read the story of Paul's visit to Athens during his second missionary journey during which he made his famous speech at Areopagus (aka "Mars Hill" - after Mars, the Roman God of War). I am sure I have heard sermons on this passage of scripture, with themes around evangelism, or apologetics. So I will dig a little deeper today to see if there is an appropriate message for today's culture.

First some background: I discovered again how difficult these missionary journeys had been for Paul and his travel companions. The second trip was conceived after the important Church Council resolution in Jerusalem, which essentially eliminated the need for circumcision for Gentiles to become Christians. The church sent Silas, among others to accompany Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch to "authenticate" the resolution to the believers there (Acts 15:22-35). After some time Paul and Barnabas decided to make the second missionary trip to the places they visited in the first trip to find out how the believers were doing, and no doubt to update them with the new resolution and to encourage them in their faith. However, Paul and Barnabas had "sharp" disagreement over whether to take along John, also called Mark, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia during the previous journey. Barnabas, true to his name which means "the encourager", took Mark and Paul brought Silas and they took off in different directions. Early in the trip, after some success in Lystra, where on the previous trip Paul was nearly stoned to death(!), and where Timothy joined them in this journey, there was a change of plan. They were "kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia"and when they tried to enter Bithynia "the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to". And after receiving a "vision"  where a man from Macedonia begged Paul to come, Paul concluded that instead of revisiting the places he had been, God had called him to preach the gospel in Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10).

However, this trip once again was marked with many successes and hardship. In Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia, they were stripped and beaten and thrown into prison, where they were released miraculously (by a violent earthquake) and where the jailor and his family were saved (this is where you find the famous Bible promise “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31). In Thessalonica they caused a riot (Acts 17:1-8) and had to be sneaked out of town. Further persecution in Berea by the Thessalonica mob eventually took them to Athens.

So it hadn't exactly been a Mediterranean cruise! Paul was single minded on these journeys to preach the gospel of Christ. He listened to the inner Spirit and followed faithfully where God had been leading him. He witnessed God's working in His mysterious ways - sometimes full of joy and wonders as he saw people turning to Christ, other times he saw the evilness of those who refused to believe and the extent of hatred that nearly caused him his life. But God was never far away. It prompted him to say these words:
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)

So when he arrived in Athens you can imagine how he felt when he saw all the idols there. But there were more than physical hand-made idols. There were philosophical idols as well, among them the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who were interested in a debate with Paul, and to take place in the great Areopagus - the "Rock of Ares" which functioned as the high Court of Appeal (Acts 17:16-21)! So Paul was facing an intellectual crowd who were not exactly seeking to know a living Saviour, but a new philosophy in life. This is probably not dissimilar to the people we meet today. There is a definite rise in interest in spirituality. But when we tell people about Jesus, they think we are just "babbling"; they have heard it before. So what can I learn from Paul's speech (Acts 17:24-31) in this context:

• If you look at nature, you have to believe in the existence of God (verses 24,25)
• He is omnipotent and omnipresent (verses 26, 27)
• We find meaning of life in him (verse 28)
• We cannot replace him with man-made idols (verse 29)
• God is calling us to repent - to turn back to him (verse 30)
• He has sent his son Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sins. He has authenticated his authority by raising him from the dead. We are to choose to believe in him or to reject him. There will be a day of judgement (verse 31 - yes this verse is loaded!)

So this is not a man-made philosophy. It is based on observation of this universe and the historical existence of Jesus. It addresses the nature of man and our propensity to sin and our need for salvation, which Jesus has freely given us. As in Paul's days, there will be some who would be saved and others who won't. But at least a few will be stimulated to think and may show interests to hear more (verses 32-34).

Contemplating pain and suffering

Reading through Job brings me once again face to face with pain and suffering. No one can predict the future. I certainly do not wish for any serious suffering. But seeing what some of my patients go through it is hard not to ask myself what if I were in the same situation? How well would I fare? How would it affect my relationship with God? Would it draw me closer to him or would I be so angry with him that I would (as Job's wife would suggest) "curse God and die" (Job 2:9)? Here in these verses, even though Job felt abandoned by God (and abandoned even by his closest friends), his faith in God prompted him to say these precious words:

I know that my redeemer lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
    with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19:25-27

I know for now when things are going well I need to nurture that kind of faith by reading and committing to memory Bible verses like these, trusting that they will provide comfort in times of need. I also believe that it is by studying scripture that I become more familiar with who God is and his purpose for me, even through suffering.

Through years of reading scripture two books in the Bible bring much delight and comfort when I think of suffering. Both were written by the apostle Paul and I think they highlight a few important principles when facing pain and suffering.

In 2 Corinthians and Philippians, Paul was writing to the churches he founded. He was showing them by example his attitude towards suffering:

(1) Suffering is the path to experience God's comfort, both for ourselves and for others.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Cor 1:3-7)

(2) Suffering causes us to hope in God (and not ourselves) and to pray
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (2 Cor 1:8-11)
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Cor 1:20)
"Amen" means "so be it"!

(3) Suffering reveals the power from God (and not from us)
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Cor 2:7-12)

(4) Suffering puts earthly accomplishments in perspectives (when compared with knowing Christ)
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil 3:7-11)

(5) Rejoice in the Lord always, pray with thanksgiving in every situation, put into practice everything we learned - that's how we have God's peace through times of trouble
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:4-9)

Lord, teach me these things now... that I may have the strength to face whatever the future may bring.