Luke 1 :: At Home With Luke

Luke 1

Luke makes special note to his motivation for writing his account of the Good News.  He explains to Theophilus that his desire is to present a detailed account of the "harvest of history" or the fulfillment of things that were promised.  Luke is the third book of what we call the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew and Mark being the other two, which share many of the same stories.  He is clear that others had written before him and that he was taking their writings into account, as well as his own investigation.  His plan is to start at the very beginning.  His preface is more formal than that of the other writers.  He uses phrases that are not used anywhere else in the NT, but are used by other classical writers of his time.  Luke is an educated and well-read man.  His account of the gospel can be read with a great deal of confidence behind it.  Claiming to write a detailed account of this history would have brought scrutiny to his writings.  Critics would have ripped him if they thought anything he said was untrue.  They would have tweeted about his errors, blogged about his discrepancies and probably destroyed any credibility he might have had.  That did not happen, and we have copies of his writings still today.

Presuming Luke to be a doctor (historical assumption), we discover brutal honesty and straightforward accounts of the physical liabilities that faced Elizabeth and Mary.  Elizabeth is old and Mary is young.  Elizabeth has tried for years to conceive and Mary has never been with a man - in the "biblical way."  Luke doesn't sugar-coat their situation, but simply states the facts of the situation.  Luke is the only one of the synoptics to tell of the angel visits to Elizabeth and Mary.  I find this fascinating because if they were simply legend and not actual events, of all people, Luke would have not included them in his account.  But he does.  Luke has no interest in the inclusion of fable into his narrative.

So as we kick off our reading through Luke today, we can approach with confidence and understanding that what we read is what happened, to a degree that we might not have other accounts.  Luke is the most like us and is an ardent defender of the outsiders.  His passion for "all people" is contagious and seen from the very beginning.  It often feels like Luke is writing to people who don't believe or who are critical of the story being told.  I feel at home listening to his story.

(Family Questions will come in another post today)

Romans 2:12-16 :: Knowing vs Doing

Paul wrote this letter to a melting-pot church: all followers of Jesus, but from very different backgrounds and prior religious experiences; some Jews who knew the Ten Commandments and other laws of God, and many others who had never heard of them.  Yet, all of them seemed to have a common moral understanding.  Where does that come from?

The Jews were convinced that their knowledge of the Law of God positioned them better with God, but Paul blew holes right through that arrogant idea.  Knowing and Doing are not the same thing.  In fact, doing is better knowing than knowing is.  What would God prefer?  That you memorize the Ten Commandments, or that you obey them all without ever seeing the list?  The answer is obvious, and sobering.  We're studying Romans, and study has enormous benefits, but also severe limits.  We will have learned a lot by the time we're done, but that's not God's goal for us.  Our lives demonstrate what we've really learned.

I recently had an opportunity to partner with a lady in our community to serve another family in need.  From my perspective, I would say this lady is "unchurched."  She may not see herself that way.  She and her family have an interest in church, but there have been obstacles to them getting involved in one.  Anyway, back to the story: it became clear to me that this lady had repeatedly taken the initiative to serve this family.  She had reached out when others had not, kind of a modern-day Good Samaritan.  I only got involved because she contacted me, believing I might be able to help (and I was able to do so).  I was encouraged that she saw me, a Christian and local pastor, as a go-to person in a situation like this.  But I was also reminded that all the training and knowledge in the world don't necessarily produce a good heart; she hasn't had the benefit of a bunch of Bible study or church training, but all the folks who have were not the ones who made a difference for this local family in crisis.  And, incidentally, while this lady has yet to attend one of our Sunday gatherings, she and her family have come to a couple of our table gatherings.

Here are just some implications of this teaching:

• What does this tell you about the way we do church?
• What are the benefits and limits of knowledge and training?
• If basic morality is commonly understood among all people groups (as Paul implies), then that is not our unique contribution as Christians to the world.  What, then, is our unique contribution?
• How do (or should) we respond when people of other faiths, or no faith in particular, do good or demonstrate moral understanding?

Acts 23 :: Where is the Nugget?

Acts 23 in The Message and TNIV translations

I'm afraid some people think that every time I read the bible, I find something inspiring or challenging or encouraging to write about.  I'll admit that most of the time I do.  I do believe that the bible is the inspired word of God and is useful to us today.  It's like panning for gold...sometimes it's easy and other times it's not.

Today is one of those chapters that is not easy.  I've read it twice and parts of it more than twice.  I may be tainted from my post two days ago, thinking that Paul's trip to Jerusalem shouldn't have happened.  Whether it's my disposition to day or the point of the story, I'm just not finding anything incredibly inspiring to write about from these verses.

So, what do we do when something like this happens.  Do we just check our box to show that we did read that day?  Do we beat ourselves up because we aren't spiritual enough to find the nugget here?  Or is there some solace in realizing that we are reading a story and stories have ebbs and flows.  There might be a time in my life later when something in this chapter jumps out at me and does inspire me or challenge me.  For someone reading this, you may have found that nugget today, and I'll hear from you and maybe receive my inspiration from God speaking to you...and that would be cool.

We believe the bible is God's word and has the right to command my belief and my action (Belief: Authority of the Bible).  "Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another - showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way.  Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  We also believe that Christ-followers study the bible to know God, the truth and to find direction for our daily lives (Practice: Bible Study).  It is "sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or disease, laying us open to listen and obey" (Heb. 4:12).

I believe it's useful, but I'm just not finding that today - can someone help a brotha out?

Acts 16 :: Context

Acts 16 in the Message and TNIV translations

In Acts 16, a young church leader named Timothy becomes a part of our story.  Timothy is significant for two reasons.  First, he's only half Jewish, so his acceptance as a church leader further breaks down barriers to full participation in the church for non-Jews.  Secondly, Paul becomes his mentor as a church leader, and writes two letters of advice to him, which we call 1 and 2 Timothy.

Also in Acts 16, we start to see how far the good news of Jesus is travelling in a short period of time.  I'm going old school today and including a map because I think's it's cool to see what's happening visually.

Acts 15-18 chronicles what is called Paul's 2nd missionary journey, and in today's chapter he and his team travel the land portion of the journey, then a short trip by sea to Philippi.  This is the first time the gospel reaches Europe.  If you know your map, you can see Paul's team reaches the area of today's Balkan states and Greece.  Churches are planted in cities like Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth -- all places far from Jerusalem, with very different cultures and religious traditions.  Folks in these towns are likely converting from polytheistic religions or Greek philosophy when they become Christians, so there is a lot of teaching to be done to help them grow in their faith.  Paul's letters of encouragement and instruction to these churches, which he writes after his journey, are the New Testament books that carry their names.

This information may seem a bit dry compared to more devotional stuff, but it sure helps if you're reading some of the other books.  These chapters tell you why eight other New Testament books were written and help them come alive when you read them.

Core Practice::Bible Study

I study the Bible to know God, the truth and find direction for my daily life.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

Bible Study. Shouldn't this read, "I go to bible studies whenever a good one is offered that fits my schedule and meets my needs, both spiritually and physically - with my kids"? Sometimes it seems like bible study for us is more like sifting through the latest Eddie Bauer catalog to see if there is anything I want. Even the bibles that we have to choose from are a smorgasbord of personal advertising for authors, lifestyles, ages, colors, materials, etc. My personal favorite is the "Spirit-filled" Bible, as if all of the others were Spirit-deficient. It's often easier to pick up a DVD "bible study" and plug along rather than just open what you have. It seems like we have so cluttered our personal call and privilege to know God's word with celebritism (teacher-driven studies) that we have forgotten how and why we study the Bible.

If we truly believe the Bible is the Word of God and has the right to command our belief and action (Core Belief :: Authority of the Bible), we shouldn't let anything stand in the way of this practice. But I do...all the time. A couple of years ago, I did something to try to help myself in this area. I have difficulty reading the Bible as a story. I tend to read it with an eye on the page and an eye on you. I read to teach. I read to share with others. I don't want to be that way, though. I want to read to know God, so I made a translation switch. For years, I read the Bible in the New International Version, and my Bible was a Study Bible, so it had a lot of notes. I've always been enamored with the Message translation of the Bible. I got the New Testament, then I got the parallel version with NIV/Message side by side, but I always kept my "real" Bible (NIV) with me. Now, I am a full blown Message user. No notes, just story. It's written the way I talk, so I don't have to work so hard at reading it. This one change has brought joy back into Bible Study for me.

It all starts with the bedrock belief that this Bible is the Word of God. That moves us to study it. Just as with prayer, yesterday, we don't study the Bible to know stuff, but to know someone. We study to know God. John 1:1 calls Jesus Christ the Word, and the Word became flesh. Hebrews 1:3 lets us know that Jesus is the exact representation of God. If I want to know God, then I go to the Word. I study the Bible to study Jesus to know God. When I struggle with Bible study or Bible reading, it's because I have cloudy vision. I am not clearly seeing the Bible as words that were breathed out and inspired by God. When I am clear on that truth, then the desire to read the Story is there.

Resource: Eugene Peterson wrote a great little book called "Eat This Book." He chronicles the reasoning and development of the Message translation and challenges us to get back to reading the Bible as narrative. Excellent resource.

Bible Study: Flows directly from Authority of the Bible

Kids Q&A:

Kids' Big Idea: "I love God by reading my Bible."

Hand Motion: Holding palms open like a book.

Why do you read a book? We read books to hear a story. We read a book to know about someone. We read a book to take an adventure.

Why do you think it's important to read the Bible? The Bible is God's story. It's a book about Him. It tells us stories about adventures that others have had with God.

It's important to have a kid-friendly version of the Bible to get them started reading and enjoying reading. I suggest a story bible. My First Message is my favorite. There are 50 stories of the Bible running from beginning to end. The actual Message text is used, but it's broken up into readable parts. Included are reflective questions, prayers to pray with your kids and activities to drive home the point of the stories. There is even a seek-and-find character named Manty on every page that makes it fun for the kids. I started reading the stories to my daughter, and now she reads them herself.

Mark Chapter 1

I'm glad you're jumping into Mark's gospel! Allowing Mark to take us on a walk with Christ through his 3 years of ministry, his death and resurrection, can be a life-changing experience. I hope you're starting with a sense of anticipation. Whether this is your first time to read the Bible or you've been reading Scripture all your life, we will all know Jesus better and understand Him differently after this experience.

Brad and I (Cameron) will be posting comments about one chapter each weekday from now through Easter. Most chapters, including chapter 1, contain multiple events in Jesus' life, and I'll often comment on only one of them. But if you have questions or comments about any part of the chapter, I encourage you to post them. Now let's get started...

v.22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

I was a sophomore in college in 1987. Two years later, students my age would be celebrating atop the Berlin wall as it was being torn down, and protesting for freedom in Tien An Men square. But in 1987, there were only rumblings of those events. One of the "rumblers" was a Russian poet named Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Freedom of speech did not exist in the Soviet Union, but wherever the lines were drawn, he danced on them with his poetry. He was a rock star in Russia, packing out sports arenas like Bob Dylan had done in the US in the '60s.

Baylor invited him to come to campus for a live reading and Q&A session. I had never heard of him before he arrived, but I was riveted when he recited his poem, "I Would Like." He had translated it into English, and recited it with a thick Russian accent, sometimes reverting back to Russian for dramatic effect. He began with the words, "I would like to be born in every country." It was not enough for him, he said, to be just one person, he wanted to be everyone! He had a zest for life, and captured in his poems the longing of his countrymen to experience the world on the other side of walls and razor wire. No one else could have read that poem with the same effect; no one else had lived the life that produced it.

Jesus stepped into a world that had been reading his poetry, and reading it poorly. When other teachers spoke, they had to "name drop." They had to quote authoritative sources to give their own teaching credibility. Not Jesus. "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,'" he would say. "But I tell you, love your enemy." (Matthew 5:43-44) No one said "I tell you." What difference would it make? Go to court and try that. "You have heard it said the speed limit is 55, but I tell you it's 80." That's what Jesus did. And when he quoted the Scriptures, as he often did, he laid claim to them as if they were his own. They were. There is no authority greater than the author. Who knows better what the author really meant? Who can bring the passion of personal experience? Who lived the life that produced the art? Who feels it in the core of his being?

For the first time in human history, people were hearing the Story of God from the author himself, and the power of that was unmistakable. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory..." -John 1:14

Read Through Mark Begins March 23

Have you ever been to a party where you didn't really know the guest of honor? It can be sort of awkward, right? We like the party, but the depth of celebration is limited by our knowledge of the one being celebrated. Easter tends to be like that too. For some of us, our knowledge of the Risen Jesus deepens our celebration on that day. We realize that Easter is about much more than one Sunday a year - it's about a daily celebration of a Savior that has given us new life here and now. For some of us though, we don't have that level of knowledge so Easter can tend to be just one other "church thing." This year, we want to help you deepen your celebration.

This spring, we are corporately reading through the Gospel of Mark. Beginning on Monday, March 23, we will begin reading one chapter per day. As you read this account of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we believe that your celebration will be more meaningful this year than maybe any year before. Cameron and Brad will blog here to discuss each of the daily readings. You can subscribe to this site to receive the daily posts by email, also.

So...read along with us. It's going to be a great ride.

If you haven't listened to our launch message for the new series and the daily readings, go HERE and do that first!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUDYING THE BIBLE AND READING THE BIBLE