Yoke

One more new idea that came from Rob Bell this week was about the word "yoke."  A rabbi is a Jewish teacher who has disciples that follow and learn from him.  Now every rabbi looks at the scriptures and interprets them in the way that seems right to him.  He teaches his interpretation to his disciples and this is called his yoke.  

Now understanding this opens my eyes to a couple of other scriptures that use the word "yoke." Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Mt. 11:28-30.

The rabbis of Jesus day were often reproved by Jesus for their interpretations of the scriptures.  He often said that they made people miserable and burdened them down.  And then Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy.  Now, I think living the way Jesus wants us to live is anything but easy; but compared to what others may burden us with, I know that Jesus' way is easy because it makes leads to peace and rest. 

So I gladly take His yoke upon me and learn of Him.  

More Dust

Another thing Rob Bell talks about in "Dust" is the story of Jesus walking on the water.  In the story Peter gets out of the boat to walk on the water.  Now when we reflect on what we know about what being a disciple means (see previous post) we have new insight into what Peter could have been thinking.  He sees his rabbi  walking on water and he wants to do what his rabbi can do.  So he jumps out of the boat.  Peter walks on the water but then starts to sink.  Jesus saves him and says, "Why did you doubt?"  

Who is Peter doubting?  Rob Bell says maybe he doubts himself.  He doubts that he can be like his rabbi.  We are supposed to believe in God, that's obvious, that's a given.  But thinking about this, that Jesus believes in me, makes me understand some other things Jesus says.  When he says, "You shall say to the mountain, 'Be moved,' and the mountain shall be moved," Jesus is telling us that in the Holy Spirit we DO have the power to do amazing things, miraculous things.  He has provided us with all we need to live this way.  He knows that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to take the gospel to the whole world, just like Jesus commanded. 

 And so how do I live and act in regard to this amazing thought...that Jesus believes in me?   I obey Him when He calls; I love others as He loves; and I pray in the power of His Holy Spirit.   

Dust

We had a full house today in Sunday School.  Some students are in from school because the semester is over.  It is good to have a full class and we had a good lesson today.  It was called Dust and gave so many good insights into the way the 1st century Christians and Jews would have understood some things that were happening.  I will try to share a few of them with you this week.

The first thing we learned was to think about Jesus being a Jewish rabbi and what it took to become a rabbi.  Boys received their education and it consisted of memorizing the first 5 books of the Bible.  They are called the Torah by the Jews and are the most important scriptures because they were written by Moses.  When this was finished, by the time a boy was 9 or 10, the best students were selected to further their education.  This phase required them to memorize all the rest of the Old Testament.  Pretty mind boggling, if you ask me.  Now when the boys were 14 or 15, most boys studied a trade and became an apprentice.  But the best students went to a rabbi and asked to be a disciple.  The rabbi evaluated the student to see if he had what it took to know what he knows, do what he does and BE LIKE HIM.

Now when we see Jesus call his disciples, we have greater insight into what was happening.  When he calls them he is choosing men who are not the brightest students.  They didn't make the cut and get selected to study under another rabbi.  And so this new rabbi shows up and says, "Come, follow me."  He's telling them he thinks they have what it takes to be his disciple.  He has evaluated them and is telling them they can know what he knows, do what he does, and BE LIKE HIM.

No wonder they dropped everything and followed him.  

More later.

I have neglected my blog the last couple of weeks and so, with Alyssa's prodding, here I go again.

Last Sunday we had a lesson called Luggage. It was all about what a burden it is to be seeking revenge against others when we have been wronged. When we fail to forgive and seek vengeance what we are saying to God is that we don't trust Him to do what needs to be done to that person. So we take over God's job, like we can do it better than He can.

As a part of the lesson I spoke a little about the steps we must take to forgive someone as outlined by Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life. However, in the course of talking about this I felt like I was having a hard time saying what I meant. I mean, words were coming out, but I felt a little like the girl in the clip at this youtube address:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww


So with that said, let me summarize here what Rick Warren had to say about the steps we should take when we have been wronged OR when we have wronged someone else.

1. Talk to God before talking to the person.
Tell God about your frustation or how the incident happened. Ventilate vertically.

2. Always take the initiative.
God always expects YOU to make the first move. See Matthew 5:23-24.
"Delay only deepens resentment and makes matters worse....Acting quickly also reduces the spiritual damage to you. The Bible says sin, including unresolved conflict, blocks our fellowship with God and keeps our prayers from being answered, besides making us miserable."

3. Sympathize with their feelings.
"Don't try to talk people out of how they feel at first. Just listen and let them unload emotionally without being defensive."

4. Confess your part of the conflict.
This requires humility in acknowledging that, whether intentional or not, most of the time we have had some part in causing this problem.

5. Attack the problem, not the person.
"Don't use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you." Eph. 4:29

6. Cooperate as much as possible.

7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.
"Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant."

What good thoughts! And how hard they are to put into practice. Let us all strive to live by these principles.

Romans 12:18 - "Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody."

Noise

I am sitting here on Thanksgiving morning in my silent house.  Everyone is still asleep and it is so quiet.  So unlike how it will be in an hour or so.  I have been up and read my Bible and some other things I am reading, and I am so thankful for this quiet time.

This week in Sunday School we listened to Rob Bell talk about noise in our lives.  We are surrounded by noise, both auditory and visual, 24/7.  It takes a profound and sustained effort to create quiet in our lives.  And it is in this quiet that God speaks.  Have you found your quiet spot?  What are you doing to get yourself in a position to hear God?  What small change can you make to begin a habit that will lead to quiet?

1 Kings 19

¹¹ The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." 

      Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.(Some translators say the idea here is "silence.") ¹³When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 
      Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

In this holiday time it is especially easy to get lost in the "noise."  Make finding some quiet time a priority during this season.

Sunday

On Sunday we had  a good group again...all regulars.  Always good to see them all out.  This week our DVD was called "Sunday."  Rob Bell said about church, "Is this really what God had in mind?"

When you think about church on Sunday, first of all, do you think about how the service is organized?  Why do we do the things we do?  Why do we do it the same every week?  Mostly we keep it the same because change makes people uncomfortable.  And we ALL like to be comfortable.  But we are all unique, and different things are meaningful to us.  In the book Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas identifies nine ways people draw near to God.  Naturalists are most inspired to love God out-of-doors, in natural settings.  Sensates love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services that involve their sight, taste, smell, and touch, not just their ears.  Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols, and unchanging structures.  Ascetics prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity.  Activists love God through confronting evil, battling injustice, and working to make the world a better place.  Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs.  Enthusiasts love God through celebration.  Contemplatives love God through adoration.  Intellectuals love God by studying with their minds. (Taken from Purpose Driven Life)

I see myself strongly in some of these descriptions and much less in others.  I'm sure that's true for everyone.  But I think we really need to make a greater effort to incorporate each of these into our services from time to time.  I know it will make the worship more meaningful and give us a variety that will speak to us in different ways.  And we need to get more comfortable with changes so that we can give others what they need.

Trees

This week in Sunday School we had 3 regulars and a new couple in our class.  We enjoyed to ideas they brought to the class and the discussion they engaged in.

This weeks DVD was called "Trees."  It talked about the tree in the Garden of Eden and then the tree from Revelation that will be in heaven.  Rob Bell said, "We live between two trees."  But the point was about how we live.  If all we are doing is waiting for a new life and all the good things we will experience in heaven, if our main goal is taking everyone we can with us to this new and wonderful place (worthy goal though it is), then we have put aside the wonder of living the abundant life now.  Too many people become Christians and act like the event of their salvation is the end when it is only the beginning.  It is the beginning of a journey the goal of which is to bring God's love for everyone and everything to life.  It is to live out "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."  And in doing so we bring abundant life to those around us and attract them to the God who loves them beyond their imagination.