Comments on Acts 6:5

They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…

The apostles had a problem. There was squabbling in the camp. There were territorial lines being drawn. People had to protect their own; to look out for their own. They were taking care of the poor alright—the poor who had the same skin color. The movement was young and God was clearly moving among them, but people are still people and racism is hard to root out of people. The Christians were allowing racism to influence how they took care of those among them in need and it was creating problems.

The apostles needed a solution. They certainly couldn’t allow this to continue, but they had bigger fish to fry. So they delegated a team of men to handle this and future situations. They appointed deacons (servants). But what kind of person do you assign for a task like this? What kind of person handles these kinds of sensitive issues? What kind of person takes care of God’s business? A people oriented leader? A detail conscious manager? A positive thinking motivator? A sure and steady laborer?

Their first choice was Stephen: a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Because…

That’s what it takes to handle God’s business: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s what it takes to be successful in God’s kingdom: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s the kind of people the church can depend on: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s the kind of person who can handle the problems of this world: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s the kind of leadership the world needs: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s the person God is turning me into: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s the person God is calling me to be: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s the person I so desperately long to become: faith and Holy Spirit.

That’s what God is creating in this world: faith and Holy Spirit.

O to be called a man who is full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. O to be seen as such a man. O to be tasked with a project that requires such a man. For this is God’s call on my life: that I may be like Stephen; that I may become a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

Comments on John 20:22

And with that he breathed on them and said,—Jesus is making a metaphor here because the word for Spirit is the same word for breath. His breathing is not the imparting of the Spirit, as we know this wasn’t done until Pentecost. Jesus is using symbolism to make an impact. The paring of breath and spirit is ancient. The Old Testament talks about the “breath of life” when referring to the force that animates animals. More than simply a collection of cells, humans have something immaterial in them bringing them to life. We can see this when people are dying or when they are on life support; their bodies are hanging on but their spirit is waning. The breath is often thought of as the force which brings life into a person. The Spirit of God is a life bringer. He brings life to people who are spiritually dead. He brings people a relationship with God who previously had none. He brings the power to overcome to those who are controlled by their desires. He brings a connection with truth and light which is impossible to obtain in his absence. Jesus breathes on the apostles demonstrating that the life which they heretofore have been leading, a spiritually breathless life, was about to come alive.

“Receive the Holy Spirit.”—Receive is in the imperative here, which means it is a command, not a request or a suggestion. The spirits of the apostles are ordered to come to life by the Spirit of God. To be a follower of Jesus is to receive the very same Spirit as Jesus. He gives this to all followers. It is not possible to follow Jesus without Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said it was necessary for him to go. This is why Jesus said his followers would accomplish more than he (in this world); because his Spirit literally lives in each of us who proclaim him to the world. As a result God is not located in one place, but he is located throughout the world in those who have dedicated their lives to serving him. He has brought my Spirit to life and is regenerating my very soul by sanctifying me on this side of heaven for the sake of the Kingdom. God is doing his work in this world and he is doing it through me. I cannot ignore Holy Spirit for it is the key to what God is doing in me as well as what he is doing in this world. Receive Holy Spirit, my friends, and live life anew!

What Determines Morality?

Morality ultimately requires the divine, for without the divine all morality is subjective. The logic of morality by definition lends itself toward infinite regression: every moral statement is subject to the question “Who says so?” or “Why is that right?” Many believe that some things are right because they are self-evident; however, what makes these things self-evident? They may be self-evident to some people, but they are not self-evident to all people nor have they been self-evident for all time. I recently heard a secularist define morality as, “Don’t harm others. Do good to others.” This popular concept of morality is far too subjective to be applied universally, for what one person defines as doing good another defines as doing harm. At some point morality must hinge upon the divine to determine truth.

Morality is based upon truth. Moral laws are right or wrong based upon truth or non-truth, not based upon the degree to which they help or hurt others. For example, we might argue that it is immoral to harbor hatred toward another person even though the harboring of hatred is neither harmful nor helpful to the hated person. Hatred is intrinsically immoral because God says it is, independent of one’s actions toward the hated person. Morality cannot be based upon the degree to which it harms or hurts another because many laws of morality have no direct impact upon others. Morality must be based upon transcendent moral law.

I base all moral teachings in my ministry upon the divine. If I cannot tie a moral law to Yahweh then I don’t believe I can make the declaration. After all, morality is not subjective and cannot be based upon what a pastor says. If morality cannot be determined biblically then we should call them principles rather than morality. I certainly may be incorrect in my understanding of the Bible and the application of morality, but at the very least I am obligated to demonstrate how my moral teachings are divinely mandated. 

Comments on Luke 11:13

If you then, though you are evil—I’m sure my Calvinist friends are never going to let me live this down, but I have to admit that humans are evil. Whether we are born evil or become evil, the fact remains that depravity is a stain on the human condition. Paul calls it my “flesh.” It appears that being human is to have cravings, temptations, desires to engage in unrighteousness. From a very young age I am drawn to evil. Nobody had to teach me to disobey, that came naturally. I wish I could say that I’m a good man, but that is only true in the relative sense. In the absolute sense, that is, compared to God, I am an evil man. It is true that in Christ I am both justified and sanctified and that I am no longer evil before God, but in my flesh I am being sanctified and Holy Spirit is in the process of driving the evil from me. It is important that I use these terms to refer to myself: in my flesh I am evil and Holy Spirit is changing that.

…know how to give good gifts to your children—Even evil people can identify good and evil and behave in good ways. It is good and loving to care for children. I can see good and I can want good and sometimes I can even behave good. Just because I can do something good doesn’t mean I am not evil in my flesh. Doing good things does not make me good. Being good makes me good, and only Holy Spirit can make me good.

…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!—Jesus’ main point here is that a truly good Father God will give his good gifts far more abundantly than we evil fathers could possible give our children. The secondary point for me is that his good gift is Holy Spirit. What I need is Holy Spirit. What God is pouring into me abundantly is Holy Spirit. All the problems I have with my flesh are solved by Holy Spirit. God greatly desires for Holy Spirit to be present, active, and leading my life. This is how I become sanctified in this world. He is willing to give me his gift in far exceeding amounts than I can imagine. My only requirement is to request Holy Spirit, to listen for his voice, and to follow his lead. The more I yield the stronger he becomes and the greater God’s gift in my life. He is willing; the only question is, am I?

Comments on Luke 3:21-22

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.—John’s was a baptism of repentance, so why did Jesus come to be baptized? Repentance means to “change my mind” or to “think again” and the practical application of repentance is to turn away. John had been calling people to turn away from the sin of the corrupt Jewish establishment and turn back to God. Certainly Jesus is baptized out of an obedient heart. Perhaps Jesus is baptized to consecrate himself for his upcoming ministry. It seems that Jesus is also baptized to join the people in their repentance. Jesus comes with all of humanity; with all us sinners. He doesn’t separate himself as he should. He identifies with humankind and participates with us as we turn away from our sin and turn instead toward the Father.

And as he was praying—What happens next is because Jesus is connected to the Father in prayer. The Holy Spirit comes down upon Jesus as he obeys and prays. Now there are two words fairly foreign to 21st century American Christians. Jesus doesn’t “say a prayer,” Jesus prays. I mean he doesn’t have a moment when he says a few words to God, Jesus communes with God in deep conversation. Jesus lives in relationship with the Father. As he is going about his business, as he is being baptized, he is in prayer. This level of connection is the context in which Holy Spirit comes.

heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.—Holy Spirit comes in physical form so that we would be sure about what is happening here. Something completely new is taking place: the Spirit of God is coming to rest upon human beings! Yes, the event is spiritual, but it had never happened before so Holy Spirit wants to make sure we don’t miss it. What makes Christianity distinct is that God himself comes into me in order to transform me from the inside out. Humankind has not the power of self-transformation; we have not the power to overcome slavery to The Liar. But Holy Spirit does and God wants to make sure I know this. Holy Spirit comes to me as it came to Jesus, and this is what makes all the difference!

And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”—This voice isn’t for Jesus, this voice is for humanity. Jesus is approved by the Father. Jesus is representative of the Father. Jesus speaks the words of the Father. We have a word from God himself and it comes in the form of Jesus. Jesus pleases God. If I desire the same, I simply need to follow the model Jesus provided.

Imago Dei

The most compelling explanation of what scripture means when it says that we are created in the image of God (the imago dei) is the human capacity for relationship with God. Of all distinctions between humans and other forms of life in earth, this seems to be the most unique. Of course, the capacity for relationship with God encompasses relationship with humans, language development, moral agency, and the ability to reason, for relationship with the divine requires all of these. But this is not why it is most compelling to me.

God exists in perfect relationship to himself. The Trinity is the perfection of God in relationship. To be God is to be in relationship. God does not exist outside of relationship. All animals have the capacity for relationship, but not all animals have the capacity for perfect relationship, and only humans have the capacity for perfect relationship with God. God created humans for the capacity to enter into the perfect relationship of God himself. To do this requires that humans have the capacity for perfect relationship (what I’ll call one-ness) with not only God, but with other beings as well.

Relationship with God required many other capacities. The capacity for moral agency is essential since God is moral and to have a relationship with him requires a moral decision. The capacity to reason is essential since God is intelligent and relationship with him requires thought. The capacity for language is essential since God communicates and a relationship with him requires communication.

Humans are created for the purpose of relationship with God. It is the most significant trait that distinguishes humans from all other creatures. God himself entered into a relationship with humankind, inviting humans to be one with him. The entire biblical narrative is the story of how God is restoring that relationship so that humans can fulfill their purpose. Unsatisfied with only relationships with other humans, historically we have intrinsically sought a relationship with the divine. This is our purpose. This is imago dei.

Dangerous

Holy Spirit is dangerous.

There, I said it. I’m glad I said it; it needed to be said. I’ve been studying Holy Spirit for seven weeks now and it is already obvious that Holy Spirit is extremely dangerous to 21st century Americans. In Luke 3 Jesus is baptized and has an incredible spiritual experience: John confesses him as the Lamb of God, Holy Spirit descends upon him in physical form, and the Father audibly speaks to him. Then in 4 we find that Holy Spirit immediately leads Jesus into the desert for the express purpose of weakening him before his appointment with the devil. Jesus goes from spiritual high to the wasteland in about a month. That’s when it occurred to me: Holy Spirit is dangerous.

He’s dangerous because he takes me where I don’t want to go. There is a reason I don’t live in the desert: IT SUCKS! No offense to my brothers in Palm Springs, but people stay out of the desert because it’s hot, dry, arid, lifeless, and topographically challenged. People die in the desert. There are places in this world I never want to visit. There are places in my heart I never want to visit. Places in my heart that are dry and lifeless. Holy Spirit doesn’t care whether or not I want to go to these places. He takes me to address the challenges I find there, and that makes him dangerous.

He’s dangerous because he has no regard for my comfort and safety. I spend most of my life working to ensure my comfort and safety. When measured as a result of my daily efforts, my comfort and safety are of supreme importance to me. Holy Spirit isn’t interested in how comfortable I am; his interests are far higher. Holy Spirit has a completely different definition of what it means to keep me safe. When I chose to listen to his voice and follow his lead there are times when he will lead me into the desert to face evil, and that makes him dangerous.

He’s dangerous because he pushes me to become somebody I am not yet. After Jesus was finished in the desert the Bible says he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Jesus was better, stronger, and more powerful as a result of his encounter with the devil. Holy Spirit will lead me to become a better man. He will lead me to deal with my sin and my wounds. He will lead me to face my temptations. Holy Spirit leads me to do things I don’t want to do in order to become someone I am not yet, and that makes him dangerous.

Holy Spirit won’t leave me in the desert alone. Holy Spirit won’t push me farther than I can go. But he will stop me from protecting what I value so that I can become someone even more valuable. That makes him dangerous to the American lifestyle. Following Holy Spirit requires much courage.