Five Streams of the Emerging Church | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Five Streams of the Emerging Church | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Good discussion.

same space, same time, separated by great distance

The phenomenon of superposition and entanglement, where photons share the same space at exactly the same time enabling them to be directly connected to one another even if separated by a great distance, are the hallmarks of a quantum computer, Prof O’Brien explained.

 So... how does reality work?  The more I learn the less I knew.

near or far or both?

If God is greater than the universe how/why would he care for me?

The thing is, things are in things.  We can go up or down, right or left, and a variety of other dimensional options.  But doing more of one is doing less of another. 
The idea of being near (in a focused attentive way) and far (in a focused attentive way) seems impossible, and is for us.
There is a fairly common struggle in relating to this.  How can God (say something about broad scope) also care about me?
Answer?  By being the Creator, not a creation.

    [8:1] O LORD, our Lord,
        how majestic is your name in all the earth!
    You have set your glory above the heavens.
         [2] Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
    you have established strength because of your foes,
        to still the enemy and the avenger.

    [3] When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
        the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
     [4] what is man that you are mindful of him,
        and the son of man that you care for him?

    [5] Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
        and crowned him with glory and honor.
     [6] You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
        you have put all things under his feet,
     [7] all sheep and oxen,
        and also the beasts of the field,
     [8] the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
        whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

    [9] O LORD, our Lord,
        how majestic is your name in all the earth!
 (Psalm 8 ESV)

    [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(Matthew 6:30 ESV)

Goldilocks and the futue

A little girl wanders into a bear family's house.  She helps herself to their food.  It makes sense when you are a kid; I wonder why?  Anyway, it is a story about comparisons.  The porridge (oatmeal?  congee?) in one bowl is"too hot!" in another it is "too cold." and finally in a third bowl it is "just right,"  So she just eats it up.
Speaking about the future we can be 'too hot' 'too cold' or 'just right'.
Too hot = arrogantly claiming how the future will play out (too much confidence in MY will)
Too cold = irresponsibly not engaging the future, just assuming it will all play out (not using my will)
Just right = intentionally taking in God's wisdom and applying your will in trust to your understanding of God's will, always open to his redirection. (Made in God's image, using my will in humble and hopeful trust under His will)

[13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— [14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. [17] So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
(James 4:13-17 ESV)

poem of the day: Age of Men?

Is this then the Age of Men?

Spandex doesn't hide anything

with it's breath-tight grip.

That's why the heroes wear it

to show they have nothing to conceal.

No gaping wounds, no trick knees

not even the ridge of a scar

to tempt thoughts of mortality.

So here they come

flying to the rescue

without even the dust upon their feet.

Congratulations.

How great to be the Untouchables

saving the untouchables.

What happened to the knights of old

carrying their virtue like a weight

across their shoulders in iron?

They knew what a dangerous thing

it was to claim to be

anything more than human.

To come thundering instead of gliding

with the hours of travel behind them

weary and worn with armour chafing

but arrive ready for battle.

What sacrifice in defense when

your smile is kevlar thin

and if you seem to die it's only

in order to emerge alive again?

Rather ride with mortality astride

looking for the red dawn

for justice and for peace

and the fear that would freeze

the best of these

if they could ever feel it.

So here to the weary warriors

who have seen too much of dark

here to sharpened swords and dulled armour

to truth and justice and fear

all wrapped in one.

Hail.

And for the invincible, the sure

a suit of spandex with nothing to hide

and nothing inside.

James' thesis

    [12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
(James 1:12 ESV)

blessed = makarios, happy, well off, fortunate...
this is the same 'blessed as in the sermon on the mount (also in LXX for Ps. 1).

Who is well off?
"steadfast under trial" - things are not easy, but this person does not give up

Why is not quitting when it is hard 'well off'?

when the time of testing is over, if one is still standing, he will receive life's award (goal, prize, point)
That is God's promise to people who love him (and don't quit when under trials)

What i see is James making an argument for his people that fidelity to God, in spite of short term losses and hardships, is the best long term investment of life.


Everything in the book expounds on that idea.

Withdrawals from junk (processed food, heroin, selfishness...)

[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4:7-10 ESV)

Submit to one, resist the other.  That is clarifying.

Draw near to God
   Cleanse hands (you sinnners)
   Purify your hearts (you double-minded)

   Be wretched and mourn and weep
   Let you laughter be mourning, joy gloom
Humble yourselves before the Lord

HE WILL EXALT YOU

hands and hearts?  Actions and Attitudes.  Clear enough: don't sin and be double minded, change your actions and thinking.

But, why all the sad stuff?  MT 5:4, blessed are those who mourn.  Luke 6 mourn, weep etc.? 

It is a sickening feeling to turn from a corrupt coping system to get back on a healthy system.  In other words, DON'T EXPECT A WASHING LIGHT TO DESCEND WHEN YOU ARE SORRY.  You can receive grace IMMEDIATELY to reassure you, but the painful withdrawals will take time and, well, will be painful.  But its worth it.

He will exalt you (lift you up from the muck).

clarify loyalties

    [4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? [6] But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4:4-10 ESV)

Circling back...

Covenant is with God
We live in a world in rebellion to God
We have desires with options for fulfillment in the rebellious world
We just need to befriend the world  in rebellion to pursue those desires
When we do so... We betray our beloved, defile our covenant, and become part of the rebellious camp and thus 'enemies of God'.

So what should we do?  CLARIFY LOYALTIES

God gives grace, go get some.  Draw near to God and away from the adversary.  Make it unambiguous:  Yes to God, no do the leader of rebellion against God.

God will take that humility, that acknowledgment that we need him, and will graciously help.  He is 'jealous for the Spirit he has made to dwell in us'.  He gave us his Spirit to be able to live his way.  It is troublesome for us to neglect that.  When we return and walk by the spirit, we can learn to have appropriate desires met appropriately, as much as can be done in a fallen world.

World or God - desire, adultery and puzzles

    [4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
(James 4:4-5 ESV)

Adultery?

    [5] For your Maker is your husband,
        the LORD of hosts is his name;
    and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
        the God of the whole earth he is called.
 (Isaiah 54:5 ESV)

The Bible is the record of the love story of God and his covenant people.  He made us, cares for us, pursues us, redeems us, etc. etc.  And we?  At times we try to get what we want without reference to him.

Is desire bad?  No.  Desire is good.  The whole question is of loyalty and propriety.

1. WORLD   (     )
2. WORLD   god
3. (            )   God
4. GOD         world

1. The first option is wanting things in the world and going to the world without reference to God.
2. The second is wanting things in the world and trying to use God/religious stuff to get the things you want.
3. The third is only wanting God, and nothing in the world etc.  This is monasticism, withdrawal, and so on.
4. The fourth is desiring God as the categorically greatest good, and following him in how to approach the good desires in the world he has created.

4 options of desire world/god and the JAMES 4 strife issues via a party with pizza delivered:

1. first option: My temptation is to just get what I want without reference to God; its nobody's business.  If I want the first piece of pizza at the party, I just maneuver my way up to the front and get what I want.
2. second option: My temptation is to just get what I want, but 'god' can be useful.  If I offer to pray for the group maybe I can go up next to the pizza and be the first to get it. 
3. third option: I don't care about pizza, I just love God.  I don't even need food, or people, or anything.  I'll just go to a room by myself with God and forget about pizza, and people, and parties and everything.
4. fourth option: be grateful to God to be alive, enjoy the pizza when it is my turn, but don't be undone if my favorite kind is already taken, look for ways to grow in contentedness and graciousness, whether through receiving pizza or not.

That is my reconstruction from Sunday.  The deal is God created the world, has us in the world, so loved the world he sent his Son, will recreate the world...  the 'world' is not bad, the 'world' in rebellion, the system of good/evil outside of God, that is what is bad.  That is why what follows in James is:

1. don't despair, God is gracious if you will just humble yourself (admit the desire dysfunction)
2. clarify your trust/loyalty: move toward God and away from the devil

God's grace will sort out our loyalties and habits towards desires if we persevere in humility and trust.  Again, that is the whole point of the book, helping this group not to lose hope in the face of big problems, rather to gain confidence to patiently endure in doing right even when it is not obvious or easy.