Bryant Park in Manhattan has a long interesting history. In 1934 the park was raised four feet above street level and a hedge was installed around the park. It had formerly been an eyesore so it was a celebrated change but when I was growing up the park was a well-known drug den and you took your life in your hands if you went there at night.
In a recent renovation, they took down the hedges and changed many things. The hedges had created the wrong kind of privacy.
I haven't been back recently but from what I understand the neighborhood has changed drastically. It has been attributed in part to the changes in Bryant Park.
Reading this history it made me think of the value of transparency and not placing people or institutions up so high that you can no longer see what is going on from street level.
Jesus was right out there living His life. When he spoke he did it among the people on their level. He was a man who 'had no place to lay His head'. His home was out among the crowds. He didn't have any back rooms.
Privacy is wonderful. I love my privacy but I also realize that I can't live in the shadows. It isn't healthy.
"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:5-7 ESV
Yes. Let's walk in the light and design our spaces so that light shines in. It is a healthy prosperous way to live.
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Showing posts with label Idolatry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Idolatry. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
What Does God Look Like?
A little child who is taught about God will eventually ask the question, 'What does God look like?'
It is a good question.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." - Exodus 20:4-7 ESV
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'
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Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.'
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Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves." - John 14:6-11 ESV
What strikes me this morning is Philip's blind neediness. The only person to satisfy His need was standing right there answering his question but Philip lacked the eyes to see Him that way.
Peter and John saw Jesus more clearly at the mount of transfiguration...
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him." - Matthew 17:1-3 ESV
Jesus knew Philip never saw Him glow like that but He was confident that Philip had seen someone he just didn't recognize.
If we see grace and truth we have seen the Father. When we try to define God He ends up looking like an image of something we have seen in the Heavens, on Earth or below the Earth but that representation just doesn't match who He Is.
Let's make sure those children have a true representation of 'the Father.' We need that. Our co-workers need it. The world needs it.
"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." - 2 Corinthians 4:4-7 ESV
Yes. It is going to take a miracle for blind eyes to see. Our God is the miraculous God.
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It is a good question.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." - Exodus 20:4-7 ESV
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'
-
Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.'
-
Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves." - John 14:6-11 ESV
What strikes me this morning is Philip's blind neediness. The only person to satisfy His need was standing right there answering his question but Philip lacked the eyes to see Him that way.
Peter and John saw Jesus more clearly at the mount of transfiguration...
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him." - Matthew 17:1-3 ESV
Jesus knew Philip never saw Him glow like that but He was confident that Philip had seen someone he just didn't recognize.
If we see grace and truth we have seen the Father. When we try to define God He ends up looking like an image of something we have seen in the Heavens, on Earth or below the Earth but that representation just doesn't match who He Is.
Let's make sure those children have a true representation of 'the Father.' We need that. Our co-workers need it. The world needs it.
"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." - 2 Corinthians 4:4-7 ESV
Yes. It is going to take a miracle for blind eyes to see. Our God is the miraculous God.
--
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Grace And Idolatry in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10
I enjoy reading scriptures and asking God, 'How does this apply to me?'
I've been reading 1 Corinthians chapter 10 this morning
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." - 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 ESV
The chapter goes back forth on the issue of idolatry. Israel fell into it again and again.
"For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were" - 1 Corinthians 10:1-7a ESV
The Church was face to face with it in the Roman culture.
"For 'the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.' If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, 'This has been offered in sacrifice,' then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience - I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:26-31 ESV
The way of escape we are looking for is not just a way of escape from the personal temptation that may assault us. We have that and thank God we do. Jesus Himself is our way of escape. Practicing the presence of God is one aspect of that escape.
Paul is addressing culture in this chapter. Israel's culture and the Roman influenced culture of the day. Food sacrificed to idols was everywhere. The question is, 'Where is the focus when we sit down to eat together?'
What we do or don't do is glory oriented, capacity building and capacity preserving. God sees us all the time. People only see us some of the time and that is good. What we do in those times is on display and knowing that is part of our way of escape.
God dealt with Israel the way that He did for His name's sake. It was not sin oriented judgement because sin is paid for. It was reputation oriented. That is powerful. Israel had a national reputation and we have an individual one. God had to deal with Israel again and again because He loved them and they needed to be drawn back and saved from their own selves over and over again. Is that what we want?
Lust turns wood into idols. Grace turns idols back into pieces of wood. How I see the lumber of life around me adds to or removes from our portrayal of God's reputation. Our freedom and love proclaims that our God is a good God. Our bondage sends the wrong message.
If we focus on grace then at dinner that is what the person in front of us is seeing.
Grace is all wrapped up in our walk with God. Grace is the basis of our walk. The freedom of grace and the constraining love that a graced out person reveals. We are free to eat the food no matter what idol it was sacrificed to because we know that is all garbage anyway but we are also free to say no if it will hurt our brother because grace has loved us so very much that our hunger or desire to exercise our rights can't dictate our behavior.
Glory. What a high thought.
That the God of Heaven is glorified in our little lives is amazing. I want people to see God as He really is through my life. Grace is how God really Is. He Is holy and gracious at the same time.
--
I've been reading 1 Corinthians chapter 10 this morning
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." - 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 ESV
The chapter goes back forth on the issue of idolatry. Israel fell into it again and again.
"For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were" - 1 Corinthians 10:1-7a ESV
The Church was face to face with it in the Roman culture.
"For 'the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.' If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, 'This has been offered in sacrifice,' then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience - I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:26-31 ESV
The way of escape we are looking for is not just a way of escape from the personal temptation that may assault us. We have that and thank God we do. Jesus Himself is our way of escape. Practicing the presence of God is one aspect of that escape.
Paul is addressing culture in this chapter. Israel's culture and the Roman influenced culture of the day. Food sacrificed to idols was everywhere. The question is, 'Where is the focus when we sit down to eat together?'
What we do or don't do is glory oriented, capacity building and capacity preserving. God sees us all the time. People only see us some of the time and that is good. What we do in those times is on display and knowing that is part of our way of escape.
God dealt with Israel the way that He did for His name's sake. It was not sin oriented judgement because sin is paid for. It was reputation oriented. That is powerful. Israel had a national reputation and we have an individual one. God had to deal with Israel again and again because He loved them and they needed to be drawn back and saved from their own selves over and over again. Is that what we want?
Lust turns wood into idols. Grace turns idols back into pieces of wood. How I see the lumber of life around me adds to or removes from our portrayal of God's reputation. Our freedom and love proclaims that our God is a good God. Our bondage sends the wrong message.
If we focus on grace then at dinner that is what the person in front of us is seeing.
Grace is all wrapped up in our walk with God. Grace is the basis of our walk. The freedom of grace and the constraining love that a graced out person reveals. We are free to eat the food no matter what idol it was sacrificed to because we know that is all garbage anyway but we are also free to say no if it will hurt our brother because grace has loved us so very much that our hunger or desire to exercise our rights can't dictate our behavior.
Glory. What a high thought.
That the God of Heaven is glorified in our little lives is amazing. I want people to see God as He really is through my life. Grace is how God really Is. He Is holy and gracious at the same time.
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