Soul Shaping

When Christians Differ: Part 1

Posted on May 5, 2021 by BLee

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Acts 15:36-41

I remember reading a story about a church that got into a major uproar over whether praise to God should be spelled Alleluia or Hallelujah. The issue in question was the presence or lack of the “A” at the beginning of the word. The church became so divided by it that a brick was thrown through the window of a Hallelujah supporter with a message taped to it which simply read, “Alleluia.” Amazing.

I wish such a story was a rare example of Christians when they disagree with each other. Sadly, such is not the case. Perhaps one of the greatest scandals of the church today is the inability of believers to work through their differences in a God-honoring way. Of course, such breakdowns in relationships are not new. We see it in the early church as well when Paul and Barnabas had such a sharp disagreement that they parted from each other to continue their missionary work separately.

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What Is Your Identity?

Posted on April 27, 2021 by BLee

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:2-3

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Perhaps you’ve heard of young adults who either drop out of college or quit the work force in order to “find themselves.” They do this, because they sense little direction in life. So they hope that some time away will help them discover who they are. Whether such quests are helpful or not is subject to debate. My concern is how this identity crisis manifests itself in the lives of Christ-followers.

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Being Bible Studied

Posted on April 19, 2021 by BLee

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16-17

Bible study. It is one of the most observed of Christian practices. From Sunday School and discipleship classes to small groups and personal experiences, believers spend a great amount of effort to study the Bible. That is, of course, a good thing. After all, as Timothy reminds us, the Bible is God-breathed which is another way of saying that it finds its origin with God. So it only makes sense that people who love God and want to follow Him will do their best to understand His written word.

However, there is a subtle danger in all this Bible study. It is assumed that if one studies the Bible, he or she will become increasingly more godly in their thinking and living. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen. As Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 8, knowledge, even Bible knowledge, can lead to conceit rather than a reflection of the loving care of God.

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Getting Underneath Our Anger

Posted on April 6, 2021 by BLee

But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. James 1:19b-20

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. James 4:1-2

Road rage. Mass shootings. Domestic violence. Racially based riots. These things and others like them are a tragic part of life in America that are only getting worse. There can be little doubt but that many factors contribute to each of these incidents. But they all have one thing in common – uncontrolled anger.

Anger is a natural human emotion that has its place when channeled properly. For instance, Jesus became angry at the money changers in the temple who were extorting worshipers for their own sordid gain. But what we’re seeing before us is something very different. And I’m not just thinking about the more sensational expressions of violence that we see on the news. I’m also including the everyday expressions of unholy anger that take place in our homes, our churches, our schools, and more.

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Ten Observations From A Covid 19 Year: Part 2

Posted on April 1, 2021 by BLee

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

In my previous post I shared my first five observations of what we have learned from this last year of living with Covid 19. If you haven’t already read them, you may want to do that before continuing with the rest of the list. I hope that all ten observations will challenge and encourage you as the pandemic hopefully comes to an end. The following are the final five observations.

Observation 6: Most of us struggle with impatience.

In a time when immediate gratification seems like a deserved entitlement, we get offended when we’re forced to wait for anything. This reality has been in bold relief during the last year. The thought of waiting until it was safe to go to a restaurant, attend church, go to a sporting event and more was for many of us a monumental challenge. Some people were able to manage their impatience at least outwardly. They waited but resented every moment of it. Others couldn’t take it any longer and threw caution to the wind, because they wanted what they wanted, and they wanted it right then. However, learning to wait is a valuable skill. It increases our coping ability. And it reminds us that just because we think we deserve something now doesn’t mean that we actually do.

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Ten Observations From A Covid 19 Year: Part 1

Posted on March 23, 2021 by BLee

As we have been told countless times, this last year was unprecedented. Life as we knew it was turned upside down. People were getting infected and dying. Hospital staffs were overwhelmed. Businesses, schools, churches and more closed their doors. For some people, all of this unwelcomed change was more of a nuisance than anything else. For others, it was and is a nightmare of unmeasurable proportions.

In light of all of this, we might assume that nothing about this last year has been of any value. While I can certainly appreciate the feeling, I think that Covid 19 has indeed taught us some things about ourselves that we’ve needed to learn. If we do learn them, we will not only enjoy the blessings that will come when the pandemic ends, but we will also enjoy the benefits that come from lessons that can only be learned through times of refining fire.

As I have thought about these things, I would like to offer 10 observations about this last year that can help us live better lives in the future. The first five will be shared in this post. The remaining five will come in the next one.

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The Gift of Desperation

Posted on March 15, 2021 by BLee

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. Luke 19:1-4 NIV

Desperation. That’s a word that is normally filled with negative connotations. People in a financial crisis are desperate to find some monetary relief. Those whose receive a devastating medical diagnosis desperately look for a cure. Even athletes can find themselves feeling desperate for a winning play to turn the tide of a game. Let’s face it. Being desperate is always thought of as being a bad thing.

However, in spiritual matters being desperate is quite different. It’s actually a gift. You may need to let that sink in for a moment. Everything in us wants to recoil from such a thought, but the truth is that spiritual desperation is the very thing that propels us to turn to God when nothing else will.

The story of Zacchaeus is a case in point. As a tax collector, he worked for the Romans in collecting taxes for them. Since there were no tax tables such as we have with the IRS, tax collectors could adjust the amount they charged based on what they thought they could extort from their fellow Jewish citizens. They would then give the Roman government what they expected and pocket the rest.

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The Power of Words

Posted on March 2, 2021 by BLee

Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Proverbs 18:21 The Message

As a sophomore in high school, I was just entering the phase of wondering what I was going to do once I graduated. I knew I would go to college, but I didn’t have any idea what my major should be or what kind of career I should pursue. I considered something in the medical field even though I wasn’t all that interested in science. Beyond that, I didn’t have a clue. Thankfully, I was only 16. I still had time.

Then one evening our phone rang. It was for me. That in and of itself was unusual. I rarely if ever had anybody call me. This was before the days of cell phones, so the one phone we had on the kitchen wall was for everyone in my home and primarily for my parents. However, this call was for me. Even more amazing was the fact that the person calling was the pastor of our church.

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Gnat Straining, Camel Swallowing and Today’s Political Climate

Posted on February 23, 2021 by BLee

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matthew 23:23-24

I am disturbed by today’s political climate. I think most of us are. But the thing that disturbs me is different from what I sense disturbs others based on what I read on Facebook or in news reports and other political commentaries. The thing that disturbs me is how easily we defend the viewpoints of “our” side while condemning the viewpoints of the “other” side. It’s not that having a viewpoint is a problem. We all have viewpoints on all kinds of things. Rather it’s the unfiltered support of our side even if our side is doing the very same things that the other side is doing which we condemn.

Jesus didn’t address Republicans nor Democrats during His public ministry. But He had some very strong words for the religious leaders of his day who had great political power and used it for their own advantage. The strongest of these words are found in Matthew 23 in a section of the gospel that is often called the Woes. Much like an Old Testament prophet, Jesus aimed one woe after another at the Pharisees and scribes calling them hypocrites and blind guides.

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Helpful Confession

Posted on February 15, 2021 by BLee

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:23-26

I’ve read the above passage numerous times over the years. For a long time I operated under the notion that if I had bad feelings toward someone for some perceived wrong done against me, I should go and confess my feelings toward them with a view toward reconciliation. While well-intentioned, it sadly missed the point. Often the person hearing my words looked like a deer in the headlights as they were totally unaware of what I was talking about. Yet here I was forcing them to deal with a problem they didn’t know they had.

In other cases, the other party simply couldn’t or wouldn’t admit that there was a problem. Perhaps they were blind to it. More than likely, I was putting myself in the role of the Holy Spirit trying to convict them of their sins against me. All of this was being done in a misguided attempt to honor the words of Jesus.

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