Spiritual Formation and Christ's Resurrection pt7

Did the disciples invent the resurrection?

            How many people do you know that are some flavor of Christianity?  In that context, I mean to paint with the absolute broadest brush possible, any religious movement that can be appropriately identified as Christianity.  How many people do you know are practicing Simon-ists?  Or practitioners of Bar-Kokhba-anity?  Do you know anyone who believes in Bar-Giora-ism?  As an honest question, do you know who Simon bar Giora or Simon bar Kosevah were?

They were both historical Jewish figures, Giora was proclaimed as the King of the Jews during the First Jewish War, and Kosevah was the messianic figure and leader of the Second-Jewish revolt.  Both had followers, both were second-temple Jews*, both were killed by Rome, and like Jesus, both are called false messiahs in Rabbinic literature.  Yet, the followers of these messianic figures never proclaimed their messiah had been raised from the dead.  They never continued their movements.  That’s mainly because there was no messianic expectation in second-temple Judaism for a dying messiah.  Why are there no religions based on these messianic figures?  To be blunt, they died and stayed dead.  Sure, some dead people still have a religious following from them, but not from the second-temple period and as a fulfiller of Judaism.

Did the disciples steal the resurrection story?

            This is a trendy idea online.  As has been previously pointed out in this series, many of the dying-rising god myths, both from Ancient Near-eastern Texts and European sources, are connected to the seasonal cycles.  There ways to explain why things die in the autumn and come to life again in the spring.  Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection have nothing to do with the seasonal cycle and has the backdrop of second-temple Judaism and the Passover instead.  Moreover, a good question would be how pagan mythology that explains seasonal cycles, repackaged as a dying and rising Messiah, convince second-temple Jews to abandon their religion and cultural identity?  As has already been established, the disciples were not well-traveled and highly educated men.  They were, for the most part, second-temple Jewish peasants.

            Keep in mind that Churches from various backgrounds, traditions and denominations annually celebrate Easter; however, there is no belief that Jesus just rose again last Sunday (or next Sunday if you’re Eastern Orthodox).  Easter is the remembrance of His resurrection, a resurrection that happened once in history and doesn't happen every year.  However, as pointed out above, many of the dying and rising gods of paganism are connected to the seasonal cycles, and therefore, they were believed to die and raise annually.

            As N.T. Wright points out, when Paul preached Christ’s resurrection in Athens (Acts 17), he was met with mocking and misunderstanding, but no one was saying things like, “Oh, this is a re-interpretation of X [Osiris, Attis, etc.])” (Wright, 81).  Which raises another good question, if second-temple Jews took pagan mythologies and used them to explain away the fact that their Messiah died, how would that get pagans to convert to a Jewish movement?  Especially if it was their myths that the Jesus followers were adapting to fit their non-Jewish dying and rising Messiah?

            Finally, on this point, early Christians believed that Jesus died, was buried and then rose again; i.e., He returned to life, this life and returned to this world.  Osiris was quite different. Egyptologist Dr. Frankfort, who was not a Christian, explains in his book that Osiris was a god who survived his passing through death but never returned to life (Frankfort, 185).

Perhaps this leads to another good question, did the first-century and second-temple Jewish followers of Jesus believe in a literal (bodily) resurrection of Jesus?  Which is the topic that we’ll take up next week.

(* The second-Jewish revolt was 132-136 AD, and Simon ben Kosevah died in 135, both of which are after the Second-temple period since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD.)

Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Works Cited

Frankfort, Henri. 1948. Kingship and the Gods: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern Religion as the Integration of Society and Nature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Wright, N. T. 2003. The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3). New York: Fortress Press.

Spiritual Formation and The Law (pt. 6 Jesus abolish the Law or fulfills )

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜   each new blog is posted.  (this button many not appear on cellphones or tablets)

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 5:17-19)

            Picking up where we left off, looking at a passage in Matthew where Jesus is talking about the Law.  Last week, we covered verses 17 and 18.  As a quick review, Jesus understood Himself to be the fulfillment of Judaism and has already in this passage, stated that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them.  Therefore, we understand the whole Old Testament (OT) as reaching its divine purpose in Jesus. 

 

He goes on to say, “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Ibid).  Like all passages, the context of the passage is the proper key to its understanding.  Jesus is about to address several OT commandments.  In verse 21, “You shall not commit murder” (Exodus 20:13).  Verse 27, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and so on.  At no point does Jesus nullify or green light these sins.  In fact, His interpretation of these OT passages often carries a heavier calling; i.e., not only should you love your neighbor, but you should love your enemies (5:43-44).  Jesus never called down Elijah-like-fire (2 Kings 1) on Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod or the Romans crucifying Him, but instead prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke 23:42a).  Hence the understanding, we do not annul the OT commands, but understand the OT as fulfilled in Jesus and thus the proper way to read the OT.

And reading the OT through its fulfillment in Jesus is what Paul meant when he wrote, “Do we then nullify the Law through faith?  May it never be!  On the contrary, we establish the Law” (Ibid. Romans 3:31).  Which is where we’ll pick it up, next week.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Works Cited

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Spiritual Formation and The Law (pt. 5 Jesus did not come to abolish the Law)

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜   each new blog is posted.  (this button many not appear on cellphones or tablets)

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 5:17-19)

            Often times people want Jesus to be on their side of a debate.  This can be seen when a person takes a quote from the Bible and supposes that it shows their view is identical to Jesus’view.  In this way, Jesus becomes a republican, a democrat, a feminist, a communist, an anarchist, a liberationist, a humanitarian, and just about anything else you want Jesus to be.  However, He was a first-century Jew and lived under Imperial Roman occupation during the Second-Temple period.  Therefore, you can force anachronistic ideologies on Him; but perhaps it would be better to meet Him in His first-century world.  Moreover, listen to Him in His Second-Temple context, because after all, that was the audience He was speaking to.

            [In next week’s blog, we’ll explore more of the context of Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount]

            What then did His audience hear?  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Ibid. Matthew 5:17).  Jesus sets the Law alongside the Prophets, which in His Second-Temple setting was a common way of saying, the whole of Jewish Scriptures (Norman L. Geisler and William E Nix, Kindle Location 1483).  Jesus also sets fulfillment as the contrast to abolishment.  Therefore, Jesus understood Himself to be the fulfillment of Judaism. 

            Jesus goes on to say, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Ibid. Matthew 5:18).  His listeners heard, that not one yodh or dot would disappear from the Hebrew Bible until its fulfillment.  The yodh is a letter in the Hebrew alphabet, in fact it’s the smallest and looks like an apostrophe [ ’ ] .  The dot is what is called a serif.  Look at these English letters, b, p, d, and q.  Notice that they are essentially the same shape, but we know which letter it is because of which way it’s facing and weather the line goes up or down from the o shape.  In Hebrew, the serif does something similar, the letter bet ℶ and kaf כ are essentially the same shape, but the serif distinguishes.  The same is true for the letters vav ו and resh ן.   So, not the smallest ’ or slight variation of a letter can disappear from the Hebrew Scriptures until their fulfillment. (Boice, 43)

            A good question would be, when is their fulfillment?  Perhaps a good follow up question would be, what did Jesus understand about their fulfillment?  Remember what He said on the road to Emmaus?  “[Jesus] said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”  Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Ibid. Luke 24:25-26).  How did Jesus start His public ministry? 

[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”  And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Ibid. Luke 4:16-21).

Jesus’ role was to fulfill the Laws and the Prophets, the whole of Judaism.  Do other New Testament authors understand Him in the same way?  A definitive yes.  Consider what Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Romans 10:4).

With that, this blog is getting to very close to ‘Too Long Didn’t Read’.  We’ll pick it up there next week.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Works Cited

Boice, James Montgomery. 1986. Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Comprehensive & Readable Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Norman L. Geisler and William E Nix. 2013. From God to Us How We God Our Bibles. Matthews: Bastion Books.

Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Reading part 2)

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜   each new blog is posted.

[preface: Spiritual reading is not confined to authors from a specific denominational background.  Last week we looked at the works of Gregoryof Nyssa, an ancient Christian writer of the Catholic Church.  In the future, we’ll examine Bernard of Clairvaux, Brother Lawrence, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen, all of who were also Catholics.  This week we are looking at some writings of Martin Luther, writings that are of Spiritual Formation in nature.  In this case, Luther’s works can aid a person’s Spiritual Formation.  Luther also wrote things of an anti-Semitic nature, writings that will not assist Spiritual Formation.  The point is, finding spiritual benefit from Christian literature, not agreement with everything an author ever wrote.]

But [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on Bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 4:4)

            This coming Wednesday is October 31^st, and it will be 501 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95-theses to the church door in Wittenberg, an act that many call the spark of the Protestant Reformation.  However, the act was not rebellion, it was an invitation to debate [that’s how you did it back then, long before Twitter].  And the theses were not a breakup letter with 95 points. Take, for example, the 25^th theses, “The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like that power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way within his own diocese or parish” (Luther, kindle location 657).  It was a 1519 debate and the publishing of his 1520 tracts that led to his excommunication in 1521.

            However, today we’ll focus on one of Luther’s thoughts related to repentance and how that affects our formation.  Luther brought up the subject with a former teacher that he refers to as a dear Father in the Augustinian Order (Ibid. 775).  He wrote that love of God is the start of repentance, and this may be different from a modern view.  Do we begin our repentance with the knowledge that God loves us, or do we want to repent of our sins because of our love for God?  This is an essential thought because it brings up our relationship with sin and with God.  The goal of our formation is to be conformed to the image of the Son.  When Jesus was tempted by the devil, one of His clear motivating factors was His love for the Father.  It is this love that Luther is talking about when we consider our sins, and are moved to repentance.  Moreover, that repentance is directly tied to the change of our hearts and mind when we come to our senses in realizing our errors (Ibid. 782-3).

Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Works Cited 

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Luther, Martin. 2018. The Collected Works of Martin Luther. Prague: e-artnow.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 5 Unanswered)

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜   each new blog is posted.

[Jesus said] “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Mark 11:24)

          Some passages in the New Testament, like the one cited above, can make prayer sound like carte blanche; however, the context of this passage explains its meaning.  Jesus makes this statement on the Tuesday morning after the Triumphal Entry.  On Monday morning, Jesus and the disciples were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem and on the way, Jesus cursed a fig tree that He found to be without fruit.  When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus saw the corruption of the religious system and in reaction, He drove out the people selling animals inside the temple.  In His zeal, He shouted passages from the prophets, saying that the temple was meant to be a ministry to all the nations, but the ruling religious system had changed it into a den of robbers.  It is the next day, when Jesus and the disciples are making the journey again, that Peter notices the fig tree had withered.

           These events have led to this scene, and Jesus’s statement is made in that context.  The religious system, that had been instituted by God, had failed to reach out to the nations.  John the Baptist had cried out to Israel to make ready the path of the Lord, fill in the ravines and lower the hills and mountains (Luke 3:4 & 5).  The religious system had become a mountain in the path of the Lord.  Because of that, Jesus tells the disciples that by prayer, mountains can be moved.  The disciples, 12 men from the middle of nowhere, with no political connections and no money, cannot undo the religious system.  It’s possible that 11 of the men Jesus is talking to are under 20 years old [only Jesus and Peter paid the temple tax in Matthew 17:27] and the Pharisees/Sadducees have been ruling in second-temple Judaism since late Hasmonean period.  In other words, this mountain is well established, and the disciples are nobodies, with no power to move a mountain themselves.

           In that context, Jesus is telling them that prayer can move mountains standing in God’s way.  This mountain needed to be moved.  It was blocking the Abrahamic promise of blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:3c).  Therefore, prayers offered in accordance with God’s purposes can be prayed with confidence[1].  This understanding is in harmony with John’s explanation, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1 John 5:14-15).

Growth through unanswered prayers 

Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Works Cited

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

---

[1] Mark 11:25-26 goes on to discuss a person’s prayer and their relationship to forgiving others.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 2 Unanswered)

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜   each new blog is posted.

It's been forty days and forty nights

Down the road of many trials

And I pray it's only for a season

'Cause in the wilderness and in the flood

You're the one I'm thinking of

And I know You've brought me for a reason (Third Day 2003)

[Jesus] fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 26:39)

            The film The Passion of the Christ starts with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, his face drenched with sweat as He prays.  Depending on how the synoptic gospels (Matt, Mark & Luke) are harmonized, Jesus has predicted His death and resurrection at least three times before the Gethsemane episode [First M16:21-26, M8:31-37, L9:22-25; second M17:22-23, M9:30-32, L9:43b-45, third M20:17-19, M10:32-34, L18:31-34].  Despite this, we are confronted with an emotional and vulnerable Jesus praying in the garden.  One could get lost in the mystery of the incarnation; but one thing is clear, God the Son is pouring out His heart before God the Father.  Theologians have debated what the cup is; is it the cross and its pain, the separation and isolation, both of these things and more? Whatever it is, one thing is absolutely clear: Jesus wants this “cup” to pass from Him without drinking it.  Yet, His prayer does not end with His want, but with His submission.  “… not as I will, but as You [Father] will.”

            Stop.  Wait.  Don’t go past this event too quickly.  Jesus, the Jesus that healed the blind, the sick, and the lame.  Jesus, the Jesus that turned water into wine, walked on the sea and drove out demons by His words.  Jesus, the Jesus that withstood all the tests and tempting of Satan himself in the wilderness and won.  This Jesus, who knows the Father and has seen the Father and could at once call 60,000 angelic beings to His will (Matt. 26:53), ends His prayer by submitting to the Father’s will.

            This cannot be missed; the Son knew His mission.  He said, “… I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30 NASB).  Therefore, His prayer in Gethsemane follows this pattern.  However, remember what was pointed out above.  Despite having predicted His resurrection, He is praying that the “cup” could pass Him by.  The Gethsemane episode is filled with conflict and we see Jesus in turmoil.  We know how the story goes; but it does not lessen the tension that happened in the garden.  The Son is pleading with the Father, He is praying, “Is it possible that there could be a plan B?”  However, the Son accepts the will of the Father and submits.

            Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of purpose.  The purpose of Spiritual Formation is to allow Christ to be formed within us (Galatians 4:19).  Concerning this Gethsemane episode see what Paul writes:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NASB).

This then is our example for our prayers.

Prayers hindered by sins

Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

2003."40 Days." Come Together.

Spiritual Formation (Relationship with God part 2)

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜  each new blog is posted.

“… [Simon Peter] fell down at Jesus’s feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke 5:8)

“… [A] man ran up to Him and knelt before [Jesus], and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” … Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “… go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. (Mark 10:17-22 NASB)

            

          Our last blog mentioned that new, old, steady, strained, and broken relationships are a universal experience of the human condition.  Perhaps we remember a childhood friend that we’ve not seen or heard from in decades.  Those kinds of relationships are relationships in name only, with no actual current association.  In the above scriptures, we meet Simon Peter and a nameless man, both of whom it’s safe to assume are second-temple Jews[i].  Peter’s story happens before he is designated an apostle (Mt. 10:2) and after he, Andrew, James and John had fished all night, but caught nothing.  Then by listening to Jesus, they catch so many fish their boat begins to sink (Lk. 5:7).  This makes Peter aware that Jesus is someone important.  Based on his confession, it is likely he understood Jesus to be a holy person, possibly a prophet of God.

          On the other hand, the anonymous man comes to Jesus seeking eternal life.  This story appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels.  We can see that he is a religious person, saying that since his youth he has obeyed the commandments (Lk. 18:20-21).  However, he is not able to part with his riches and turns away, not following Jesus.  The man’s question regarding eternal life reveals that he was influenced more by Pharisaic Judaism than Sadduceeic Judaism, since they didn't believe in life after death (Mt. 22:23).  All of this to make it clear, that this is a person who knows there is a God and even has some right beliefs about Him.

          It could be stated then, that since their infancy, both Peter and this man had a covenantal relationship with the God of Israel.  It seems that both had a genuine belief in God through their religion.  Both were called from an old relationship into a deeper relationship, but what kept the man from answering yes?  Perhaps we could all reflect on our relationship with God and ask, is it an old relationship, or even a relationship in name only?

          We could continue surveying types of relationships with God from the scriptures. Samuel or Enoch could be examples of a steady relationship.  Moses or Elijah could be examples of strained.  The kingdom periods of both Israel and Judah could be examples of broken, and to examine these would give us great insight. However, starting next week, we’ll begin exploring how we have relationship with God through communication, starting first with hearing from God through His word. 

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

---

[i] Second-temple Judaism is a designation for Jewish traditions between 538 BC and AD 70, this was the time of the second temple.  It was constructed after the Jews returned from exile and was destroyed by Titus Vespasian during the Jewish Roman wars.

For more information, visit our website
http://ccvmontrose.org
Follow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose
Or on Twitter
https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Spiritual Formation (From church to individual)

“…let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together…” (Heb. 10:24 -25a NASB).

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NASB).

           

            Perhaps you've heard of the blind men and the elephant parable from India.  In this parable one blind person touches the elephant’s trunk and concludes that an elephant is like a snake.  Another touches the elephant’s ear and concludes that an elephant is very thin and flimsy.  Another touches his leg and concludes that an elephant is very large and thick.  The point is that each is only understanding one part of an elephant but missing the bigger picture.  An elephant is more than a trunk, ears, tusks, legs, body and a tail; moreover, the whole is the sum of the parts.  In a similar way, we cannot be formed into Christ by only focusing on one part of our lives.  Also, we cannot keep beating the drum on why the Christian life is meant for community.  Hopefully, you've seen this truth from scripture and the witness of Christians that have gone before us.

            Paul’s illustration of the Church being a body in 1^st Corinthian 12, is an easy picture to understand.  The body is made of different parts, i.e. hands, eyes, ears, mouth, nose and so on.  The Church is made of people who are different and gifted in different areas for ministry.  An eye cannot say to a hand, I don’t need you and in the same way, one Christian cannot say to another, I don’t need you.  An eye cannot say that because they are not a hand, they are not part of the body, in the same way, a Christian cannot see another Christian using their gifts and conclude that since they are not gifted the same way, they are not part of the Church.  Therefore, it is not a complicated metaphor, the only question is, will you obey the scriptures?

            However, our formation is a personal and individual venture as well.  The prophet Hosea describes the people of his day as egocentric vines (10).  There they are said to produce the fruit themselves and when that fruit increased so did their faithlessness and idolatry (v. 1 & 2).  In contrast to that, Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and his followers as the branches.  It is only through His support and nurturing that we can produce fruit and apart from Him we can do nothing.

            Therefore, over the next several blogs, we’ll turn our attention to what it means for Christ to be our vine and for us to be His branches.  Reflecting on the example of the elephant parable, would it be correct to state that part of an elephant is similar to a snake?  However, that is only one part of many.  Similarly, the goal of spiritual formation is not just for one part of ourselves, but all of ourselves to be transformed into Christlikeness.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

For more information, visit our website

http://ccvmontrose.org

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose

Or on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco

Spiritual Formation (Intro)

Feel free to click the BLUE follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜ each new blog is posted.

“Be imitators of me [Paul], just as I also am of [Jesus] Christ.” 1 Cor. 11:1 NASB

It is likely that almost every modern American has heard the slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?”  Perhaps with good intentions, this is a reminder of how a person should behave. But is imitating Christ only about how a person should act in a given circumstance?  One may ask a serious question, how does a person living in Montrose Colorado in the 21st century imitate a 1st century Jewish Messiah?

Every year movie studios spend billions of dollars to create movies where audiences buy into an illusion.  We accept that Chris Hemsworth is not a mortal man, but is a superhero based on a Norse god.  We escape into fantasy from a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away to learn how a scruffy-looking nerf-herder ended up in a Cantina on Tatooine.  Finally, we believe that Jim from The Office now lives in a Post-Apocalyptic world with monsters.  Could this be what Paul means by imitating?  To act?

It is unlikely that Paul intended his readers to perceive himself as merely playing a role, but wanted them to understand how he lived his life for God and to imitate him.  Paul wrote, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people” (1 Thess. 5:15 NASB).  This is more than a course of action within circumstances and instead is a lifestyle principle.  Moreover, you can tell Jesus’ influence on Paul.  Jesus taught his followers, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” (Matt. 5:43-44 NASB).

Perhaps, you have read these words of Jesus before and wondered if He is setting too high a standard.  Maybe He is setting forth an ideal concept, or these actions are only for uber-spiritual people.  After all, all of us have encountered people who, to be polite, are challenging to deal with.  Jesus could not have intended a rude neighbor, an ill-tempered co-worker or a hostile in-law, could He?  By way of analogy, have you ever met or seen a person incredibly gifted in a specific talent?

 If you witnessed a group of four people juggling bowling pins to each other, would you believe that they only started juggling an hour before, or do you think that each one spent hours learning the skill and then worked together to develop rhythm and pattern?  Again, if you saw a man about to balance on a tightrope when doing a handstand, would you think that you’re seeing his first attempt?  It is far more likely that he has practiced for years.

Therefore, if your immediate reaction is not to love your enemies, do you think that will simply change or will it take work and effort?  Exercises that are intended to produce Spiritual Formation will be the focus of several blogs.  Many Christians from the time of Paul through the 21st-century have shared their experience in Spiritual Formation and here will be an exploration of that process.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

For more information, visit our website
http://ccvmontrose.org
Follow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ccvmontrose
Or on Twitter
https://twitter.com/ccvmontroseco