Psalm 23: Powerful Imagery and Beautiful Symbolism

Each verse of the 23rd Psalm is full of rich symbolism and beautiful illustrations to help us deepen in our understanding and relationship with God.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures.

God cares for our daily needs and has promised to provide us with food, clothing, safety and shelter. In contrast with the many desolate and desert areas of the Ancient Near East, Green pastures provide food for sheep to eat and represent a place which has received plenty of rainfall and temperate weather. To lie down means to rest and the word pasture also refers to a habitation or place to live. In the same way that a Shepherd takes sheep to safe places where they can live and rest, God will provide us with a safe place to live and the means to take care of our basic needs. He is our provider and protector. He also provides us with spiritual food, His word, and peace in our hearts. We should never forget that God often provides for people through His church and that we have a responsibility as His agents to provide for others.

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.

Jesus is like living water to our soul. He heals our wounded hearts and darkened minds. The Psalmist also wrote: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God. Jesus is the water of life that renews and refreshes souls that are wearied and worn with the cares of this world. He has promised to give us a sound mind and to make our hearts like new through His Spirit which invigorates our soul, the way that fresh, living water revitalizes our bodies.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Jesus is the Way (the path), the Truth and the Life. He has promised to believers that His Spirit will be our Counselor and Guide to lead us through this life. Shepherd's would often sleep in the entranceway to the sheepfold or to a canyon where they had led their sheep for shelter and safety. The only way in or out was through the Shepherd. His body was the Gate. When we see references to Jesus as the way or the path, this can also be translated as gateway. It is important to remember that no one enters in among His sheep except by coming through the gate, meaning no one will be saved and enjoy a relationship with God in this life, or enter into God's rest in heaven except through Jesus.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.

The phrase shadow of death was first used by Job to describe a state very near to dying. We could picture the valley of dry bones which Ezekiel saw brought to life, or we could envision the valley of Hinom off the southern slope of Jerusalem which was a smoldering ash heap and full of centuries worth of the bones of animals and perhaps even pagan human sacrifices. Though today this area houses a beautiful resort, in the Psalmists day it would have been a ruined and desolate place. This valley separates Mount Zion, representing God's Kingdom, from the Mountain of Evil Counsel, representing the dominion of Satan. When I read this passage, I think of us as the dry bones being brought to life because we were all once dead in our sins and transgressions and have been given new life in Christ. I think of passing through the valley as being led out of darkness and into the light, leaving our old life of sin behind and heading toward our new home in God's Kingdom. There is true evil in this world but we do not have to fear because God is our guide, leading us down the right path, watching over us like a shepherd and always right beside us. We do not even have to fear death itself.

Your rod and your staff they comfort me.

The rod is a symbol of authority. It is sometimes translated as scepter or club and usually translated as "tribe" because it was a symbol of leadership and unity. Last week I viewed a sculpture from this time period of Pharoah Amenhotep II, later altered to look like Ramses II, of Egypt which portrayed him with a long, straight whip with tails on the end and also with a staff with a crook on the end like that of a Shepherd, though the curved end had broken off. These were the symbols of the Pharoah's authority. They were used to enslave and enforce his power. The rod and staff in this psalm are reminiscent of these Egyptian symbols of power, but with an important contrast. The Shepherd's crook was used to gently guide and direct sheep, even to pull them near, but never to strike them. Shepherd's might also carry a club which could be used to fight off wolves and protect the sheep. The symbolism here is that God guides us, draws us near and protects us by fighting off wolves and lions which represent both physical and spiritual enemies. I envision David with his shepherd's staff in one hand holding the sheep back under his protection while he fends off the wolves with the implement in his other hand. Or, to individualize it, Picture David hooking his crook around the neck of a sheep, pulling it toward himself and away from a wolf, while simultaneously beating the wolf back with the rod. HIs rod and staff comfort us because they represent his protection and care for us.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

The table here can refer to the King's very own table. I picture Jesus sitting down for His last supper together with his disciples and how He earnestly desired to share it together with them. God wants to have communion with us. He desires a relationship with us right here in the middle of our journey through this life. Even in the middle of battles and difficult times when we are hard pressed all around, we have the privilege of sweet communion with our Lord. There is also an aspect of this word "table" that describes being sent out as the King's men. We are God's representatives and His children and we get to eat at His table. Each time we partake in The Lord's Supper, or Communion, we should remember the relationship with enjoy with our King.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.

Anointing with oil represents being chosen by God, the way that David was anointed as King. Like living water, oil also represents being filled with the Holy Spirit. Under the New Covenant, we, as believers, are all anointed. Our bodies are described in the New Testament as being vessels. Our vessel, or cup, running over, represents the unlimited access we have to God's Presence, His work in our lives and His Spirit being poured into us so that we overflow into the lives of others.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

God will pursue us the way a Shepherd pursues a lost sheep. Once we are his own, he will follow after us, watch over us, draw us back to Himself and mercifully forgive us as long as we live.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

Once we are His, He will never leave us or abandon us. We are His and nothing and no one will ever snatch us away from Him.  He has promised us eternity in Heaven. Whatever difficulties this life may hold, we will ultimately see every promise fulfilled and will enter into God's rest. We are part of His household, forever.

A Response To Wade Burleson's Claim That the OT Moral Law and Commands Are Obsolete

My Dear Brother in Christ, I feel like you are perched to jump off a very large Theological Cliff without a parachute. I am writing to encourage you to step back from the ledge. My friend. I'm not sure what you were thinking with some of the statements you made in your recent post "The Normal Practices of a New Covenant Church." (http://www.wadeburleson.org/2017/06/the-normal-practices-of-new-covenant.html) While I also have concerns about legalistic, authoritarian leadership in the church, I believe you have chosen a poor example to illustrate your point and made some very unfortunate claims defaming the Old Testament.

You said: "The cultural custom of Old Covenant Israel was that the kings of Israel could have many wives and many concubines"

You used this as an example of the Old Covenant being invalid. But Deuteronomy 17 provides instruction for the Kings of Israel. Verse 17 declares:

"He shall NOT multiply wives for himself..."

Kings of Israel were forbidden from taking multiple wives. David's action was a sin and in direct defiance of God's law and the covenant directions given to the Kings of Israel.

I am even more concerned with some of the other comments you made about the Old Testament. You wrote that "Not one Hebraic civil, ceremonial or moral law is binding on a Christian"

But In the New Testament, Paul clearly upholds Old Covenant teaching and God’s Moral law when he instructs the church at Corinth to remove a member who was having sexual relations with his father's wife, breaking the command of Leviticus 18:18 and Deuteronomy 22:30. Fortunately, under the New Covenant, such a person does not have to be put to death (Lev 20:11). There is opportunity for church discipline followed by restoration and forgiveness under the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 2:7, Galatians 6:1). God's moral compass has not changed. His definition of sin has not changed. Here, we have a clear example of a church exercising discipline according to God's moral law. Note, that it is the church who disciplines, not an authoritarian leader. It is a congregational decision, which could be avoided if a brother or sister submitted to correction from any one person in private or even by two people in private before receiving correction from many believers. (Matthew 18:15-17)

You also wrote: "All the ceremonies, civil ordinances and legal commands of the Old Covenant way of life have now been made obsolete."

Your statement seems to be nullifying the Ten Commandments. Surely, that is not what you meant to say? While the law of love goes far beyond the commandments, it certainly does not nullify them. Here is Jesus' authoritative New Covenant word on this matter recorded in Matthew 5:

"Do not think that I came to *destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will be no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell."

Jesus said that He did not come to *destroy the Law and the Prophets. This word means to make void, to annul, to discard or to bring to nothing. You used the words “made obsolete,” which means the same thing. He did not come to do that. Jesus came to add to the teaching and bring us to a deeper level of understanding by giving us the rest of the story. I have included the full text because we see a classic type of Jewish reasoning, from the lesser to the greater. Jesus quotes the commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” or from a modern translation: “You shall not murder.” The commandment not to murder was the bare minimum. Under the New Covenant we must do more, not less. We should not even have anger or look down on our brother in disdain with haughty eyes or hate in our heart. It isn't enough not to murder. The thoughts and attitudes of our heart must also be right before God.  It all comes down to the need for a heart change. Hebrews 8:13 teaches us with regard to our salvation; "In speaking of a New Covenant, he makes the first one obsolete." But if we look back to verse 10 we learn what that new covenant is. "For this is the covenant I will make...I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts." God's moral laws and commandments are part of the New Covenant. What is being made obsolete is the old means of attaining forgiveness, not God's word. He goes on to promise that we can know God and be in a relationship with him and that He will be merciful and forgive us when we sin. The New Covenant provides salvation through Jesus Christ and a renewed heart with God's moral laws written on it. We have a better means of entering into a relationship with God under the New Covenant. The Law of Love does not negate the commandments, it exceeds them and puts them into our hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit who is our guide and counselor.

Theological Mudslinging against the Old Testament is never a good way to make one's point. Timothy grew up on the Old Testament Scriptures. Even during his adulthood, the New Testament was still under construction. I encourage you to really chew on these words about the Old Covenant from 2 Timothy 3:15-17:

"From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."

This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, the Lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, and I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts. Now where there is forgiveness of these there is no longer an offering for sin. -Hebrews 10:16-18, Jeremiah 31:33

This prophecy about the New Covenant was originally delivered by the prophet Jeremiah. Its original audience clearly understood that it referred to God's laws as delivered by Moses. The fact that it is quoted again in the New Testament shows that God's moral laws and commandments remain as the standard for Christian conduct and practice and they define what sin is. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, everything in the Old Covenant to do with sacrifice and atonement for sins and cleansing and purification that was the responsibility of the priests, is taken care of by Jesus our high priest. When we accept Him as our savior and are Baptized, we are washed clean, justified and forgiven forever. We no longer follow God's laws in order to obtain a right relationship with Him, we follow them in thanks and gratitude because He saved us and brought us into relationship. Jesus said: The one who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. (John 14:21)

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24-25)

What We Learned From Our Worship Pastor Search: Congregationalism in Action

Over the past 9 months we have been in a season of waiting and searching for a new Worship Pastor at NRH Baptist Church. We have learned many valuable lessons. From the beginning of this process, we understood that our Pastors Scott and Danny were fully empowered to search for and hire a new Worship Pastor to replace the great man we lost. Yet, they chose to include and involve us in the process and in doing so, they positioned us to grow and learn in special and meaningful ways. We learned that our pastors have servant's hearts and model godly leadership. Here is what they did and what we learned:

1. They Asked For Our Input
From the beginning, they asked what we were looking for in a worship pastor. The answers overwhelmingly revealed that a servant's heart and humility were the most important character traits to us. We were looking for someone kind, patient and gracious. We also place value on a leader who is dedicated, well-prepared and skillful. This short and simple conversation bore much fruit. We talked about how it was important that our new leader be comfortable and competent working with both a choir and an orchestra. Many of us had been through difficult transitions before and did not want to go through another one. They also sought specific counsel from veteran members of the worship department. While this position was highly desired and sought after, our Pastors took care and time to patiently search and wait for just the right person who is passionate about choir and orchestra and well able to lead us.

2. We Re-Established Our Sense of Purpose and Direction
Through this process, we have clearly established and re-affirmed our churches commitment to a choir and orchestra program. In a day when many churches have long since abandoned their choir and large instrumental groups, we are looking to not only maintain, but to grow and develop in these areas.

We have had meaningful discussions about our position as worship leaders and about serving and leading the congregation to engage in true worship.

We are a multi-generational church and are dedicated to providing an atmosphere of worship that is conducive to engaging all ages in praising God together. This sense of identity has really been codified through this process.

3. We Learned A Lot About Each Other
We got to know our Pastors better in a way that we never would have if they had left us out of the process. We saw what humble, godly men they are and by serving us through their efforts, they helped us to become more service-minded and servant hearted toward each other and the congregation.

We learned that there are many talented people in our church who are capable of directing a choir or instrumental rehearsal and many people, both staff and volunteers had opportunities to lead and help in small, medium, large and enormous ways. We learned to cooperate and come together to keep everything working. Several people had the opportunity to step up in a big way and I am grateful for them.

4. We Learned To Be Humble And Appreciative
As a worship department, we have seen tremendous dedication from those who faithfully showed up week after week. I really respect that. We have learned to offer more helpful input, ask better questions and to interact in a more cooperative and collegial manner. We have learned to show more appreciation to each other. It has been a joy to watch people grow as we approached the end of this season.

5. We Learned The Value Of Accountability
Through each step of the process, our Pastors made themselves accountable to us. They chose to keep us informed and were transparent about where we were at with the search. At the end, they were able to stand in front of the church, explain the care and process that had gone into the selection of our candidate for Worship Pastor, provide a glowing reference and assure them of what a good, highly-qualified and godly man they were presenting. The church stood behind them to heartily affirm his appointment.

Conclusion
Because of the way our Pastors included the worship department and congregation in the process and because they were humble and held themselves accountable to the church, we have grown together instead of apart during this long process. Everyone expressed their gratitude at having a candidate brought before us and our readiness to accept a new leader was greatly enhanced. I never heard a single person express anger, irritation or frustration over the process or the wait during the last 9 months. This speaks highly to the character of individuals, but much of this is owed to the careful guidance and leadership we received from staff, volunteers and especially our Pastors. They inspired great trust and peace throughout the process and when our candidate came last weekend, things went very smoothly.

Hebrews 13:7 tells us Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

The word submit, hupotasso, means to partner together and cooperate with each other. It comes from a root word that describes rowing a boat together in perfect unison, the way we worked together to keep moving in the right direction. By involving us in the process, our Pastors helped to bring us into hupotasso, partnership, working toward the same goal. I believe we can all feel good about where we are at and look forward to what the future holds.
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Did you miss the 1st 2 installments in this series on congregationalism? You can read them by clicking the links below:
http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-congregationalist-manifesto.html

http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-congregationalists-responsibility.html

Founded on Equality: The REAL Origin of Baptist Churches in the South

Much has been said about how Southern Baptists split from Northern Baptists over the issue of slavery, or more specifically, over whether or not to allow slaveholders to serve as missionaries. What everyone misses is that Baptist Churches in the South did not start off this way, they were corrupted over time by sinful, racist people including wealthy southern landowners, slaveholders and others with political and financial motivations who were seeking personal gain.

Shubal Stearnes, one of my personal heroes of the faith, moved with his family to North Carolina in 1755 to plant a Baptist church. The term Baptist, at that time meant that they practiced believer's baptism and rejected the infant baptism of the Protestants. They founded the Sandy Creek Baptist Church which was the first Baptist church in the south.

Sandy Creek was a remarkable church and what they did in the 1750's in North Carolina was astonishing. They extended the right hand of fellowship to everyone regardless of race or gender. Not only was Baptism and the taking of the Lord's supper offered to all, but this meant that they washed each other's feet, gave each other holy kisses on the cheek and shared love feasts, aka fellowship meals, together as children of God. Imagine the pastor kissing the cheek of a slave in front of his "master," or kneeling down in front of a visiting slaveholder to wash the slaves feet as a sign of humility and equality in Christ. This type of physical contact across racial and gender lines, for which the Sandy Creek Baptists were known, also included the laying on of hands in prayer and anointing the sick with oil for healing. Imagine a racist plantation owner visiting the local church and then observing both black and white members sit down at the same table to share a meal in the ultimate sign of familial acceptance. 

They were Congregationalists which meant that Everyone, whether black or white, male or female, slave or free, had a say in how the church was run. All were given the opportunity to teach. They were all equals at church, all created in the image of God, all equal heirs in grace.

They emphasized the new birth in Christ and offered an invitation to respond and be saved in their services. They worshipped fervently and emotionally, believed in being led and directed by God's voice, preached the word with passion and planted churches. They sent out both black and white men to preach and established a network of churches, The Sandy Creek Baptist Association, that supported and encouraged one other. Within 17 years, 42 churches with over 1500 members had sprung from this movement which discipled and produced 125 ministers. In the 1800's, they started a mission society and a foreign bible society, held associational meetings and founded a Seminary.

Not surprisingly, it was Shubal Stearnes who envisioned such a movement. He is said to have prophesied the 2nd Great Awakening. While the rapid, explosive growth of these churches endured a setback when many of the members fled North Carolina due to the Regulator Wars, they had already planted churches in neighboring states, and I personally believe that it was this very scattering of believers that planted seeds all around the South and eventually grew into the 2nd Great Awakening with revival fires springing up all over.

Over time, leading up to the civil war, the work of these movements was corrupted as many (but not all) southern churches became contaminated with the cancers of racism, politics and greed. Multiple major Christian denominations split along the Mason-Dixon line and it is true that many of the Southern Baptists split from the Northern Baptists in 1845 over the issue of allowing slaveholders to serve as missionaries, a fact which is disgraceful, shameful and completely disgusting, but Baptist churches in the south did not start off that way. And the Sandy Creek Baptists remained separate from that movement, though they eventually became Southern Baptists well after the war. 

It has been a long road back over these last 172 years. This fact is an ugly stain upon our history, but it is simply NOT where our history began, nor is it representative of the beliefs of most Baptists throughout history. While it is right and proper that we express regret and repentance for this sorrowful part of our denomination's past, and it is important that we grow, mature and seek unity and reconciliation, it is also important to realize that this was an effort by the devil to undermine the awesome work that God was doing, it was not the beginning of our denomination, by rather a sad moment in its history. Now, we are 4 generations past this event looking back at one generation of Baptists that was partially led astray by wealthy Southern slaveholders who knew that their way of life could not survive true Baptist preaching.

From the beginning, it was Baptists leading the charge against the practices of enslavement. Sandy Creek was founded by Baptists who were subsistence farmers who did not keep slaves. Not only did their teachings and actions begin to break every chain of racism and ignorance among church members, but they actively sought to change society. By the early 1800's they began imploring slaveholders to end the inhumane practice separating families by selling them to other plantations. By 1835, the Sandy Creek Baptist Association formally condemned slavery and began expelling members who wouldn't give up the practice of enslavement. Even during the Civil War, the teaching of faithful, backwoods Baptist preachers was still firmly against slavery. If you've seen or read The Free State of Jones, the teaching of Shubal Stearnes and Sandy Creek strongly influenced those who rejected the sin of racism and fought against it from the pulpit to the battlefield.

The ugly fact of the split from northern Baptists is only a small part of our history and even then, many Baptists did not agree with that position. Throughout history, Baptists have boldly fought against false teachers and fake religious leaders and secular individuals with selfish ambitions and hidden agendas who sought to take over God's church. If there is one thing we should be known for, it is our willingness to stand up for what is right, admit when we are wrong, and boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. In this country, we proudly trace our heritage specifically and directly to a group of Believers who sought to live their lives for Jesus and started a revival movement that grew out of the Sandy Creek Baptist Church, teaching the world to love Jesus and to love each other as equals.

Singled Out: Do Singles Bear God's Image? Or Only Married Couples?

Our status as human beings, created in the Image of God, is not defined by our relationship status. Jesus, a single man, said: He who has seen me has seen the Father. Colossians 1:15 declares: He is the image of the invisible God. Hebrews 1:3 proclaims The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature.

I have heard many teachers make claims such as "Marriage is the Image of God." They claim that human beings only bear the image of God when a man and woman are joined together in marriage. I have heard some go so far as to say that we are only half a person until we are married. As a single man, the first time I heard that, it was a nasty sucker punch to the gut to be told that I am not an Image bearer of God. Marriage was used as a metaphor to represent God's covenant relationship with Israel and it is used symbolically to represent Jesus' covenant relationship with the Church, a bride which has accepted his proposal, but for which He has not yet come. Marriage is never used as a symbol for the Image of God. Scripture clearly and irrefutably says that JESUS, a single person, was the perfect image bearer and reflection of the Father. To say that a married couple in any way more perfectly reflects or more fully represents the Imago Dei, is a false and divisive teaching and an egregious theological error.

I realize that good men and well-respected leaders hold to this unfortunate point of view. I have encountered this teaching in many places from the organization "Marriage Today," to Pentecostal Equip classes, from Baptist Seminary classes to the Catholic Pope in Rome. We've even discussed it in Sunday morning Bible study. This is not an attack on any specific teacher. I have no interest in tearing down a godly teacher for making a mistake. Good men and close friends that I deeply respect and love as brothers in Christ take this position. But the notion that marriage is the Image of God is an ill-conceived and poorly considered statement which you are unlikely to read within the pages of any Systematic Theology text, study in a Biblical Anthropology class or discover in any legitimate, refereed, scholarly journal. This teaching disenfranchises single believers and disrespects our status and standing before God.

Matthew 24 says that there is no marriage between individuals in heaven and all Christians agree that we will be perfect, fully restored Image bearers of God in heaven. That's the whole point of the glorified body. The doctrine that redeemed man bears the image of God is not negotiable. Colossians 3:10 declares that we:

...have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the Image of its Creator.

Because of Adam and Eve's sin, we lost a crucial part of the Imago Dei, our connection with God through the Holy Spirit. That connection is re-established through salvation in all believers, single or married.

Certainly, marriage is a wonderful thing: He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from God.  But marriage does not define our position before God. Adam was created in God's Image, BEFORE Eve was made. She was also created in God's image. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. Both men and women are created in God's image as individuals and together in marriage they show a picture of God's relationship with us, not a picture of God Himself.

This inaccurate teaching devalues and polarizes single Christians. The Greek word for such a divisive teaching is Heresy. We generally use the term "theological error," because it is more polite and reserve the term heresy for situations of serious Christological error, where someone is teaching wrongly about the nature, person or work of Jesus Christ. Because, as we've read, Jesus, a single man, is the perfect image of the invisible God, because all Christians both married and single are being conformed to that image, because we will all bear this image for eternity and because this teaching is so divisive, I believe that heresy is an accurate and appropriate term to use to describe this particular theological mistake. 

All believers, both single and married are, without doubt, created in God's image, sons and daughters, children and heirs and fully accepted as a valuable part of God's Kingdom. Marriage is a wonderful and God-ordained union between a man and a woman. There are many ways that family honors God and throughout Scripture, the family is highly honored and something to be sought after. It is not, however, the source of one's value or worth as a child and Image bearer of God. Paul, who encouraged us to be filled with all the fullness of God and to reach full maturity as believers, actually encouraged singleness for the sake of the Gospel and viewed it as favorable in certain situations.

Various resolutions by the Southern Baptist Convention have recently been put forth, which recognize the Image of God in all people as a non-compromiseable value. It is unfortunate that teachings persist which further disenfranchise singles from the church. This is one of those areas where we must draw the line in the sand and firmly say NO. The belief that God's image is in all people, and in particular, believers, is not a doctrine to be trifled with. All Christians, both single and married are equal, priests, filled with the Holy Spirit, ambassadors for Christ and Image bearers of God.

Are You Toeing the Line or Going The Extra Mile?

You will know them by their fruits..... The spiritual maturity and authenticity of many believers is often demonstrated by the way they treat new leaders. Toeing the line, to me, describes a person who wants to see just how far they can go, just how much they can get away with. Like the Pharisees, their heart isn't looking to see how they can help, they will give the least amount of cooperation and effort possible. Any time we see someone in the church who tests their limits, pushes boundaries, busts chops or otherwise gives a new leader in the church a hard time, that person likely falls into one of 3 categories:

1. A new or immature believer

2. A backslidden believer

3. Not A Believer

Mature Believers who are genuine Christ followers, filled with the Holy Spirit should:

1. Demonstrate a humble attitude

2. Have a servant's heart

3. Be patient, teachable and helpful

4. Be on a Gospel mission

One of the places where the Fruits of the Spirit (or lack thereof) are clearly on display and easy to read is in the church music rehearsal. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control are clearly evidenced in the way we interact with one another. Sadly, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, conflicts and divisiveness also rear their ugly heads.  (Galatians 5:20-23)

As musicians, we have to check ourselves because our feelings and attitudes during rehearsal can be very revealing. This can be a good thing if we engage in self-evaluation and accept that we are still growing to maturity in Christ.

Hebrews 13:17 admonishes us:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

The word submit, means to cooperate and partner together with one another. The Greek word used here, hupatasso, is an action verb that comes from the word for Rowing a ship together in perfect unison. We are meant to row together in beautiful harmony, as we all work toward the same Goals, some of which are To:

1. Offer Praise, Honor and Worship to God

2. Use our gifts to their highest potential to build God's Kingdom

3. Provide an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can soften people's hardened hearts, speak to deaf ears and open eyes that have become blind to spiritual things

4. Help the congregation to engage in meaningful worship and connect with God.

5. Help others to deepen and grow in their relationship with God

The concept of submission is tied closely to going the extra mile. A Roman soldier had the right to compel a citizen to carry his pack for one mile. Jesus said

And if anyone compels you to go one mile, go with him two.


He was telling us to go above and beyond the call of duty. He was calling us into willing partnership and collaboration. He doesn't want us to give the minimum. He wants us to take a personal stake in the work and to make it our own. This is about spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God. So the next time you think about putting a toe across the line, instead, find a way to be helpful and go the extra mile...

Spiritual Themes In Wonder Woman: Movie Review

Wonder Woman is the best of the recent efforts put forth from the DC Comics Universe. The movie is a well crafted period film featuring stunningly designed sets, a fantastic, well-written storyline and expertly portrayed characters. While I could have done without some of the Greek and Roman Mythology, it was incorporated into the narrative in interesting and enjoyable ways and provides opportunities for meaningful discussion.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Wonder Woman is the first movie I have seen that presents a theologically correct view of man, as created good and for good purposes, but easily corrupted and entirely fallen. If we allow a concession to use Zeus as a metaphor for God, albeit a weak and deceased stand in, and we allow Ares, the god of War as symbolic of Satan, then this movie gives a realistic depiction of the fallen state of man, how we were created, how we became spoiled and just how badly in need of rescue we really are.

The movie presents man as created by Zeus, in his own image and created very good, the same way the Bible presents man as created in the Image of God and called very good. The film presents Ares as corrupting all of humanity through his influence. He is seen to be whispering evil into the ears of people and manipulating depraved human behavior, trying to destroy everything Zeus has created and mankind, whom he loves. This is the same as Satan, an evil fallen angel who tempted the first man, Adam and Eve and caused sin to enter the world, corrupting all of humanity, as he still tempts us. The Bible, likewise teaches that All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

In the movie Ares is the son of Zeus. In real life, however, Satan is NOT the son of God. He is a rebellious, sinful, defeated fallen angel. In the movie Wonder Woman, Diana, is the daughter of Zeus and is herself, a lowercase "g" god. In mythology, the term "god" was equivalent to our term superhero, though ours are entirely fictional, whereas the ancients actually worshipped some of these entities as deities. This is an area of caution to consider when allowing children to see these films. However, as the daughter of the god of this movie, which takes place in the pretend universe of DC Comics, she takes on the role of the Messianic Everyman character. Much like King Arthur, Frodo, Aragorn, the Pevensie children, Luke Skywalker, Katniss Everdean, Tris, Superman and Beowulf, Wonder Woman is the designated savior of the world. This theme, which resonates so deeply to the very core of human existence, really goes back to the true story of Jesus. Before His life, death, burial and resurrection on earth, these stories simply did not exist. All stories were tragedies, heroes were self-serving and self-centered or forced into service by gods who were self-serving and self-centered and the concept of someone dying for his friends, the concept of a God dying for his people, or stepping down from glory to help them was completely foreign to human thought. All of these stories are lesser presentations of the Greatest Story Ever Told, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Diana, as the daughter of the god of the DC comics universe, can be used to symbolically represent Jesus, the Son of God. In the same way that Jesus was tempted by Satan to worship him and rule the world, Diana, was tempted by Ares to agree with him and rule the world. Like Jesus, she chose to show love, mercy, grace and compassion toward mankind and to utterly and completely defeat Ares, aka Satan.

There is tremendous compassion shown in this movie, which poignantly displays the heroin's shock at the atrocities of human behavior and her revulsion at the callousness of people not to help. The most wonderful moment in the movie is when Diana makes her choice. She realizes who she is and that can rule the world with Ares, or serve and protect it instead. She sees the fallen and depraved state of mankind and chooses to show mercy anyway. She sees the incredible potential of mankind along with the bad. She realizes that mankind does not "Deserve" it, but she chooses LOVE anyway. She demonstrates Grace in a powerful and intentional way. This is deliberately portrayed in the Script with great Intentionality. The themes of risking and sacrificing oneself for others and of love are powerful. The movie clearly states that all people have the capacity for both good and evil and that we must make a choice. Going beyond the movie, when we choose God, we choose Good. But our need for a Savior goes way beyond that. We need Jesus in our lives to heal us of our inclination toward sin and evil. We need all be talking about.

Caution Areas for viewers with children:

Most of the movie was surprisingly void of sexualized content. Diana is quite innocent and her male companion is portrayed as respectful and somewhat chivalrous, explaining that men and women do not sleep together unless they are married, though they did lie down fully clothed, next to each other to sleep in a boat. She comments awkwardly on having read someone named Cleo's works on bodily pleasure, who came to the conclusion that men are necessary for pro-creation, but not for pleasure. There is a wide shot of Chris Pine coming out of a Hot Natural Bath, like the ones at Hieropolis, when Diana walks in and he is briefly shown covering himself with his hands. A small amount of innuendo is employed. There is one kissing scene, alone in a hotel room behind closed doors. While a love scene could be implied, No clothes are removed and the camera moves to a shot of the building with a light on in the room and fades away. The emphasis was on the love between a man and a woman, which was welcome, though I would have preferred a goodnight kiss at the door.