Do You Know The Meaning of Your Name?

In 1946, the year I was born, Gregory was one of the most popular names for a boy in the United States.  So, I was given that name as well as a host of other boys born in that year.  I'm not too sure I ever gave much thought as to the meaning of my name until I was nearly an adult.  I heard pastors talk about the meaning of some Bible character's names and draw interesting parallels between the name's meaning and circumstances in the life of that person. So, after some research,  I discovered that Gregory, my name, is from the Latin and Greek and simply means a "watchman" or a vigilant person.  Reflecting back, now, on my life I can see the meaning of my name has been a common theme in my life.  For some reason that I don't fully understand I can look into a situation and have an intuition about what the final outcomes will be--sometimes before others are even aware that a situation is developing.  For that reason at the end of my career as a pastor and missionary strategist I was often called a strategic thinker by my colleagues.  (Others referred to my gift as a "pain in the neck", but I suspect the pain they were referencing was a good deal lower than the neck).

The First Time It Happens

One of my first experiences with this intuition happened when I was about 13 years old.  My Dad and I were working together on some project and I casually commented to him that I could see the USA would, sometime in the future, experience another civil war.  My Dad's response was angry and direct, "That can never happen again!  Never say that again!"  Dad's grandfather, Nicholis Fisher, served in the Union Army during the civil war and the wounds of that war were still fresh in Dad's mind.  I never mentioned it again.  I did, however, think about it often. I sometimes wish there was cellular service in heaven.  I'd like to call up my Dad and revisit that conversation and update him on what we are now experiencing in our country.  

A Nation Divided 

Today, 60+ years after that encounter with my Dad,  our nation is once again divided and I can hear the extremes of both sides of the cultural and political divide quietly beating the drums of war.  I am no fan of civil war--having pitched up on the scene of some of Africa's more devastating civil wars and genocides--I know there will be no winners and only losers.  Our current President is being impeached and there is a contentious election coming this year.  The gulf between us as a nation is becoming wider.  The dialogue is becoming more vicious, divisive, and polarizing.  That gulf is not about "red" vs. "blue", Democrats vs. Republican.  Boiling beneath the political surface are far deeper issues of morality, sexuality, faith, and theology.  Even if--as my conservative friends like to point out--Donald Trump is acquitted in the Senate trial and has the 2020 election in the bag, that does not assure us of a peaceful and prosperous future or a return to the comfortable and predictable lives of yesteryear. Far from that, it may set the stage for an even more revenge filled backlash against Christians in the future.   

Preparing For The Fall-Out

As Christians living in these troubled times we must take to heart the words of our Lord as recorded in Luke 6:28, "bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." and "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:44-45)  We are called to do this because God is generous in His grace towards those who are his enemies. He searches and seeks out those who left behind a relationship with Him, and He is relentless in His pursuit of those lost from His kingdom.  

God's Generous Grace

He is also generous in His grace towards His sons and daughters who continue to live on a planet in rebellion against His rule. Among southern hemisphere Christians who face persecution a common response to the greeting "How are you?"  is "By His grace..."  Jesus did not intend for us to be confused about persecution or be caught by surprise when it comes to us.  He warned his disciples, "Remember the word that I said to you: But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me." And, later, "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.  But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you." (John 15:20-12; 16:1-4) Having been warned, how, then, are we to survive?  By His grace!  

But, how are we to do that?  The apostle Paul gives us picture of God's generous grace when he wrote to the Corinthian church, " But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." (2 Cor. 4:7-12) Paul knew this because God had told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

So What Do We Do Now?

Christians in America need to wake up, and do it now!  2 Timothy 3:13 reminds us, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." These are strong words, indeed.  But, the verses following this warning highlight some important practical advice for those facing persecution. First, we are to continue firmly in our faith. This means holding firmly to the foundational confessions of the Christian faith.  I am appalled when I talk with well meaning, and sincere Christians that are almost biblically illiterate.  You cannot hold fast to a faith when there is no foundation for that faith.  You will be swept away in the coming flood.  Second, we are directed to the very place where that foundation can be found:  The Bible.  The scriptures, Paul wrote, are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  But that is only true if (1) we actually read, learn, and engage with the scriptures. (2) We recognize the word of God as our primary authority for our lives and the practice of our faith.  That is why Paul ends with, "All scripture is breathed out [inspired]  by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Tim 3:16) 

So, what about you? Has your life been warmed and filled with God's generous grace?  Or, is it filled with apprehension and anger at the turmoil around us?  Are you a fount of blessing?  Or, cursing? Have you fully embraced and learned from the scriptures the reason for your faith?  Or, is it based on feel good, cheap grace, easy believe-ism?  

"We Are Never Heard": The Cry of the Persecuted Church

When the Christian faith may be hazardous to your health.

You man not realize it now, but if current trends continue you may find your life in danger for your Christian faith.  I know that some people reading this post will label me "alarmist" for suggesting this, but statistically Christian persecution is at an all-time high in many parts of the world.  Open Doors, a Christian ministry that serves persecuted Christians world-wide, has reported that in Africa--the continent with the strongest Christian presence--one out of six Christians will suffer persecution while in Asia one in three Christians will suffer persecution.  More than 245 million Christians world-wide will suffer extreme persecution. In 2019 more than 1,000 Christians were martyred by Muslim extremists in Nigeria alone. These levels of anti-Christian persecution exact a personal price for those suffering.  Raymond Ibrahim, writing for the Gladstone Institute quotes a letter from the widow of a man martyred in India for his Christian faith:

"We had been experiencing religious hatred from [the husband's employer] and his colleagues, however, we had no courage to register this with police. We are poor and belong to a downtrodden segment of society. Therefore, we are never heard...."

I have worshipped with, and done ministry in areas where Christians are regularly persecuted.  I know the cry of "we are never heard" would resonate with millions of people around the world.  

Stages of Persecution

The persecution of the Church does not arrive on the scene fully formed and ready for action.  It evolves over a period of years gradually becoming more extreme in its expression.  Some Christian writers have suggested that there may be five stages of persecution.  With each stage there is increasing hostility towards people of the Christian faith.  

Stage One: Stereotyping 

A stereotype is a uniform or standardized description of a particular group of people.  In the mid 20th century Pentecostals were stereotyped as wild-eyed, largely uneducated, snake handlers.  Baptists were often depicted as fundamentalist Bible thumpers.  Roman Catholics were guilt ridden followers of the Pope who were unable to throw off the shackles of religion.  None of these stereotypes were completely accurate but they continued to be used in the popular media for decades.  

Stage Two:  Vilifying 

Later in the 20th century Christianity began to be vilified for supposed crimes.  As an example, the Crusades which neither the secular critics of Christianity nor the Muslim world can ever forget.  Christian missionaries were accused of being culture killers who commit fraud on indigenous cultures. The Church is often remembered only for inquisitions and the persecution of science.  As one Christian writer has observed, "All of this has the effect of creating a self-righteous indignation towards believers, and of making...anti-Christian attitudes a permissible bigotry."

Stage Three: Marginalization

When bigotry against Christians becomes an accepted behavior in the society, Christians begin to be marginalized.  Christianity becomes something to be removed from the public life.  The cultural gatekeepers of our society--the media, prominent politicians, entertainment elites, University administrators and professors, the local "intellectuals", and numerous anti-Christian special interest groups seem to be dedicated to the removal of Christianity and Christian thought from the public square.  We can pray at an event--but, are forbidden to pray in Jesus name.  We can speak on a national news broadcast about a miraculous event in our lives--but, without attribution to the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can be "people of faith" inside the four walls of our church, but, practicing our faith outside of that setting is seen as something evil.  

Stage Four: Criminalizing

We are already seeing the criminalization of Christianity in America.  Laws are being debated--and, passed--that would punish Christians who seek to live, teach, and openly believe in traditional Christian marriage.  A few large corporations run by committed Christians have had to suffer government intervention when they refused to provided goods and services to employees that would specifically run counter to traditional Christian beliefs.  Some small businesses have been target for economic sanctions due to their Christian faith.  Thankfully some of these laws and policies have been rebuffed by the courts, but the day will soon come when that will no longer be true.  

Stage Five: Violence

The final stage in the development of persecution of Christians will be the violent suppression of Christianity.  We can already see stages one through four happening in our society.  Will it be long before we slip into stage five?  As Christians we must pray for our nation and for our political leaders.  We are tasked with being salt in this world...and, light in this world...even if it means death.  

The Real Saint Nicholas

The Real Saint Nicholas (was no wimpy saint!) 

Christmas brings again a wonderful time of celebration of our Lord's first appearing.  For Americans this is inevitably connected to the mythical figure of Santa Claus--apparently based upon Nicholas who was the bishop of Myra in the early 4th Century AD.  He may have been in his late teens or early 20's when he was named a bishop.  According to legend Nicholas was known for his generosity and kindness to those who were less fortunate--providing (according to the legend) gold for the doweries of three poverty stricken Christian girls who might have otherwise been trafficked as sex slaves.  

Nice.  But, the little known part of the Saint Nicholas legend reveals a man more like Naboth of the Old Testament than the jolly old elf of modern Christmas.  During the early Christian council debates, at the council of Nicea, when the church was formulating the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the nature of Jesus Christ.  Arius a presbyter (elder)--but not bishop--from Alexandria, Egypt, held that God is so wholly other than man that He cannot share his substance with any other.  Further, Arius believed that the Son of God did not always exist, but was begotten in time by God the Father.  Nicholas, and, indeed the vast majority of those participating, refused to have any of this. In the heat of the debate Nicholas was so overcome with anger at this heretical teaching that he actually slapped Arius in the face.  

   

Why is this ancient debate important to us now?

The debate went right to the heart of the Christian Gospel message.  If there was a time when He--the Son of God--was not, then He is not co-eternal with God the Father.  But Arius' bishop, Alexander, knew right away this would reduce the divinity of Jesus Christ and thus disqualify him as mankind's savior.  The apostle Paul, in writing to the Philippian Church, expressed the apostolic faith about Christ like this, 

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV).  

John had also explained in his Gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-3,14

That Jesus Christ was preexisting with the Father before his incarnation on earth as Mary's child is a settled point of Christian faith.

The end result of the council of Nicea was the publishing of the Nicean Creed--that basic statement of the Christian faith that goes like this;

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

A Dialogue That Satisfies Our American Values.

I call my blog Naboth's Vineyard for a reason.  The story of Naboth in 1 Kings 21 is a rather sad, but, informative episode in the history of Israel.  Naboth, a vineyard owner, is approach by King Ahab with a request that he sell--or, trade--his vineyard to him.  Naboth's response is very telling and eventually costs him his life.  But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” Today Christians are being presented with requests that they should give up their Christian heritage, and our answer should be the answer of Naboth to Ahab.  

Returning to the USA, from a long time of living and doing ministry in Africa, I was concerned to find colleagues of mine advocating and participating in some kind of dialogue with Islam. While dialogue with Islam might be--in some way--satisfying to our American value of inclusiveness, there is very little which genuine Christians might come to agreement with in Islam. 

I recently came across this quote from Thomas Aquinas ... a theologian that lived some 800 years closer to the founding of Islam that we are:

"He (Mohammed) seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh urges us. His teaching also contained precepts that were in conformity with his promises, and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected; he was obeyed by carnal men. As for proofs of the truth of his doctrine, he brought forward only such as could be grasped by the natural ability of anyone with a very modest wisdom. Indeed, the truths that he taught he mingled with many fables and with doctrines of the greatest falsity.

He did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth. On the Contrary, Mohammed said that he was sent in the power of his arms – which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants. What is more, no wise men, men trained in things divine and human, believed in him from the beginning. Those who believed in him were brutal men and desert wanderers, utterly ignorant of all divine teaching, through whose numbers Mohammed forced others to become his follower’s (sic) by the violence of his arms. Nor do divine pronouncements on part of preceding prophets offer him any witness. On the contrary, he perverts almost all the testimony of the Old and the New Testaments by making them into a fabrication of his own, as can be seen by anyone who examines his law. It was, therefore, a shrewd decision on his part to forbid his followers to read the Old and New Testaments, lest these books convict him of falsity. It is thus clear that those who place faith in his words believe foolishly." - Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 1, Chapter 16, Art. 4. Footnote: 1. Sura 21:5, Sura 44:14

We, who are followers of Jesus Christ, are very specifically NOT SENT IN THE POWER OF ARMS.  This is a fact that St. Paul makes very clear in the Epistle of the Ephesians. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I talk about this further in a recent sermon I gave at the Tulsa International Fellowship of First Presbyterian Church.

American Christianity: Bible-ish? Or, Bible-less?

Afterwards, I started thinking about American Christianity.  

My part-time retirement entertainment consists of driving a bus--either empty or full of passengers--over the road.  In most cases that also entails being thrust into a car with an aggregate group of fellow drivers I have never met before for a 10 or 12 hour drive back to Tulsa.  It's not nearly as enchanting as it sounds.  Usually someone will begin an inquiry into how I came to be one of the drivers. It is the "where did you come from?" inquiry that seeks to determine--in a pleasant way--that I am one of them.  Since I can't hide 40+ years of ordained ministry, that fact usually comes out fairly soon.  Once established that I am a Christian, others will often chime in about their Christian faith--or, lack of it--as well.  This week one of those conversations went something like this:"So, you are familiar with the Bible, can I ask you a question?"

Me, dropping anchor for the potential storm ahead, "Sure...."

"What do you know about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?"

Me, "Ah....well I seem to be familiar with that..."

"Well, the lady in our Sunday School class that she and her husband do the teaching, said that before Christ returns things are going to get worse rather than better.  Have you ever heard of that? I'd never heard that before.  I always thought things would be getting better and better before He returns, myself.  What do you think?"

I was thinking, if you attended a Sunday School class your entire adult life and have absolutely no understanding of the events surrounding the Second Coming, you weren't well served by the experience.  But, I said, "Yes, I've heard that."

Since it wasn't a serious inquiry, the conversation quickly drifted into other banalities, and I began to think about Bible illiteracy.  Yes, the Bible is the best selling book in history.  It is also the least read and most misunderstood best seller in history.  This lack of engagement with the Bible has lots of causes with fingers pointing in various directions.  But, the lack of availability of Bible resources is not one of them.

This week on our regular Radio Free Patmos Island podcast John Rusk and I will be talking about the important place of authority the Bible has in the life of the believer.  You're invited to listen in and respond with your own comments and questions.

Life Without Guardrails

There can be little doubt that we are standing on the edge of certain change in America.  After the first Tuesday in November, 2016, everything will change.  This happens regardless of which political party wins the Whitehouse.  Having acknowledged that, how then should we live in the midst of both great danger and great opportunity?

Guardrails on the highway

Driving through the mountains of Washington State can be a dangerous adventure, especially in the snow and ice.  On particularly dangerous mountain roads the state has installed guardrails to try and prevent cars from going over the edge to certain death.  In the same way God has some guardrails to keep us from crashing our lives.  John Rusk and I discuss this in depth on our podcast, Is Your Church An Endangered Species?.   




Here is one of several guardrails we talk about in our podcast:

The Authority of God's Word

We get a sense of the importance of God's Word from this quote from St. Paul in 2 Timothy "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. "  The authority of the scripture comes from its source:  It is God breathed (or, inspired).  Because God is both perfect and completely free from any failure or weakness, the scriptures--the very breath of God--are themselves trustworthy and the final word on matters of faith and practice.

Welcome to Naboth's Vineyard

I once was a diligent blogger, but life got very busy and I gave it up for a while. This is an attempt to re-enter the blogger world once again--retirement having freed up a significant amount of time. Why call my blog "Naboth's Vineyard"? You'll need to keep reading my blog posts to find out! GREG