Epiclogue - 03/07/2010

Today Jamie lead us in an inductive study of Acts 8:26-40. It's the story of Phillip and his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. I'll do a quick re-cap & comment some of my thoughts. If you have any thoughts, comment your own. Quick links:
>> ACTS 8:26-40 <<
>> ISAIAH 53 << (the passage the eunuch was reading)

So first off there was a lot of "What??" going on about this Ethiopian dude. He was on his way back to Ethiopia from Jerusalem, sittin' in his chariot, reading Isaiah. So there's a lot of odd stuff there. He was in Jerusalem to worship, so he's Jewish...?...but he's from Ethiopia...and an eunuch (shaky Mohel?)...and the accountant to the queen of Ethiopia....and he's reading Isaiah-which means he apparently has a scroll. These are a lot of weird things to read these days, but it's not unrealistic.

Ethiopia was a huge powerhouse around the turn of the age, up there with Rome, Persia, and China, so if he was the accountant to the queen, he's up there. The passage reads that he was traveling in a chariot, but that's gotta be a poor translation. He's not just standing there on an little platform being pulled by two horses. First off, he's traveling to Ethiopia from Jerusalem. That' a long way to stand. Second off "v38 - and he gave orders to stop the chariot." If it was just him, he's just stop the chariot. If it were a fancy coach, he's order it stopped. If it were a caravan, which we suspected it to be, he would have to give orders to servants to go tell all the different wagons and coaches to stop. But it's not like Phillip was standing on the side of the desert road and happened upon this lone Ethiopian traveler.

"How can I unless someone explains it to me." After looking it over more closely, I'm fairly convinced that his man was a Jewish convert - or at least a would-be Jewish convert. Obviously with all the possible translation issues it's possible I'm reading into this instead of reading it (I'll have to bug Brock about this), but the passage says that the man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, not that he had been worshiping in Jerusalem. This man was the treasurer for the queen of a powerful state, which means he dealt in commerce, which means there were merchants, which means there would naturally be an exchange of customs and beliefs along side those physical commodities. Perhaps at some point he met a Jewish man or learned about Judaism and felt a glimmer of the truth and beauty of the Lord, perhaps even fully converted. It would be easy for him to arrange to travel to Jerusalem so that he could worship the Lord. And after reading all the rebuking that Jesus had to do towards the leaders of the temples, I can very easily see the Rabbi's, Pharisees, and Sadducees of the time taking one look at him and dismissing him. How could he make his convenant with the Lord if the Ethiopian king had already removed his member. How could he perform the rights if he couldn't read the Hebrew passages?

So I kinda read an un-fulfilled longing into that statement. And as always when talking about the Jewish leaders of Jesus's time, a parallel can be drawn to Christianity today where the Church focuses legalistically on a list of check-boxed "Do's" and "Don't's" and thereby turn people away from God when we should simply offer our love to them. I'm incredibly grateful that I can say that EPIC has not problem with that. But the Church as a whole does.

Anyways, that's me on "the Ethiopian dude."

The parts we focused on most were Phillip and his interactions and relationship with the Holy Spirit. We thought it was odd that at the first part of the passage it was an angel that told Phillip to go the the road, and then it was the Spirit that told him to go stay near the chariot. We've been reading through different passages about the Holy Spirit. Two weeks ago we read and discussed Pentecost (Acts 2). Last week we discussed Acts 4 where, after being on trial before the Jewish leaders, the disciples many followers prayed for boldness and then their place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and went forth and shared Christ boldly.

This week, we read about Phillip. Phillip was a man who had a relationship with the Holy Spirit. He was a man who was able to discern what the Lord wanted him to do. We all have things we'd like to do and we all have ways that's we'd like to serve the Lord, but until we want what God want's we're not going to want to do what God wants us to do. We're just going to want God to want us to do what we want to do. And we are sinful - corrupt. We inherently desire that which isn't good for our souls.

We can't go from being a seed to producing fruit in a Snap. We have to grow in the Spirit. And once we're no longer seeds, we'll be BURSTING! to produce fruit, but even then if we try to produce fruit when we're just a sappling we can do ourselves damage. If we just seek the Lord, if we dig deep roots in the Holy Spirit, we will naturally grow strong branches and pour forth fruit. But the fruit is a byproduct of deep roots. If we just try to produce fruit (which is the sexier, cooler sounding thing to do) without growing in the spirit, we're not actually trying to be a plant, and we will fail to produce fruit, and we will not deceive the Lord (you know, 'cause He's God).

Once we love the Lord, we will be able to hear Him and we'll want to obey. But until then we'll just be like children saying "I want to help by testing the cookies!" and the Lord will just laugh and ruffle our hair and make us childishly angry at Him. Until we actually want to help we won't be told how we can help. I know some of you disagree, but that's what I believe, and I'm the one writing the post. : p

A Little Self-Evaluation

Yesterday, (01/24) we got a bit more personal about our spiritual lives and the varying degrees of progress that we each feel we made throughout the 12 months of the Year of Our Lord 2009. It was good. It was fueled by a self-evaluation that Louis had put together, and I've included a link to it below. I'd really encourage you to take a bit of time and read through it and try to come up with some answers. We'll be going over it again next Sunday. But you don't have to come for the evaluation to be worth your while.

May peace and grace of an absurdly mature nature abound around you this week.


self evaluation-epic.doc

Managing Wealth - Week Two

On Sunday, January 10th, Shannon and Mark led us in another week of discussions about personal finances and how we, as Christians, are called to interact with the green. During the first week (1/3/09) we had talked about the finances, wealth, and poverty in terms of the global perspective. While it's easy to forget it in moments of want or frustration, I hope that each of us is aware that even those who have it bad in the U.S. still have it pretty good compared to much of the world. Our nation is ridiculously wealthy. Therefore even if we don't feel burdened with large sums of money, we should all feel a responsibility to use what the Lord has given us wisely.

Biblical Insight on Finances

What does the Bible say about getting into debt?

• Psalms 37:21 - The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
• Proverbs 22:7 - The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
• Romans 13:8 - Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law

Some of the main discussion centered on being responsible and honest with yourself and God's money. If you have debts, you should repay them. We can't be mirrors for the brightness of Christ's love and run from our debts; people will see a pile of "Past-Dues" and a person looking for excuses not to pay. Christ paid our debt of sin to God, not our student loans. Proverbs 22:7 warns against borrowing because, as it says, it restricts you and may hamper your ability to act when the Lord calls you. And some sorts of debt are necessary (mortgages, student loans). Just avoid unnecessary, frivolous debt, right?

What about investing and saving money?

• Proverbs 21:20 - In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
• Matthew 25:14-30 - [FOLLOW LINK: Parable of the servants sewing the masters talents.]

We shouldn't be foolish or prodigal with our money. Nor should we horde it as coveted treasure, because we shouldn't covet anything but the Lord love. If we invest with wisdom and faith and we receive good returns then we glorify the Lord to others through our success and we have more capital with with to do the Lord's work.

Taxes are required, but are they Biblical?

• Matthew 22:15-22 - [FOLLOW LINK: 'Paying Taxes to Ceasar']
• Romans 13:2-7 - ²Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. ⁴For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. ⁶This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

So why did I leave that long one in? Because it seems to sum up the topic better than anything else could.

What exactly is tithing?
Tithing was introduced in the Old Testament as a law that required all Israelites to give 10% of earnings (money, crops, animals) to the temple.

• Leviticus 27:30-34; Numbers 18:26

Old Testament believers gave from the firstfruits of their crops, not the leftovers!

• Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:22; Proverbs 3:9-10

The New Testament instructs us to give cheerfully, to give generously and to give regularly. The specifics are up to us.

• 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 2:6-11; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Luke 6:38
  

As a group, we seemed to have a lot to say on the topic of tithing. A lot of folks had really good comments. First off was the disparity between the OT "you must" and the NT "do, ya know, whatever, if ya want". I guess we mainly talked about how, if taxes weren't mandates, very few people would willingly give to the government. Having it written as law simply takes our human tendency of avoidance out of the equation. It simply is. It's simplified. But that's only at the surface level. A lot of what the NT talks about is giving as you feel led to cheerfully give. If you feel led to not tithe, then don't tithe against your will. But don't use the "as you feel led" to tithe less than you feel led to simply because you know you've got this vacation coming up and it'd be really nice to be able to spend another day out there. Tithing should, like all thing, be prayerfully done. God wants our hearts, not our money, and the idea is that once God has our hearts it will bring us joy to give to Him. And a C. S. Lewis point was brought up: he wrote in some writing that you should feel it when you tithe. If it doesn't affect your lifestyle at all, your not giving enough because tithing is a way for us to learn that all things come from the Lord and for us to remove our psychological dependence on a padded pocketbook.

These were the things I took away. As always, if you disagree or agree differently pop up a comment. But I'm through for now.

"That's SO 2009"

Howdy folks, Chris Cook here with another exciting Epic blog post! Over the last four months of 2009 Louis led us through a ton of great topics during our Sunday mornings together. Obviously it's been a bit and I can't even hope to begin to reiterate any worthwhile portion of the discussions we had, but I can post links to the Powerpoints that Louis made for some of the different discussions. See below.

God.pptx
OT violence.pptx
The Bible 3.pptx
What Christians Believe.pptx
humanity.pptx
predestination.pptx

Managing Wealth - Week One

We are tackling the issue of wealth and finances for the next couple of Sundays in Epic. I pray that we will all have an open mind and heart as we look at what God as to say about money, generosity and the heart of the matter.

This week we looked a global perspective of the wealth, discussed the importance of attitude when giving and spending and introduced the idea of managing, not owning, the money God has given us.

For a global perspective on where you stand check out www.globalrichlist.com.

We spent some time this week studying 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 which reminds us that it is not the amount we give but the attitude and purpose that matters most. Since we are simply managers of God's riches, we must use the money he has provided us to advance his kingdom and bring him glory.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

During his message at Hillcrest this morning, Darrin Plant said that surrendering was the "Ultimate New Year's Resolution". Is money the part of your life that needs to be surrendered to God?

We will take a deeper dive into tithing, loans, debt, savings and more in the weeks to come... Stay tuned!

Biblical Interpretation

Thanks to Chris for posting the link to the Bibilical Interpretation powerpoint. I have put it below again for reference to my comments.

This presentation is based on a two-part talk I heard back in 2002 as part of a spring break retreat to the Rockies. After sitting pretty much dormant in the back of my brain for several years, I remembered it and wanted to put it in a more concise format for sharing.

The main points of the teaching can be summed up as follows:

We need to give careful consideration to how we approach God's Word. As part of this approach, we need to commit to utilizing a sound interpretive process for our reading.

A very basic interpretive process includes first finding out what the text meant to the original readers, then recognizing the truth principles which underpin the text and hold true even still, and lastly making contemporary and personal applications.

Doing this will help us to walk wisely in between two poor alternatives. The first mistake is to do what I often do: to read a portion of scripture but not put any critical thought into it and stop thinking about it once I close my Bible. James 1:22 speaks to us about the folly of doing this. The other mistake is to do what I also sometimes do: to read a portion of scripture and make an application with only a partial or incomplete understanding of the context in which the passage lies.

Biblical Interpretation

-Kelly Blackwell

Blog Attack p2...and 3 now

The way we all operate these days makes it seems as though there's nothing left for Christ to do except make our existence more comfortable.

Several weeks ago I mentioned the book Unchristian. Several of those who have been in Epic and at Hillcrest for a few years said that Pastor Mark did a sermon series on the book. So, some are familiar with the book and some are not. For those not I will briefly summarize the book by saying that it deals with the very negative perceptions that people outside the church (and even many who are within the church) have of Christianity because of the drastic and damnable gaps that has grown first between what we as disciples of Christ are called to be and what we as American Christians claim to be, and secondly between what we claim to be and what we do. Christ calls us to humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and love. Christianity has, in many ways, become little more than a moral code (and, for those our age, a philosophical mindset). Very few self-identified Christians adhere to that moral code.

We are seen as posers of extreme proportion.

That being said, the part part of the book that has stuck with me the most was a brief section that discussed Matthew 5: 13-16, the verses that call us as disciples to be

• the salt of the earth
• the light of the world
• a city on a hill

Here is a passage from the book.

Being salt and light demands two things: we practice purity in the midst of a fallen world and yet we live in proximity to this fallen world. If you don't hold up both truths in tension, you invariably become useless and separated from the world God loves. For example, if you only practice purity apart from proximity to the culture, you inevitably become pietistic, separatist, and conceited. If you live in close proximity to the culture without also living in a holy manner, you become indistinguishable from the fallen culture and useless in God's kingdom.

And I think that it's very easy to practice neither one. It's very easy to separate ourselves from the world and still not practice the purity. I actually think that it's more likely that if we section ourselves off and just hone in on Epic and Epic time and that it can become a simple social group where we are not out among the world nor calling ourselves to purity and Christ-like-ness. I feel like spreading God's love isn't a responsibility, a requirement for salvation, but a necessity for growing into a Christlike person. It's a pressure we put upon ourselves so that the pressure might shape and harden us. Most of us would never study if we didn't have a test coming up. If I hadn't volunteered to lead a week on Christ I never would have done the reading I did. I would guess that the same is true for Louis, Kelly, and Paul to extents.

The group has spoken of it several times, but in '10 I'll be pushing for it: that Epic gets involved in the community. Probably gonna be Harvesters or something. It's been mentioned that a great way to tie it in would be to do some volunteering right before a retreat, which will hopefully get lined up for early '10. I'll be pushing for that too. But involvement doesn't have to be as a group. It's might be more fun, but much harder to organize. Get out there if you can.