The Notes are Good

BSF Genesis: Week 1, Day 3

Questions:

6. I do not believe that a day is necessarily 24 hours. Could it have been? – yes. Could it have been more or less time? – yes. We think of time as a fixed dimension despite our own knowledge that it is not (time slows down as an object approaches the speed of light)

7. Why the earth? As a home for mankind. Why all creation? As a home for the earth. Why mankind? Because He is majestic and loving and chose to.

8. spoke, saw, eternal (he was before the creation)

Journal:

The bigger question isn’t whether a day is 24 hours or what elements constitute heaven and earth. The big question is why is Genesis 1 in the bible at all. I mean, why did God tell his creation about how He created everything and the order of that creation. We aren’t on a need to know basis. It has no impact on any persons daily life (at least not that I can discern) to know that birds came before horses. Frankly, it would have sufficed and been accurate to say, “I’m God, I created everything, period.” But He chose to break it down for us. I think in large part He did it not so that we would concentrate of the beginning of the paragraphs (God said and it was so) but instead on the end when He saw that it was good. We either don’t see that or we forget it. We look at the waters and see them as wet, vast, deep, a bit scary, but we don’t normally see them as “good.” For each element of creation God wants to ensure we know (1) He is in it and created it and (2) in His eyes (the only unfiltered eyes that exist), it is good. When you fill your eyes with seeing God and goodness in all creation rather than inanimate blobs of matter, it changes your viewpoint and changes your heart. Then, we you recognize that God made this “good” comment about each part of creation up until man, when He saw that it was “very good” it changes your eyes and your viewpoint to the heart of God

BSF Genesis: Week 1, Day 2

Today’s scriptures

Questions:

3.
a. God’s name appears 31 times. He created, said, saw, called, made, set, blessed. He conversed with man (alone). God was active, engaged, sensory (with human senses) and master (whatever he said happened).
b. God is the creator. He spoke and it became so. Everything was His plan and purpose and everything occurred by and through His will

4. It was good – except for man, where it was very good.

5.
a.

made by His power, founded by his wisdom
God made the world and everything in it, He gives life
since creation God’s qualities are clear in His creation

b.This message and my belief about the Earth’s origin are the same. God was in it and God did it. So many scientists are tripped up today because they start with a bias that the story as stated in the bible must be false. However, every revelation of science confirms the order of the story of God creating as outlined in Genesis. The more we try to disprove the more faith is required. Creation is not a repeatable experiment that can be duplicated, it is a historical fact, supported by the evidence of everything that was made.

Journal:

First: In the entire bible, God spends exactly 1 chapter telling the story of all creation. Immediately, in chapter 2 He moves to a discussion of His relationship with man. We think of ourselves as miniscule dots in comparison to the enormity of the universe. God considers the creation of the universe as miniscule in comparison to His love of us.

Second: Let’s face it, if you or I were going to write a creation story, we would be right in the middle of it. We would be created first, then we would do this, that and the other thing. I would put animals on land before flying animals, seems easier to crawl than fly. But here is what is interesting. I wasn’t there. God was. And, the more we learn and observe and study the more we reinforce God’s record of what happened. We sometimes get so big headed thinking we know everything, then there is a discovery like dark matter and we find that the entire scope of everything we know and understand makes up only 4% of what is really out there. It is difficult to not be in awe of creation and to see it as unbelievably beyond comprehension. It is, but God is bigger!

BSF Genesis: Week 0 – Lecture

What is Mr. C? (btw: Mr. C is my co-leader this year). He is a man. He is a BSF leader. He is a father. He is a follower of Christ. All of these are true, but they don’t paint a very clear or complete portrait of Mr C. To really get to know him, you would want a lot more information. You would want to go all the way back to his childhood, to the very beginning. You would want to know stories about his friendships and about the times and people who hurt him or let him down. You would want to have some genealogy about his family, like what they did, how they lived, what they felt and believed. You might want to hear songs that he liked, poetry. You might want to hear his own words.

You see, that is what the bible is. You can say it is a book or collection of books, because it is. You could say it contains laws and direction. But it is so much more. The bible is the way that God has chosen to reveal himself to mankind. It is the actual inspired word of God, told through the writing of humans, because that is how we can commune with God. As God is eternal, so is His word. It is stories about God, just as we would tell stories to learn about anyone else. It is a tale of joy and a tale of sadness. It is a book of poetry, history, prophecy, parable, law and above all, it is a book of grace. It is a book with amazing joy, sadness and then redemption fulfilled at great cost.

The bible is God’s word. God didn’t recite it word for word, but don’t mistake that they are His words. In spirit He guided and inspired the authors to record, without error, these words so that we can become closer to God. The written word is on the same level or authority as if God had spoken it (in a loud booming God voice) to you or me directly. It deserves the same reverence, not in a lock it in a glass case and worship the ink and page, but in a way that requires our time and attention and effort to commune with. The bible contains the knowledge we need to walk the path we are to take in our lives. You can call it an instruction manual, a light, but most importantly, it is a gift.

God desires to commune and communicate with His people. Did you realize that christianity is the only world religion that doesn’t have a “divine” language? You don’t have to speak hebrew to read about God. You don’t have to read ancient arabic. The bible has been translated into over 2,530 different languages – almost every written language in the word so that every person can read, study and get to know the word of God and thus, know God.

How are you showing respect for the word of God in your daily life? How are you showing just how thankful you are that God chose to let us get to know Him, that he cared that much? Are you hungy and thirsty for the word? Me, too!

Not only is this God’s word, but it is also how God reveals His divine purpose and plan. So, since there is a master plan for how everything and everybody and all time is going to be and work and do, wouldn’t you want to know about it? You see, God isn’t just a creator and builder, who designed and created everything, put it in motion and then just sat back and let it go. He is a God of action. That is one of the reasons we pray. God is alive and listening. He is active and moving. He wants us to see Him, understand Him and, in reflection, understand His plan for our lives.

It is said that God’s main purpose is to glorify Himself. Sometimes this is mis-understood and people think God needs us to tell Him how great He is. Like we have something that God needs. But it doesn’t mean that. Think of it this way, a lightbulb’s main purpose is to show how bright it shines. Glory is what God is, just as light is what a lightbulb is – OK, on a much bigger scale, but you get the point.

Do you believe that God has a purpose and a plan? Do you believe that He has a will? Do you believe that the God who created everything, knows everything, knows every blade of grass, every molecule, a God who is alive and active and listening and participating and communing… Do you believe He just might have a thought or two in the fashion of a plan for your life? Do ya’ think, then, that it might be a good idea to read and study the book where He wrote that down? Just saying!

We start our study this year in the same book that God chose to start, Genesis, a book of beginnings. Genesis tells us about the beginning of everything: at a universally large scale, as in, the universe, and on a subatomic scale as in the time that he spoke mass and matter into being (the heavens and the earth). God could have chosen to reveal all kinds of details about timelines, and specifics about the way that He created, but He chooses to tell us the story in the matter that means the most to us, in a very human and personal way. He spoke. He saw. These are human actions and God wants to reveal Himself to us in the language we all can see and speak. Genesis tells about how we began with God and how we were given choice and made the wrong one (sound familiar to your own life?) Genesis tells about things like rebellion, judgment, justice and, right from the very start, it begins the promise of redemption and reconciliation. God tells us about Himself through the stories and interactions of His friends and the people He calls family, His peeps (as in they will be my people and I will be their God).

At some point in your life you will ask the question: How did I get here? It may be at a time of incredible high, where you want to reflect on all the blessings. It may be at a terrible low point. It may be at a time that you just feel last or lonely or one where you are thankful and joyful. Here is what I can tell you. I know where the answer to that question is. It is right here, in these words. You see, everything we need to know about how we got here, physically, mentally, metaphysically, chronologically, spiritually, legally, purposefully, economically and redemptively – it is all here. Where should we start? How about: In the beginning God…

Getting Started in Genesis

I am very excited to get back into BSF this year and the structure it provides. I am also very excited about the “kinder and gentler” structure of BSF. We see this right off the bat in the childrens program. In years past there was a heavy focus on going over guidelines the first night. This year we jump right into fellowship and interactive discussions about the bible, Genesis, the BSF study, etc. Later in the first night we discuss, together, standards that we (leaders and students together) want to have for the class this year. There is involvement, input, engagement and participation right from the start.

Most importantly, I am very excited about studying Genesis. God’s word is so amazing. There is a depth and richness in it that seems to flower the more I mature. There is truly a beauty that, while there on the surface, becomes even more beautiful as we look deeper. It is good.

My plan is to post as I did last year (although with a bit more regularity and simplicity). I would like to do my lesson daily and post my lecture notes each week

The weaker vessel?

1 Peter 3:7 – Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Our study this week includes 1 Peter 3. There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding of these verses and verse 7 in particular. How are we to understand the designation of wives as the weaker partner or vessel?

In Greek, the word weaker is asthenēs (Strongs g772). This is the same word that is used in other parts of the bible as a word for sick or weak. Matt 25:43 When did we see you weak or in prison? Luke 10:9 Heal the sick. Matt 26:41 The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

In the context of 1 Peter 3, clearly Peter is not trying to communicate that wives are a sickly lot. Nor can it be that he is considering women to be weak mentally or spiritually because in verse 1 of this same chapter he acknowledges that wives are often quicker to understand and take hold of the revelation of the word than their husbands. How else could a wife win over a husband to the word if she were not the one who understood it first?

As a result, some scholars fall to a literal translation and profess that Peter means women are physically weaker than their husbands. Again, I can understand that many women have less upper body strength than men, but is Peter really calling on husbands to open jars and lift heavy boxes for their wives? That simply doesn’t fit the context of the verses. And I don’t think upper body strength can be equated to overall physical strength. Seriously, if men had to give birth, humans would have died off as a species thousands of years ago.

So what then is Peter saying? In the context of Peter’s writings as well as the letters of James and other apostles we see a reiterated message of encouragement to Christians to take on Christ’s example of getting under people and lifting them up. We do not lay a foundation by pouring concrete on someone’s head, we do it by putting ourselves under them. Christ was made lower than the angels. Christ didn’t pull us up into heaven, he suffered death and descended into the grave to lift us up from underneath. This was very contrary to the examples of religious leaders of their day who did not want to be soiled by sinners.

In 1 Peter 3: 1-6 Peter is speaking specifically to christian wives to model this behavior in their families – to speak louder with their actions than their words and to communicate with their inner spirit even more than their outward self. Wives and mothers often make monumental sacrifices of careers, self interest, recognition and honors for their husbands and families. This is not an easy sacrifice and one that, frankly, most men would not have the fortitude to make – men have a tendency to derive so much of their self-image from work and being able to provide, that it would be crushing to set it aside.

So, lookikng again to the Greek we see the etomology of the word asthenes is alpha (as in before or without) and sthenes meaning strength. I do not believe Peter is talking about wives being weak by nature of their gender. In the context of chapter 3, if they follow verses 1-6, they are willingly entering into a position which is without strength. It is a situational position of entering a state that willingly gives up a position of strength (which, arguably takes more natural strength to do).

The fact that verse 7 specifically calls out to men to be considerate and respectful of this position their wives are taking speaks less to any weakness of the wives and more to the denseness of the husbands. We see this in verses 5 and 6 as well when Peter calls on wives to put their hope in God and to not give way to fear. When wives willingly place themselves in a position of sacrifice and submission for their families, they naturally are exposed and vulnerable. Ideally, they would be able to trust that their husbands would be considerate of this and respectful, but men tend to be far denser than that. Wives know it, Peter knew it, God knows it. Wives may not be able to always trust that their husbands will recognize and honor their sacrifice in these things, but they can trust that God does and will.

When families work together in this relationship with God, vs 7 also tells us that there are rewards for everyone. He does not call on wives to abandon their thinking and blindly follow their husbands. Entering a position of submission is not to become a slave or to turn off the talents given by God. It is a position that more closely models the example of Christ and utilizes that intellect and those talents from the inside out. Wives are called to lead their families to God (vs 1) but in different ways than the world thinks of leadership.

With that, God calls on husbands and wives to be heirs together – joint land owners in the kingdom of heaven, receivers jointly of gracious gifts and by praying together that nothing will hinder their prayers.

While this may not be the message that many hear in relation to these verses, I believe it better reflects the context of Peter’s letter.

Comments are welcome.

P.S. Thank you to my Godly wife for helping lead and grow me and our family to be closer to God. I appreciate it and honor the sacrifices she makes more than I can show.

BSF Acts: Week 24, Day 5: Ephesians 5:22–6:9

Questions:

12. At the center is love, and not just any love, but the love like Christ had to sacrifice all for those He loved. Christ became fully man. A man invests himself fully in his wife, holding nothing back. This isn’t 50/50 it is “all in”

13. How often my first thought is “I want them to” or “I need them to” whether at home, work or even church. When my focus is on receiving I cannot be focused on giving or loving.

Thoughts:

There is a very significant call to husbands in these verses. I think, too often, people get stuck on the wives submit to your husbands line. But the expectation and call that is placed on husbands is hugely significant, and goes hand in hand with this statement to wives. Verses 25 and 26 state, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy…” This isn’t a theoretical I would be willing to die for my wife sentiment. (I would catch a grenade for you, fall on a blade for you – sorry, broke into song there for a minute.) This is a decision to love so much that you step down from every right and honor that might be due to you for the purpose of loving and serving and building up another to make her holy, clean, without stain or wrinkle. It is not, what would you do, but what have you done and what are you willing to do every day. As a husband, how much of your time and life is focused on yourself. If we choose to marry we are judged by the holiness of our household.

Do men know how to love like that? Only through Christ and only through examples of God-fearing men in the church. This is not something promoted by society, culture or schools. But it is what is right and true.

I love my wife and I find that my love for her grows deeper the more I learn of the bible. I can see so many ways that God is working in her life and it is easier and more natural for me to give thanks for the blessings I see flowing through her even more so than in my own life.

And Paul doesn’t stop with husbands and wives. He included instructions for children and parents, particularly fathers: Don’t exasperate your children. What an interesting verb: Irritate intensely; infuriate. How do fathers irritate and infuriate their children? how do they fail them? When they fail to “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Children want to do what is right, but how do they learn and know – only when the parents provide opportunities for them to learn.

The same principles apply in those we work with. Never forget, we all report to the same boss, the same Lord and master and He does not play favorites because of any earthly positions.

BSF Acts: Week 24, Day 4: Ephesians 4:17–5:21

Questions:

10.

Off: Live as gentiles: Old self, corrupted by its deceitful desires
On:new self, created to be like God
vs: 17, 22, 23, 24

Off: Falsehood
On: speak truthfully
vs:25

Off:Stealing
On: work, something useful with own hands, share
vs: 28

Off: unwholesome talk
On: only what is helpful for building others up
vs: 29

Off: grieve the: H/S
Off: Bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, every form of malice
On: kind, compassionate, forgiving
vs: 25, 31, 32

Off: Sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking
On: thanksgiving
vs: 3,4

Off: Letting others deceive with empty words, partner with them
vs: 6,7

Off: fruitless deeds of darkness
On: expose them
vs: 11

Off: Unwise
On: wise
vs: 15

Off: drunkeness, debauchery
On: filled with the Spirit
vs: 18

On: speaking with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, always give thanks to God
vs: 20

11. This is a work in progress for me, but as I prayed on this, the one that popped to the top of the list was “put off falsehood and speak truthfully”, but with a twist – My bigger fault in this area is not in lying or trying to deceive others but that I need to do this in my dialogue with myself. I lie a lot to myself: You deserve a…. God won’t care if…, It won’t matter if… You don’t have time to…

Thoughts:

I think we need to look at this information very carefully. Many people, particularly those who have not read it, think the bible is a rule book full of do’s and don’ts. But, first and foremost it is a love story. A loving and engaged Father who wants better things for His beloved children.

I think a better way to look at this passage is as valuable recommendations from a wise and loving parent. Do you want things to be better in your life? Let go of your old way of living, the old hurts and grudges that you haven’t let go of, the unforgiving that you refuse to give – you are not that person any longer!. Want better thing to happen today? Spend less time lying and more time telling the truth, spend less time stealing and more time doing work with your hands. Want better relationships? Quit unwholesome talk and say some kind words to build someone up; quit fixating on immorality and spend time giving thanks. While your at it, sing a song of praise – it lifts your spirit and soul.

BSF Acts: Week 24, Day 3: Ephesians 4:9–16

Questions:

6. Apostles: founders, leaders, backbone of church; prophets: speakers of God’s unwritten truth, listen and tell His direction; evangelists: Going forth to spread the good news to those who have not heard or do not understand; pastors: shepherds of a local flock of believers; teacher: those who explain and encourage believers in the word of God

7. By preparing God’s people for works of service we build up (strengthen) the body. We do this through bringing people to faith, teaching, supporting, helping structure local places and practices, so they can do the work that God has called them to do with the skills and knowledge passed on by the holy spirit through the church

a. As we mature in faith, Christ’s dwelling in us increases up to the full measure. This fullness anchors us, like a rock in a bag, so that we are not tossed about by false teaching, whims, deceit, cunning and craftiness

b. By doing the work in my head to grow the spirit’s home in my heart. He brings strength and weight and an anchor to my life – a firm foundation in Christ

a. Talk more about God and specifically what the Lord is doing or what I am asking Him to do.

b. This is not an argument, it is prayer. We speak the truth in love more by actions than words

c. Study and prayer. I need to work to remove the hoarding in my temple so God can dwell fully

d. Flex, but don’t break. Bend to reach out to others as God, in grace, bent down to save me.

Discussion:

Let’s look deeper at 4:11 and 12. “It was He who gave some to be…” the offices of the church and the people who serve in them are commissioned and selected, i.e., called by God. While we may have processes in place to identify and select people for certain jobs in the church, our efforts should be directed to affirm God’s calling. When it comes to leadership in the body of believers, God has already decided who is going to do what, we just need to listen prayerfully to His choices.

“some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” Depending on how you count the last, this is either 4 or 5 distinct jobs in the church. We often expect our leaders to be able to “do it all.” But Christ calls people to different roles. Now, it may be that He calls one person to different roles at different times in life, but we should expect that He has identified specific people at a specific time to serve in each of these specific roles within a body of believers.

“to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Newsflash: the purpose of church is not entertainment. Even if we are not called into one of the 4 or 5 offices of the church, we are still called to do works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up. We are in the construction business, not the demolition business. Our work of service is to get underneath people and lift them up. God lays a new foundation under them – puts a new structure on the outside of them (new creation) all while filling them up with all new insides (the spirit) and, by grace, he let’s us play a part in that service.

At the BSF conference we were encouraged to learn about some of the heretical teaching of our day, to read some of the popular books that deny everything from the existence of heaven to the virgin birth to many other truths of scripture. As I’ve read the books, what I have found is shoddy workmanship. Rather than building to code, they are like bad builders who want to cut corners. It sounds like a bargain at first, but then you see the cracks, the paint peels, the floor boards come loose, the roof like and the air conditioning doesn’t work. I don’t want help from these builders – I want help from someone who follows building code standards – and, for a Christian life, those are all printed in one place, the bible.

BSF Acts: Week 24, Day 2: Ephesians 4:1–8

Questions:

3. Live (i.e., do the work God designed for us to do, not be idle or spectators of life), be completely humble and gentle, be patient, make every effort to keep the unity of the spirt through the bond of peace (Christ is peace)

4. the unity of the spirt through the bond of peace

b. Eph 2:14 says, “He (Christ) himself is our peace.” So unity with the spirit through peace is being in Christ and the Spirit in us – united. We keep unity with others through the work of the spirit, not by anything we craft or do: We should pray to live life each day as God designed with the work He designed in advance for us to do through the power of the Sprit in us in communion with the saints (fellow believers) in His church.

c. According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Shakespearean Criticism, 1930), Organic Unity “is innate; it shapes as it develops itself from within and the fullness of its development is one and the same with the perfection of its outward form. ” Organic unity is the unifying thread that makes all the parts come together, from the inside out, joined in one form so that everything is unified. In the bible this is reflected in 1 Chor 1:12: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

Organizational Conformity is outward in. It is a set of norms and rules, goals and missions that are shared and observed but each part of the organization does not change within. In scripture Christ observed organization conformity in Matt 22:21a: “Give to caesar what is caesar’s.” Also in Heb 13:17a “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.”

d. To remember that the design of the church is to live in communion with man and God. We should learn and teach, support, pray and work in unity with the spirit not being divisive or burdensome but loving and true.

one body: One church, not many churches, one as the bride of Christ to serve as he commands
one spirit: A single entity (God) indwelling within all believers. Not different spirits in us, but one spirit in all.
one hope: The thing all believers long for is the same, to be reunited forever with our savior in God’s kingdom
one Lord: We all serve the same Lord and master, not different Kings with different rules and privileges
one faith: We believe in the same thing – Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.
one baptism: We have all been washed completely clean of our sins through grace – no difference, all pure/white
one God: The alpha and omega – there is only one God and Father of all. He is consistent and true.

Additional Thoughts:

I thought this was an exciting segment to dive deep into and I loved the questions today. First and foremost, we are called to “live life.” I think we forget that sometimes and let life live us. We go through the motions of another day. We plop down in front of the TV to be fed stuff (that is the polite word) largely developed by others who do not share similar standards for not causing another to stumble. Even at church we show up to be entertained or to “get something out of it”. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing against being fed, rested, inspired or even entertained, but those are inputs that should enable us to live. They are filling stations, not the final destination.

I attended one of the BSF seminars this past week and the Assistant Teaching Leader really highlighted how the seminars are designed to fit into the structure of BSF. Our groups and daily lessons are designed to feed and equip us, to grow, to share fellowship, to pray for each other, to learn and study. The seminars are designed to help prepare us to do something with all of that and take it out into the world. I thought that was great perspective and it was a really good seminar to help lead a small group in a bible study.

People of the Lie

I’m reading the book, “People of the Lie” by M. Scott Peck, M.D. A fascinating book told from a christian psychiatrist about human evil.

A section that I was just reading and was struck by is talking about “projecting.” Now, we have a clear visual image for projecting light: a flash light. But Dr. Peck discusses that people with an evil heart project darkness. Quick note: he is not using the word evil lightly. These are not people who sin from time to time but try to do better and to follow the light. These are people who have decided in their heart to reject the notion that they are sinful whether fully of their own or through the influence of demons. These are people who may acknowledge God loudly with their words but who deny their own wrongs and, as such, do not need the salvation of Christ and, as such, cannot accept Him into their hearts. What they do, they do on their own, not with the power of the spirit, although they may use the names and words.

Let me plant the seed first, then you can read a synopsis of what Dr Peck writes. We have been discussing this week God’s plan and purpose to bring all things under Christ. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess – Jew, Gentile, every knee. So, what does satan plan and purpose? To keep any knee possible from bowing for as long as possible.

According to the book:

Since the evil (evil people – those with an evil heart), deep down, feel themselves to be faultless, it is inevitable that when they are in conflict with the world they will perceive the conflict as the world’s fault. To deny their own badness they must perceive others as bad. They project their own evil onto the world. By not seeing evil in themselves, the full burden shifts to the shoulders of others. An evil father who hears his son cuss projects all of the burden onto the son and takes action to cleanse his son’s filthiness, often accompanied by language far worse than what the son said. The father projects his own filth onto the son and then punishes him in the name of good parenting.

The evil attack others rather than face their own failures. Strangely enough, evil people are often destructive because they are attempting to destroy evil. The problem is that they misplace the locus of the evil. As life often threatens their self-image of perfection (or “being good enough”), they are often busily engaged in hating and destroying that life – usually in the name of righteousness and too often carrying the banner of the church. The fault, however, may not be so much that they hate life as that they do not hate the sinful part of their own life.

The evil are dedicated to preserving their self-image of perfection/goodness. They worry about this a great deal. They are acutely sensitive to social norms and what others think of them. They dress well, go to work on time, pay their taxes, attend church regularly (if that is the social norm of their area) and live lives that are above reproach. While they seem to lack any motivation to be good, they intensely desire to appear good. Their goodness is all on a level of pretense. It is a lie. But the lie is not designed so much to deceive others as to deceive themselves.

The essential component of evil is not the absence of a sense of sin or imperfection but the unwillingness to tolerate that sense. At one and the same time the evil are aware of their evil and desperately trying to avoid the awareness. They are continually engaged in efforts to project the wrongs onto others or sweep them under the rug. Everything they do has a rationalization. They are not lazy or unengaged, in fact they are likely to exert themselves more than most in their continuing efforts to obtain and maintain an image of high respectability. They may be willing, even eager, to undergo hardship and pain, particularly to strike out at the evil they clearly see in others and in the world. There is only one pain they cannot tolerate: the pain of their own sinfulness and imperfection.

I think we can see this action in the “righteous” jews who tortured Paul. We see it in the hateful words spoken by “defenders of the faith.” And, painfully, we see it in our churches in those who step into leadership to right the wrongs of others without transparency of their own sinful nature. I am not proposing that it is right to keep quiet about the wrongs in the world or to not take action – but the lessons we are learning through the word of the bible is before you open your mouth you should drop to your knees in submission to the Lord. Today is a good day to pray for knees that bow and hearts that confess.