Perfection?

In a recent class, as an introduction to a book study on Messy Spirituality (written by Mike Yaconelli) we talked about the Biblical call to holiness, the reality of sin (and its power) and what freedom means in light of the delicate balance between the two.

In Matthew chapter five, in verse 48, Jesus says "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

If your like me, at first glance you might think "well, that's impossible, so I guess I should just give up now." Teachers have answered that sentiment with statements like "Jesus was speaking in hyperbole, which means we don't have to take his statement literally." Another, more extreme teaching is "yes, Jesus demands perfection, we should take it literally and seek to be perfect." Neither are at the heart of what Jesus was saying. We need to look at two very important aspects of the context to understand Jesus' words.

First, we have to look at the word translated as "perfect." The word in greek is teleos which does not mean moral flawlessness. It means fully grown, mature or complete. Elsewhere, teleos is used to speak of fruit maturing (Luke 8:14) and a fully realized unity of believers (John 17:23). Think in terms of complete or full grown as opposed to partial. Jesus is talking about being mature, complete and fully grown in our love for people. To "be perfect as God is perfect" means to love as God loves: impartially, completely, fully and without necessity of that love being reciprocated.

Second, this statement is made in the context of what mature love should look like in relationships with those that it is typically difficult to love. Jesus has just said to love your enemies. He has also asked rhetorical questions about how easy it is to love those that love you pointing to the truth that Godly love is more than just typical easy love.

Jesus was talking to mostly Jewish people each with a different status in their culture. The type of love he's talking about was not being shown either from those in power or those who were at the mercy of those in power. However, if both parties loved the way Jesus is telling them to love, then the great chasm that existed because of a broken system could've been closed and God's love would've been the new system.

What does this mean for us?

Jesus does not expect us to be morally flawless, but he does expect us to love him and love others in a way that is reminiscent of how he loves us. So, be free from thinking you have to live a perfect life, but know that you're calling to perfection (or should I say to impartial, counter-conditional Godly love)is a much higher and often a much more demanding request than that of moral perfection.

The good news: we aren't expected to love people perfectly on our own. The Holy Spirit lives in those of us that are new creations in Christ and that's why Jesus can call us to love the same way he does.

Loosening Suspicion

I often make calls to people I've never met, its part of my job. Often, they do not know who I am either. I can usually hear some suspicion in their voice when I'm talking on the phone with them to set up a time to visit. Its expected. Before they even ask why I want to visit, I tell them that there is no agenda except to get to know them, visit with them and pray for them. That usually loosens suspicion.

Its ironic really. I mean I say I have no agenda, but I do, its just that the agenda is clear and it involves building a relationship. I think that's what matters in ministry, forming relationships. I enjoy listening to people's stories and being in the moment and people seem to appreciate that. One thing I think I'm good at is being authentic. I've found that the most important component of loosening suspicion is just being yourself. It sounds cheesy, but sometimes cheesy is true.

So when I honestly tell the person I'm visiting that I just want to get to know them and pray for them, whether they hear that as an agenda or not doesn't matter, what does matter is that they hear that I am genuinely interested in their lives.

Wrestling with Wrestling

I often wrestle over what to wrestle over. Let me explain:

There are so many theological, biblical, political, economic, social and personal issues that I would love to research, explore, study and process that I often don't do anything because its too hard to decide.

I think that's why I will start a book and not finish it.

So, I find myself wrestling with what I should study. Sometimes I just pick something, but at other times I pick nothing because I don't know where to start.

Anyway, it helps to set goals. I set a goal this year to read some books on Depression and Anxiety. I haven't done it yet, but I hope to do it soon.

Good Friday

I'm preaching this Friday's Good Friday service. The theme is What's good about Good Friday? If Jesus suffered a torturous death that could've been avoided after a mockery of a trial, then what's good about Good Friday? If Jesus said from the cross "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" then what's good about Good Friday. If Jesus said from the cross "I am thirsty" then what's good about Good Friday.

Want to know the answer, then come to the service this Friday at 7pm.

Is God Still Creating?

My 4 1/2 year old daughter just asked me this question yesterday. I loved it. I don't know where it came from, but it was such a great question.

You have to realize that I am extremely careful not to overload my family with "God talk." While I try to be a spiritual leader and teach God's truth, I have never and will never teach them to superspiritualize everything or make all our actions and decisions result in a spiritual lesson. I love Jesus and my greatest desire for my children is for them to love Him too, but I want their faith to be their own, not something that was forced on them.

I write that because this question (and others like "what does God look like?") she asks to do not come from an effort on my part to get her to ask them, they come straight from her own mind. Which makes the question that much more enjoyable. She's thinking about the same theological questions that I'm thinking about. Its a beautiful thing. I hope she always feels that she can ask me anything. I promised myself long ago that I wouldn't get mad or impatient about her questions. Sometimes they can be frustrating, especially when she asks the same thing over and over again. But I'm careful to handle it in such a way that she feels like I will always answer her willingly and honestly.

Of course the answer to her question is "yes!" In more ways than we realize.

Words I don't like

Obedience: When I think of obedience, I think of a dog going to obedience school. I don't know why, but I really wrestle with the word "obedience." I just get an image of a dog lowering his head under his master who is disciplining him to force obedience. Even though I know theologically God is not like a dog trainer, this is the image that comes to mind.

Niceness: Niceness is overrated. Don't get me wrong, I'm a nice guy and I appreciate nice people, but I would rather be described as holy, warm, compassionate or caring rather than nice anyday. Part of this idea comes from a scene from C.S. Lewis's The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It goes something like this: Lucy asks if Aslan is nice. The answer is that Aslan is not a tame lion, but he's good. Again, I would rather be good, than nice, anyday. I don't think Jesus was always nice, but he was always good.

Moderation: Jesus didn't teach moderation. He didn't. He taught wisdom. He taught and lived what it meant to have a close relationship with God. He taught love without limit. Not only did he teach love without limit, he demonstrated it by willingly going to death for the sake of the rest of the human race.

Your thoughts...

Three Aspects of Love

I recently attended a marriage conference led by Les and Leslie Parrot. They talked about three aspects that define love: passion, intimacy and commitment. The passion aspect of love is the desire for physical closeness. The intimacy aspect of love is the desire for emotional closeness. The commitment aspect is the shaping of the will to love no matter what.

They shared an exercise they do routinely based on these aspects of love. They start by writing down on a scale of 1-10 where they are at the moment with each aspect of love. So he may give passion a 6, intimacy a 7 and commitment a 10. She may give passion a 4, intimacy a 6 and commitment a 10. Then, the couple can talk about why they are where they are on the scale.

I will be the first to admit that this little assessment has its limitations, but it may be helpful for opening up the communication lines. My wife and I have yet to try this, but its not because we aren't willing. I'll let you know how it goes when we do try it out.