The Called

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours ... -- 1 Corinthians 1:2

The church is the ekklesia -- those who are called out.  Our English word church is derived from a different Greek word, kyriakon, from the root kyrios -- lord or master, thus "the lord's house".  The physical structure of a building is not holy.  It serves a holy purpose.  I think a building can develop a holy atmosphere, but it is the saints meeting together in the presence of God that sanctifies a place.  No place can sanctify us.  This is probably harder for some believers to grasp than for others.  Churches with altars and iconography that have been sanctified should be respected and may be venerated, but we are respecting and venerating not the thing itself, which is nothing, but the faith, love, and devotion of those who set it apart, and in which, by the grace of God, we may participate.  God dwells in believers, not stained glass windows or statues or cathedrals.

Because Corinth was such a messed up place, this letter spends a lot of time talking about what the assembly of believers ought to look like, how they ought to behave, and what they really are.  It addresses, point by point in some cases, a variety of questions raised by the local, mostly Greek converts.  Paul, in his linguistically skillful, systematic way, introduces the main point at the start.  We are the church; we are God's people.  We are sanctified, made holy and chosen in Christ.  We are called to be holy and called together.  The only legitimate divisions are geographic ones.  The world, as we shall see further on, will find plenty of reasons to be offended by Christianity, but we should seek to live as inoffensively as possible both with those inside the Body of Christ and those outside.

The verse quoted could be broken down like this:  we are the called-out, called to be saints, who call upon the name of our Lord, Jesus, the Chosen and Anointed One who was called to save us.

That's a lot of calling, but that's what God does. 

We live out in the country, and we have a volunteer fire department.  It is not entirely such as we have some full-time staff, but most of the firefighters and emergency personnel are not just sitting around the firehouse.  They are available and ready to answer the call when it comes in.

We're kind of like that.  We are on-call.  We do other things.  We have a building where we meet every so often for training, strengthening, and encouragement, where we sometimes rally in order to be properly equipped.  We don't actually do our work there any more than firefighters only put out fires down at the station.  Now we are different from the volunteer firefighters in that things are not always on fire, and we are not responding only to emergency situations.  Our work is done daily and everywhere in everything that we do, because, as we are indwelt by the Spirit, we are carrying God into every task that we address and every place that we visit.

That can be a sobering thought for some of us.

We are, or ought to be, learning to give more and more of our lives to the Lord each day.  Saints are not plaster.  There are supposed to be a lot of them.  Jesus said (Matthew 10:34-36) that He would bring division even in families.  The truth may divide us from those who cling to delusions and deceptions, to the idols and false gods of their own creation.  Yet the true joy and, of course, the calling, of saints is in fruit-bearing and multiplication.  Take the call.

God Knows What He Is Doing

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;  yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. – Matthew 11:25-26

The ESV translation does an odd thing in verse 26.  A much more literal reading comes from the KJV:  Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight, or, even more literally, “well-pleasing in Your sight.”  It looks good to God.  Bewildering those who think they know it all and pulling back the veil for those who are relatively simple and child-like makes the Lord happy.  Of course, it is His will, and, while I would be hesitant to presume that there are things which are the will of God that are not also pleasing to Him, some might be more pleasing than others.  God is not a machine.  He loves; He has compassion.  Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  Even more, the Lord of heaven and earth wept by the grave of a friend. 

In any case, Jesus is saying, in this context, that the truth of the revelation of Christ has been concealed from the wise.  Those who sought to understand the Scriptures, the religious leaders were, on the whole, rejecting Jesus.  Conversely, He and His message were being welcomed, accepted and followed by the common people – those regarded as foolish and unworthy by the elite and the learned. 

Jesus might be seen as acknowledging some surprise at the way things are going, but He also acknowledges His own pleasure in it, as well as it being in line with the Father’s will. 

Like Jesus, we often find ourselves in situations that might be, at least on the surface, contrary, at odds with our hopes and expectations.  If the Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity, God Incarnate could say, in effect, “Well, even so.  If You want it that way, that’s the way it will be,” we ought to be able to do the same. 

That does not mean that we are mere spectators.  We are often placed in situations not just to watch what goes on, but, as God’s agents, to bring about a change and make a difference in the lives of other people.  We are all, as believers, ordained to the various ministries of encouragement, healing, serving, and imparting hope, joy and peace. 

Those who want to change the world are just changing the sets on a stage.  The world and all that is in the world is passing away.  Why waste time on something that is time-bound and bound to change anyway?  Souls are forever.  Our calling is to individuals, to our families, our friends, our communion, our neighbors.  

Like the man who asked Jesus for a definition of neighbor, we aren’t always sure how far we ought to stretch.  According to the story of the Good Samaritan, our neighbor is the person we can help.  It depends, sometimes, on our gifts, our resources, even our location.  I can’t help everybody, but I can help somebody.  And the one I can help, I am called to help.   

Called To, Called In

Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.  Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.  For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.  So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. - 1 Corinthians 7:20-24

There are people who catch a glimpse of the almost unbelievable power in the Spirit and begin to think that they can get things they have never had, do things they have never been able to do, maybe be famous.  Nothing is impossible for those who believe.  Just have faith.  Move mountains.  Raise the dead.  Walk on the water.  It is only my lack of faith, my doubt that is holding me back from being Emperor of North America. 

What these folks tend to forget are the circumstances which led them to Christ, to salvation or enlightenment or whatever people choose to call it.  I was called to Christ in an unpleasant situation that got much worse.  After about a year or so, I ended up in a job that most people would consider rather bad.  It varied from tedious to disgusting to dangerous.  The pay was low, though appropriate.  It was very difficult to deal with and adjust to the hours and schedule.  It was a complete deadend for someone with my background and interests.  But I learned a lot there, about myself, about the power of God, about people, grace, faith, suffering, even a little about courage.  Looking back, I don't have any regrets about that period of my life - except for crashing the old SR500. 

When I had worked through a lot of my attitude problems, a door opened, and I walked into a completely different environment with a different set of challenges.  Again I learned something - this time about faithfulness and loyalty.  The same has been true over the intervening years, through all sorts of changes, dislocations, relocations, and conflicts.  I am where I am, doing what I am doing because Lord has put me here.  Everybody can say that very same thing, whether they realize it or not.

Even when I am forced to admit that I am in a bad place through my own bad choices, I can recognize that, too, is the grace of God - that, unlike Esau, I have found a place of repentance and room to turn around.  My circumstances may not change.  I may end up living out my life in poverty or pain, oppression or want, but it will not matter.  A person who understands fully the power of God will be able to remain content in the most humble or trying of positions.

There are, unquestionably, people who are called to a particular mission or vocation.  They have to respond, get up and move.  Most of us, though, are called in a condition, as Paul says.  A long-time friend of mine just got back from a Muslim nation where he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ with armed guards around him, his life in danger every moment.  That's a calling - but so is raising good kids and taking care of one's family, battling cancer, dealing with an abusive relationship, a family member's illness or insanity, unemployment, job stresses, financial crises, and a thousand other possibilities.  Our journey, yours and mine, through this life, however it may wind and climb, however smooth or rough the way, is our calling.  Follow on.

Seasoning -- A Chapter Not Strictly Necessary

If you do not want to read a confused, personal, and self-pitying lament, you can skip this.  I'll post something more normal tomorrow.

And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.  Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. – Ezekiel 2:6

If you want to know what I was like roughly half my lifetime (so far) ago – and I don’t know why anybody would want to know – read the whole of Ezekiel chapters 2 and 3 in your Bible.  I was not like Ezekiel and I was certainly never a prophet but that was essentially the call that came to me.  Amos is famous for saying he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet but merely a fig-picker from Tekoa.  I always thought that sounded about right. 

I have mentioned how my wife bought a small King James Bible that I could carry with me on my motorcycle when I went to work.   I was so confused by what I found in that copy of the Bible that I actually opened up the old one my parents had bought when I was ten or so and compared passages.  I was convinced that somebody had changed the words.  They had not.  The reader had changed.  And it got me into a lot of strange situations with strange and sometimes well-known people, led me to strange locations, not to be a prophet but to feed prophets until the brook dried up.  It was hard, and it was painful, but, looking back, I can’t complain.  I have been well-paid for my time since then.  The bitterness is my own fault, and I can blame no one except myself.  I just didn’t understand. 

Anyway, I figured I was done.  I’m old and tired and ready to back to picking, if not figs, at least blackberries, plums, apples and grapes.  I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation (Jeremiah 15:17).  That’s me.  Just go away and leave me alone.  I am indignant, and bitter.  The word might have been sweet as I ate it, but it turned sour in my guts.  I did my job.  What else could there be? 

Therefore thus says the Lord:  “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me.  If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth.  They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.” -- Jeremiah 15:19

You have the wrong guy this time.  This is clearly meant for somebody else.  I’ll put it out here on the blog and maybe the right one will happen by and read it. 

“And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord.  I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”

All well and good but I have heard this before:  Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.  Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead.  Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.  My head won’t break.  What about my heart? 

I probably don’t understand it any better this time than I did last time.  I thought it would be really cool to be out there on the cutting edge.  I thought if someone would speak God’s word to people those hearing would get the message and get excited, that they’d be happy to respond positively.  I was, in other words, young and foolish.  People do not like the truth.  They prefer, as Micah pointed out, a prophet who preaches plenty of wine and beer.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that. 

There is no question that the world has long been inundated with worthless words, and despite all the Christian broadcasting that goes on, there is a famine of words that are noble and worthwhile.  Like gold, the truth is precious by its rarity as well as by its power. 

So what do I do with my bitterness?  Perhaps there is a purpose even for that.  God said of the Passover Lamb which prefigures Christ:  They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.  You can’t live on it, but it can make a good condiment.