God was Never Rule-Based

I'm reading through Numbers 18 today. God in the Old Testament has a number of extremely specific laws and guidelines. I can see why cults form on  the basis of a couple verses that mainstream Christianity doesn’t obey… The forceful way God says it makes it sounds like this is a law that is very close to His heart.

I think the OT and its very specific laws give us a couple options relating to God:

 

1. God was very specific and rule-based but isn’t anymore. However, this doesn’t fit with the Bible’s assertion that God is the same yesterday today and forever.
   
2. God was very specific and rule-based and still is but the rules are different. This mindset is common and leads us to think that God is specifically looking for obedience. It leads to churches that are technically correct but people’s hearts are far from God and mercy towards one another is absent.
   
3. God was never rule-based but the Israelites angered Him to the point of greatly specifying all rules. I could buy into this one. The only problem is that, while you could possibly see this in the story, the Bible never comes out and says this. Additionally, the Bible is very clear as to what are God’s original intentions (for example, going directly into the promised land) and what parts of Israel’s story happened because of their disobedience (the 40 years in the desert). Taken as a whole, the Bible describes the law as a necessary part of God’s plan.
4. Lastly, that the God was never rule-based but He used rules to teach His people until they could truly understand worship in spirit and truth. I think this is an important place to get to. 

I believe this last option is clear in scriptures for the following reasons:

God had friends that didn’t follow or obey the law and He didn’t try to force the law on them (Adam, Enoch, Job). The absolute vagueness of many of the laws of the New Testament. “as often as you do this” about communion; most of the laws are internal, fulfilling Jeremiah 33:31 about writing the law on their hearts. Jesus’s principle complaints weren’t about people not following the law; rather, they were about not following the principle of the law. The pharisees did very well at obeying the law but they weren’t friends of God and Jesus often opposed them.

I am not sure why, but it seems rule-following is deeply ingrained in religious folk, much more than the standard population. It may be because it’s easy to judge who is doing right and who is doing wrong, or it may be something completely different.

As an aside, I find our lives in Mozambique are much more on the rule-breaking side than the rule-following. Our lives in the US are 100% kosher to your standard church. Here, we only go to church once a week (and have a small group), we spend more time in individual time with God than corporately, because we’re not as animated in worship people think we are less spiritual, the way we pray appears that it doesn’t have power, and our obsession with unity in the body of Christ makes it appear that we are rebellious. But it’s interesting to be on the fringe here, I think it gives me more compassion for those whose lives aren’t by-the-book, both here and in the US.

 

Obedience at the Wrong Time isn't Obedience

It’s a free day here in Beira - Armed Forces Day. Usually on free days I take the time to learn something new. Today I read the rest of the Power of Habit and in Numbers 14.

Numbers 14:39-45 is a stark example of how obedience at the wrong time isn’t obedience. After the Israelites sinned against God and didn’t want to go to the promised land, God told them to wander the desert for 40 years. After God told them that, they decided to obey - marching into the promised land, but without Moses and without the Ark. There are always two battlefronts to every fight; the physical battle and the battle of the heart. If you don’t win the battle for the heart, you won’t win the physical battle.

God offered to be with the Israelites when they were conquering the promised land. He promised the Israelites a good land and a land of milk and honey - whoever, the people of Israel were shocked that there were giants in the land. God’s promises to us don’t come without a fight. However, God always tells us that he will be there with us and we can fight the giants together.

The Israelites saw the giants as greater than God and started wailing and complaining. They lost the heart battle and God said they could try again in 40 years. After they heard the alternative, they decided they were sorry but you can tell their heart didn’t change - it was still in the wrong place or they would have refused to fight without the ark or without Moses.

In what ways do God and I want to conquer the same thing but I’m not doing things in His way or His timing?

What kind of battles do I fight without the ark of the covenant or my spiritual leaders?

In what ways has God disciplined me and I responded the same way the Israelites did - without the correct change in heart but with a surface-level change in attitude only?

 

The Most Celebrated Giver

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the trust, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” -Mark 12:41-44

Wow. Like everything Jesus, it’s just so counter-cultural. We celebrate the large donations, the huge amounts, and despise 50 cents here, $2 there… We look to the wealthy for advice on finances and life, and think the poor have nothing to give. Money is power, especially in Mozambique where there is absolutely no limit on what you can do with it. Want to sleep with a bunch of women? Want to kill and elephant or lion? Want to break the law? Everything has a price, even the things that should never be able to be bought.

So why did Jesus say this widow gave more than all the others? And, even more strangely for me, why didn’t he walk in and bless the socks off this lady? He could have given her an oil jar that never ran out, multiplied some bread, gave her money etc… But he didn’t. I have friends that give us $5 a month or $20 a month and they are so hard up financially I told them they really shouldn’t. But that wasn’t Jesus’s attitude.

And again, we’re back at money and back to a verse that quickly proves I don’t really understand money biblically. With leadership, the path is radically different than what the world does but I understand it; I understand why it works and how to go about doing it. Serve, consider others better than yourself… Though there are some basics, there are many nuances. But I get them and understand how these verses fit together.

Money? Not so much. The only thing I’m really good at is in not spending it, and having many ways of earning it. Even things as simple as “If you are annoyed at taking a job you are not getting paid enough for it” and “Other people can assume some of the risk” are things I am learning but at a slow pace.

And then 2 copper coins… I have my door wide open for large donors, people of influence and international visitors. Do I have it as open for widows, small donations, and the nobodies? Can I without driving myself insane? Do I see donations from the eyes of heaven or my natural eyes?

Just like the last lesson, Jesus isn't condemning the big donations but we should:

• Pay attention to the sacrifice the person made, not just the amount
• Not rush to helping people out in a transactional way when we know they are hurting

And in our own donations:

• Judge not on the number but on the sacrifice
• Give with joy and give willingly
• Avoid comparing ourselves to others or we may despise the little we can give when it may be the greatest gift at he moment.
  

 

Running Towards Spiritual Freedom

 

When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” -Mark 5:6-7

Being in Africa, I’ve had the chance to see many demonized people. The world here is so much more focused on the spiritual. They shake, vomit, run from the service etc… They don’t bow and they certainly don’t run up to the person doing the deliverance! How can we explain this man here?

These verses to me are some of the strongest cases not to focus much on demons or what Satan is doing in your life. Here’s a man with 2000 demons that want to shake and run the other direction, and he still manages to see his opportunity for freedom and run toward it. He still manages to bow, which is what a person would do.

This man fought against 2000 demons to find freedom. He didn’t have the strength in himself, but he saw his opportunity and gave it all he had. I know people who are sidelined by some tiny demon on vacation; forget fight for their lives; they fell into sin because they were bored or it felt better to scream than to forgive.

What things in our lives do we need to fight with all our strength? What things does Jesus want to set us free of but we have become to comfortable with? What have we been living with for so long that we may have forgot the freedom which could be ours if we would just run to Jesus instead of accepting our situation?

God help me be like this man, running to you in all my nakedness and filth, not even letting thousands of demons stand in the way. Surround me with people with the same heart, passion, and desperation.

 

Jesus Asks for Mercy Over Sacrifice

When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” -Matthew 9:12-13

Fascinating verse, particularly because mercy is an after-thought in many US churches. Sacrifice is held in quite high esteem - moving chairs, serving in the sound booth, children’s ministry, tithing, etc. What if we asked all the church volunteers if they showed mercy during the week before they started serving?

Mercy: You are owed something but you either delay getting it back or cancel the debt. Sacrifice: You are giving something of yourself for someone else or for a cause. Interestingly enough, mercy must be applied to other people - you can’t really be merciful to yourself and you can’t be merciful to God because He owes you nothing... However, sacrifice can be for yourself, God or others. It doesn’t even need to involve other people - you can be sacrificing for a cause.

I think this aspect of mercy is fascinating. Why are we so good at sacrifice and so terrible at mercy? So good at giving things up but so bad at giving things up for others? Jesus consistently talks about how we can show love to God through our interactions with others.

God, help me to see with your eyes, and give you want you are looking for, not what I want to give.

 

Ramblings

 

Reading in Exodus 2-4 about the calling of Moses. He had promises in his life and vision. At first he tried to accomplish them without God, killing an Egyptian in defense of his people. Humiliated, he was exiled and forgot about God’s plan for his life. But many years later (he was around 80), God called him from a burning bush. This time, he got in the way again, giving God a giant list of excuses. Both times, Moses’s self got in the way of what God wanted to do...

I woke up at 4:30 because of the baby today, figured I would spend more time in the Word and praying today. The problem is it’s almost time to go to work and I am tired already.

I am praying about how I can move forward and how our ministry can really do what it’s called to do. We are supposed to be equipping Mozambicans of Character to Transform their Country. We, recently, have spent a lot of time just surviving. While life is going on and people are learning, I don’t feel like there is a ton of equipping going on at the moment. We are taking on a number of website and app jobs to pay the bills and while I am grateful for the funding I am hesitant because of the loss of vision it may lead to.

On the other hand, what if we are teaching the Mozambican church a more sustainable method of growth? What if this is exactly where God wants us? I know that in my interactions in the for-profit sector I have made almost as big of an impact as in the non-profit sector - people know who I am and watch me like a hawk. They are surprised and blessed when I treat situations with calmness and strength, not yelling at others or giving blame.

I spend so much time and energy wondering if I’m in the right place, looking for advise and counselors in the secular and religious world, and second-guessing my every decision. What if I just calmed down and said “Yes Lord” - yes to what you have for me today. Even with Moses’s giant mistakes, God used him mightily. I struggle with what Moses fought with at the burning bush - that my actions or my being disqualifies me from service. But if that were true, God wouldn’t have been able to use Moses.

What if the reasons God doesn’t answer sometimes is that I’m not asking the right question? What if I just rest in who the Lord is, trusting Him to guide me if I slip? What if I let the worries and doubts of others fall to the ground unless God picks them up and shows them to me?