A World Apart – Byzantium

The phrase ‘Byzantine intrigues’ is a reference to the kingdom of Byzantium, but the details of that phrase would lead to a very, very large entry, which would break the mandate of brevity for the World Apart series. My thinking on Byzantium leans primarily towards the examination of the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and the ‘otherworldliness’ that springs from the churches and arts of the culture. It’s really the otherworldliness that I want to talk about here, just because it’s the current theme of my entries.

The Orthodox church places a lot of emphasis on ikons. For example, this one:

called the Christ Pantokrator. The whole idea of the ikons is to emphasize the otherworldliness, the holiness of the depiction. for more information, see the Wikipedia entry on iconography.

In a sense, we too are meant to be images reflecting holiness; not our own, but Jesus’. We are otherworldly, in a sense, because we know of and have hope in the redemption of this world.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer

Sufficiency – Representatives Series VIII

This will be the last post on re-presenting for a while. I’m going to be looking at fathers and sons for the next few days, because I was touched deeply by a passage in 1 Chronicles just the other morning. The passage is actually 1 Chronicles 22 : 6-16:

“Then he [David] called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, ‘my son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying “you have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.” Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel, you may keep the law of the Lord your God. then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. with great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord 1,000,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise ands work! the Lord be with you!’ “

There’s much here. Most importantly for this post, however, is the record of how much David has already done for Solomon in his task. This is the foundation that has been laid, the work already complete. The ingredients are there, just put them together.

My thinking about this passage leads me down some interesting roads. As Christians, we’re taught that Christ finished the work of salvation on the cross, and that all we need to do is realize that and accept it. Easier said than done, because I don’t think we’re even aware of how much is done around us and behind the scenes on a daily basis. I live in a culture of self-sufficiency, achievement, and ambition, in which everything is measured by the ruler of how much, how many, or how fast. I take for granted all sizes of things, from the protection of a house to the ability to walk, or to breathe unaided. Where Christ really gets counter-cultural, and where we all need our hearts thoroughly transformed, is that Christ is sufficient, providence is sufficient. Two Hebrew names for God are thus : Jehovah-Jireh, ‘The Lord Will Provide’, and Jehovah-Shammah, ‘The Lord is There’. Can we honestly say we live in this knowledge? I certainly can’t. My daily life is not always lived in the expectation or the assurance of provision, or even in the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes.

Aside from this rabbit-trail, however, my point is thus: David provided some of the material for the building of the house of the Lord, entrusting Solomon with the task of providing the rest – this point is where I’ll start my father and son posts – but the last word on Representatives for now is simply this: As Christians, we need to live a life that demonstrates that God in Christ and through Him is sufficient; he provides in times of need, whether that need be spiritual, relational, or physical; and He takes great pains to do it.

How great those pains are can be measured by the outspread arms of His Son as he lay stretched on the cross.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Glory – Representatives Series VI

Criss Angel’s Mindfreak.

It disobeys the rules of what we see as normal.

It frightens, but what’s more, it causes one to question.

But then there’s Peter, who had the courage and the faith to step out of the boat and walk on water himself.

But to whose glory is it?

See, the thing with Criss Angel is that it’s not clear who he’s doing his miracles for, other than for the crowds who watch him and for himself. There are certainly precedents for some of the things he accomplishes, Biblically, but those precedents are in Christ, and for Him. Matthew 14:22-33 gives us the story:

“Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. and after he dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said ‘it is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’
And Peter answered him. ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

This post marks a departure from the Representatives series for a mini-arc on the supernatural Jesus that we see in the gospels, because I’m going to need to talk about that in a few different ways in order to bring it to you. Here’s where the territory gets tricky, but hold on, because I think it’s going to be good.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Character – Representatives Series V

There are so many who claim Christ as their head, and then in character destroy Him. We’ve been hitting this point from various angles – Confusion as to what one is supposed to believe, what they’re supposed to look like; disobedience to one’s own better nature, freedom to act rightly and with love. They all fall under one thing…the radical polarization between Christ’s character and our own.

Character causes conflict. To be precise, personalities will conflict when brought into proximity with one another. Not everyone is going to be able to relate to or live with another person’s failings, or their blessings. For the hard-hearted single, the damage may be simply to be unable to enjoy the couples that they are friends with. For the controller, to step aside and be passive may be the conflict. I guess what I’m really trying to get to here is that we let our flaws define us on more than one occasion.

We need to embrace those flaws as parts of our character that can be changed or modified, rubbed smooth with love despite the jagged bits, and that’s what Christ, in essence, did. He moved around the spikes, the sharp and sharpened edges. He was a man, identifying completely and with complete sympathy with and for his fellow humans. But he was also God, incarnated to experience the range of humanity and willing to extend the hand of love and fellowship to those in need.

So those who argue Christ as a great moral teacher, or those who look at Him as a figure of myth and legend, or those who simply see the historical Jesus…they forget that His character is that which remains central to the Gospels. All of them. And they forget that for the Christian, the hope of glory is that we will be made Christ-like in character. So what we truly need to remember is that people see character before they see gospel. In fact, they might never see gospel except by character. So we need to be people of integrity and of honesty, and of grace and humility.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Freedom – Representatives Series IV

It is in obedience that we are free.

Transgression is freedom given false expression. It is self-will towards the actualization of alternative codes of conduct. Essentially, it asserts the self above others.

Disobedience is actually enslavement, because we are acting to benefit ourselves by breaking the codes that others have imposed upon us. We are thus captured by the need to be our own people.

Let’s look at some Bible for a minute, so you can see what I mean.

Romans 6:15-23
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I ams speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What’s the importance here, you might ask? Why do I need to think about where I’m ‘free’, how I define it, and what it means to me?

Because we all have prisons. We all look at the world, no matter where we stand in relation to Christ and no matter how successful we might be, as somewhere that can’t contain our ambitions. Or as something from which we need to escape, through drugs, alcohol, parties, or by any means necessary.

Not to put too simple a strain on it, but what is it we feel we need to escape from, whether in the mind or in the body? And what in the Hell is going on?

Stop and think about this for a minute. Biblically, Christ died to free us from sin. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”(Galatians 5:1). Obviously, He had to set us free from something. His life, lived in obedience, was in fact a life that was lived towards freedom. But those many who deny Christ’s life as the expression of obedience unto freedom…

are still trying to escape from slavery.

Those who do not understand the message of the Bible are still aware of its practical working out in their lives, because they still feel the need to escape from the nameless things that surround them, and so turn to self-sufficiency.

And this hits the heart of Christians, too. Many of us are imprisoned by work, or by service, or simply because we are still living on our own terms, trying to accomplish everything by our strength and by our will.

But ultimately, there are still two things remaining. Freedom, and enslavement.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer.

Obedience – Representatives Series III

When you look at what the structures of law, government and community stand for, the essential fact of them all is simply this: Obedience. This one’s going to be a difficult topic to look at, because it’s [dis]obedience that gets us to where we stand now.

One of the major problems people have with the church as a institution is that it seems to require obedience to what many consider arcane and limiting rules. This is the gospel of law, not the gospel of mercy. Furthermore, those who see this underlying difficulty with the institution turn towards a form of spirituality that is ultimately meaningless. Thus you have extreme charismatic positions, mysticism, paganism – all represent the removal of the rule of law, freeing oneself to act in whatever manner seems to be most limitless.

This is the essence of Satanism.

But Biblically, the rule of law [or of the Law] was fulfilled in Jesus to open the door to the gospel of grace and mercy, the freedom that exits in servanthood and in the finished fulfillment of the law. Entire sections of New Testament letters expound on this in different ways. Obedience to one’s calling, to authority, to the kingship of Christ Jesus, to the teaching of the Good News of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, and to the gift of sacrifice…these are what the Gospels preach. Not that we are able our best lives now, or that we are going to be rewarded for keeping directives and rules, but that we are given satisfaction in having them kept for us. We are relieved of the burden of an impossible life.

This is the essence of Christianity.

Stay tuned. This one’s much bigger than one post.

Christ-bearer.

Hindrance – Representatives Series II

It’s been a difficult week. But it happens, once in a while.

What happens when you get in the way? Depending on where you are and what you’re doing, reactions can range from hostility to downright rage, or gratitude if you, for example, stop a bullet for someone. But in the majority of cases, you’re looking at negative reactions.

People get angry when they are interfered with. Some are proud, some are impatient, many are stubborn. All of it, however, leads back to one thing: We don’t like it when we are prevented from doing what we want. As a result, we bristle with indignation if we are called to step out of the way, let someone else handle it, when we are doing what we think is right.

Here’s the thing: this keeps Jesus from being seen in the lives of so many who call themselves His followers. We let our own agendas get in the way. We want to do the things of the world while still looking at things not of this world. And so we tarnish the look of the Spirit in the lives of believers, and endanger the hearts and souls of those in whose lives we play a part. And that’s not Jesus. What that is is sinfulness, and in many cases self-righteousness.

The concept that I’m going to spend some time on tomorrow is obedience. In the meantime, look hard at what happens when you get cut off in traffic, you’re cautioned against partying, or you’re a perfectionist and someone else does your job for you. I don’t like what I see when I do that in my own life, because I’ve got it all, but that means that it’s all the more important to do it.

Blessings;

Christ-bearer

Confusion – Representatives Series I

I was prompted to start a set of posts on Christianity as a lifestyle, not just a religion, by a rather interesting conversation just last night. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and tonight marks the first of a series on representing Christ. Let me rephrase that

Re-presenting Christ.

It’s a catch phrase, certainly, but a practical one. Sin is insidious in its effects, and those who’ve been scarred, mutilated, bloodied, confused or destroyed by the tactics of Satan in the churches need to hear it now more than ever. The desperate wanderers in the desert need to know that there is hope – for a Christ who is real, and for a life that has been changed. Most importantly, they need to know that God is, and that Christ is.

Lest they die.

I speak as a Christian when I say that we are guilty of manslaughter, of wholesale hypocrisy, of wickedness, of adultery, and of blasphemy.
We have broken the hearts of millions, torn their spirits into pieces and pushed them back together, destroyed lives.

And we, even we under the blood of Christ, continue to do it today. With every callous glance, every angry word, every pretension of righteousness…

We are guilty

But the wonder, the magnificent and overwhelming beauty of it all, is that the man who beats his breast and cries out ‘Lord have mercy on me, a sinner’…

The woman who bows her head in silence over an aborted child and whispers ‘I’m sorry’…

The myriads of the godly repentant; the broken-hearted; the lonely wayfarers…

Have been saved.

They are given new life by His death, and offered the gift of mercy from He who is infinite in His capacity for wrath, yet infinite, too, in His incredible willingness to love. And yet they have been blinded, hurt and deceived by the very teachers who have taken on the great charge of gospel-bearer to this generation. They fall away from hope because hope seems an illusion in the lives and hearts of those who preach it. They see men and women of vice call themselves the pillars of authority, and they see the struggles of holiness in the lives of the believers and turn away in fear.

Hope is real

It is no illusion, and Christ no joke.

Stay tuned, and blessings;

Christ-bearer.