Monthly Archives: October 2010

“Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold the Judge is standing at the doors.” James 5:9

Words. What’s the big deal? The deal is very big. According to a recent Pew Center report, the American teenager (13-17) sends an average of 3,339 text messages per month. Let that sink in for a moment . . . . yes, that’s more than 100 per day. And that’s just the average. Some teens have told me they hit 10,000!! Of course they said that while texting. Is there a carpel tunnel equivalent for thumbs?

Moving to another area of illustration: cell phones. Misplacing a cell-phone is now like misplacing a limb. Concern quickly transforms into alarm. I have to have it! What if someone calls? What if a teenager wants to send me 20 text messages in the next two minutes? What am I supposed to do without my cell phone? The answer is relatively simple: the same thing I did for the first 40 years of my life without a cell phone. Still, I need the cell phone.

The exchange of words is multiplying. Skyping, instant messaging, facebooking (yes that is a verb), etc. are part of the verbal explosion. The only exception to this trend among the general population is in the area of sermons. Some people prefer sermons to be twitter-length.

This ever-expanding explosion leads me this week to consider what the Bible teaches us about words. The short answer is quite a lot. James connects the control of the tongue with genuine religion (1:26), ranking it with visiting orphans and widows and staying away from sin in general. In fact, he focuses on words/tongue several times in his brief letter; extensively in 3:3-12, and again in chapters 4 and 5.

James drew on a deep tradition of wisdom literature addressing speech. A few years ago I categorized every Proverb (marriage, money, relationships, etc.). By far the most extensive list concerned words. It ran onto a fourth page, 12 point, double spaced between each proverb.

The Hebrew concept of speech and words helps us understand the reason for this extensive focus. The Hebrew word for “word” is dabar, and a word was something like a unit of energy. A spoken word had a result. Something happened when you spoke. Thus, God did not wave His hands to create the universe. He spoke, and there was light. In this same way we are to understand the Hebrew concept of pronouncing a blessing, naming children, making a covenant. A word was spoken and something happened, something was created, and it could not be taken back. John’s gospel reflected this powerful concept by referring to Jesus as The Word (1:1, 14).

Now back to this week’s verse. It focuses on the negative speech: grumbling. The Greek word can mean groaning. At its root the word means to constrict (we get the English word stent from it) and that is where we derive the negative connotation. Complaining speech constricts relationships. It presses and magnifies contentious situations.

If I were to focus solely on gossip, then most of you would devote your reflection to trying to determine whether or not your gossip is truly gossip (it probably is). The more general word, grumbling, subsumes all negative speech; complaining, criticizing, judging, even cursing (I have some friends who appear to curse as a sign of sophistication and authenticity). We need to reclaim a higher regard for words. We need to be more Hebrew. Without question, your words, even the private ones, contribute to the spiritual environment around you. In regard to speaking of others, following the general rule of only speaking of another person as if they were present will prevent misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and embellishment. James reminded us that “the Judge” is listening!

Of course, the flip side of this truth is very good news. You can also bless, encourage, and contribute to making a situation better by good speech. I love to see my children “glow” when I praise or encourage them. I have seen this effect in an entire congregation during a sermon. You can do the same thing through kind, gracious, encouraging, and true words. Try it and see what happens in your workplace, your relationships, and your home. Gracious speech surely is one of the treasures you can store up in heaven.

So do watch your words. Take advantage of all the platforms you care to. Just remember that your words create. What are you creating with your words?

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

October 25, 2010

“For God has not given you a fearful spirit, rather a spirit of power, love, and disciplined thinking.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Too much fear. That is my overarching critique of many Christians and Christian leaders I hear and read today. The fear is not new. It arises with a fresh urgency with every major story. The examples are endless, but let me lightly detail one that is now ten years old: Y2K.

You may have forgotten all about Y2K, but it was a major topic throughout the late 90’s and the main topic in 1999. What would happen to the world’s computers when the calendar turned to 2000? One strain of predictions is that they would become hopelessly confused and overwrought, financial markets would collapse, social mayhem would ensue, and we would all be reduced to recording important documents with quill and papyrus. None of this happened.

My concern is that some well-known Christian leaders were at the forefront of the dire predictions, some even using the Bible to backup their positions. Again, I can duplicate this one example to exhaustion: 1988, the first Gulf War, the second Gulf War, the new millennium, the bursting tech bubble, the bursting housing bubble, the oil spill in the gulf, SARS, swine flu, the national debt, etc. ad nauseum. Each new crisis has the most overused religious word appended to it: apocalypse. We are told that sex sells. I say fear is in second place.

A young minister named Timothy was overwhelmed by his responsibilities as a leader in the Ephesian church. With words all Christians need to hear, Paul wrote that this spirit of fear does not come from God. He then provided three adjectives describing the real God-given spirit.

Power. We derive the English word dynamite from this Greek word. Christian faith is not a recipe for resignation and despair. The very presence of the Holy Spirit means that He who abides in you is greater than anything in the world (1 John 4:4). John, the author of this verse, wrote it near the end of the first century when conditions genuinely could not have been worse for Christians. Remember, John wrote the original apocalypse as a political prisoner on Patmos. He did not consider his circumstances apocalyptic and would chuckle at our fear of a stock market decline today.

Also please remember, Paul wrote that we should think on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8). He wrote that while in prison. He also wrote, though not in prison, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). Now are you still cringing because a Democrat is in the White House? Please.

Love. We are taught to love even our enemies. The world teaches tolerance, but we are to practice love which is much more difficult by far. Sometimes Christians are so exceedingly harsh with the other side, that love is lost. While we certainly must be ready to make a strong defense of our faith, we ignore the latter half of that verse: with gentleness and reverence (1 Pet. 3:15). To see the image of God in your worst enemy brings grace into the equation. You are probably disappointed to be reminded, but that person you loathe is a divine work of art. Chesterton wrote that while it is bad to make false idols, it is equally bad to make false devils. I’ve had enough of the psychological “splitting” by which we idealize people we agree with and demonize those we don’t like. Love really does mute fear, and in fact, casts it out.

Disciplined thinking. This word literally means wise thinking and means that we are to have moderation in our assessments and not respond with emotion. I’ve known and heard many Christians who proudly and seamlessly move from pontificating to fulminating to bloviating. That may get attention but it provides no real light. Our culture is increasingly shrill. Frankly, we need Christians to be voices of disciplined thinking, not distraught doom.

Even in writing this kind of article, I risk being characterized as naïve and too nice. So be it. Long ago I realized that God made me to be a kind of prophet of hope. Please put that on my tombstone. I simply refuse to believe that every bump in the stock market portends a financial apocalypse, and not every nutty world leader presages the arrival of the antichrist. I prefer faith to fear. As odd as it may sound in these breathless days, as a Christian, I still believe it is a great time to be alive.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.” Matthew 6:7

Faith has multiple polarities. Let me highlight three of them. On the one hand faith is easy as it can be, for believing in God is a natural expression of His gift to us. We believe because He has given us the “faculty” of belief, just as He has given us the faculty of sight, hearing, and touching. On the other hand faith can be very hard, as when we are challenged by hard times and wonder where God might have gone or what He might be doing.

Faith also is simple. A young child can sing with conviction “Jesus loves me, this I know” and arrive at the heart of the gospel. Many a well-trained theologian returns to this simple song to express a most cherished belief. On the other hand, faith is infinitely complex, for we do want to explore the meaning of the incarnation, the nature of our Trinity God, the intercession of the Spirit.

Finally, faith is extraordinarily concrete as we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, visit the sick, etc. On the other hand faith is somewhat ephemeral. We cling to things hoped for and embrace the conviction of things not seen.

Sometimes we try and reduce complex issues to “one thing.” For example, you are praying about a particular personal challenge, say, you want to become less anxious. The request you make of God is straightforward, and you have asked for something very good. So why are you still worried? The “simple thing” here is to ask in faith and receive. Why have you not received? You can put a dozen different challenges in this equation and have the same struggle: a prayer for healing, the return of a prodigal, the salvation of a friend, etc.

The sad consequence of simplistic (not simple!) faith is that we tend to give up when the worry remains, the family member’s cancer returns, the child stays in the distant land, and the friend declines invitations. We give up at the very point where we should press forward.

Most of our requests to God defy simplicity. We are not asking Him for the answer to 2 + 2. Stay with the worry prayer for a moment. You are asking God to perform a renovation of character that involves your free will, your history and habits, even your knowledge. Who can possibly understand the levels at which God works? He probes and presses in your life in ways that will result in your eternal transformation. He may bring people into your life to accomplish His grand design. And you are miffed because He has not taken away your worry in a single day?

God gives us answers only as we are able to understand them. He leads us to discovery only as we have the eyes to see. He opens the door when we are ready to walk through. All of these things take time. Do not give up when the way becomes hard. Believing is not always easy. Do not be discouraged when faith is not simple. Be patient as God guides you to understand a new level of its complexity. Do not be frustrated when what you seek is not concrete. Trusting in “things hoped for” is not a waste of time.

You are in a relationship with God. Just think seriously for 10 seconds about those words. You are in a relationship with the infinite, immortal, invisible God, clothed in light and before whom the angels bow! This relationship is not mechanical. It has infinite texture and nuance.

For this reason, Jesus taught us to ask, seek, and knock, not so that we might receive a quick answer. God is not google! The tense of the verbs indicates ongoing action. We are to consistently and unceasingly ask, seek, and knock because our questions require a lifetime for God to form the answer. You must trust that your Father is working in multiple and mysterious ways, and you must embrace a faith that in many ways is also multiple and mysterious.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

October 11, 2010

“Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.” Genesis 21:19

The woman whose eyes God opened were Hagar’s. She was Abraham’s concubine, a gift from Sarah to bear him a child. (A side note here: wives giving husbands concubines is simply not a good idea. Don’t do it!). Sarah was in a rush to try and fulfill God’s promise to make a great nation from Abraham. Because she was barren, Sarah thought of another plan. Her impatience brought a great deal of heartache to many people.

In the inevitable jealousy that followed, Sarah drove Hagar and her child away. In the harsh wilderness near Beersheba, Hagar had run out of water, laid her child under a bush so that he might die in the shade, and moved off a small distance so she too might die.

The Bible tells us God heard the cries of the child, had an angel assure Hagar of her survival, and then we come to the verse quoted above, “God opened her eyes.”

Look carefully at the verse again. Do you get the impression that God miraculously created a spring there in the wilderness? Not really. The wording sounds as if God simply helped make her aware of His provision that was always there. Her grief, fear, hopelessness, etc. had blinded her to a blessing.

We should not blame Hagar for her weakness, but should see ourselves in it. I am quite confident that my inability, or my unwillingness, at this stage of my spiritual life to seek first the kingdom of God blinds me to a great many provisions He has for me. I’m sure God always has so much more for each of His children than we recognize. The GraceWaves are constant. My ability to recognize them waxes and wanes.

Faith has often been described as “eyes to see the world.” Look at your life with faith and the eyes of your heart will be enlightened (Eph. 1:18). You will see hope, love, grace, providence, purpose.

Try it. Look at your life with the eyes of faith. What do you see?

• Your present tasks are an expression of stewardship. You are using the gifts and opportunities God has given you. Your job does not define you, but it does give you a means to serve God and others.
• The reading of scripture and devotion to God in prayer is a daily form of worship. The Bible is not simply a list of rules to obey, but a guide to relationship with God. Prayer also is not an oath to repeat but a sharing of your heart with your Father.
• The people around you, starting with your family, need the grace God shares through you. Being an agent of grace means finding the blessing that every person can be.

What I want you to do is stop viewing your life from only a practical point of view. Your day is not composed of only tasks to be checked off. You are right now being formed in the image of the Creator. Don’t you think He has more for you than anxious thoughts, frustrating chores, or dreary duties?

Opening your eyes is not an easy task nor is it a one-time commitment. Hopefully, this week’s GraceWaves will be today’s reminder. Open your eyes! See what God has for you right now. He has already provided for your need.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

October 4, 2010