May the re-visiting of this essay, be a blessing to All.
Hello To All:
My youth was spent, living on a small farm, in rural Minnesota. The winters were cold, with lots of snow. The summers were far too short. My father worked in a nearby city as a skilled tradesman. My mother, sometimes worked, but most often, stayed home to be a mother to her children. Our life was simple; and, by some standards, we were considered to be among the poor of the community; but, as a youngster, such things did not have much of an impact. We had food, shelter and clothing; and life, for the most part, was good.
My father, often, brought a newspaper home with him. I loved the comic strips! So, as soon as I had a chance, I would grab the paper and catch up on my favorites. One of those was called: "Pogo." The setting was the Okefenokee Swamp, of the southeastern United States. The characters consisted of the animals and critters common to such an area. Of course, these creatures were given human characteristics; and their interaction formed the basis for the comic strip.
Pogo was a possum. Unlike real life possums, he was pictured with a larger, rounder head and a not so pointy nose. He was the philosopher; a creature who had acquired a certain amount of wisdom; and one who served as an elder statesman, of the forest and swamp community. His wit, his straight forward logic, and his insightful humor, often made precise statements about our human condition.
The title, for this end of the year essay, is based on one of Pogo's most memorable and insightful statements: "We have met the enemy and he is us." While doing some research, to refresh my memories about Pogo, I came across a copy of the original comic strip that contained this quote, that has stuck with me, all of these years. The strip was published on Earth Day in 1971. It contained only two panels; but, the wisdom, contained in those two panels, is for all people and for all periods of history.
In the first panel, Pogo and his friend Porkypine, are carefully walking across an open area, toward a forest area. It seems that their goal is to get to the trees; but, they are having some difficulty in their journey. They are pictured as putting their feet down, one careful step at a time. Their arms are outstretched for balance. Their attention is divided between their goal of reaching the trees and the difficulty of the journey. In the midst of this, Porkypine says: "Ah, Pogo, the beauty of the forest primeval gets me in the heart." Pogo is leading the journey, and his response to Porkypine is: "It gets me in the feet, Porkypine." The first panel does not give us any insight into what is making their journey so difficult.
In the second panel, the two friends are taking a rest. They are sitting, on the ground, near the edge of the clearing. The forest is still on the other side of the clearing. Their goal, of reaching the trees, has not been achieved; and now, we can clearly see why. The clearing is littered with the castoffs and trash of the forest community. This is what they have had to walk through, to get to the trees. Porkypine is looking down at his feet, his hands resting on the ground; and then he says: "It is hard walking on this stuff." Pogo is looking at the clearing and across to the trees. His left elbow is resting on his knee; and his chin is resting in his hand, as he responds to the comment of Porkypine, by saying: "Yep son, we have met the enemy and he is us."
Some of you, as you have been reading this, may have been reminded of the recent essay titled: "Can we see the trees." That essay was written, before I had any awareness of the context of Pogo's memorable quote. Our Lord Jesus Christ is always full of surprises. Pogo and his friend were having trouble getting to the trees because of what they, over time, had done. It is in this context, of Pogo recognizing the consequences of his deeds and the deeds of the community, that he makes this statement, about the status of the community: "We have met the enemy and he is us."
Now, my beloved brethren, just as Pogo was compelled to take a hard look at reality and come to that epiphany moment of recognizing, and acknowledging the consequences of his actions and the actions of the community, that he was a part of: it is time for us to do the same.
In the case of Pogo and his friend Porkypine, they were litteraly trying to reach real trees. This was an Earth Day statement, meant to get our attention about the plight of the planet; and the impact of our deeds.
In the essay "Can we see the trees," the trees are a metaphor for the truth. The windowless rooms are meant as a metaphor for the things and deeds that both obscure the truth and make our journey to the truth, more and more difficult. This essay was written, in an effort to get us focused on our self-imposed bondage, that keeps us from the truth. Over the course, of the coming year, we shall take an in-depth look at this bondage.
In the Western Church, we are most often like Pogo's friend Porkypine: we know what our goal is, but we fail to recognize the difficult nature of our self-imposed obstacles.
We tend to, as Western Christians, to blame all of the things outside of the Church, as the reason for our difficulties and our decline. The fact of the matter is: The worst enemy that the Western Church has - is the Western Church.
To make certain that I have your attention in this; let it be known to all the world, that empowered by Jesus Christ, I would stand in the midst of any assembly; and looking out at all in that assembly; I would say, for all to hear: Hear the word of the Lord, that takes us to the heart of our condition: "I have seen the enemy and he is us."
After His forty days in the wilderness, our Lord Jesus Christ called us to repent and believe the gospel. Here, at the end of this essay number forty, let the call go forth: Let us repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ.
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
P.S. After the first of the new year, I will be taking some time for personal reflection, regarding my own journey with Jesus Christ. Empowered by Jesus Christ, our next essay should be near the end of January. The journey is becoming more difficult. Please pray for me, that I will be faithful to the tasks, that Jesus Christ sets before me.
P.S. (December 30, 2012) Let us pray for one another that we might all see and embrace the truth that can only be found in and through Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Can we see the trees? A second look!
The following essay was first published on December 13, 2011. The conditions, in the Western Christian Church, have not changed - thus, necessitating the need for us to take another look at our condition. We need to take a careful look at where we are. We need to ask ourselves: Can we see the trees?
Hello To All:
Before we continue with the series of essays titled - "I am crucified" - we need to pause for a moment. We need to have a clearer understanding of what it is like to be a Christian in a western church. We need a better perspective of who we are! We need a word picture that gets us focused on our condition, in such a way, as to help us to see the trees!
Our text, for today, comes from Psalm 1:1-3, where we find written: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
What a wonderful picture, of what it is like to be one with Jesus Christ. But, what happens, to our understanding of this text, if we have never seen a tree? What happens, to our comprehension of what this text has to say, regarding our union with Jesus Christ, if we do not even know what a tree is? The answer, of course, is that our understanding and our comprehension, would be significantly reduced; and, perhaps, we would not have any understanding; and, perhaps, we would not have any comprehension. The fullness of our union with Jesus Christ, would be lost to us; the darkness of our understanding and of our comprehension, would blind us to the truth. How can we escape so great a darkness?
Before we can escape the darkness, we must first understand the nature of the darkness. Here is what the Lord our God has shown me, in and through His Son Jesus Christ.
Consider a room with no windows; a room of our own creation; a room filled with the things of our own choosing; a room defining what we believe to be true; a room that proclaims our personal comfort zone; a room that has set the boundaries of our personal status quo; a room that establishes the basis of our relationship with other believers and the world around us; a room that defines our relationship with the one and true and living God; a room that is largely built on the precepts and commandments of men; a room that has no windows! This room, is typical of what it is, to be Christian, here, in the western church!
If you are thinking that this is too strong an indictment; that in some way this is not right; then consider this: I have lived in this room. I am very familiar with the room with no windows. The description, of this room, goes right to the heart, of our condition.
Sometimes we venture forth, from our rooms, and visit the rooms of our friends. Sometimes we will even visit the rooms of strangers. Sometimes we will even gather in very large rooms. But always, the rooms do not have any windows. The rooms do vary, to certain degrees. We will often have discussions, regarding the merits of one room, as compared to another room. Sometimes, these discussions will be very lively and energetic, filled with differing opinions, regarding the proper characteristics, of this room without windows. But, typically, satisfied with our own position, we return to our own room: to the personal darkness, that we have embraced, as being the truth.
On occasion, when we venture forth, we find that the air is exceptionally clear. As we look out, over our city, filled with windowless rooms, we catch a glimpse of something strange. We see something; it appears as a sea of green, moving in the breeze. It is far away, on the very horizon, on the outer limits of our vision. It is the trees! It appeals to us. It touches our heart, in ways we do not understand. It calls to us. It holds out a promise of something greater then ourselves; and, at certain times, it even carries the suggestion, to our hearts, that, just perhaps, we do not have the fullness of understanding and comprehension, that we have convinced ourselves, that we do have. But, soon the mist returns; the vision is lost to us; and we return to our rooms with no windows. The fading vision, of the trees, is gone. The tugging, at our heart, has been replaced by the dark contentment of our windowless room; and we say to ourselves: all is well.
Earlier, I mentioned that I had lived in such a room; but, in May of 2010 (see postings of June 2010), our Lord Jesus Christ, yanked me from my room and took me to Haiti. In Haiti, He showed me the trees. My life changed. When I returned, the reality, of the trees, began to fade; but, I had seen the truth; I was no longer content with my windowless room (see postings of September 2011, titled: "Do I Believe?").
Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, I now live, in a room with windows - lots of windows. As the light of Jesus Christ flows in, and fills my room, I find that the boundaries of the room are ever expanding. As I become more and more "conformed to the image of Christ, who is the image of God" - I find, that the room has become less and less constricting. As Christ increases and I decrease - the boundaries of the room, are even beginning to fade - as the realities of my union with Jesus Christ become ever more apparent. Once again, I can see the trees! Thank you Jesus.
I invite you, my brethren, to allow Jesus to put windows in your rooms.
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
P.S. (December 26, 2012) I invite you, my beloved brethren, to ask and allow Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of The Living God, to put floor to ceiling windows in your rooms.
Hello To All:
Before we continue with the series of essays titled - "I am crucified" - we need to pause for a moment. We need to have a clearer understanding of what it is like to be a Christian in a western church. We need a better perspective of who we are! We need a word picture that gets us focused on our condition, in such a way, as to help us to see the trees!
Our text, for today, comes from Psalm 1:1-3, where we find written: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
What a wonderful picture, of what it is like to be one with Jesus Christ. But, what happens, to our understanding of this text, if we have never seen a tree? What happens, to our comprehension of what this text has to say, regarding our union with Jesus Christ, if we do not even know what a tree is? The answer, of course, is that our understanding and our comprehension, would be significantly reduced; and, perhaps, we would not have any understanding; and, perhaps, we would not have any comprehension. The fullness of our union with Jesus Christ, would be lost to us; the darkness of our understanding and of our comprehension, would blind us to the truth. How can we escape so great a darkness?
Before we can escape the darkness, we must first understand the nature of the darkness. Here is what the Lord our God has shown me, in and through His Son Jesus Christ.
Consider a room with no windows; a room of our own creation; a room filled with the things of our own choosing; a room defining what we believe to be true; a room that proclaims our personal comfort zone; a room that has set the boundaries of our personal status quo; a room that establishes the basis of our relationship with other believers and the world around us; a room that defines our relationship with the one and true and living God; a room that is largely built on the precepts and commandments of men; a room that has no windows! This room, is typical of what it is, to be Christian, here, in the western church!
If you are thinking that this is too strong an indictment; that in some way this is not right; then consider this: I have lived in this room. I am very familiar with the room with no windows. The description, of this room, goes right to the heart, of our condition.
Sometimes we venture forth, from our rooms, and visit the rooms of our friends. Sometimes we will even visit the rooms of strangers. Sometimes we will even gather in very large rooms. But always, the rooms do not have any windows. The rooms do vary, to certain degrees. We will often have discussions, regarding the merits of one room, as compared to another room. Sometimes, these discussions will be very lively and energetic, filled with differing opinions, regarding the proper characteristics, of this room without windows. But, typically, satisfied with our own position, we return to our own room: to the personal darkness, that we have embraced, as being the truth.
On occasion, when we venture forth, we find that the air is exceptionally clear. As we look out, over our city, filled with windowless rooms, we catch a glimpse of something strange. We see something; it appears as a sea of green, moving in the breeze. It is far away, on the very horizon, on the outer limits of our vision. It is the trees! It appeals to us. It touches our heart, in ways we do not understand. It calls to us. It holds out a promise of something greater then ourselves; and, at certain times, it even carries the suggestion, to our hearts, that, just perhaps, we do not have the fullness of understanding and comprehension, that we have convinced ourselves, that we do have. But, soon the mist returns; the vision is lost to us; and we return to our rooms with no windows. The fading vision, of the trees, is gone. The tugging, at our heart, has been replaced by the dark contentment of our windowless room; and we say to ourselves: all is well.
Earlier, I mentioned that I had lived in such a room; but, in May of 2010 (see postings of June 2010), our Lord Jesus Christ, yanked me from my room and took me to Haiti. In Haiti, He showed me the trees. My life changed. When I returned, the reality, of the trees, began to fade; but, I had seen the truth; I was no longer content with my windowless room (see postings of September 2011, titled: "Do I Believe?").
Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, I now live, in a room with windows - lots of windows. As the light of Jesus Christ flows in, and fills my room, I find that the boundaries of the room are ever expanding. As I become more and more "conformed to the image of Christ, who is the image of God" - I find, that the room has become less and less constricting. As Christ increases and I decrease - the boundaries of the room, are even beginning to fade - as the realities of my union with Jesus Christ become ever more apparent. Once again, I can see the trees! Thank you Jesus.
I invite you, my brethren, to allow Jesus to put windows in your rooms.
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
P.S. (December 26, 2012) I invite you, my beloved brethren, to ask and allow Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of The Living God, to put floor to ceiling windows in your rooms.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Do we believe God: Regarding Communion?
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Hello To All:
During the last several months, a most interesting thing has been happening! The isolation from the fellowship of Western Christianity, that has come to be recognized as a necessary part of the work, that our Lord Jesus Christ has set before me, has become more intense, more tangible; and in some ways, more challenging.
In order for me to serve, both as an apologist for, and a critic of, Western Christianity, our Lord Jesus Christ has purposed for me to separate myself, from the institutional/denominational influence of the Western Church (please see series of essays, from September of 2011, titled: Do I Believe?). This separation, has had the consequence, of severely limiting my fellowship with other believers. It is this lack of fellowship, that, in recent months, has had this intense and tangible and challenging impact on my life.
The Lord our God did not create us to live in a vacuum. Relationship is an essential part of who we are as humans. This is how God has made us. Without fellowship, without a shared intimate relationship, we shall wither and die. I am so very thankful, that Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, has blessed me with a loving and godly wife, with whom I am able to share this intimacy of fellowship, that is available to us, in and through Jesus Christ. I am not withering; nor am a I dying. Thank you Jesus.
But, the lack of fellowship, with a body of believers, has become more evident; and this lack, impacts me, in intense and tangible and challenging ways. What is most amazing to me, and what I am most thankful for, is that during these same several months, my awareness of my personal fellowship, with Jesus Christ, has become more intense and more tangible and, yes, more challenging: for, is it not true, my beloved, that when God made us, He made us, to be first, in fellowship with Him. Thank you Jesus.
Now, some of you are asking yourselves - what does all of this talk about fellowship, have to do with communion? A fair question - considering that our purpose, for this essay is to begin answering the question: "Do we believe God: Regarding Communion?" Let us see if a connection can be rightly made.
The opening text, for this essay, reminds us of the "communion of the blood of Christ," and the "communion of the body of Christ." (It should be noted, that it is because of this text, that we most often identify "The Lord's Supper," as: "Communion.") Communion is the English translation of the Greek word: koinonia.
Koinonia is a marvelous word. It is translated, into English, in a variety of ways. Eventually,we are going to look at all of those translations; but, for now we are going to consider just one of them. Join with me, my beloved brethren, in being filled by the meaning of 1 John 1:1-7:
1. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;"
2. "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)"
3. "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have FELLOWSHIP with us: and truly our FELLOWSHIP is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."
4. "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."
5. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."
6. "If we say that we have FELLOWSHIP with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
7. "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have FELLOWSHIP one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."
The word, "fellowship," has been capitalized, in the above texts, for the sake of emphasis. It needs to be emphasized; it is an extremely important word. It has the same level of importance as the word: "communion." This mutual importance relates to the fact that the English word fellowship, and the English word communion, are both translated from the same Greek word: "koinonia."
In the beginning paragraphs of this essay, fellowship was defined as a "shared intimate relationship." This definition is supported by our text from 1 John. Please take another look at verse one: "That" (referring to Jesus) - "which was from the beginning" - "which we have heard" - "which we have seen" - "with our eyes" - "which we have looked upon" - "and our hands have handled" - "the Word of Life." Do we see and comprehend the intimacy of relationship, being described in this text?
Take another look: We have heard: the Word of Life - We have seen: the Word of Life - We have seen with our own eyes: the Word of Life - We have looked upon: the Word of Life - We, with our hands, have handled: the Word of Life. Hearing - Seeing - Touching: These words shout forth, to all of the creation, the reality of a "shared intimate relationship." Can we say Thank you Jesus?
We are going to close for now; and continue this examination of "communion," after the first of the New Year. Between now and then, let us all, first ask ourselves, and then ponder the question: If fellowship is rightly understood as a shared intimate relationship; would it then follow that communion should be rightly understood as a shared intimate relationship?
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
P.S. We will be closing out the year with two essays from the end of 2011. Over this last year, the relevance of these two essays, to the declining condition of the Western Church, has become ever more apparent.
Hello To All:
During the last several months, a most interesting thing has been happening! The isolation from the fellowship of Western Christianity, that has come to be recognized as a necessary part of the work, that our Lord Jesus Christ has set before me, has become more intense, more tangible; and in some ways, more challenging.
In order for me to serve, both as an apologist for, and a critic of, Western Christianity, our Lord Jesus Christ has purposed for me to separate myself, from the institutional/denominational influence of the Western Church (please see series of essays, from September of 2011, titled: Do I Believe?). This separation, has had the consequence, of severely limiting my fellowship with other believers. It is this lack of fellowship, that, in recent months, has had this intense and tangible and challenging impact on my life.
The Lord our God did not create us to live in a vacuum. Relationship is an essential part of who we are as humans. This is how God has made us. Without fellowship, without a shared intimate relationship, we shall wither and die. I am so very thankful, that Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, has blessed me with a loving and godly wife, with whom I am able to share this intimacy of fellowship, that is available to us, in and through Jesus Christ. I am not withering; nor am a I dying. Thank you Jesus.
But, the lack of fellowship, with a body of believers, has become more evident; and this lack, impacts me, in intense and tangible and challenging ways. What is most amazing to me, and what I am most thankful for, is that during these same several months, my awareness of my personal fellowship, with Jesus Christ, has become more intense and more tangible and, yes, more challenging: for, is it not true, my beloved, that when God made us, He made us, to be first, in fellowship with Him. Thank you Jesus.
Now, some of you are asking yourselves - what does all of this talk about fellowship, have to do with communion? A fair question - considering that our purpose, for this essay is to begin answering the question: "Do we believe God: Regarding Communion?" Let us see if a connection can be rightly made.
The opening text, for this essay, reminds us of the "communion of the blood of Christ," and the "communion of the body of Christ." (It should be noted, that it is because of this text, that we most often identify "The Lord's Supper," as: "Communion.") Communion is the English translation of the Greek word: koinonia.
Koinonia is a marvelous word. It is translated, into English, in a variety of ways. Eventually,we are going to look at all of those translations; but, for now we are going to consider just one of them. Join with me, my beloved brethren, in being filled by the meaning of 1 John 1:1-7:
1. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;"
2. "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)"
3. "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have FELLOWSHIP with us: and truly our FELLOWSHIP is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."
4. "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."
5. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."
6. "If we say that we have FELLOWSHIP with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
7. "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have FELLOWSHIP one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."
The word, "fellowship," has been capitalized, in the above texts, for the sake of emphasis. It needs to be emphasized; it is an extremely important word. It has the same level of importance as the word: "communion." This mutual importance relates to the fact that the English word fellowship, and the English word communion, are both translated from the same Greek word: "koinonia."
In the beginning paragraphs of this essay, fellowship was defined as a "shared intimate relationship." This definition is supported by our text from 1 John. Please take another look at verse one: "That" (referring to Jesus) - "which was from the beginning" - "which we have heard" - "which we have seen" - "with our eyes" - "which we have looked upon" - "and our hands have handled" - "the Word of Life." Do we see and comprehend the intimacy of relationship, being described in this text?
Take another look: We have heard: the Word of Life - We have seen: the Word of Life - We have seen with our own eyes: the Word of Life - We have looked upon: the Word of Life - We, with our hands, have handled: the Word of Life. Hearing - Seeing - Touching: These words shout forth, to all of the creation, the reality of a "shared intimate relationship." Can we say Thank you Jesus?
We are going to close for now; and continue this examination of "communion," after the first of the New Year. Between now and then, let us all, first ask ourselves, and then ponder the question: If fellowship is rightly understood as a shared intimate relationship; would it then follow that communion should be rightly understood as a shared intimate relationship?
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
P.S. We will be closing out the year with two essays from the end of 2011. Over this last year, the relevance of these two essays, to the declining condition of the Western Church, has become ever more apparent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)