Author: Tim Ehrhardt

I'm just a common ordinary pastor, chaplain, father, grandfather, and dog owner who loves the smell of a genuine leather Bible and the aroma of its message. I'm on a quest to track down the best Bibles, how to best read and use them, and to discover the encouragement inside.

Nehemiah 5:1-13

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Nehemiah was a faithful follower of God who had been taken into exile to Babylon.  But, through his initiative, Nehemiah laid plans to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the broken down wall which surrounded the city.  Once Nehemiah arrived and arranged for work teams to busy themselves on the wall, he discovered there was much more to rebuild than just a physical wall.  A wall of separation existed between fellow Jews based on economics.  The poor were being taken advantage of as their fellow Jews were exacting usury from them.
 
            Nehemiah’s response is instructive for us.  He did not ignore the situation and only focus on the wall.  He firmly and squarely addressed the problem, and was downright angry about the circumstance of Jewish families essentially living in a state of slavery.  Nehemiah was clear, concise, and direct about the nature of the problem.  He threw himself into being part of the solution instead of only complaining about what was happening.  Nehemiah did not over-involve others in the process of handling the conflict, but handled the issue by taking counsel with himself.  Finally, he attacked the problem without alienating others, and held people accountable for their actions and their promises.
 
            Packed into these few paragraphs of Scripture is a sort of case study of how to engage significant problems and conflict.  This is a section of the Bible not to quickly read over, but to ponder, examine, and absorb Nehemiah’s dealing with the situation.  We all need some guidance and direction when it comes to confronting the problems that surround us.  Let this story serve us well in addressing the issues in our lives.
 

 

            Holy God, you have a special concern for those who are poor and needy.  Enable me to live and speak wisely into the crucial needs which exist around me, so that Christ might be exalted through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Psalm 19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment


            One of the bedrock realities of the world is that God created the heavens and the earth.  Furthermore, he has given us his very great and precious promises through his gracious law.  God’s creation reflects his wondrous character.  The sun is the constant presence bringing light, warmth, and life to the earth – just like God.  Everything is creation bears the mark of its Creator to such a degree that it is almost as if the creation itself speaks.  Even at night, it is as if our God keeps constant vigil, gently whispering the knowledge of his presence and protection over us.
             If this were not enough, God has given his people his perfect law with all of its right precepts, clarity of commands, and truthful statutes.  God’s law, like his creation, reflects his gracious character.  The Lord did not leave us alone to fend for ourselves and to try and figure everything out about how to live in God’s world.  He has provided an extension of himself, his law, to provide us with sure footing and solid direction.  The law of the Lord is so good that it is more valuable than gold, and more desirable than any food.
             Since all this creation and law is available to us, it would be a good thing to memorize and meditate on this very psalm.  Take just a few verses with you out for a leisurely walk in God’s good creation.  Carefully reflect on them as you notice all the grand scope of God’s vast sky, and the intricacies of God’s small details.  Let it all rise to a paean of praise and appreciation to the God who notices, has acted, and will intervene.
             Wondrous God, you created the heavens and the earth in its splendor.  Your law mirrors your grace to a world which has lost its way.  In the face of such a large God, cleanse me from my inadvertent sins.  Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before you, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Amen.

Cultural Christianity

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
            It is usually a dubious action to place adjectives in front of the noun “Christianity.”  The actual word can stand alone quite well on its own without any modifiers in place.  But sometimes it might be appropriate to do so, for no other reason than to point out the oxymoronic nature of some of Christianity’s adherents.  “Cultural Christianity” ends up being something like “Grape Nuts” which, in reality, is neither grapes nor nuts.
 
            Which gets us to the heart of the issue:  cultural Christianity is not really Christianity at all, and isn’t even distinctively Christian in its actual culture.  Okay, some of you are getting impatient and want me to say it plainly.  So here it is:  just because someone shows up as a church attender doesn’t make them a Christian, any more than standing in a garage makes a person a car.  A nice person isn’t necessarily a Christian just because he/she is pleasant to be around.  An atheist isn’t necessarily unethical or immoral just because he/she is an atheist. 
 
            One of the parables of Jesus that was a complete head-scratcher for his disciples was the one about the sower who went out to sow seed.  They just did not get what the heck Christ was saying because the disciples were too steeped in a cultural understanding of their religious practice and belief.  So, Jesus made the meaning of the parable of the sower scattering seed a bit more understandable for them: 
 
“The seed is the word of God.  Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root.  They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.  The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.  But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering, produce a crop” (Luke 8:11-15).
 
All four scenarios of the seed involve hearing the word of God.  But, here is the scandal that brought Jesus some derision:  only the seed that retained what it heard and produced a crop is real true genuine authentic belief.  This is not a parable from Jesus about differing levels of maturity among Christians.  Nope, this is declaration from Jesus that out of the four who heard, only one proved to be the real deal.  To put it another way:  three out of the four people were cultural Christians, which really meant they were not Christians at all.  They looked and acted like Christians enough to slide by as identified believers for a while, but the message never really took; it didn’t stick.
 
            At this point we could become cynical and pessimistic about the current Christian climate in the West.  If only three out of four people are really Christians, then what hope is there?  Am I in or out?  Are you questioning others’ salvation?  Instead, we need to look at this from a different angle.  If three out of four times the seed doesn’t take root and grow into genuine belief, then we keep scattering the seed!  A person who hears but doesn’t actually believe doesn’t mean that it is a one-and-done situation.  In fact, the average person needs to hear the gospel of grace proclaimed anywhere from five to twenty-five times from several different people before the word of God sticks, they take root in the true soil of belief, and end up growing up into mature faith.
 
            The real aim of Christ’s parable was to not only unmask the cultural religion that was rampant, but to encourage the disciples to scatter the seed, to keep proclaiming the word of God over and over and over again in all kinds of places, all over the world.  They were not to give up because the continual proclamation of good news will eventually result in a massive harvest.
 

 

            So, be patient.  Keep embodying the message of Christ.  Continue speaking of Jesus everywhere to everyone.  Persevere in praying for those within and without the church who need the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.  Do not give up.

Isaiah 61:1-7

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
             All of Scripture is God-breathed and his self-revelation.  Yet, there are some passages of the Bible that, although not any more significant, control other parts of Holy Scripture.  I call these “boss” verses; they are sections that bring light and authority to the entirety of the Bible.  Today’s Old Testament lesson is a “boss” section of Scripture.  It both encapsulates the message of the Bible as well as projecting an intentional focus of life and ministry for us.
 
            “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor… to comfort all who mourn.”  The Lord Jesus picked up these verses and read them in the inauguration of his ministry to his fellow Jews in the synagogue.  He did so because God’s message would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus.  This, then, is an overarching message which is like a big tent idea that controls all of Holy Scripture.
 
            There ought really to be no doubt, of even the casual reader of the Bible, that God is deeply concerned with the poor, the needy, the grieving, and the spiritually destitute whose souls require hope and rescue.  Jesus proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor; he preached the good news of God’s kingdom.  He blessed the poor in spirit and those who mourn.  Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Christians have a message of good news to proclaim.  Just as Jesus came in the flesh to rescue the needy, so we who have been delivered from sin’s prison, are to embody the message of redemption to others in desperate need of rescue.
 
            Who is in need of God’s good news in your relational sphere of influence?  How might you bring Christ to them both in speech and in the flesh?  What needs are in their lives which Jesus might fulfill?  Will you intentionally and fervently pray for them every day for the next two weeks?
 

 

            Merciful God, your grace has saved me from myself and an empty way of life.  May I never lose sight of what you have done for me.  Anoint me to proclaim the good news of Jesus so that many others might be rescued from their desperate plight.  Amen.