Tag: christian faith

Born from Above (John 3:1-17)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Visit of Nicodemus to Christ, by John LaFarge, 1880

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” 

Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 

Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 

Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. (New Revised Standard Version)

Christians serve a triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit. This Holy Trinity of three persons, yet one God, conspires to plan and orchestrate the deliverance of people from sin, death, and hell. The Lord makes it possible for people to be born again.

Maybe you’re ready to tune out with the phrase “born again” or “born from above” because either this is old hat to you; or you want to distance yourself from the obnoxious evangelist who is the pester pup toward others’ salvation.

However, today’s Gospel lesson is for me and you. So instead of tuning out, consider the person of Nicodemus in the story:

  • Served God
  • Good guy
  • Upstanding Jewish citizen
  • Devout and pious man
  • Faithful temple worship attendance
  • Member of a prestigious religious group 

And yet, it was to Nicodemus that Jesus said, “You must be born again.” But why? Because although Nicodemus was a really good egg, he was an adoring fan of Jesus, but not a committed follower of Jesus.

Nicodemus Visiting Christ, by Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1899

Admiration and kudos isn’t the same as taking up your cross and following Christ. Nicodemus didn’t need to adjust his life and make some tweaks here and there; it was time for a new life in walking the path of discipleship with Jesus.

The further away we are from birth, the easier it is to take God for granted; and to have a spiritually settled way of life in which the mystery, wonder, and awe of life is slowly drained from us. That’s why I think two year olds probably know more about God than anyone around – since they can articulate the wonder of life being only a few short years from their birth. 

One night I came home and walked into the kitchen to find my then four-year old grandson unashamedly crawling on all fours with his face barely off the floor. I said, “What in the world are you doing?” He looked up at me with a twinkle in his eye and a serious tone in his voice and said, “I’m sniffing for clues.” 

I honestly do not expect you to sniff for clues on your kitchen floor. But would any of us be found sniffing for clues of God? Would we seek hard and doggedly pursue the Lord? 

Because Nicodemus was such a good guy, he did not see himself in need of new life. Meeting Jesus at night is deeply symbolic of the fact that Nicodemus was literally in the dark about his spiritual condition. He was actually clueless to many of God’s ways, and how the world works in God’s kingdom. Nicodemus maintained a respectable distance as a fan of Jesus.

How do we move from being a fan to a follower of Jesus? 

Believe. To believe in Jesus means to move from only an intellectual faith of acknowledging doctrinal beliefs about Christ and God. There is to be movement from observing the works of God to a life of complete trust as a dedicated follower of Jesus.

Christian discipleship is more than asking Christ to help out in a jam or bad situation. And it is certainly more than praying a particular prayer. Rather, it’s letting Jesus decide what to do with us and remove any shortcomings, character defects, guilt, shame, and general crud from us.

We are to be made pure, to be cleansed – as if we were a new person or born again, from above. There is the willingness to depend on something other than myself, my resources, and my connections.

In Christianity, Jesus is much more than a wise teacher and a miracle worker; Christ is Savior for whom the follower gives complete allegiance to. In other words, we let Jesus use us for divine purposes, instead of us using Jesus for our own puny human purposes.

Let us intentionally and deliberately relinquish control of our lives, and of everything, to Jesus and become his faithful followers. Information is not transformation; and, seeing transformation in another person’s life is not a substitute for transformation in my own life.

Interview Between Jesus and Nicodemus, by James Tissot (1839-1902)

Nicodemus had to grab ahold of the reality that Jesus did not only come to save others, but to save him, as well.  We must be born from above, to have a new life, to be “born of water and spirit.” Nicodemus would have immediately been reminded of John the Baptist’s ministry of a baptizing for the repentance and forgiveness of sins. 

Jesus was letting Nicodemus know that he, too, needed repentance from trusting in those good deeds, and of simply acknowledging Christ. The practices of fasting, praying, and giving; and the dedication to thrift and morality is quite admirable. Yet, these are not the things which move a person from darkness to light. And they don’t give us a leg up to heaven.

Jesus is the One who has worked hard for us. God conceives us as Christians, and then nurtures us in the womb of faith. At some point, we come to full term, and God births us spiritually into new life. 

Maybe it’s time to move from darkness to light; from staying warm and cozy inside the womb to the bright outside world; from being a fan of Jesus to a follower of Jesus; from being in the dark audience to the bright lights of the stage for all to see. 

The issue is not in saving yourself, but to let God be God; and let God do the work in you that God wants to do. 

If there is no gestation from Jesus as Teacher to Jesus as Savior, there is no birth. If there is no gestation from Jesus as Miracle-Worker to Jesus as Savior, there is no birth. 

The Apostle John was making the point here in describing the conversation that if Nicodemus, who is the upstanding religious citizen, needed to be born again by Jesus, then how much more do we need to have a new life, to move from the comfortable confines of being a fan to the playing field of being a follower of Jesus?

Jesus does not need a bunch of groupies admiring him at night. But conversely, we need Jesus.

Fans sometimes confuse their admiration for devotion; people mistake their knowledge of Jesus for an actual relationship with Jesus. Fans assume that their good works and good intentions are sufficient. Yet, new life requires giving up an old life. And that, my friends, is what’s at stake in Christian discipleship.

May God the Holy Trinity make us strong in faith and love, and birth us into new life through Christ our Lord. Guide us in truth and peace; and may the blessing of God Almighty – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – be among us, and remain with us always. Amen.

Pentecost (John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Holy Spirit, by He Qi

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning…

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 

“And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (New Revised Standard Version)

Pentecost, by John August Swanson (1938-2021)

This is the Christian Day of Pentecost. It is often referred to as the birthday of the Church. Pentecost marks the time when the Holy Spirit came upon the fledgling believers in power. 

Pentecost is significant for Christians because it marks the age of the Spirit, the era of new spiritual life and power. Ten days after recognizing Christ’s Ascension, and fifty days after Christ’s resurrection from death, the Christian Year observes the Day of Pentecost (which literally means “fifty” in Greek). 

An implication of Pentecost is that it brings both change and stability, of being uprooted as well as deeply grounded. To experience Pentecost, it is necessary to invite change and to allow ourselves to be changed.

To live a truly spiritual life, full of the Holy Spirit, means that things will never be the same again. With the Spirit, there is a new form of consciousness, an emerging awareness of both self and the world, and new interests and commitments which are followed.

Change involves unlearning old thinking and ways of doing things, becoming uprooted and planted in fresh spiritual soil. The spiritual person will discover new, necessary, and expansive ways of living the faith of Jesus Christ in today’s topsy-turvy world.

Today’s Gospel lesson has Jesus talking to his disciples for the last time before his crucifixion and resurrection. He communicated to them that he was going away, and they were sad and confused about it all. So, Jesus assured them that they would not be alone – his presence would be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus made it plain that the One who is coming, the Paraclete, is the One who comes alongside and offers to the disciples a ministry of advocating, testifying, speaking truth, glorifying, and proving the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.

The Spirit advocates for us and all creation. The Spirit hears our pain, moaning, and desperation, bringing it all to God in helpful language (Romans 8:26). The Spirit testifies about Jesus to us and about his ministry. The Spirit speaks truth to us whenever we go astray from the words and ways of Jesus; and so, will challenge us and provoke us to live into our majesty as people created in God’s image and redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection.

If and when our Christian life and worship becomes a ho-hum hodge-podge of ritualistic or legalistic goo, where no spiritual growth or life transformation is happening – and worse, if it becomes characterized by injustice – then the Spirit will have something to say in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment.

A lack of faith can take many forms. For many Christians, the separation between belief and practice is a form of apostasy. Signing off on a set of doctrinal beliefs means nothing unless it has feet and hands to it by going after those who are suffering, giving restitution for what we’ve taken, and putting the love of Christ where love is not found.

A confession of faith is hollow and useless without first having a confession of sin. Jesus did not say that people will know Christians by their doctrinal confessions and ancient creeds, but that others will know the Christian by the fruit of a life given to righteousness and justice. (Matthew 7:16)

The worldly ruler is the one who perpetuates systems of evil and oppression; and ignores poverty, hunger, and need. The ruler of this world is condemned by the Spirit because of meanness, brutality, violence, and abject greed and selfishness.

Anyone who turns the life-giving good world which God has made into a death-dealing world of ignorance, sloth, and power politics is under the judgment of the Spirit, on orders by Judge Jesus. Whenever the bent of the will is developed into only being concerned with personal happiness, while ignoring communal needs, the person is existing far from the teachings of Jesus to his disciples.

On this Day of Pentecost, and into this proper Pentecostal season, our call is to have a genuine spiritual life that allows the true self to make a difference in this old fallen world. The spiritual person seeks to tap into the Spirit and insist on caring for others without prejudice or favoritism; and will ground themselves in healthy spiritual dynamics of positive change and transformation as living sacrifices to God. (Romans 12:1-3)

With the reality of Pentecost, believers in Jesus, and the whole Church everywhere, has the full power of the Holy Spirit with them at all times. This means our ultimate trust is not in the power of authoritative positions, economic budgets, polished programs, personal ingenuity, or a consumer self-realization.

Our trust is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth, in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, and in the strength of the Holy Spirit who is the continuing presence of Jesus. Such power is given for a purpose. So let us be responsible and conscientious in living the Christian life.

And may the blessing of the Spirit move you to know Jesus better, love the world more, and be the person you were created to be – to the glory of God. Amen.

Jesus Prays For Us (John 17:6-19)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Word of Life, by Millard Sheets

“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.

“I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.

“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 

But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 

“I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. (New Revised Standard Version)

It seems to me only fitting that Jesus concluded his time with the disciples in the Upper Room before his betrayal, crucifixion, and death with prayer. It also seems to me that if you really want to know the heart of a person, listen to them pray.

The prayer of Jesus was thoroughly oriented toward the spiritual needs of his followers – even potential believers who will follow him in the future. And it was a prayer completely devoted toward honoring the heavenly Father through praying consistent with God’s will for this world.

Without the physical presence of Jesus – which would soon be gone – his followers would have to rely on prayer. And Christ was intent on instilling within his disciples the confidence and hope they needed for a solid life of prayer.

For post-resurrection Christians living in an ever-expanding world of oppression, greed, and indifference, we can be encouraged not to settle into despair or loneliness. Why? Because believers can have a solid hope and an abiding trust in the continuing presence of Jesus by means of the Holy Spirit.

God Gives

God gives. Jesus gives. Both the Father and the Son are givers. This is a major reason and motivation for prayer because God is not a reluctant giver. In the act of giving, the Father and the Son are fully on the same page; God is ready and willing to give. The Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – are in complete unity, and act as One, in giving to us what we need.

“Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14, NRSV)

“Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:27, NRSV)

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28, NRSV)

We Belong

Through giving we are included. Believers and followers of Jesus – having been given the grace of faith – know that they belong to God. Christians are in union with Christ. The redemption which Jesus has secured is a million billion times stronger, and bonds us closer, than any sort of Gorilla glue. And, what’s more, once we belong, we are never forgotten, but always remembered by God.

“The Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:15-16, NRSV)

Christ the King, statue in Swiebodzin, Poland

The Name of Jesus

Because we belong, we know God’s name. The divine name stands for all that God is and all that God has done. It’s all focused in Christ. In the name of Jesus, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, we have everlasting life, spiritual power, and eternal security.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, NRSV)

We Have the Word

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus has given to his disciples only those words which he first received from the Father. Those who accept the enfleshed Word and his words have been given power to become God’s children (John 1:12). Because believers belong to God, they know the truth and that truth has set them free.

It is the Christian’s mission to live into the words and ways of Jesus, to follow Christ in thought, word, and deed. The very glory of Jesus in his cross and resurrection is focused within the believing community, who is in union with Christ and belongs to God.

In his prayer, Jesus claimed an intimate oneness in the sharing of concern for people who are the objects of the Father’s gracious giving of love through the Son. All who belong to Christ belong to God, and vice versa. All the love that went into the cross was poured out upon us.

Those who believe in the name of Jesus Christ are the very glory of Jesus, and thus, the glory of God.

Sent Into the World

Because of the Father’s name—because of who the Father is and what the Father has given in love to the Son—we are set apart for truth; the words of God are truth.

Since we belong to God and bear the name of Christ, we don’t belong to the world’s systems of guilt, shame, injustice, and evil. And yet, we are separated from the world for precisely the reason of immersing ourselves in the world. In other words, Christianity is meant for the life of the world, and not as a religion that’s only concerned for itself.

To reach the world, we must be different from it. To reach the world, we need to have boots-on-the-ground in it. To reach the world, Christians are to be both far from the world, and near to the world.

As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends us into the world – not to be like the world, but to embody the words and ways of Jesus to and for the world.

Just as the world rejected Jesus in his suffering and death, so the world, too, will reject his followers. Which means we will need to pray, a lot! And there is no better scriptural prayer to emulate than the very words of the Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Holy Father, guard our hearts and minds in Jesus, as we pursue this Christian life which you gave as a gift through Christ, so that we can be united, just as the Father and the Son are one. Although we long for heaven, don’t take us out of the world until we have fulfilled our sacred mission to carry the words and ways of our Lord to the world. Make us holy, and give us everything we need for life in this present evil age; through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen.

Recover the Relational Commands (1 Timothy 6:13-16)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (New International Version)

Jesus is Lord, and Ceasar is not. The Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy, in some ways, could be summed up in this way.

As Timothy ministered to the fledgling church in Ephesus, he was to continually keep his eyes on Jesus and take his cues for ministry on the apostolic teaching handed down to him. Timothy was not to get caught up in the fear of living in an Empire that commanded fealty to Ceasar as the supreme being over all.

Timothy was to flee all that is contrary to the sound doctrine of Christian faith. He was instead to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Paul encouraged and exhorted Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith; and take hold of the eternal life to which he was called. Timothy was to live into his confession of Christ and his call from God.

Embrace Jesus as Lord, and quit trusting in Ceasar as Lord.

Although we see nothing subversive about today’s New Testament lesson, it very much was when Paul originally wrote it. The Apostle was essentially saying that, as Timothy goes about pastoring the church at Ephesus within the Roman Empire, he must always uphold the sovereignty and lordship of Jesus Christ as supreme – which, if seen by Roman authorities, would be taken as a subversive action against the state.

The Empire cares about submission to the state, and would see Jesus as Lord as Timothy and Paul teaching people to submit to a different ruler than Ceasar. And they would be right because neither Paul nor Timothy had any intention of engaging in the cult of Ceasar.

Contrary to the Roman imperial gods, and Ceasar himself, Paul lifted up the God who gives life to everything. It is this God – embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ – whom Timothy is encouraged to maintain a steadfast and consistent commitment to. And, what’s more, this commitment is to be carried out without any spot or blame.

Timothy had no need to bully people or shame others into accepting and holding onto the gospel. The means and the methods of how we embrace our charge from God matters a lot. By persevering in faith, holiness, and humility, Timothy would preserve himself and be of benefit to his listeners.

Believers are to keep up this spiritual commitment until Christ returns. It is always open season on gospel proclamation and Christian growth and maturity – lived with a gracious spirit.

By looking to Jesus, followers of Christ can maintain their witness. Times of discouragement are bound to come. And in those difficult seasons of life, we are not to change or switch our allegiance to the political powers. As important as government is, politicians are not saviors; and a particular system of government is not going to deliver us from our greatest oppressions.

The Apostle Paul described Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords, the blessed and only Ruler. Christ is  sovereign over all earthly powers.

Furthermore, God alone is immortal and lives in unapproachable light. God is pure light, and in the Lord there is no darkness. God’s glory is bright and blinding; therefore, no one can see God. To this God deserves honor and might forever.

The mighty and holy God will fulfill all divine promises. Paul was looking to reinforce some courage in Timothy by reminding him of the sort of God they both serve.

In our current and contemporary world, it’s easy to become discouraged. Injustice abounds. Hardness of heart is everywhere. An inability to truly see one another is rife. And people look everywhere and to anyone who appears successful. They want to know the secret in how to survive and thrive on this earth, in their workplaces, and in their homes.

But it’s no secret. The hard work of relationships is what it takes – both human and divine. There is no replacement or surrogate work to the labor of investing yourself into others lives. There’s no substitute for a relationship with God which involves prayer and basic Scripture reading, worship and spiritual disciplines; and face to face relations with actual real people – getting to know them, their joys, their fears, and what motivates them.

Until we recover things such as spiritual mentoring, spiritual practices, group prayer, congregational worship, and create the time for relationships, we shall continue to struggle with a fundamentally broken world and all of its dysfunctional relationships.

No matter the organization, the neighborhood, the family, or the church, we need real people to do honest real work. Whenever a manager, a block captain, a parent, or a pastor allows themselves to be vulnerable and authentic – and lives on the same level as those they serve – then no one is looking for a secret sauce to success.

The Christian’s path of life is always to involve humility, gentleness, mercy, purity, and peacemaking, in doing the work of right relations with the people around them. This is the way of Christ.

Trying to discover a process or a system – apart from the muck of relationships – will fail, every time. This is the way of Ceasar.

Paul took the time and invested the effort into his relationship with Christ. Then, he put himself in a position to mentor others in the faith. Furthermore, he encouraged people like Timothy to do the same. Apart from this work, there is no Christianity.

Believers in Jesus are here today because of Paul and Timothy and the body of teaching and work they passed on to others who, in turn, did the same.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2, NIV)

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and fulfill the calling you have received, the calling of righteousness (right relationships) with both God and others – because Jesus is Lord, and Ceasar is not.

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.