restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

ቤተክርስቲያንን የሚገዛው ማነው?

 David Alan Black  

ኢየሱስ በቅዱሳን ጉባዔ የሚያገለግለው በሰማዊ ነው፡፡ ‹‹ቤተክርስቲያኔን እመሰርታለሁ›› ያለው እርሱ ነው (ማቴ 16፡18) ነገር ግን ኢየሱስ ቤ/ክቲያንን የመሰረተው እንዴት ነው? በምን ሥልጣን ነው? ቢያንስ ሰባት ነገሮች ሊባሉ ይችላሉ፡፡

1.ክርስቶስ ብቻ የቤ/ክ ራስ ነው፡፡ እርሱ ብቻ ዋና መጋቢ ነው(ማቴ 28፡18) ቆላ 1፡18 ኤፌ 4፡5 41 ጴጥ 5፡2

2.የክርስቶስ ሥልጣን በጉባዔው የተገለጠው በስጦታዎችና በመንፈስ ቅዱስ አገለግሎት በኩል ነው፡፡ ሁሉም መንፈስ ቅዱስን የተሞሉ አማኞች ክህነትና ተጠያቂነታቸውም በቀጥታ ለራስ (ለኢየሱስ) ነው (ሮሜ 14፡4 2 ጢሞ 2፡5)፡፡ በተጨማሪም ሁሉም አማኞች ስጦታዎች አሉአቸው፡፡ እንዲሁም አንደየስጦታቸው በጉባዔውና ጉባዔውን ማገልገል ይችላሉ (ሮሜ 12፡3-8 1ቆሮ 12-4 ኤፌ 4፡7 16)፡፡ አዲስ ኪዳን ስለካህናትና (ቀሳውስትና) መዕመናን ልዩነት የሚያውቀው ነገር የለም፡፡ ሁሉም ምዕመናን ሙሉ የሆነ የክህነት አገልግሎት ያላቸው ናቸው፡፡

የተለያዩ ወንድሞች ቤ/ክንን ያስተምራሉ እንዲሁም ህዝቡ ጥያቄ ልጠይቃቸው ተፈቅደለታል፡፡ የራሳቸውን ሀሳቦች በመንፈስ ቅዱስ አመራር ሥር ሆነው መጨመር ይችላሉ፡፡ (ሐወ 20፡7-1ቆሮ 14፡29-35)

3. በእያንዳንዱ ጉባኤ የተወሰኑ ወንድሞች ብቻ የመንፈስ ቅዱስ ስጦታ የተሰጣቸው ብቻ አይደሉም፡፡ ነገር ግን እራሳቸውም በቤ/ክን የክርስቶስ ስጦታዎች ናቸው (ኤፌ 4፡11)፡፡ ዋናው አገልግሎታቸውም የእግ/ርን ቃል ማስተማርና ያሉትን ቅዱሳን አብረው ለአገልግሎት ሥራ ማብቃት ነው፡፡ (ኤፌ 4፡12) “መጋቢና አስተማሪዎች” የሚለው አገላለጽ (ኤፌ 4፡11) የሚያሣየው ሥፍራን (ሥልጣንን) ሳይሆን ሥራን ወይም ተግባርን ነው፡፡ የቤ/ክ “ቢሮ” (office) የተመሰረተው በሰዎች ባህል ላይ በተሳሳተ ትርጉም ላይ ነው (ለምሳሌ 1 ጢሞ 3፡1 ጳውሎስ የተናገረው ስለ “ኤጵስ ቆጰስናት” እንጂ ስለ ጳጳስ ሥልጣን አይደለም በKJV መጽሐፍ እንደተጠቀሰው)፡፡

4.በህዝቡ መካከል ያሉ መሪዎች የቤ/ክ አባል ናቸው እንጅ የበላዮች (ገዥዎች) አይደሉም (ኤፌ 1፡1)፡፡ በዕድሜ የቆዩና በንፈሳዊነትም የበሰሉ ወንድሞች (ሽማግሌቻች) በመሆናቸውም ለእግ/ር ድምጽ ትኩረት የሚሰጡና የሚታዘዙ ናቸው፡፡ ተግባራቸው ጉባኤውን መቆጣጠር ሲሆን ጉባኤው ደግሞ በትክክል ልምምዳቸውንና ስጦታዎቻቸውን ማወቅ አለበት (ሐዋ 20፡28 1 ተሰ 5፡12-13)፡፡ እነዚህ መሪዎች የሚነሱት ህይወታቸውና ባህርያቸው ከሚታወቅበት ከአጢብያ ቤ/ክ ነው (ሐዋ 14፡23, ቲቶ 1፡5)፡፡

5.ሽማግሌዎች በመንፈስ ቅዱስ አማካይነት የተሾሙ ሲሆኑ (ሐዋ 20፡28) መሰረቱም ብስለታቸው ስጦታቸውና በተለይም ባሪያቸው ነው (1ጢሞ 3፡1-7,ቲቶ1¸5-9)፡፡

ቤ/ክነት ለሽምግልናቸው እውቅና ይስጡት እንጂ ሽማግሌዎችን አይሾሙም፡፡

ወንዶች የመቆጣጠርን ሥራ የሚሰሩት ሽማግሌዎች ስለሆኑና የመጋቢነት ሥጦታ ስለተሰጣቸው ነው፡፡

6.አዲስ ኪዳን ሁል ጊዜ ስለ ኤጰሶ ቆጶስት  የሚያመለክተው ብዙ ቁጠር ነው (ፊል1፡1 1 ጢሞ 4፡17 ዕብ 10፡17 ያዕ 5፡14 1ጴጥ 5፡1-2)፡፡ እኔ ከመጋብ ጋር ስላለች ቤ/ክ ምንም አላውቅም፡፡ ለምሳሌ የኤፊሶን ቤ/ክ ያላት ብዙ ቁጥር ያላቸው ሹማግሌዎች እንጂ አንድ “መጋብ” አይደለም (ሐዋ 20፡17) አንዲሁም በራዕ 2፡1 ያለው “መልአክ” አንድ መጋብ የሚለውን አሰራር ለመደገፍ መጠቃም አይቻልም፡፡

7.ብዙ ጊዜ አንድ ሹማግሌ ከልምምድና ከስጦታው የተነሳ በህዝብ ላይ የበለጠ ተጽዕኖ ሊያመጣ ይችላል ቢሆንም እንደዚህ አይነት ሹማግሌ ግን “ዋና መጋቢ” (ራስ) ሳይሆን ከሽማግሌዎች ጋር አብሮ ያለ (የሚሰራ) አንዱ ሽማግሌ ነው (1ጴጥ 5፡1)፡፡ ኢየሱስ ከወንድሞች የሚለያቸውን የማዕረግ ስያሜዎችን ለራሳቸው እንዲያደርጉ ተከታዮቹን አስተሞሯል (ማቴ 23፡6-12 ማር 10፡35-45)፡፡

እነዚህ መመሪያዎች በአስተያየት ደረጃ ብቻ የሚቀሩ አይደሉም፡፡ የአከሉ ራስ በሆነው ለጌታ ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በመገዛት በደስታ የሚንለማመዳቸው መሆን አለባቸው፡፡

እነዚህን መመሪያዎችን ታሳቢ ባደረገ አንዳንድ ጥያቄዎችን እራሳችንን በሚገባ መጠየቅ አለብን፡-

1.አዲስ ኪዳን ምንም ልዩነት ባላሳየበት ለምንድነው ጉባዔዎቻችን መሪነትን በስልጣን ተዋረድ ‹‹ዋና መገቢ›› ‹‹ረዳት መጋቢ››… ወዘተ በማለት የሚከፋፈሉት?

2.ለምንድነዉ አብዛኞቹ ቤ/ክርስቲያኖችን የራሳቸውን ሰው በማሳደግና በማሰልጠን ፈንታ ከደረጃቸው ውጭ የሆኑትን ብቃት ያላቸውን መራዎች የምፈልጉት?

3.ለምንድነው ቤ/ክየኖቻችን ለምዕመኖቻቸው ስጦታቸውን (የማስተማር ስጦታ ጭምር) እንዲለማመዱ በቂ እድል የማይሰጡት?

4.ሁሉም አማኞች ካህናትና ስጦታ ያላቸው ከሆኑ ለምንድ ነው አብዛኛው ጉባኤያችን የመተናነጽ ኃላፊነት በቀጥታ በባለሙያ ‹‹ካህናት›› ላይ የሚያደርገው?

ወዳጆቼ እግዚአብሔርን ለነፍሳችን እንደምናመልከው ለቤ/ክኖቻችንም እናምልከው፡፡ ምናለባትም የቤ/ክ ሁኔታ በትክክል የሚለካው በአመራሩ ነው፡፡ በእውነት ሁሉ መጋቢዎች ሁል ጊዜ ያለጥርጥር ‹‹ክርስቶስ የቤ/ክርስቲያናችን ራስ ነው›› እንድሉ እመኛለሁ፡፡

June 12, 2010

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Be a Peter!

 David Alan Black  

Today I have a brief word for all my Christian blogging friends, especially those of you who have no formal biblical training.

Be a Peter.

Yes Peter, who had never been to Bible school. Peter, who had never earned a theological degree. Peter, who had never studied homiletics or elocution.

Yet when he spoke on the Day of Pentecost, thousands were pierced to the heart by his holy boldness. There was no polish to his speech. He spoke like a Virginia farm boy – or like a Galilean fisherman might have spoken 2,000 years ago. He shocked without offending. People have a way of listening to preachers like that.

Friend, I want to encourage you to keep on preaching. People may call you an amateur. Some may question your right to say what you say. “Who is he?”

Let me remind you that God delights in using unlettered men and women to confound the wise among us. I see this day in and day out. If you speak with a compelling urgency, if you speak with boldness born of conviction, if you speak with earnestness, broken by the very truth you are trying so feebly to convey, men and women, boys and girls even, will understand you. That is, if you speak in the power of the Spirit and not in the strength of the flesh.

But it will cost you.

No doubt you will turn some people away. But the only fisherman who never let a fish get away is the fisherman who never made a catch. “In due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).

I will say it plainly. The church needs you. I myself should choose impulsive, uneducated Peter any day in preference to a powerless know-it-all. God can use you in spite of your limitations. I see in so many of you a heart tenderized by the great grace of God. And I see that heart growing softer by the day.

So keep on speaking! Speak plainly. Speak truthfully. Speak lovingly. Speak compellingly. I for one will listen not only to your words, but to your heart.

November 7, 2008

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Chapter 4: Early Marriage

Becky Lynn Black  

When I said “I do” at the age of 23 to David Alan Black, I knew there would be no “and they lived happily ever after.” I had lived long enough and had seen enough of the world’s reality not to believe everything that came out of Hollywood. But I did have the assumption that if things were “done right,” then everything would turn out OK. In other words, if the correct formulas were applied to a given situation, then God somehow would wave the correct wand to cause the desired outcome.

Our marriage took place when Bill Gothard and his Basic Youth Conflicts was all the rage. He presented formulas for every possible scenario in life. It was all so neatly packaged, accompanied by appropriate verses, diagrams and testimonials. I do not deny that there was truth in his material. But the role of the Holy Spirit and the whole counsel of the Scriptures were minimized in favor of these formulas. The end result was a life of works, founded upon man’s spiritual reason and self-discipline. Without realizing it, I got sucked into that approach to life.  Something about its order and neatness appealed to me.

A second influence upon my early marriage was the family in which I had been raised. Every couple is heavily influenced by the families in which they were reared. In my own family, there had been no active rebellion among the children and my parents seemed at peace with each other. All around us were young people from good homes chucking everything to join the drug scene, live in hippie communes, or go all out for a “free” lifestyle. Yet there was none of that in our Lapsley home. We chocked it up to our missionary background and our relatively poor, simple lifestyle.

The final influence upon me as a young bride was Christian psychology. It was a new discipline that was just breaking the “ungodly” label-barrier. For a long time, anything psychological was labeled as being against God. But by the time of my marriage, some Christian pop-psychology guidance books were gaining momentum. One of these was Design for Christian Marriage by Gary Smalley; it became my handbook.

So as I entered marriage, I was guided by these 4 things:

1) God was in me, and He could make me to be a good wife and mother. 

2) I should trust my instincts.

3) If I got the right understanding (formula), then the natural consequence would be success.

4) I should aim for a natural, simple, holistic lifestyle; I should cut out the worldly influences that lead wives and children astray. 

Dave and I were very different. He was third-generation from Hawaii, although he had no actual Hawaiian blood in him. His mother divorced his father when he was only 3 years old, so he never knew his father. His father, grandfather, and uncles were alcoholics. He grew up in rented houses and apartment complexes, and ate left-over food from the public school across the street.  They did not own a car; in fact, his mother did not have a driver’s license. He spent 365 days a year surfing all the surf spots on the island of Oahu, including the 30-footers of the North Shore. (His cousin died of a broken neck when surfing.) He was the youngest of four children and grew up basically spoiled rotten. His mother worked hard as a secretary trying to support all of them, so she was not there for discipline and training. At the age of 8, Dave and his mother followed his older siblings to a church meeting for their baptism. The next week they went back and began attending First Baptist Church, Windward. One Sunday evening Dave walked forward to express his desire to take Jesus as His Savior; his mother walked right behind him. That year the whole family was birthed into the Kingdom.

At about the age of 14, the full horror of the divorce and his lack of a father hit him. Also, it dawned on him that people in the church who claim to be Christians do not always act like Christ; this hypocrisy hurt him deeply.  So he left the church, preferring to spend his Sundays at the beach. His hair grew long, and Saturday evenings were spent playing trumpet in a rock band at a club. But our Lord is also the Lord of the beach. Psalm 139 emphasizes that no matter how far we run, we are never beyond His presence. The beach was His creation, and His Gospel penetrated that beach one morning in the voice of a street preacher. He was part of a broad group of Christians who were disillusioned with the formal, sit-in-a-pew-and-be-quiet church group. They called themselves “Jesus Freaks.”  They had hearts of pure desire to follow Jesus, though in some ways they disregarded His teachings of grace towards those who are different (i.e., the “establishment”). For Dave’s part, as he listened to the Gospel with new ears, his heart responded, and for a period of time he had his church service on the beach with the other Jesus Freaks. He devoured the Scriptures. He drank in its teaching. He saw his true Father as never before. At long last his thirsty, hurting, confused soul was receiving the fresh water and healing balm of the Truth of Jesus. At age 16 he realized that he himself was a “hypocrite” and he had no right to judge those who met in church buildings. So he renewed his relationship to First Baptist Church, Windward, and became the choir director and youth pastor. He had only one goal in life: to know God as Father. After graduation from high school, he spent one year at the University of Hawaii, then moved to La Mirada, California, to join the other Bible majors studying for Christian ministry. 

His desire to teach Greek is another interesting story of the sovereign design of the Lord.  To get his bachelor’s degree in Bible, he was required to take 2 years of Greek. He could barely speak decent English; the pigeon-English of Hawaii kept breaking through! The idea of learning a foreign language scared him. Dave postponed his Greek requirement until his senior year. In the fall of his senior year, he enrolled in the first of 4 Greek classes. Everyone knew the philosophy of Dr. Sturz, who taught the Greek courses: Be really hard the first 3 weeks, weed out the weak students, and then continue on with the course. Dave was one of those weeded out.  He considered changing his major, like so many others, from Bible to Christian Education, which did not require Greek. Instead, he enrolled in the Greek correspondence course of Moody Bible Institute.  At lightning speed, he passed the first two courses, making an “A” in each of them.  Then he returned to Dr. Sturz at Biola for the last 2 courses. He graduated in June 1975 and began teaching 11 hours of Greek for Dr. Sturz a year later! Over the following decades Dave would not only teach Greek fulltime internationally, he would also write what was to become a best-selling first-year Greek textbook.  That textbook, and many other books, would be translated into many languages and used around the world, even in “closed” countries, in both “Christian” and “secular” universities. This is the sovereign grace of the Lord in directing the work and ministry of Dave.

So here we were: an MK married to a surfer, a multi-generational Christian married to a first-generation Christian, an international traveler married to an island boy. God could not have brought two more different people together. But we were united in our love of the Lord Jesus and our strong commitment to obey Him in everything. (And that made all the difference in the world! So many today are concerned about “compatibility.” Put Jesus in the center of the relationship and all the compatibility issues will work themselves out!)

On a hot, muggy evening in early August, 1976 Dave had framed his proposal to me in this way: “I believe the Lord wants us to get married. Do you agree?”  That foundation for our marriage brought stability in many rough years. His proposal was not based upon his love or emotions or sensual sparks; it was based upon a sense of the Lord’s appointment. However confused we could get in figuring out this marriage thing, we always knew that His hand was upon us and would hold us.

Our heart goal was to be obedient to the Lord Jesus, but how to figure out what “obedience” meant was the stumbling block. The Evil One, the Enemy of our souls, is in the business of destroying the good that God is doing. His Number One tactic is confusion, distraction, deception, blurred vision. He rarely fights his fight openly; he rarely comes face-to-face with us, daring us to put up our dukes. No, he does more guerrilla warfare — subtle, camouflaged striking when we are confident or comfortable.

Over the next 2 decades of my life, I was to discover that much of what I considered “obedience to God” was really “obedience to tradition” or “obedience to Churchianity” or “obedience to Christian psychology.” There was little room in all of these substitutions for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for true humility before God, for grace in spirit, and for tolerance in lifestyle. There was little room for trusting the character of God in simple obedience to Scripture. Although I loved the Lord with all my heart, and was wholly committed to obeying Him, and was utterly confident of His love and commitment to me, the practicality of life under the guidance and power of His Spirit largely escaped me. I was largely living by my own strength and wisdom, springing from my traditions, my upbringing, and my readings.

The first goal in our marriage was to get Dave’s education completed, so that he could begin his life’s work. Education meant a lot to Dave. He was the first one in his family to graduate from college, and his sights were set high in the educational arena. After graduating from Talbot Seminary with an M.Div, he set his sights on a doctorate degree in Europe.

As his wife, my role was to encourage him and to work as hard as I could to gain the funds needed for the schooling.  Dave was accepted to work under Dr. Bo Reicke at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

It was a 3-year program that was focused upon research. Attending classes was strictly optional; knowing all the languages needed for a doctoral research project was not.  So while I worked 36 shifts per month at the hospital, Dave worked hard learning German, French, Greek, Latin, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish.  At this time there was a severe gas shortage. In California, the governor declared that we could buy gas only every other day, according to the last number on our license plate. I don’t remember if we were even or odd, but when we pulled into the gas station, whatever our number, it had to match the even or odd day of the month. Dave would get up at 2:00 a.m. on our day for gas, park the car at the gas station, being the 1st or 2nd in line, then go across the street to an all-night coffee shop; he would study his languages while he waited for the gas station to open up.

In addition to learning all these languages, he did his initial research to begin to choose the topic of his dissertation.  So he travelled to lots of different libraries in the Southern California area.  This was in the day before computers, so he had to physically travel to a library and open a book.  He worked hard to prepare himself for his doctoral studies, all the while taking 11 units in the Master’s program at Talbot Seminary and teaching 11 units of Greek at the college level at Biola. So, 1976-1980 found us working and focused on Dave’s doctoral preparation. In May, 1980, we moved to Switzerland. 

The government required us to have in hand the funds needed for 3 years of study. At that time, meat in Switzerland was 4 times the price of meat in the USA, and vegetables were 3 times the price. We rented a one-room apartment with a small kitchen and bath attached. The kitchen was so small; I barely had space to turn around! When guests came, I greeted them “Would you like to sit at the table or on the bed?” (It was funny!) One large wall of the apartment was solid glass, overlooking a garden; it was wonderful!  Immengasse 18 was our address. The landlady was older than us; she was of the generation that still remembered the role of the USA in defeating Hitler during WWII, and she was happy to rent to us to prove her appreciation. (The younger generation, however, had a love-hate relationship with Americans; they seemed to envy our carefree, happy attitude about life, yet they hated our world dominance.)

Dave attended every class he could at the University. They were all in German. And by the winter 1980-81 he had begun to write his dissertation! By June 1981, he had completed the prospectus and had written his first chapter! He was gone to the university almost every day, all day, except on Sundays. Sunday was our day, and we shared it with a delightful fellowship of believers called the Baptistengemeinde.

In Switzerland, the population had to declare to which church they belonged: the Reformed or the Catholic. And when they paid their income taxes, they also paid their “tithe”; the government collected the tithe and forwarded it to the appropriate church system. The “free” believers were those that did not belong to either of these church systems. These included the Mennonites, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, etc. These were usually very small congregations. Each believer had to decide whether or not to declare a church system and pay the required tithe to that system, or to declare himself “free church.”  I know for a fact that this was a difficult decision; somehow the word got out to neighbors and community leaders if someone was “free,” and much persecution followed.  Some of the little children in our Gemeinde suffered public ridicule or shunning in their schools because they were known to be “free.” But if these people paid the government tithe, it was OK for them to attend a free church.  It was the money trail, not the doctrine, which was of concern.

For myself, this year was largely a year of rest. I spent long hours typing Dave’s dissertation on a manual German typewriter. I was typing words that I didn’t understand in all these languages, and I had to learn a new arrangement of the keyboard. We used the typewriter in the office of an Olds Folk’s Home run by our little Baptistengemeinde.  Otherwise, I devoted myself to learning German and to quilting. An elderly lady named Frau Schaub gave me German lessons every week. She and her husband had survived the War, but were filled with bitterness at the cost to them and their country. She loved to garden and went cross-country skiing for 10 days every January — even at the age of 75! One day as I was having my German lesson with her, a friend of hers stopped by; they had been working in their back yard garden and had dug up an ancient Roman column! This close connection to ancient things was part of our life in Switzerland. We routinely passed building after building with dates of 1000 or 1100 over their low doors. We walked through the old “Tor” (gate) getting from our apartment to the central city where the university was. We took a boat ride down the Rhine River to an old Roman colony, complete with amphitheater, baths, boulevards, etc. The first Saturday of every month was a huge garage sale in Petersplatz. It was here that I found someone selling some ancient Greek and Roman coins; I bought them for Dave for his classes.

The winter months in Switzerland were terrible. We didn’t go into the beautiful countryside to go skiing. Our world was the drab gray of old buildings, freezing rain, dirty snow, and centrally-controlled thermostats. Our landlady controlled the thermostat for the whole building. It was turned on at the end of October, and it was turned off in March. I would get cold to the bone! The only way I could warm up was to soak in a tub of water up to my neck, then dry quickly and rush into bed. Depression was commonplace among the people during the winter months. I built my own happy time in our little apartment by quilting. I had taken all the fabric and patterns to make quilts. One of my favorite designs was called Grandma’s Fan. I made it in variations of pink, and gave it to my sister Lisa as a college graduation present. It was on display at a “patchwork” shop in downtown Basel for many months. One person offered me $600 to buy it, but it was already given to my sister. In addition to quilting, during the long hours when Dave was at the university and the weather was soooo cold, I practiced piano. For Valentine’s Day in 1981, I played all three movements of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for Dave. That was quite an accomplishment!

I say that this time in Switzerland was largely a time of rest, but there was one great work project that I did.  It was an emotional and spiritual work. It has been my observation that every person must look back at the shortcomings of their childhood and must make peace with the perceived (or actual) wrongs. There is no such thing as a perfect childhood; there is no such thing as perfect parents. Sin has ravaged the entire spectrum of human existence, including those “innocent” days of childhood. Part of growing into mature adulthood is to accept and deal with the effect of sin upon those innocent years. In my observation, this “journey” happens sometime between ages 15 and 30. For me it hit in the years just before our departure to Switzerland. Many, many hours were spent crying out my pain; countless times I vocalized things to a caring husband who did his best to be a sounding board. I tried talking to my parents, but the full thrust seemed lost on them. 

I will never forget the day that I was sitting alone in our one-room apartment in Basel, and the Lord spoke to me in His gentle yet authoritative Voice. “Forgive.” It was that simple. No need to understand; no need to question “why”; no need to demand that others feel my pain. The Lord who knew it all and understood it all gave me the simple answer: Forgive. 

Forgive is a bookkeeping term. It means to cancel a debt. Practically speaking, it means that the wrong someone has done to me is no longer demanding that restitution be paid. It is a choice of the will, not a negation of emotion. To choose to forgive means that no longer can I look to the villain to “repay” me. The accounting balance has moved from “Accounts Payable” to “Zero Balance.”

By the grace of the Lord Jesus to me, I had learned early to simply accept His Voice on any matter. Mine was a simple, trusting heart. And when He said “Forgive,” it was easy for me to obey. I will never forget the burden of pain that rolled off my heart as I spoke the words, “I forgive you,” while picturing all the persons involved in my childhood whom I had perceived to have done me wrong. Today, when young people want to flaunt the perceived wrong done to them, my answer to them is the same as the Lord’s answer to me: “Forgive.” It’s that simple.

Fall, 1980, saw the election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency. Everyone was bombarding us “How can the Americans elect a cowboy movie star to be President?!” It was hard for the Swiss to fathom this. For myself, I felt that finally we had a “real American” in the White House. I had been very disappointed in Jimmy Carter; he seemed so weak and milk-toasty. I was still a die-hard American patriot and proud of it!

One of the greatest difficulties for me was dealing with the reserved nature of the Swiss people.  My nature is open and friendly. I’ve never met a stranger, and I’m more than happy to help any person I meet. But the Swiss are so crowded in by non-Swiss, they have dealt with the problem of impingement by ignoring them. (Also, I think the long, cold winters had affected their social skills.) When I walked down the street with all the other people, not one person would look at me or greet me. And my greetings were not returned, even with a smile. Silence reigned on the tram. No one helped another. People became impatient if the system was slowed because of some person in difficulty. And such cold, angry stares I got if I helped someone! Everything was efficient, but cold. All was neatness and structure, but there was no life, no love, and no joy.  Within the Baptistengemeinde, however, things were different. In this little group of believers, we shared our lives with each other. We laughed, cried, ate together. We served each other. We were in each other’s homes. We loved each other. In many ways that little Baptistengemeinde saved my life in Switzerland.

In the spring of 1981 we took a vacation and travelled to Greece. What a wonderful place that country is! Warm, sunny, friendly.  Such a contrast to Switzerland, where it had been cold and dreary for many months. Since our marriage I had tried to get Dave to like okra. When we were married, a woman had advised me “Serve something new to him 3 times, and if he doesn’t like it after that, forget it.” So I had tried okra in 3 different ways, but he just couldn’t get the hang of eating this wonderful southern food. At our first meal in a restaurant in Greece, they automatically put steamed okra on each plate.  Dave devoured it, raving about how wonderful it was. “What is this?” he asked me across the table. “It’s okra!” I was so happy; my husband had been converted and finally we could eat okra in our home!

While in Greece, I had an acute flare of my rheumatoid arthritis. Our trip was cut short, and we came back to Basel, going directly into the hospital. There I suffered much for several weeks.  One of my best friends, a dear lady named Erika, came to visit me and she told me later, “You looked like an angel” (meaning, you looked like you were dead). I certainly felt dead, I was so weak. But God raised me up again, and used the experience to convince Dr. Reicke that we should return to the USA for the remainder of Dave’s research and writing.

Our last day in Switzerland, Herr and Frau Schaub invited us for a day trip to Alsace, France.  The night before our trip Herr Schaub braved the one and only McDonalds in Basel to buy us some hamburgers. Every Friday night we splurged to go to McDonalds; it was the only non-smoking restaurant in Basel, and it was the only place that served hamburgers. Ground meat was considered dog food by the Swiss; only the Italians living in Switzerland bought ground meat in the grocery store. It was truly an act of love that Herr Schaub stooped to enter McDonalds. And at our picnic lunch in Alsace the next day, he proudly produced the two hamburgers he had purchased the day before!

After our departure from Basel, the Schaubs left the little Baptist church; their hearts of bitterness seemed to finally catch up with them, and from all appearances they forsook the Lord Jesus who loved them throughout the War. Only He knows if they are in His Home now, but the Scriptures are clear that the reward of salvation goes to the faithful. If we start with Him, but we forsake Him in favor of comfort, or pleasure, or education, or even self-pity, then our reward is lost. One of my greatest prayers for me and others is that the Lord would make us to be faithful all the way to the end.

So in summer of 1981 we returned to southern California, two years ahead of schedule. We settled into the Tropicana Apartments in La Mirada. The dinette table in our dining room was turned into Dave’s writing desk, and we put a 4 by 4 folding table in a corner of the living room for our eating table. I returned to working as a nurse, and Dave also returned to teaching Greek at Biola College.

The prospect of children began to look bright. I have always loved children. My mother is a natural when it comes to children, and in that way I was much like her. So as Dave worked in earnest on his dissertation, writing Paul, Apostle of Weakness (a study of the Greek word “weakness” in Paul’s writings), I began to pray about the next phase in my life: motherhood. 

There were two things of big concern to me. First, I absolutely did not want to raise a family in an apartment. “Please, Lord, put us in a house before sending me children!” And second, I wanted to have my first child before I turned 30 years of age.

I’ll never forget the first day we went house-hunting. We had decided to settle in southern California, it being half-way between Hawaii and Texas. And since Dave’s teaching at Biola looked certain for the long-term, we decided to buy in the La Mirada area. That first day we met a realtor and looked at several tract homes. By the third house, we abandoned the effort. We were in complete, utter shock, so much so that we literally could not speak! The condition of the houses and the price tags were beyond belief!

For a whole year, we could not bring ourselves to even mention the idea of a house. Then, in summer 1982, we began to look again. We found a house that was at the top of the Whittier Hills; I loved it! It was the last house before the rugged, undeveloped Hills, and I felt that I could (in a sense) return to my Ethiopia if we lived there. But Dave did not want to be that far from the College; he felt we should buy within walking distance of the College, so that students could walk over to our house. Boy, did I struggle with the Lord over that one! “Lord, I’ll submit to my husband.  I’ll look for houses in La Mirada, but don’t You dare give us one of those tract houses!”

Then one Sunday as we were exiting the church parking lot, we saw an “Open House” sign for a house just across the street. We stopped in and met Wanda the real estate agent. The house was not at all what we were looking for; it was a “zero lot,” multi-storey, on a busy street. But when we told her our dream house, it just so happened that one matching our description had come on the market. It was in an “Agricultural” zone of the city, where lots were 1/3 to 1 acre in size!  This was an old farm house that had been expanded and updated.  There were 21 fruit trees and a vegetable garden. In those days, most homes in the Los Angeles area had solid walls (usually cement block) around their yards, but in this neighborhood, all the fences were chain link, so we had a sense of open country. I was SO excited! And silently, I thanked the Lord for hearing my heart and giving me a home that accommodated both Dave’s desire to be close to school, and also my desire to have something roughly resembling the open countryside of Ethiopia. Our primary mortgage was an adjustable-rate mortgage. This was a new animal; never before had the mortgage industry offered adjustable-rate mortgages. But they had learned their lesson. The inflation rate was 13-, but the fixed-rate mortgages on their books didn’t come close to that figure! Everyone predicted that fixed-rate mortgages were a thing of the past. Because of my working and the savings we still had left over from Switzerland, after paying 20- down, we were able to qualify for a first mortgage at 16.50- and a second mortgage carried by the sellers at 10-. The sale price of the house was $125,000.

Within 3 weeks of moving into our first house, our first child was conceived. The due date was April 26th, exactly 15 days before my 30th birthday!

September 11, 2013

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   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

The 10 Steps of Exegesis(Chinese)

David Alan Black  

把握方向

—希腊文解经的本质及任务

解经是教会的一项重要任务，它的存在是为了引导人们指向基督和他的国度。正是基于这个最重要的原因，圣经得以确立其在福音派神学院所有课程中的首要位置。在教会的讲道和教导中，需要对神的话语加以清晰的宣读、研究、查考和传讲。教会的建立和改革全靠神的话语。若非如此，教会将不再是原先的教会，她开始自言自语，回荡着世界的声音，堕落到自我中心的“敬虔”光景中。

很不幸的是，神学院自身也经常存在混乱，致使传道人很多时候也不清楚他们的解经任务。近来，市面上关于释经学的书籍可谓汗牛充栋。这种现象说明：要给“解释圣经”下一个合宜的定义是多么的困难呀！还有很多的工作需要做。即使在福音派阵营里，也有一些行之有效的解经方法。然而，从最近出版的福音派解经书籍中，我们不难发现一个不争的事实：关于解经的本质和任务，专业人士的观点仍然存在很大的分歧。解经包括各个不同方面：历史的、语法的、句法的、结构的、神学的等等。显而易见的，其侧重点会随着时代和主流文化而改变。

综上所述，圣经学者的解经原则不可能是绝对客观的。他们成长和教育背景中的传统不可避免的被带进他们的著作当中，变成假设的事实。更重要的是，他们不可能长期义正词严地声称已经为自己的解经任务找到了一个最终的、不可简化的、亘古不变的模式。所有解经书籍的作者都可以存着同一个目标：尝试着把自己所获得并领受的与更广泛信徒群体的传统联系起来。因此，接下来的某些重要部分，我会做出一些比较个人化的结论，并建议读者能够审慎的、批判性的加以处理。尽管如此，针对当今教会在解经方面所涉及到的问题，我们仍然有可能在宽广的范围内达成共识。有了这个目标，我们就可以初步的给“解经”下一个定义，以便展开进一步的讨论。

 “解经”的定义

首先，我要提出三个问题。（每一次我们坐下来研究新约圣经的时候，都需要这样问自己。）

1我是否知道自己选的这段经文，应该放置在什么位置才算合乎圣经？

2我是否真知道这段经文到底在讲什么？

3别人听到我所做的关于这段经文的讲解，是否能够得到益处？

对我而言，这三个问题在解经方面是至关重要的。所面临的问题从未改变过：我是否真正理解这段经文在最初发生时的历史背景以及在当今社会的实际可行性？每一个采用释经法讲道的人都会提出这些问题。我们不会一开始就问：“目前，这段经文意味着什么？”取而代之的问题应该是：“在当时情况下，它的意思是什么？”我们意识到，一段文章，不管是圣经还是小说，必须在其所处的历史背景之下加以理解才是合宜的；另一方面，我们也不能够仅仅停留在这个层面，圣经最终带给我们的思考是：如何藉着它的亮光，来解决当今时代的问题？

在当今这个视觉导向的时代，使用几何学术语来看待这些问题或许会有所帮助。解经涉及到三个彼此不同而又互相关联的角度。首先，解经时，我们进行细致的查询，以便了解其圣经方面及历史方面的背景。这时，我们好像站在圣经之上，鸟瞰全局，希望得到一幅完整的画面；其次，作为解经者，我们需要进入经文里面，站在字里行间，借助一切能得到的文学研究工具，描绘出它的真实意思。解经就是在此基础上更进一步，建立适当的规则和步骤，将其用于语法方面的解释。最后，我们还需要在经文之外有所超越才可以。因为，讲员的任务不是单纯为了明白圣经，更是要给现代的听众（包括我们自己）解释清楚。就这一点而言，我们要站在经文下面，时刻准备着服从神的话以及传讲神的话，让圣经成为重要而且个人化的救恩真理。

解经者委身于合乎圣经的讲道方式，会坚持站在圣经之上、之中和之下。这三中思维方式结合在一起成为解经任务的精髓。我们解经时，有三方面需要进行探索，姑且用不太形象的描述称之为：上下文、含义和意义。上下文又包括历史的和文学的。在历史方面，主要是关于作者以及当时的听众所处的宗教、政治和文化背景；在文学方面则是经文所在的、直接相关的上文下理，以及经文所在的文献之文体。含义的问题包括六个方面：原文的、字义的、句法的、结构的、修辞的以及传统的（经文当中及背后的传统）。意义涉及两项：神学（我们所听到的）和宣讲（我们所传讲的）。

到目前为止，我使用上面讨论到的概念已经讲了不少——从解经过程到解经概述。其他方法当然也是可以的。解经最让人着迷的一方面就是晓得重点该放在什么地方。下面介绍我们的方式。

 

1从上面看           这段经文在什么位置？

A历史方面的分析     作者和读者当时所面对的处境

B文学方面的分析     对于整卷书而言，本段经文的价值何在

 

2从内部看           这段经文要向最初的读者传递怎样的信息？

A原文分析           最初的经文是什么？

B字义分析           文中重要的词汇有哪些？

C句法分析           词语之间如何彼此联络？

D结构分析           作者如何设置这段文章？

E修辞分析           作者使用怎样的修辞方式来表情达意？

F圣传（经外传说）分析  在文中，作者如何利用以前的经外传说？

 

3从下面看           这段经文该如何应用于目前的生活中？

A神学分析           文中显而易见的属灵真理是什么？

B讲道分析           我该怎样传讲这个真理才算最好？

目前显而易见的事实是，解经者的工作涉及到一系列截然不同而又互相依存的规则。尽管经文在圣经中的位置是确定的，然而解经的时候，在历史和文学方面，其意义还是存在许多不确定因素。因此，解经者还是需要考虑经文的历史背景及其整体的写作特点。再者，解经者的语言能力也会影响他对经文的理解。最后，他还要着眼于经文的信息与当代读者之间的联系。

总的来说，解经始于对经文背景的准确了解。如果对于历史和文学因素置之不理，那么解经也将无从谈起。这些因素与经文本身联系不大，可是对于理解其意义却是举足轻重。还有，解经也要求对经文本身有准确的理解。想做到这一点，就需要仔细研究作者在字里行间所流露出来的思想。最后，解经者还需要具备人生经历方面的丰富知识，这样，他才能够对经文进行有效应用，而不是简单罗列一些经文中的事实。

讲道也是分享这三个层面。历史方面，讲道将听众带回到初期教会的传统当中，甚至是回溯耶稣基督的生平；它同时涉及到语法方面，帮助听众进入作者的内心世界，了解他的想法；再者就是个人层面，因为讲道和听道都是个人化的事情。因此，讲员需要站在圣经之上，登高望远；进入圣经之中，勤奋翻译；委身圣经之下，做主门徒。只有这样，他才能够尽心尽责的将神的话翻译出来，使当今的听众受益。

 

解经的价值

假如上述有关解经的的描述较为正确，那么它能够解决释经的问题吗？很困难。在我教授解经学这门课的时候，不止一次听到下列的说法：“这听起来很有趣，可是对于理解圣经来说，这真的那么重要吗？”这个问题并不是为了引起辩论，相反，有志于服侍神的学生们对于任何有可能削弱圣经权威性的批评都是小心翼翼的。我也是这样。解经和释经同等重要。如果释经成为单纯的语法研究，而与理解交流经文的含义毫不相关的话，那么它无疑会成为讲道的障碍。

 

我确信，如果我们严肃对待解经任务的话，就不必担心会削弱自己或者别人的信心。不要担心解经。我们要认识到，我们针对圣经所做的工作都是讲道导向的，解经的诸多要素与经文在当今社会的应用是相关的，并且会促进我们的应用。在开始下一步之前，我们需要确认前面所提到的实用解经方法，这是很有益处的。

 

发掘经文

历史分析

对于经文上下文的历史和文学研究是有效解经的基础。典型的历史分析包括作者、读者、日期、时间、目的、文化、社会影响和其他相关的背景问题。对于这些因素的敏感不是让讲道成为使人哈欠连天的历史学讲座；只要把最重要的细节简要的加以解释就足够了。Francis Schaeffer在他的讲道《生命的水》（约7:1-39）中做出以下有关历史的描述：

 

住棚节的名称来源如下：上帝命令以色列人在每年的这段时间住在帐篷里，为了纪念他们出埃及之后需要暂时住在旷野的帐篷里。以色列人世代遵守直到如今。在旷野，神两次供应他们磐石流出的活水，因此住棚节时，以色列人也有类似的安排。这种纪念方式逐渐成为节期最重要的一个环节。最后一天，就是最大的日子会安排隆重的泼水仪式，代表神在旷野的供应。圣经之外的资料显示群众在等候过程中热情持续升温，这种单纯的宗教化氛围让人难以忍受。当水倾注下来之后，节期随之结束。

 

Schaeffer接着说：“就是在那个关头，耶稣站起来对所有在场的人说：‘人若渴了，可以到我这来喝。信我的人，就如经上所说，从他的腹中要流出活水的江河来。’（约7:37,38）”在此，整篇讲章都是围绕着住棚节的历史背景的。虽然不是每篇讲道都需要紧密联系历史，但是在这里，如果不把耶稣的事工与历史背景相联系的话，对于理解他的话语将产生致命的影响。

 

不仅是约翰福音，新约圣经每一卷书都有其自身的历史根源。比如说，大多数的书信都是针对教会中的特殊情况或问题。有关新约概论的课程，其目的就是提供必需的背景信息。作者是谁？写作于何时何地？写给谁？尽管这类信息看上去枯燥而又不相关，但是如果要用当时情境下的语言进行表述，这些信息是不可或缺的。因此，新约概论对于新约具体经文的研究意义深远。

 

    文学分析

除了上述的历史因素之外，文学方面的上下文联系也是值得注意的。通常需要确认三个层面文学分析：正典的、距离较远的和最近的。正典的是指这段文章在圣经中的什么位置。距离较远的是指段落、一章或整卷书。直接上下文是指与经文直接相连的上下文。

 

关注文学方面上下文，对于讲道的益处远超过在传讲方面的需要。Haddon W. Robinson在他的著作《合乎圣经的讲道》一书中提到：把经文放在圣经中宽泛的框架内，就像我们对待一本平装书一样。一个人在阅读海明威小说时，不会只读一个孤立的自然段，可是这个人却会从圣经中抽出一个片段，而忽略其上文下理。有不计其数的人背诵个别的经节，而没有意识到这些经文只是一个较大篇幅中的组成部分。比如，罗马书3:23只是一句话的一部分，可是，我们只知道这一部分，却忘记其余的部分。再者，希伯来书13:5b是神的应许，谈到他是我们的帮助。（我总不撇下你，也不丢弃你。）不过，如果我们忽略了前半句的命令（你们存心不可贪爱钱财，而要以自己所有的为足），后半句就失去了意义。更有甚者，当前的讲道面临一种危险的趋势：讲员抽出某段经文，竭力宣讲，而忘掉了上下文的关系。这种分解圣经的趋势从法国的Robert Estienne开始（1551年）他把希腊语新约改为韵律体，让人误以为每一节希腊语经文都是独立的，没有上下文关系，我们对此有批评的意见。KJV(1611年)也采用这种形式。一些当代圣经版本也延续了这种不智的做法。

 

J.W. MacGorman在他的解经著作雅各书第三章娴熟的展示了上下文关系的重要性以及在讲道方面的应用。他的主题是控制舌头。开始提到犹太人的智慧文学，尤其是箴言书。从这个传统出发，雅各也提到舌头的罪。作者接下来谈到较远的经文，雅各在前面提到关于舌头的警告。信徒要快快的听（1:19），人的怒气并不成就神的义。（1:20）若有人自以为虔诚，却不勒住自己的舌头，他的虔诚是假的。（1:26）基督徒讲话时需要意识到他们所说的将会受到上帝的审判（2:12）。

MacGorman通过表明使徒雅各是如何直接警告那些轻率地占据教会教导之职的人来总结（3:1-12）

理解经文

如果可靠的解释需要对历史和文学背景的研究，那么同样它需要对经文的语法分析仔细斟酌。新约的学者对此已做出了很大的贡献，从而提高我们对“解经”这个方面的理解，并且这个领域可以成为高技巧性和复杂性的领域。但是，这样的分析是必要的。只有通过对经文本身的仔细研究，我们才能够理解经文的原意，而不会把此刻我们自己的意思读进经文里。

 

经文分析

在“解经”过程当中没有必要的顺序，但决定最合适的经文就是逻辑上的起点。当解经者在圣经中发现用词表达的取舍时，经文分析就粉墨登场了。经文分析可以被定义为一种尝试确定圣经原意用词表达的方法。新约经文分析是有必要的，因为现存的众多希腊文圣经手抄本呈现出相当程度的差异。这些手抄本所呈现出的差异在主要英文译本中所反映出的频率，已经无可避免地要求解经者们做出有根据的判断。例如，在《新美国标准圣经》的一些版本中把路加福音23:17放到括弧内，并在注脚部分说明“many mss do not contain this v”。讲道时就无法回避这个问题——这节经文到底该不该讲呢？

经文分析对于决定一节经文中的用词表达也是非常重要的。例如，马太福音5:22中“没有理由”这几个字在大多数现代英文版本里是没有的，尽管我们在KJV里可以找到这几个字。主耶稣是禁止所有的怒气呢？还是他只禁止不义的怒气？绝大多数的学者感觉εἴπῃ（没有理由）这个字是被添加进去的，来削弱耶稣强有力的教导。但是同样一个具有强烈意味的词尾也可以被包含在这个字眼中，而倾向于理解由于过分溺爱而不能生气。很明显，在一个人用登山宝训这一段讲道之前，有必要对经文中的问题理解确凿。

 

词汇分析

确定经文的原始内容之后，解经者必须尝试决定圣经中词汇的意思。这是词汇分析的基本关注（词汇研究），要时常铭记打开经文原意大门的“秘诀”。词汇分析比起解经过程中的其他方法，更会被滥用。近些年间，新约圣经学者痛心地意识到，即使在像《新约神学辞典》这样有十册规模的巨著中大量的分析内容里，对于特殊背景给予词义的影响，并不总是做到完全和充分的辨识。然而，词汇研究对于解经非常有利，尤其当解经者仔细领会词汇是如何在明确表达过程中发挥真正作用的。

传道人偶尔会发现讲道中的例子，是来源于埋藏在经文中词义的种子里。思考一下加拉太书1:8-9中，保罗在那里用到的ανάθεμα（咒诅）这个词，来描述假教师的结局。在古代文献中“咒诅”这个词有时被用来指建圣殿时所用的各种奉献礼物，其他时候则表示某些东西被交与毁灭。在希伯来文中herem（חרם）这个词也同样有这双重的意思，在旧约圣经希腊文七十士译本中经常被翻译成ανάθεμα（咒诅）。在申命记7:25-26中ανάθεμα（and herem）（咒诅）这个词用来指迦南人众神的偶像，而且在约书亚记6：17-19中来描述耶利哥城。在新约中，ανάθεμα这个词出现过六次，来表示受到咒诅的对象。只有一次是“奉献礼物”的意思（在不同版本的路加福音21:5中可以发看到）。此处在加拉太书中，这里好像是指那些宣讲错误的福音而被交与上帝愤怒“受咒诅”的人。传道人在这一点上，会在实际应用过程中受到攻击。许多人可以伪装成传福音的，只在外表上遵守宗教规条，其实却因为扭曲基督的福音，而成为上帝愤怒的对象。

有时候，一篇简介新约圣经书卷的讲章可以被浓缩成一个希腊文词汇。在希腊原文圣经中，《使徒行传》最后一个字是ακωλύτως（没有拦阻）。这个词是《使徒行传》叙事过程的关键和整个主题的缩影：在耶稣基督里救恩的好消息是不能被种族，语言，地理，宗教礼仪的隔阂拦阻的。与大众流行的观点相反，《使徒行传》不仅仅只是告诉我们福音是如何从耶路撒冷传到罗马帝国的。它的重要性在于告诉我们，保罗是如何在传道中攻击犹太排外主义而遭受牢狱之苦，却仍然公开传扬救恩的信息。

尽管“词汇分析”非常重要，但它仍然是一个有限的工具，就像是一个仆人，而不是掌权者。作为一名希腊文教授，我从来没有为我学生文字研究的能力过分担心过；相反我总是更担心他们是否能适可而止。太多的新约讲道倾向于“咬文嚼字”，而忽略了词汇所在更广泛而全面的文脉内容，如果我们只满足在这种情况下，那么我们所做的工作也就只是研究个体文字。James Barr曾经特别强调在解经过程中文脉的重要意义：句子（当然包括更长的复句，如完整的陈述或诗歌），是神学命题的“语言载体”，而不是词汇（词组单元）。Barr在这里所说的是，新约圣经的独特不是在新“基督教”词语中找到的，而是在词语的重新组合中找到的。Sheik的故事很简明地总结出这一点。Sheik打算送给一个员工一份礼物，这个未来的受益者建议说，“那就给（几付高尔夫球棒）几家高尔夫球俱乐部吧。”不久，这个员工接到一份电报，上面写到：“我为你已经买下了佩布尔海滩（美国地名），并且正在商讨要为你买下 ‘里维埃拉(南欧沿地中海地区)’。”当然，这个雇员的本意只是用于玩游戏的工具而已。

句子分析

当词汇分析已经山穷水尽了，是时候开始进入“句子分析”了。句法结构涉及到句子与句子之间的关系，以及其他比单词更大的单元之间的关系。句法结构也包括对时态、语态、语气、格、单复数、以及句子中单词的词尾变化。因为句法结构对于研究作者的思考模式是非常必要的，希腊文的特殊角色在此就派上用场了。作者的思绪过程在中文，甚至是英文语法结构中是无法被确认的，甚至在书面文字翻译上也不奏效。除此之外，句法的问题也经常会出现在希腊原文当中，这样的问题在翻译过程中表现的并不明显。因此，尽管希腊文知识在“词汇分析”中是非常重要的，但同样在“句子分析”中也是必不可少的。

再次在这里提到希腊文《圣经》当中提供了多处关于起“解经”作用的例子。通常在希腊文《圣经》中动词的时态对整句意思的影响起着至关重要的作用。比如说，当传道人在传讲哥林多前书15:3-4的内容时，讲到基督“受死”（ἀπέθανεν），“埋葬”（ἐτάφη），“显现”（ωφθη），但是“基督已经复活（且其复活的这个状态一直影响到现在）”，传道人揭示出一个基于新约圣经的有关福音的重要方面，却是被绝大多数译本埋没了的。“已经复活”是希腊文当中的动词完成时态，这是为了使基督复活的永久性和他复活永久性所产生的结果与基督“受死”，“埋葬”和“显现”的暂时性来做强烈的对比。

有时一整篇的讲道是以希腊文的句法为根源的。W. A. Criswell对以弗所书5:18讲道的信息是以“被圣灵充满的命令”命名的。他以研究“充满”fill（πληρουσθε）这个词开始，并且对比了新约圣经中“充满”的其它同义词。这篇讲道的主体就直接由动词“被充满”πληρουσθε（ be filled ）的语法变化而来。

1.上帝命令我们要被圣灵充满（这里用的是祈使语气）

2.这个充满是个反复的经历（这里动词是现在时态）

3.我们必须降服于圣灵的带领（这里是动词被动态）

在这篇讲道中，希腊文句法已经打下了一个坚实的基础，就像把钢筋嵌入水泥中。传道人有责任对每一篇讲道进行语法分析，尽管有时可能不需要这么深入。

希腊文的句法知识也可以成为问题集中的经文注解中的重要因素。比如说，希伯来6：4-6中所描述的“蒙了光照、尝过天恩的滋味，又与圣灵有份”者的离弃。即使他们真的愿意认罪，悔改还是于他们无份吗？在这里，希腊文句法显明了盼望，因为第六节当中的现在分词表明如果这些背弃者没有继续羞辱并将神的儿子重钉十字架，他们是有改过自新的可能性的。换句话说，作者似乎在说那些一直不认基督的，最终基督也不认他。

 

结构分析

一旦“解经者”已经慎重定夺了措词和句法，那么其他的问题就都是关于文体的复合构成了。如果说句法关注的是单词与其他词汇组合在一起的意思，那么结构分析关注的就是从句和大的语意单元合在一起所表达的意思。如果定不下来“每一个”是什么，那么你就不能说其中的“任一个”是什么，对于结构的研究是解经必不可少的要素。而这种结构往往不能被翻译成另一种语言，因为译者只能用另一种语言的语法系统。如果解经者只参看英文译本，他们就不得不猜测原文中的主要点和次要点的区别。

解经者们发现段落解构图示对于掌握文章的结构是很有帮助的。而这个过程就涉及到重写这一段落的经文以便看清每一部分是如何与整体关联的。Haddon W. Robinson称这种图示法为“机械布局”，而Walter C. Kaiser则喜欢用“句法成像”。Gordon D. Fee 用题目为“句式流程图”的文章提供了几个建议性的例子供研究。然而最有帮助的可能是Johannes P. Louw的“冒号分析法”。而且这种方法本身就是以古希腊文为基础的。然而重要的不是这个名字，而是学生们能看到经节的基本意思并能纵观全篇的必要性。

结构分析如何能使传讲清晰明了呢？一种是讲道式句法关系。最好的讲道大纲是直接依照原文本身的结构。以下，希伯来12:1-2的分析演示出传道人如何通过对原文结构有清楚的认识，而将道向大家传达明白。

 

Τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, τοσοῦτον ἔχοντες περικείμενον ἡμῖν νέφος μαρτύρων, ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι πάντα καὶ τὴν εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, διʼ ὑπομονῆς τρέχωμεν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα,2     ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς, ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς, ὑπέμεινεν σταυρόν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ θεοῦ κεκάθικεν.[1]

 

therefore let us run with endurance the race set before us

having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us

laying aside every encumbrance and the easily entangling sin

fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith

who for the joy set before him endured the cross and despising the shame sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

（让我们）奔那摆在我们前头的路程，存心忍耐

有这许多的见证人

脱去容易缠累我们的罪

仰望为我们信心创始成终的耶稣

他因那摆在前面的喜乐，就请看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦难，便坐在神宝座的右边

这些基本的语意单元就像田径场上的白线一样显眼。主题在左边，次要的元素排列在右边。在第一行中只包含一个独立的限定动词（τρέχωμεν），我们可以清楚地看到作者表达的要点：忍耐地奔跑。在那之后是三个修饰限定“奔跑”的分词从句：（1）是有许多的见证人已经跑完了，并且是我们现今这一代也能够完成的；（2）如果不弃绝个人的罪，没有人能完成这个目标；（3）忍耐奔跑时必须要仰望耶稣，这位“为我们信心创始成终的”。剩下的部分是对耶稣的描述，表明了“奔跑路程”的高潮之笔“耶稣，以及祂是谁”。通过把这些元素精简到一个大纲，传道人可以把对结构的分析直接运用讲道的结构当中。

 

经文： 希伯来12:1-2

题目： 为得胜而奔跑

主题： 基督徒被呼召出来效法基督的榜样，过谦卑和顺服的生活（“存忍耐的心奔跑”）

大纲：1.对我们的鼓励（“既然有这么多的见证人”）

      2.我们的缠累（“脱去缠累我们的罪”）

      3.我们的榜样（“仰望耶稣”）

 

这个简单的大纲清楚地演示了通过对希腊原文的分析，传道人如何把理论变成实践。在概况经节内部结构以形成大纲的过程中，可以强调作者明显的思想而不用顾及其他次要的或是理解时加进某人最喜欢的主题。但这并不是说每一篇讲道都要按其原文照搬过来。比如说，耶稣的比喻，就从来没有演绎推理的限制强加于一代又一代成功的传道人们。然而，即使讲道的轮廓最终是出于其他因素而定的，但经节的形式往往会倾向于某种形式的讲道。

 

修辞分析

当我们从对结构分析的研究开始转移到从文学角度研究《圣经》，我们就踏入了修辞分析的领域。尽管修辞分析最初是被主要运用在《旧约》中，但是它同样对《新约》的研究学习也是一门受欢迎和被需要的补充工具，这项工具是一门我们通过对文学修辞手法学习而试图去澄清对《圣经》理解的基本工具。古代作者会经常的使用这些为了帮助读者去理解《圣经》当中的原意或是在真理的解释中去劝教他们的修辞手法。“修辞分析”作为阅读《圣经》当中的艺术工具，它对整本《圣经》作了仔细的研究，对与文法中的组合技巧（例如：平行结构修辞法和交错修辞法），还有对从表面现象到实际意义的关系的判别，因此，“释经者”应当总是允许自己去思考在《圣经》当中的修辞用法可能会直接地给予出在“解经”当中所存在问题的答案。

在过去的二十年里，在《新约》当中所出现的修辞法句型已经被很平凡地探究。例如，在约翰一书2:12-14节当中，有三类的人他们分别代表着τεκνια（小子们），πατερες（父亲），νεανισκοι（少年人），从最初世纪开始上述这种用法就开始给“释经者”带来了很多的麻烦，但是当我们把它定义为是一种写作上的分布修辞手法时，这时我们再来看《圣经》当中的这句话就变的更加的明白易懂。在这种分布修辞手法当中，把一个部分的内容按照首先和其次等顺序分布成以小部分组成的形式，这样“小子们”就作为其中的一部分，紧接其后的就是在会众当中这些有着成熟灵命的人(“父亲们”)，还有这些在灵命初期当中的人（“少年人”），这个总结被使徒约翰的惯用法更深地和更远地证实与支持，因为在《约翰福音》当中τεκνια（小子们）这个词恰好被反过来用，是指那些在主里忠心的人，但是对于πατερες（“父亲”），νεανισκοι（“少年人”），这两个词在《圣经》当中却从来没有被用到去指所有人。如果一个能够去分析和鉴别《圣经》当中修辞句式的牧师，那么他可能就会在各样的会众中来这样的传讲这篇道，τεκνια（小子们），这里首先所提到的“小子们”是指整个教会，其次在这里所讲到的是πατερες（父亲），νεανισκοι（少年人），这两个不同的人群， (父亲们)这个词所代表的是属灵生命成熟的人，（少年人）则代表属灵生命初期当中的人。

修辞批判领域就好似一个被精心照顾的花园，在这个花园中各式各样有希望的种子被种植起来，并且在这里我们甚至可以目睹到这些种子的成长。但是想要去收获任何的果子，“解经者”必须原意在《圣经》当中深情的徘徊；丰富而美丽的果子通常会躲避那些漫不经心的旁观者。比如说，我们很早就知道了关于希伯来书12:1-2节中的句子架构是怎样引起读者的关注和如何描绘了基督的工作。现在我们就一起来观察通过在《圣经》当中的修辞架构是如何加强巩固核心要点

A  having seated around us such a great cloud of witness

B   setting aside every weight and clinging sin

C    with patient endurance

D      let us run the race that is set before us

E        Fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith

D’      who for the joy that was set before him

C’     patiently endured the cross

B’   scorning the shame

A’  and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God

A 我们既有这许多的见证人，如同云彩围著我们

B  就当放下各样的重担，脱去容易缠累我们的罪

C   存心忍耐

D     奔那摆在我们前头的路程

E       仰望为我们信心创始成终的耶稣

D’     他因那摆在前面的喜乐

C’    就轻看羞辱

B’   忍受了十字架的苦难

A’ 便坐在神宝座的右边

上述的写作方法在修辞手法中被称作为交错配列修辞法（chiasmus）,是一种倒影平行修辞方法，在这个修辞法中，整个句式结构的中轴线是着重点。探索这种修辞法的模式不仅仅是关注作者写作文法上的一个艺术象征，而且它也表现出在这个整篇句式结构当中的每一个小分句和引起关注的核心句（仰望为我们信心创始成终的耶稣）的相互关系。当一位传道人为了使会众能够被引领到《圣经》当中的更深层的含义里而传讲这篇信息时，他可以将类似的段落分析打印在教会周日崇拜用的小单张上或写在教会的布告板上。

经外传说（书卷）分析

以上论及的五种方法，在理解经文上是非常重要的。然而，也有几种其它的方法会提供一些见解，需要再次提及。这些方法通常被视为“批判法”（criticism），这个词并非带有反对圣经的色彩。最初，这些方法在福音派中被怀疑，后来它们不断地采纳为释经工具。为了便捷的原因，我们将这些批评法归于经外传说分析中。这里所用的经外传说分析是关于如下的一些事情：目标任务（工作）背后原始资料的本身地位和范围程度，一卷书的综合特点性质。

以及作者对被用来完成一项目标任务（工作）的经外传说的贡献。经外传说（书卷）分析已经表明新约圣经书卷是曾经如何经过长期和复杂的汇编，写作，和编辑，才成为最终作品。圣经学者一般是在史料批评（source criticism），形式批评（form criticism）,和修订批评（redaction criticism）之名下进行经外传说（书卷）的各方面的研究。

第一种方法 –史料批判，是在1863年到1924年之间发展而来。它探求回答的问题是：“在作者们开始他们的写作之前，有多少的新约资料素材已经存在？”先期存在的经外传说（书卷）跨越范围可能包括从简单的承认“耶稣是主”（林前12:3）到林前15:3-5中对福音的具体总结。大部分福音派的史料批判都假定很大程度的对观福音书（马太，马可和路加）的资料来自于文学书卷资料。史料批判也对这几卷福音书的可能的写作上的相互依存性作了研究。关于解释马太，马可和路加之间书写上关系的主要假说叫做“双文献假说”，因为它提出了马可的在前性， 以及它随后也被用于马太和路加，也加上被用于马太和路加中的箴言资料（叫做Q）的存在。 其它的理论，例如主张马太的在前性或者路加的在前性，使对观福音书批评极其复杂。但是，也因此不是对解经没有相关性。最简单来看，史料批判要求我们认真对待福音书作者所展现的独创性的高级程度，这种独创性非常伟大以至于任何一卷对观福音书都可被看作是先写的。

基于史料批判和从它派生的一项运动叫做形式批判，它是在两战期间发展起来的。它的目的是进到被福音书作者所用原始资料的背后，一直到口传时期（公元后30-50年），来分离和分析在对观福音书经外书卷中的个别书写部分。这些部分,也叫做段落（pericopes）,可以划分为几类：比喻，神迹故事，耶稣故事，悲痛等。 出了题材的分类，形式批判也与早期教会生活中经文功用的评价有关。 对形式批判的一个基本假设是，关于耶稣的经外书卷的保存影响了它的形式（Form）。 当关于遵守安息日，离婚，或一些其它事情的疑问出现时，很自然会想到耶稣对这些事情的教导和论述。对早期原始资料摘选的分离和对它们在教会生活中应用的发现，有助于释经者获取对经文下的社会问题和礼拜仪式的理解。 这样，举例来看，有可能叙利腓尼基女人的故事（马可7:24-30）原本被记住来回答下面问题，“耶稣是如何对待那些在犹太人之外的人？”在早期教会的讲道，教导，敬拜 和争辩中， 是这种生活背景解释了为什么许多福音书摘选被保留和记录下来。这样看来，形式批判虽然有时非常主观，却能够阐明对经文记忆和记录相关过程 ，也能够引向对在早期教会经历中的圣经中生活的更深理解。

修订批评（Redaction Criticism）是在原始资料（source）分析中的三个分枝中的最近的一个，出现于二战的后期。 词汇修订是指在我们现在的福音书形成时，福音书作者利用在他们的原始资料所籍的编辑活动。修订批评（Redaction Criticism）远不止把作者们看作是原始资料的汇编者，更有着自己权利的作者。已被表明，福音书作者们从原始资料中筛选，安排，呈现来阐述他们自己的神学观点和中心主题。例如，在每一个关于试探的记载，释经者发现只有在马可的记叙中，含有耶稣被试探的细节并与野兽同在一处（1:13）。 马可提及这些野兽可能用来向他的罗马读者强调，他们所经历的对主耶稣并不陌生，尽管他们当中有人正在角斗场遇见狮子。 也有许多关于修订批评（Redaction Criticism）的其他例子可以列举，但是解经者们当记清楚，对他们来讲，重要的是，所研究的经文可能显示一些编辑上的特征，这些特征会提供一些线索对章节有更深的理解。

 

经文应用

除了这些方法来引导我们解释背景和经文意思之外，还需要一些特别的方法使我们明白从过去的经文信息到现在的重要性。然而，到目前为止，已经很清楚，上面所学的所有方法都与讲道有关，即使在传统上他们还没有被从本质上定名为讲道学。 例如，如果我们对经文的历史和文学方面了解得越多，就越有可能在讲道中浮现，因为讲道很大程度上依靠于我们对今天环境形势的认识判评，而今天的环境形势又与在经文中所讲的类似。同样，语法解经也是讲道必要的前奏，尤其是当圣经经文本身不太明确时，产生原因是由于传递过程中的变动（对经文分析的考虑），或者由于经文和现代读者之间的语言和历史的代沟（对词汇，句法，结构，修辞和原始资料批评的分析的考虑）。即使不能读原文的教会信徒都可以通过现代译本的脚注而识别出这些问题。因此，我们越是能全面的考察原文作者的意思，解经的进展也会变得越准确，讲道成果也会越丰富。

现在已经很清楚，为什么这第三方的解经理解（关于经文对现代读者的重要性）是必不可少的，也是不可回避的。无论什么情况下，当圣经被当作经文来对待，而不只是一个可解析的“实物”时，合适而有效的解经就像其他技能一样成为讲道者的天职的基本的要求。 就像我们所看到的， 敏锐的解经能显露许多方法使讲道发掘出经文对今天的意义。因此，对解经的信心委身不是在解经过程中被弃之一旁，恰恰相反： 因经文存在是为了向有信心的人群讲话，所以各人运用经文和其他的运用都必须与其相符。（86页上头）

那么，在从经文转到讲道的最后一步，希腊文的角色是什么？我个人的观点它基本上是建议性的。说希腊文的角色是建议性的，不是降低语言的重要性；而是指它被用来提供一个支持基础，使讲道者能够完全基于经文的历史和语法环境。 借用另一位新约老师的想法： “当一位新约教授写出圣经讲章时，他不是在轻率地对待别人的成果…他只不过要在自己研习的一个重要方面（也就是最有意义的或是应该的）结出果实（86页中部）。”换句话说，新约解经只有在经文被应用到今天的世界时，才会完全。同时，圣经在生活中的运用，也是最初圣经写作的原因。

当然，有一点非常明显：就是很不幸的事实是，讲道经常从轻率地对待经文而来（如果经文被研究过的话）。 Haddon W. Robinson曾这样描述过此问题：“在讲道中忽视和避免对经文本身的教导，是对讲台的亵渎。”Robinson的意思是指忠于经文不是一件可以随便选择的事情；它是本于圣经讲道责无旁贷的特征。 讲道者的责任不是让经文具有实用性，而是应该深入经文以发现实用性。这样，当经文被忠实地对待时， 希腊文就有利于对讲道提供符合圣经的重点内容，以及对讲道所采取的形式特征提供有价值的建议。

结论

我们已经看到，解经的目的是解释经文对原始听众读者的意义，和对今天听众读者的意义。最基本的解经原则是，经文的意思就是作者所预期的意思，而不是“他对我意味着什么意思”。符合圣经的解经 是在作者意图和语法形态的界限内产生的。

我们也已看到，符合圣经的解经是一项缜密的行动，包含背景，意思，和意义（重要性）一些问题。关于背景的问题，会帮助我们在一个距离我们年代久远的环境中来定位经文。在此阶段，目标是在历史和文学背景中，获得一个对书卷的宽阔全景。关于经文意思的问题，会带领我们尽可能仔细和彻底地从头至尾学习经文本身。 这里的目的是理解作者写给最初的听众读者时，他脑海中所想的是什么。最后， 关于经文意义的问题，通过斟酌经文背景和语法解析的结果 以及敲定它们如何服务于全面的经文解释和应用，来帮助我们做出综合安排。 历史和文学背景，原文经文，词汇意思，句法（句子结构），形式结构，修辞形式，原始资料历史，所有这些会加深我们对经文的理解，但是，这都不是目的。解经的目标是领会经文作为神活泼而永久的话语。

这一章的目的是显示最重要的相关步骤，以达到上述目标。为前面讨论的多种解经方法做出三方面的总结： 第一， 至此我还没有试图多做解释，就每种解经方法是如何有时把大为分散的研究思路集中起来。这样，在我主张一种全面的解经方法时，也在间接反对解经过程中的片面（段）解经的现代倾向。本章所论述的每种方法，只是圣经学生应当运用的所有方法论的一个方面。此外，当每种研究方法在发展和运用中有充分地参阅正典和所有其它方法的经验时，他就最有实用性。我们今天所面对的解经任务就是它的整体性；同时，任务的一部分也要破除在释经的各种方法之间所竖立的障碍。用一个比喻来讲，如果三个旅行者要沿着不同的路线探索美国，一位从加利福尼亚开始向东行动，另一位集中探索太平洋西北，第三位的探索仅限于东部沿海地区，如此，他们会认为他们在三个不同国家。尽管各个方面都存在多样性，美国却是一个完整的国家。同样，圣经经文可以从许多不同的起始点来解释，没有单一的释经方法能看作是详尽无遗解释圣经意思。

第二点，当我在按照以上探讨的条理次序对解经做出各个方面的安排处理时，这并不意味着我在建议解经的过程就是一些步骤的机械的连续或者所有的步骤都同等地可以运用于所有的圣经章节段落。我们的探讨仅仅被理解作为对解经的总体框架原理的描述。在解经的实际运用中，解经过程可能会进行得大不相同。对有些圣经段落而言，历史性的文题会具有极大的重要性，然而对其他而言，重要性可能会表现在词汇上或句法上。此外，尽管看起来很有必要把“意思”置于“意义”之前，这是在Interpreters Bible一书中体现的原则，在其中“解经”(exegesis)被置于讲述（exposition）之上，但这种可爱的区分差别不太可能。在实际运用中，我们经常会发现我们自己在解释圣经和应用圣经之间穿梭不定。实际上，一个没有学会在这两者之间走动的讲道者，他所创作的讲章很有可能会把现代的问题强加给经文；或者相反，会把语法解析和福音传讲混淆起来。需要强调的是系统学习所有步骤的必要性，以便使我们不会忽略意思的任何重要方面。这包含解经的各方面的相互联系，斟酌各方面的意义，决定他们是如何服务于整体的圣经解释。

最后， 我们需要好好记住，解经（exegesis）是一门艺术，同时也一样是一门科学。在解释新约圣经中，我们很快发现，答案和问题一样多。然而，这并不意味着，所有的答案都同等地正确。解经（exegesis）要求我们努力工作以至于从事先形成的释经（interpretation）中捍卫经文，也保护我们自己。我们的任务有点像变魔术，是要把在我们和经文之间阻隔的墙变成能够让我们看清和明白经文的玻璃。 要做到这点，我们需要一些特定的释经原则，以防止把那面玻璃墙变成一面镜子，而在镜子里我们自己的反射像把经文遮住了。因此，解经（exegesis）的必要性在于我们让经文本身来解释自己，从而避免改动经文来适合我们自己的预先期望和假定。

停下！想一想

你能否停下来简短的总结一下本章所探讨的每个解析步骤，和它对解经过程的贡献服务？是否有一些步骤看起来对你没必要？ 你又是如何用于我们不同的方式来解经的？

 

---

[1] The New Testament in the Original Greek : Byzantine Textform 2005, With Morphology. Bellingham : Logos Research Systems, 2006, S.來 12:1-2

September 2, 2011

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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February 2011 Blog Archives

Monday, February 28

4:58 PM Odds and ends…

• Andy Bowden discussesMyths about Prayer.

• Becky Lynn onStorms and Sovereignty.

• My wife has granted me permission to cook supper this evening. The menu? Creamed tuna over rice, with a side of whole kernel corn. Simple but tasty.

4:52 PM Quote of the day (Arthur Sido):

It always bothers me and should always cause you to pay close attention when someone airily claims that a whole chapter of Scripture supports the point they are making without attempting to engage in the text at all and you should especially be on guard when they make statements with enormous implications to your very salvation based on these sweeping generalities.

2:10 PM Two must-read posts by two of my favorite bloggers:

1) Henry Neufeld talks about degrees and credibility in an essay calledReal Credentials.

2) Thomas Hugdins reflects on the use of honorific titles in a post calledTitle or No Title: Matthew 23. 

The common factor in these essays? God is not impressed with all of the manmade worldly boxes we place ourselves in. His kingdom is flat. As I said to someone in Winston-Salem on Saturday, If Jesus is not ashamed to call us “brothers and sisters,” what’s our problem? (Read Heb. 2:11!)

1:57 PM Jesus, as we saw in Mark 4, often taught in parables, and these parables (metaphors) often involved agricultural imagery. The message is clear whether or not you are a farmer or gardener. But my how the parables come to life if you know something about laboring with your own hands in the soil! Our work outdoors today involved pruning our fruit trees. Most were healthy.

But this one was dead, and so I dug it up and removed it.

John 15:5-6 came to mind:

I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me. Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.

The work we did today was a mirror to me: it showed me clearly that I must bear fruit for Christ, that I must respond to the Savior and the seed He is sowing in my life. What fruit I produce in my life depends entirely on that.

1:33 PM Getting involved in the lives of people can be messy. There will be difficulties. You may be unfairly attacked. You may be misunderstood. As I sit at my computer, wondering what to do, my mind keeps going back to Phil. 4:6: “Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.”

It’s inevitable: If we’re going to be serious about relationships, we’ve got to commit them to prayer. Pray daily. Pray as we work. Pray as we walk. Pray at our desks and in our yards. Pray fervently. Pray expectantly. Pray for wisdom. Pray for courage. Pray for the Spirit to reveal His power. And pray with gratitude. Thank God ahead of time for how He will work in the relationship.

This is a hard lesson for me to learn. Yet one cannot fail to notice the priority of those early Christians in Acts in this whole matter of prayer. Their leaders devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 6:4). The people remained steadfast in prayer (Acts 2:42). On the whole, they were very prayerful Christians. And me? On the whole, I am often prayerless. Perhaps that’s why I’m ineffective so often in terms of relationships.

8:52 AM Here’s a photo from last Saturday’s ladies’ luncheon at Bradford Hall. All three of these friends fellowship at Ca-Vel Baptist Church in Roxboro, NC, and are some of our most faithful Ethiopia prayer partners. I am reminded of Phil. 4:3: “These ladies have worked hard with us to spread the Good News.” What an honor to know them!

By the way, I think Becky’s hair is growing back beautifully, don’t you?

8:46 AM One of my esteemed and beloved pastors, Jason Evans, has been offered, and has accepted, a 6-month sabbatical in order to work on his doctoral dissertation at Southeastern. I fully supported this decision by our congregation. No, I do not agree with those who say that a formal biblical education is required to be a pastor. I do not look to a degree. Neither do I look for brilliance. The Scriptures are clear on this matter. A pastor must be didaktikon (1 Tim. 3:2). This adjective can be translated “able to teach” or “teachable.” But the dichotomy is a false one. If a pastor is to be able to teach, he must also be able to learn. And if he is to teach, and teach well, he needs to have the resources to do so. He must be able to examine the Scriptures to discern the mind of God on matters pertaining to life and godliness. He must learn to be a thinker. There is great value in earning a Ph.D., but the value is not in the degree per se but in the opportunity it affords to be stretched intellectually. A pastor who is himself an eager learner demonstrates to the church the importance of sound doctrine. My own doctorate changed my life. It laid a foundation of study habits that have remained with me to this day. It equipped me with tools I needed to study the Word of God. It gave me a love of learning. The earliest Christians took teaching seriously. Why should that not be the case at Bethel Hill also?

Below: Jason, the Paint King. Here he is painting the walls of our health center in Galana, Burji, Ethiopia. Jason has now made four trips to Ethiopia and is contemplating a fifth one this November to serve the church in Burji. Jason’s example of humble service in the name of Jesus has left a deep impression on me.

8:22 AM Yet another “Student I Supervise”:

James M. Cockman, II.

B.A. (Chapel Hill); M.Div. (Charlotte); Ph.D. candidate (Wake Forest).

Biography:

I began my undergraduate preparations at Furman University in South Carolina and then attended the University of Texas at Austin. I acquired a B.A. at the University of North Carolina (1995) in Greek, with a minor in Religious Studies (Hebrew). I then did postgraduate work at Southern Evangelical Seminary (M.Div., 1998). Currently I am a Ph.D. candidate at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC under the mentorship of Dr. David A. Black.

Dissertation title:

THE THINKING OF FAITH: A BIBLICAL – THEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN POST- CONVERSION CHRISTIAN FAITH AND COGNITION, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON PLANT- DENDRITIC METAPHOR

Research Interests:

CHRISTIAN COGITATION & FAITH
FAITH STRUCTURE & MECHANISM

8:16 AM Glad to see that the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek lexicon is nowonline.

8:06 AM Tomorrow, in our Greek exegesis class, we will be in Mark chapter 6. As I read that chapter this morning I jotted down these notes:

1) As Jesus is rejected in His hometown of Nazareth (6:1-5), he says to the people: “A prophet is respected everywhere except in his own hometown and by his relatives and family.” How true that is! Yet I can think of a few exceptions. My friend Kevin Brown (who has awonderful blog) pastors the very same church he grew up in. Yes, that is unusual. But not impossible! Kevin reminds me that New Testament elders most certainly were all “home grown.” How I wish we could train young Christian pastors in their local church settings rather than in institutions far from their homes. Perhaps many more of them would be able to stay and serve in their home churches if we did.

2) Notice that Jesus sent out the twelve in pairs (6:7-13). I am a firm believer in team ministry. In northern Ethiopia, Becky and I have supported 3 teams of evangelists who went out 2 by 2. One of these teams, as they approach their village, was confronted by the local witchdoctor, who called out a swarm of bees to attack them. One of the evangelists responded, “In the name of Jesus, stop!” Immediately the bees stopped dead in their tracks. Meanwhile, the villagers were watching this power encounter. Our passage tells us that Jesus “gave them authority over the evil spirits” (verse 7). A couple of years ago Becky and I were privileged to attend the newly formed church in that town. And guess who was present that day in their midst? The witchdoctor, who had been gloriously converted!

3) The pericope about John the Baptist’s death (6:14-29) contains a major textual variant in verse 20. Most of our English Bibles read something like this: “Herod was afraid of John because he knew that John was a good and holy man. And so he kept him safe. Herod liked to listen to him, even though he became greatly disturbed when he heard him.” Some Greek texts, however, read: “Herod liked to listen to him, and every time he heard him he did many of the things John told him to do.” I have defended, in print, the latter reading; I think it makes a huge difference how we understand the passage. If you are interested, I would be happy to send you a .pdf copy of my New Testament Studies essay defending the reading epoiei.

4) In the passage dealing with the feeding of the five thousand men (6:30-44), it is interesting that Mark notes various details that are unrecorded elsewhere: the people sit down on the “green grass,” and Jesus arranges them “in rows, in groups of a hundred and groups of fifty.” My wife will love that: Jesus was organized! These little tidbits speak to us of the eyewitness nature of Mark’s account, which (as I have argued inWhy Four Gospels?) is nothing less than Peter’s own vivid account of the life of Christ.

Incidentally, it is not at all surprising that Jesus taught the multitudes without segregating the children. He did not say to Peter and John, “You take the kids to Children’s Church while I teach the adults.” In Ethiopia, especially in the rural areas, this is still practiced, much to the benefit, I think, of the entire congregation.

5) Finally, the story of Jesus walking on water in the midst of a giant storm on Lake Galilee (6:45-52) reminds me of the time Becky and I were staying in a youth hostel near Capernaum. Suddenly a great storm descended upon the lake from the Horns of Hattim, and we ended up body surfing the Sea of Galilee. An unforgettable experience to be sure — and reminder of just how suddenly and unexpectedly one can encounter a storm on that body of water!

7:15 AM Recently I received an email from a married couple that contained this question about giving/tithing:

We tithe at our church well over 10-. But lately we are not pleased with the way the money is being used. We don’t believe in lavish wasteful spending. So Dave tell us what you believe the scriptures say about how we can give His money? We want it to be pleasing to our Lord.

This morning I sent them this response:

Good morning ________________,

This morning I read 2 Corinthians 8-9 again. I can think of no better advice than to ask you to read those two wonderful chapters. You will see there that Paul lays down no rules for Christian giving. We are to give as we see a need, and give generously. No fixed percentage is given in these chapters, nor for that matter anywhere else in the New Testament. And notice: the giving went to meet authentic needs, not to pay lavish salaries or to pay off mortgages.

I include here a link to an essay written by two of my friends and colleagues. It is about tithing, and I think it will help you.

http://biblicalfoundations.org/pdf/pdfarticles/bbrtithing2.pdf

But, as I said earlier, the Holy Scriptures are sufficient for us to know the mind of God on this matter.

Cordially yours in the Lamb,

Dave

Sunday, February 27

6:32 PM Yesterday we spoke at length about Phil. 2:3-4 and the need to put other people before ourselves and to look out for the interests of our brothers and sisters in Christ and not just our own. If you would like to see a good example of this truth being “fleshed out,” readWhy We Are Now the Summit Church Denver. And congratulations to Bryan and his Denver team for following the downward path of Jesus.

P.S. As a Greek teacher, I liked the name “Soma Church.” Other Greek-based names are not as acceptable to me, however. On Capitol Boulevard in Raleigh I often pass a church sign that reads “Agape Church” and have to wonder what these people do that leaves everyone’s mouth agape.

6:24 PM This email came from a former student: 

… a few nights ago we spent the evening reminiscing over all the Dave Black quips we could remember from class. It was almost a game seeing how many we could recall, and after doing so decided to put together a “highlight mix” of all your memorable quotes. We felt like it summed up your influence on us over the last 3 years quite well! Give it a listen if you’d like.

I did. Should I post it here?

6:14 PM Speaking of Greek, my beginning Greek students are translating complete sentences from the Greek New Testament in preparation for our reading of 1 John this semester. I told them that their greatest challenge will be to translate what is there in the text, not what they are already familiar with from their English translations. This is harder than it sounds! 

6:10 PM Calling all my Latin students! ReadThe Ten Basic Rules for Reading Latin (.pdf). Applies to reading Greek too.

6:02 PM There’s a new review of the book Ultimate Allegiancehere. Allan Bevere and I have the honor of being co-editors of theseries in which this volume is found.

Saturday, February 26

3:48 PM Yet another “Student I Supervise”: 

Tim Decker.

Education:

• B.A. in Biblical Studies, Piedmont Baptist College, Winston-Salem, NC, 2006
• M.A. in Biblical Studies, Piedmont Baptist Graduate School, Winston-Salem, NC, 2007
• Postgraduate studies, Piedmont Baptist Graduate School, Winston-Salem, NC

I am a Th.M. student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary studying the New Testament under Dr. Black. The research for my thesis will focus on the form and structure of Ephesians 1:3-14. I have a passion for both researched exegesis and relevant exposition. I was the first pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Beaufort, NC, and now I serve as an associate pastor and music leader at Cornerstone Gospel Baptist Church in Bogue, NC.

Research Interests:

• Greek grammar & syntax
• Rhetorical/literary analysis
• NT Textual Criticism
• Pauline Studies

3:35 PM Here’s a huge shout out to Al Gilbert and the great staff at Calvary Baptist Church for hosting me today in Winston Salem. For 3 hours we discussed the theme of Philippians: unity in the cause of the Gospel. The letter reminds us that God is calling each and every Christian to learn the secret of bond slave service to the world — not just in up front roles but especially through humble behind-the-scenes service. I was delighted to meet several former students as well as several prospective ones who are praying about studying Greek with my grammar and DVDs. I sensed in the audience a warm response to the Scripture’s call to live a life of radical Christian servanthood. Worldly Christians simply cannot understand this. It seems crazy to them to risk one’s life for the sake of the Good News. And it is crazy! The fact is, we must accept such crazy, scandalous love as a normal part of serving the Lord Jesus.

Again, many thanks to all who turned out for the teaching and especially to Zach who manned the book table and Matt who forward the slides for me. You guys are great examples to the rest of us of what humbly serving others in Jesus’ name looks like.

5:10 AM “The Spirit has brought you into fellowship with one another.” That’s one way of translating Phil. 2:1. (It’s all a matter of context.) I like that rendering. The willingness to partner with other churches in other countries is a God thing. It is a miracle. It can only be produced by the Spirit. Today in Philippians we will be looking at the qualities of character that the Philippians were expected to display. One of these is a “fellowship” or “partnership” that nurtures and grows the Body of Christ worldwide. It is this sort of practical caring that is one of the greatest attractions to the Gospel, is it not? Suffice it to say that Becky and I view the church in Ethiopia as our own. The Body of Christ transcends race, nationality, education, color. Is it any wonder that we should be advocates of the church there? Or that we should seek to do all in our power to aid and assist it? Did not Paul command us to “share what we have with God’s people who are in need” (Rom. 12:11)? This is the quality of “fellowship” that the Lord Jesus expects from us. It is when we love one another that we touch and challenge people deeply.

I hate to be repetitive, but I do want to call your attention again to theurgent opportunity we have to show our solidarity with the brethren in Alaba, Ethiopia. If we really want to reach out with the Gospel, we must attend to life at the periphery and not just at the center. If not Ethiopia, I beg you: get involved somewhere!  

Friday, February 25

6:48 PM Brian Fulthorp pens yet another powerful essay. This one is about2 Corinthians 5:7 and how the Lord is fleshing out this verse in his life. And I agree: living by sight can be just too hard!

6:42 PM Yes, Andrew, it is true: Scholarship isvery hard work. Have you considered an avocation? Even if it’s something as mundane as light weightlifting or walking around the block? I have found manual labor to be very good for my scholarship. Remember: Jesus said, “My yoke is easy; My burden is light.” When we are truly co-yoked with Christ, then our labors for Him should be a joy and delight, because they are actually being borne by Him!

6:31 PM Are you up for two more?

1) Alexander Ellis Stewart: B.A. in Pastoral Ministries (Columbia International University), M.Div. (Columbia Biblical Seminary).

I am a Ph.D. student studying Biblical Theology under Dr. Black at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. My dissertation is entitled “Soteriology as Motivation in the Apocalypse of John.” I have recently published articles in BBR (“Cosmology, Eschatology, and Soteriology in Hebrews: A Synthetic Analysis”), and TynBul (“James, Soteriology, and Synergism”), and currently serve as a youth pastor at Carey Baptist Church in Henderson, NC.

Research Interests: Rhetorical Analysis, Apocalyptic Literature, Eschatology, Soteriology, and the General Epistles.

2) Mr Michael Rudolph. 

Education:

• BS, majoring in Chemistry, from Bradley University, Peoria, IL

• MDiv from Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, IN

• ThM from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Biography:

I am a PhD student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC), studying under Dr. David Alan Black. In my previous studies, I completed a research project (ThM thesis) entitled, “One Church Standing Firm: Finding the Theme and Setting of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians Utilizing the Methodology of Discourse Analysis.” Currently, I am beginning work on my PhD dissertation focusing upon the use of gar as an intersentential conjunction in the Pauline corpus with the purpose of better understanding both its significance and structural implications. I hope to use insights from lexicography, semantics, pragmatics, and corpus linguistics in my research. Before pursuing my PhD, I was a business owner, active in church leadership, and served as the administrator of a Christian school (K-6th grade). Currently, I am active teaching in my local church where my wife is the choir director.

Research Interests:

• Linguistics

• Pauline Epistles

6:15 PM This will be a busy weekend. Right now I’m getting ready for my trip to Winston Salem tomorrow morning. I have the delightful privilege of talking about the book of Philippians for 3 hours. I hope I will have time to show some pix of my mission trips to Asia and the Middle East as well. Tomorrow Becky is hosting a luncheon for some of her lady friends who have partnered with us in prayer. Tomorrow night we have dinner guests. Then on Sunday afternoon B and I will be doing visitation and calling on Bethel Hillians to pray with them and hug on. With the warmer weather I am anxious to get Becky’s garden beds ready for her to plant. For the front yard she bought these today:

The backyard raised beds will require roto-tilling, however, before they are ready for anything. I got a start on that project today:

As you can see, life goes on, almost as if Becky had never had cancer. These are eventful days, and our goal is to maximize them if we possibly can.

3:32 PM URGENT NEED:

Beginning today, and for an entire week, Becky and I would like to highlight for you a need that exists in Zobechame, Alaba, Ethiopia. I am painfully aware that it is impossible to describe here in detail the suffering, challenges, defeats, and victories of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Alaba. I would, however, appreciate it if you would take a moment and read Becky’s latest essay. It’s calledUrgent Need for the Lord’s Church in Zobechame, Ethiopia. In these pages it is our hope that the reader will learn something of the opportunities that exist in expanding the kingdom of God in this far-flung corner of the world. Becky and I are the only white-faced foreigners who work in Alaba. We fervently love the believers there and grieve over the suffering and persecution they experience on a daily basis. Becky’s essay is about spiritual reality: about what it means to be the Body of Christ in which the strong help the weak and the burden is shared. Every believer — and every local church — in America that is genuinely concerned about the spiritual life of the church in Ethiopia ought to read Becky’s essay. You may find, as we have, a new heartbeat that pulses, not for pseudo remedies, but for a return to holy living and single-minded determination to see the church around the world expand, for the glory of God.

I’m warning you: the essay is lengthy. There is no fluff in it. If I have any prayer for the reader of this essay it is that God will use it to help you see the deadly dichotomy that exists between the wealth of the American church and the needs of the church in Ethiopia. To choose deliberately to hoard our prosperity is a sickness. On the other hand, who can tell what the results of our investment might be? May God help us — especially me! — to break out of the velvet cage of comfort and convenience and begin living a radical lifestyle of intentional sacrifice in obedience to Christ and His Gospel.

3:12 PM One of the more interesting things I’ve read recently on the web is the reference to Iran as an Arab nation and its leader as an Arab. Persia, or “Trans-Euphrates” as it’s called in Ezra, is Muslim but hardly Arab. Iran is both part of a different ecosystem than the rest of the Middle East as well as a different cultural tradition. Farsi, the national language, is completely unrelated to the Semitic languages (including Hebrew and Arabic) and is, in fact, closely related to Greek, Latin, and our own English. The Persians have a proud and ancient history that is completed unrelated to the Arab world; why should we Americans be so ignorant of it?

10:37 AM And another …

Michael Stover. 

Biography: 

I am a Th. M. student at SEBTS in Wake Forest NC, pursuing research in New Testament Greek and early church history. My previous studies include an engineering degree from Canada and M. Div. degree from Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit PA. I am currently serving with my local church while continuing my Th. M. studies.
 Research Interests:

• The Dating of 1 Clement
• Isaiah

10:23 AM Yet another entry from my “Students I Supervise” file. As you can see, because of the sensitive nature of David’s work I have withheld his last name and photo.

David ***, BSME (NC State University), MDiv (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Biography: 

I am a ThM student researching the Fourth Gospel’s presentation of Jesus as the eschatological prophet like Moses under David Alan Black’s supervision. My previous studies include undergraduate work (BSME, 2000) in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. In 2003, I completed an MDiv at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Advanced Biblical Studies.

Since late 2004, my family and I have been living and serving in Southeast Asia among an unreached people group. I am also serving on a SIL affiliate translation team, translating the New Testament into the minority language of the people among whom we work.

Research Interests:

 

·        New Testament Use of the Old Testament

·        Greek Aspect Theory

·        Discourse Analysis

·        Literary Analysis of Biblical texts

Thursday, February 24

8:22 PM While surfing the B-Greek site this evening I ran across a link to Dan Wallace’s foreword to Steve Runge’s discourse grammar of New Testament Greek. You can imagine my surprise when I saw this statement by Wallace:

What Runge has done is to focus on the exegetical significance of discourse grammar for Neutestamenters.

There is no such word as Neutestamenters in German. In Dan’s neologism, the “l” found in the German word has been left out, while an English plural morpheme (“s”) has been added. The German word for “New Testament scholar/student” is, of course, Neutestamentler, which is identical in both the singular and plural. I assume that Dan meant to write Neutestamentler (“New Testament scholars/students”).

Yes, I know — this is a “little fox,” but it sure does spoil the vine for me (Song of Solomon 2:15), especially in a book that claims to be about linguistic precision.

7:22 PM Received this question in an email today:

I was hoping to get your advice as I am contemplating the opportunity to teach Greek and or Hebrew over the summer at my local church. I have offered a Greek Grammar I class in the past and it was well received: 10 signed up originally. My only concern is that the last time I taught the class only one individual made it to the end.  I tutored him alone through Greek II and Exegesis.

I was wondering if there is a better way? ….

One of the possible options I have been kicking around is to request the prospective students to write a check for ~$100 at the beginning of the class. If they make it to the end, I will rip it up, but if they drop out then I would cash it. I know this flies in the face of internal motivation, but it might help the participants to prioritize and to count the cost before taking on the task.  It would be my desire that I don’t get paid at all for the class…thoughts?

Here’s the response I sent him:

When I taught Greek in my local church, I started out with 55 and ended up with 6. I would not charge money but time. I required a “buy in” from my students. Since I was putting in 4 hours a week (pro bono) teaching the class, they needed to put in at least that amount of time in study outside of class each week. If they didn’t, they could feel free to stay home. The key question is your motivation. If it is to help people, you will do it as Christ commanded us — “Freely you have received, freely give.” If you view the course more as a “job,” then you are right to expect some remuneration.

By the way, one of the 6 students who completed the course (an IT professional) has subsequently helped me considerably with home-based computer issues. He has even come to the house (an hour drive for him) on two occasions to help me. He viewed this as “compensation” of sorts for the hours and hours I invested in his life. It’s been great to see how we’ve helped each other as brothers in Christ.

6:54 PM Care to meet two more of the “Students I Supervise”?

1) John Calvin Morris:

• BS (Georgia Institute of Technology)

• MCM (Southwestern Seminary)

• MDIV (Southwestern Seminary)

Biography:

I am a non-resident PhD student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, part of an IMB Cohort, Applied Theology in Missiology. Previous studies include undergraduate work at Georgia Institute of Technology (BS 1972), two postgraduate degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MCM 1974, MDIV 1987), and PhD studies in New Testament also at Southwestern. I am currently serving with the International Mission Board as the Consultant for Theological Education in the Americas as well as adjunct professor of Missiology and New Testament at Seminario Teológico Bautista in Santiago, Chile.

Research Interests:

• Culture and reproducible hermeneutics.

• The impact of culture on hermeneutics. 

• The development of a hermeneutical process that is both reproducible (implying the use of culturally appropriate learning preferences) and comprehensive.

• Contextualized Theological Education: The development of theological training focused on producing leaders that are theologically sound and spiritually dynamic with vision and passion to lead the national churches into full obedience to the Great Commission. Contextualizing theological education involves more than adapting to language, learning preferences, and worldview concerns.  It also includes developing national theologians, helping leaders discover and develop Biblical responses to those issues that impact their culture, their churches, and their long-term effectiveness as leaders.

2) Mel Winstead:

I am a PhD student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary studying
New Testament under David Alan Black (the bodhisattva of NT Greek). I am
currently writing my dissertation titled “The Significance of Verbal
Aspect on the Participles in Hebrews with Special Reference to 6:1–12.”  I
previously completed a B.A in Biblical Studies from Piedmont Baptist
College (Winston-Salem, NC), and an M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist
Theological Seminary. Currently, I teach World Religions at South
Piedmont Community College and Old Testament for Fruitland Baptist Bible
Institute in Monroe, NC.

Research Interests:

• New Testament Greek

• World Religions

• Biblical Studies

• Being a Christ-honoring husband and father

6:33 PM Could you hear it? The famous UNC gong, that is. You get to smack that thing when you’ve finished your radiation treatments. Here’s Becky performing that joyful task at around 4:00 this afternoon.

This has been a long journey. But we did it together, hand in hand, and that made a big difference. For both of us.

Our thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ for carrying us along. We have never doubted your presence and goodness, Lord Jesus. We also want to express our deep appreciation to everyone at UNC radiology who served us so cheerfully and professionally during our Cyber Knife treatments. These included:

• Nadia and Kevin (our radiology technicians)

• Crystal (aka “April”) and Suzanne (our nurses)

• Drs. Higgenson and Morris (our radiologists)

• Jessica (our receptionist)

• Tanya (our insurance liaison) 

We will miss all of you greatly but we certainly do look forward to having you out to the farm soon for a reunion! You are the greatest staff anyone could ever want. 

With much love and affection,

Dave and Becky Lynn

9:05 AM Guess what today is? Becky’s final treatment for cancer for a very long time! That’s right. After months and months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, B will have her fourth and final Cyber Knife procedure this afternoon. Want to join us in the celebration? Then offer up a huge prayer of thanksgiving to the One who has made it all possible.

Of course, the medical staff at UNC is not to be neglected. As you can see, Becky was baking yesterday, and she will present these poppy seed cakes to the doctors, nurses, and technicians at UNC oncology radiology today.

I predict there will not be one dry eye. It sounds strange to say this, but we will miss seeing these wonderful people. And I know they will miss seeing Becky’s smile, sensing her huge heart, and benefiting from her encouragement and counsel.

So today we close the pages of one chapter, only to begin writing another. Where will all of this lead? We won’t know for 6 months. But God knows. And that is good enough for us.

8:42 AM Yesterday,this blogger wrote: 

Regarding the biblical languages, my Hebrew is currently pathetic and my Greek is not what I’d like it to be (sorry Dr. Black). I’m still working at it, but it is a sort of one step forward, one step back process.

I really appreciate the honesty. How to keep up with one’s languages (ancient or modern)? My advice is simple: Read a little bit every day. Or watch a You Tube clip (in German, French, or whatever). Or take a refresher course. (Several of you are using myGreek DVDs for that purpose.) However, you will get nowhere unless you are committed. It’s not enough to “confess” one’s sins. There must be genuine “repentance.”

What a shame it is that so many of us seminary graduates have lost our facility in the biblical languages. Especially when we worked so hard to acquire it.

8:21 AM Kevin Brown provokes thinking in his latest essay calledGod’s Accuracy. A sample:

God’s wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant… The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in  the same direction. No other quadruped is so made.  God planned that this animal would have a huge body,  too large to live on two legs… For this reason He  gave it four fulcrum so that it can rise from the  ground easily. 

The  horse rises from the ground on its two front legs  first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind  legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of  creation!

Incidentally, to me this is biblioblogging at its best — quite unlike the pointless perambulation going on in so many places today.

8:08 AM No more silly, inane, and condescendingwarning labels at Lifeway bookstores, I see. Even more to the point: Does anybody buy books at bookstores anymore?

7:56 AM I like gut-punching perorations. Over at Jody’s Devotionals, Jody Neufeld offers one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time. Her essay is called Taxes and Gifts.

7:50 AM Yet another poor soul who falls into the category “Students I Supervise”:

Thomas W. Hudgins, B.A. (Southeastern College at Wake Forest), M. Div. (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary).

Biography: I am an Ed. D student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary pursuing research in the field of education and the New Testament. My previous studies include undergraduate work at Southeastern College at Wake Forest (B.A., 2003) and graduate studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2010), where I completed a research project for Dr. David Alan Black entitled “An Exploration into Discourse Analysis and an Extension of its Method in the Exegesis of John 17.” I am serving as the Director ofSeminario Bautista Vida Nueva in San Salvador, El Salvador. Currently, I am co-translating Learn to Read New Testament Greek into Spanish with my wife.

Research Interests:

• New Testament

• Jesus & the Old Testament

• Latin American Theological Education

7:44 AM Undoubtedly you’re heard something about the soul-searching that is going in the United Methodist Church. Henry Neufeld has his pulse on the issues and notes that at least one UMC member has come up with a pretty good definition of what it means to be Methodist. ReadJohn Meunier Wants to be a Methodist.

7:22 AM “Students I Supervise”:

Paul Aaron Himes: BA and MA in Biblical Studies (Maranatha Baptist Bible College), M.Div. (Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary), Ph.D. in New Testament, dissertation stage (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary).

I am a Ph.D. student in New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am currently in the dissertation stage, am privileged to have Dr. David Alan Black as my supervisor, and my dissertation is entitled “A Foreknown Destiny for the Destitute: An Examination of 1 Peter’s Concept of Foreknowledge in the Establishment of Social Identity.” My research interests include New Testament exegesis (especially the general epistles), biblical theology, NT/Koine Greek, hermeneutics, linguistics, second temple literature, and apologetics (especially in regards to the origin of the universe), with forthcoming articles in BBR (Petrine theology), JETS (1 Corinthians/philosophy), and Science & Christian Belief (cosmology).

Wednesday, February 23

7:12 PM Odds and ends:

• Talbot School of Theology announces an opening inChristian Education.

• Matthew Myers asks,To Over or Under-Translate?

• Andy Bowden has begun a list of GermanNew Testament lecturers. Look for this list to expand considerably in the coming weeks.

• Ed Stetzer is right: “It is easier to talk about Southern Baptists reaching the lost; it is harder to have the lost in your home,” Stetzer said. “You cannot lead what you do not live. None of us can. Live it, and then lead us to live it.”

6:51 PM A huge thank you to my colleague Joshua Waggener and his wife Jessica for a wonderful meal in their home last night in Wake Forest. We enjoyed homemade pizza, homemade ice cream, and they sent me home with a loaf of homemade bread. Josh is currently completing his Ph.D. in music theology at the University of Durham in the UK underBennett Zon. I also enjoyed lecturing in Josh’s music history class yesterday on the poetry and hymnody in the Greek New Testament. I love the collegiality here at SEBTS. What a blessing from the Lord.

6:43 PM The following comes from the Louisiana College website underacademic position openings. 

Christian Studies.  Four positions as listed below: 

1. Ph.D. preferred but ABD will be considered. Must be doctorally qualified to teach Old Testament, Hebrew, OT exegetical intensives, and surveys of OT and NT. Successful candidate must affirm the Baptist Faith and Message and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

2. Ph.D. preferred but ABD will be considered. Must be doctorally qualified to teach Philosophy, Christian Worldview, Apologetics, Ethics, and surveys of OT and NT. Successful candidate must affirm the Baptist Faith and Message and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

3. Ph.D. preferred but ABD will be considered in Systematic Theology and Christian Studies (Includes but is not limited to – Systematic Theology, Christian Worldview, surveys of OT and NT).  Poistion may entail opportunities to teach at the graduate level with the opening of the proposed Caskey School of Divinity.  Successful candidate must affirm the Baptist Faith and Message and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

4. Must complete Ph.D. by time of appointment, preferably in Preaching.  

Pastoral Ministry.   Teaching experience is valued but pastoral expereince is required.  Teach variety of courses in the proposed Caskey School of Divinity (Included but limited to – Biblical Exposition, Homiletics, and Pastoral Ministry).  Successful candidate must affirm the Baptist Faith and Message and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

Candidates for must demonstrate a vital Christian faith and integrate the Christian faith with teaching and learning. All positions are tenure-track and begin in August 2011.

6:33 PM I know of nothing that will squelch genuine Christianity like slavish adherence to ecclesiastical tradition. With that in mind, Arthur Sido posts a must-see video series on the Amishhere. It’s the story of two brothers who were excommunicated from their Lancaster, PA, congregation because they engaged in such devilish practices as reading their Bibles, singing English hymns, and attending Bible study. I watched every episode of this BBC report and found it fascinating.

Here’s part one:

 

6:23 PM The Antioch School of Hawaii has a fabulous website you’ll want to look at, especially if you are as eager as I am to see biblical and theological education returned to local churches as much as possible. For their mission and goals, gohere. For years I have been training students in the context of the local church. Most recently I taught a course in New Testament Greek at my home church. The experience has been exceedingly rewarding. It has also driven me time and again to reflect on the first principles of church leadership training. Why send young men in Hawaii away to study in a semi-monastic institution on the mainland based on secular models of education when they can be trained for ministry at home? Sheer empiricism teaches us that there is a better way. Let the seminary come alongside the local churches and enable them to teach and prepare their own leaders!

6:15 PM Today I’m starting a new blog series. It’s called “Students I Supervise.” I’ve asked my current post-graduate students (there are 12 of them) to email me a brief description of their background and research interests. To start things off, here’s:

Alan Knox, BEE (Georgia Institute of Technology), MSEE (Georgia Institute of Technology), MDiv (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary)

Biography:

I am a PhD student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary studying Biblical Theology under David Alan Black. I am currently writing my dissertation titled Mutual Edification as the Purpose of the Assembled Church in the New Testament:  A Study in Biblical Theology. I previously completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MDiv degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Advanced Biblical Studies. I taught New Testament Greek for three years adjunctively for The College at Southeastern in Wake Forest, NC.

Research Interests:

• Biblical Theology

• New Testament Greek

• Ecclesiology

Tuesday, February 22

6:27 AM Andrew Thompson asksWhat’s a fax machine?

6:22 AM Thomas Hudgins (translator par excellence!)reviews Two Views on Women in Ministry. Outstanding job, too. 

6:14 AM Tell meit’s not so!

6:04 AM What do you remember about the Jesus Movement? Most people over 50 will answer “the long hair and mariachi sandals.” In my mind’s eye I see a worship service in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel sponsored by the Waikiki Beach Chaplaincy (a popular para-church organization at the time). I see myself paddling in from the surf to “attend church” on Sunday morning before paddling right back out again. Don’t tell me the Jesus Movement didn’t have its advantages!

The downside, of course, was our utter rejection of the institutionalized church, which we all knew was filled with nothing but hypocrites of the worst kind. In short, for all its strengths, for all its proper emphasis on Jesus, the Jesus Movement was eccentric and off-kilter. It wasn’t until I was about 16 or 17 that I realized I was just as much a hypocrite as anyone else at First Baptist Church Windward. When I plugged back in, I did much more than was required of me.

Today, my paper perfect church would be an elder-led, age-integrated congregation that met in a rented facility (no mortgage) and paid no salaries. Instead, offerings would go to the needy and missions. 501(c)3? Out. Self-supporting missionaries? In. So, which is it? The traditional church, or the paper perfect church? Frankly, I think the question misses the point. Jesus promised, “I will build my church.” Even imperfect churches. Even churches trapped in tradition. (See Rev. 2-3 for examples of churches that were far from perfect and yet were considered, by Jesus, to be true “churches.”)

I do have one piece of advice, however. Put the Great Cause first (Matt. 28:19-). I can’t believe it’s God’s will that most young evangelicals should spend their lives in the pursuit of “doing church right” when God wants to send people where they’re needed most.

Monday, February 21

7:56 PM Good evening bloggers and bloggerettes! This is going to be a bit long, so please bear with me. I just put Becky down to bed and prayed with her. Her pain seems to be much better this time around! But tired she is, so Abednego (to bed she goes). I’ve been in an introspective mood all day. Mind if I share with you some of my thoughts? Actually, what follows was written on my yellow note pad between the hours of 12:30 and 4:30 today while B was in the treatment room.

Ever since Becky and I entered the “front lines” of spiritual warfare and mission work, it seems like we’ve been faced with storm after storm. Especially in the past two years. No, we don’t see demons lurking at every turn. We’ve always tried to be very cautious about assigning our trials to demonic activity. The truth is, any kind of intensive servant ministry produces normal, natural stress. The challenge comes when the stress is prolonged and excessive — when it comes “in spades.”

Most of the stresses we’ve experienced are beyond our control. We’ve had to learn to live with them by (1) accepting them and (2) adapting to them. When I made the decision as a teenager to surf the giant waves on Oahu’s North Shore, I chose to expose myself to certain stressors. Any setback — a setback was usually called a “wipeout” — provided an extra degree of stress. When you have lost your board, when you are caught in the white water, when wave after wave pummels you — this kind of stress, and the fear associated with it, is way beyond anything healthy, normal, or creative!

In a recent email to a friend of hers, Becky likened our journey to the “Perfect Storm” that hit the East Coast in 1991. (Maybe you’ve seen the movie by the same name.) Several different weather systems, each coming from a different direction, collided off the coast of New England to produce a storm of catastrophic proportions. Of course, every storm has its silver lining. What lessons has God been trying to teach me as we’ve gone through this “Perfect Storm”? They have been many and sundry.

• Every trial is an opportunity to accept the circumstances God has placed me in  — with a thankful spirit to boot.

• Every trial is a chance to “think of yourself with sober judgment” (Rom. 12:3) — that is, to reassess my personal strengths and weaknesses and to anchor my self-worth in God rather than in my circumstances or accomplishments.

• Each of these trials has forced me to confess my pride to God and pray for the Holy Spirit to transform me from the inside out and from the bottom up. In particular, my emotions, especially my negative emotions, cause me sometimes to feel that God is distant. During these periods of doubt and self-pity, I find it helpful to focus on Scriptural promises, remembering that “God works together for good all things” (Rom. 8:28) — even my stress.

• Finally, every trial is an opportunity to learn to pace myself by becoming more pro-active in some areas of life and by slowing down in others. The goal is always a balance between “burnout” and “self-indulgence.” I find this balance harder and harder to attain the older I get. The key, of course, is walking in the Spirit — letting God show me moment by moment and even second by second what is His good, pleasing, and perfect will. It involves paying special attention to chronic fatigue, which is a sure sign of underlying stress. It is a call to exercise common sense by eating properly, getting proper rest and exercise, heeding the advice of friends, becoming aware of mood swings, and releasing past and present emotional hurts to God.

The bottom of the bottom line? Jesus never promised us a life without discouragement. Even grave discouragement. Especially if we’re living life “on the edge” for the sake of the Gospel. Mission work has more than its share of obstacles and stresses. So does normal, everyday life. The trials that Becky and I have faced have all been blessings in disguise. Some of them we just “got over,” then moved on. Others remain — defying resolution. Whatever the trial, we’re asking the Holy Spirit to help us make wise and balanced decisions. Our greatest desire is to allow God to use the severe pain and hurt we are experiencing to build our character and to make us more serviceable in His kingdom.

8:06 AM Looking forward to a good but busy week:

• This morning: Meeting with B’s Thoracic surgeon.

• This afternoon: Cyber Knife #3.

• Wednesday: Meeting with B’s rheumatologist.

• Thursday: Cyber Knife #4.

It’s good to know our lives are secure in His hands. May we be a blessing to others wherever we go this week.

Sunday, February 20

8:42 AM Off to The Hill. Bec’s staying home (pain). Please let’s keep her in our prayers. Despite the pain and extreme discomfort, she’s determined to finish her treatments this week. On the way to church I’ve got to stop by Lowes and exchange/upgrade the battery-operated screw driver I bought the other day. Not enough torque. Yes, that’s what I get for “going cheap.”  I’m learning!

8:33 AM Speaking of Philippians, just a reminder that myseminar on Philippians meets next Saturday in Winston-Salem from 9:00 to noon. Our goal is to recover the outline and theme of the letter through working only in the text of Philippians itself. If you are thinking about teaching through this book I’d love to see you there.

8:22 AM Craig Blombergreviews Walter Hansen’s The Letter to the Philippians in the Pillar Commentary series. It’s an excellent review. But this statement caught me off guard:

Finally, it seems a little odd that Hansen cites definitions from BDAG over 200 times and Louw and Nida only once.

I have always felt that L & N is at best a supplement to BDAG. Maybe I’m wrong!

8:12 AM Prayer of the day (Jim Elliott):

Lord, give me firmness without hardness, steadfastness without dogmatism, love without weakness.

7:51 AM If you are not on our private Ethiopia email list and would like to be added, just let me know. We can’t publish everything about persecution on our blog for obvious reasons. Receiving our private emails is one way God allows us to share in the fellowship of His sufferings wherever we are. All across North America and the world there are quiet men and women working behind the scenes, living to help support missions. Their names are known only to God but they are promised their reward. God bless all of you for joining us in the difficulties, sorrows, sacrifices, and joys of missionary service.

Saturday, February 19

6:45 PM So here we sit, Becky nursing her sore hips and back, and me nursing my aching muscles and blisters. What a way to grow old together. Tonight we’re enjoying watching Wives and Daughters together. If nothing else, the musical score is unforgettable.

1:52 PM Saturday shout out to Thomas and Lesly Hudgins who have been working tirelessly on translating my beginning Greek grammar into Spanish. For the latest update, gohere. Gracias, Tomás y Lesly!

1:38 PM John Byron offers abrief eulogy in memory of Anson Rainey, who just passed away. Like John, I first met Anson in Israel when Becky and I were taking courses at Jerusalem University College. Anson led us on a grand tour of Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) and we quickly became friends. Anson would stay in our home in La Mirada when he visited Southern California. He will be missed.

1:22 PM A thousand apologies for not saying this earlier, but thank you for all of your supportive emails and prayers. “Under His wings” is very much how we feel!

Under His wings I am safely abiding,Tho the night deepens and tempests are wild;Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me,He has redeemed me and I am His child.Chorus:Under His wings, under His wings,Who from His love can sever?Under His wings my soul shall abide,Safely abide forever.Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!Often when earth has no balm for my healing,There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

1:12 PM Another perfect day weather-wise. Just finished the first of two French drains. “Drained” is how I feel. Time for a couple of Ibuprofen and a rest. Then I’ll get some writing done while Becky sleeps. She is getting better, however. She asked me to cook Chinese stir fry for supper tonight, and that’s always a good sign.

10:46 AM Jason Evans, one of our excellent pastor-teachers at Bethel Hill, is concluding his series on the book of Acts this month. It has been an astonishing look at the early church. (For summaries, go to theBHBC blog.)How can what happened then happen now? This is the question I can’t get out of my mind.

So we’ve studied Acts. What now?

These early Christians were not perfect. But they put first things first. Evangelism was a “first things” category, and every believer sought to bear witness to Christ. “Make disciples of all nations” was more than a platitude. They were in the Good News business, all of them. They evangelized the world, and did so without mission boards or courses in soul winning. There is no hint they viewed ministry — whether pastoral or missional — as the task of the ordained clergy alone. Everyone was a minister! Moreover, the spiritual was never separated from the social. Like Jesus, they went everywhere doing good and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. Why can’t we aim for the same balance today? We cannot have presence alone or proclamation alone. Both are needed. The early church was salt in the midst of a crumbling society. People could see in their lives the transforming power of the Gospel. They cared about the hungry and the poor. They realized that preaching without loving practical assistance was mere talk. Ask anyone who comes to our health center in Southern Ethiopia what brought them there and their answer will be the same: the health care! That many of them are, at the same time, brought under the conviction of the Holy Spirit is due to the genuine Christianity of our staff and their zeal to share the love of Jesus with everyone they meet.

The early church had a quality of shared life that must have been remarkable. Theirs was an every-member priesthood. Theirs was a shared leadership. They prayed and fasted. Their meetings were invariably participatory. Let specatorism be left to the pagans in the arena! We each have a gift. We each have a responsibility to take some active initiative for Jesus! They saw static religion and an over-emphasis on buildings as a betrayal of the New Covenant. (See Stephen’s speech in Acts 7.)

What more can I say? The guidelines are there, and they demand from us a response. At every stage we are completely dependent upon the Spirit in the work of renewal and restoration. We cannot effect change on our own. We cannot force the issue. And we cannot escape our utter dependence on the work of the Spirit in us (2 Cor. 3:18).

Don’t we want that power in our churches today? Or will we be content with the status quo — churches that are dull, predictable, bourgeois, dominated by clergy — a shallow and ineffective parody of what the church should be?

Permalink.

9:33 AM Let’s pray for our brotherSaid Musa who faces the death penalty in Afghanistan simply for being a Christian.

9:26 AM The debate about the Granville Sharp construction continues over at Paul Hime’s site. Check out his essay: The Granville Sharp rule: A defense of Daniel Wallace in light of Stanley Porter’s review.

9:13 AM Becky’s pain seems to be under control now, though it’s still there. I think we can anticipate a cumulative effect after CK #3 on Monday and CK #4 on Thursday. Right now it’s time for grit.

Thus far it’s been a productive morning for Dr. Klutz. I fixed 4 gates in our garden. Now they swing open easily. Having the right tools helps.

Friday, February 18

8:18 PM I just put Becky to bed again. I bought her more (and stronger) pain medication this evening. This has been a rough day, for both of us. Before I head off to my safe place, I was hoping to share a few thoughts with you. One thought in particular, actually. The kaleidoscope of my childhood memories growing up in Hawaii includes the image of a public bus going off a cliff on the Pali Highway between Honolulu and Kailua, tumbling down into the valley below. A friend of mine was on that bus. He survived the terrifying journey. Others did not. Have you ever felt like you were careening down a dangerous mountain highway, your breaks gone? I imagine Peter felt that way in John 21. Some of you have heard me teach from this passage. Why do I like it so much? Probably because I can identify with Peter in so many areas of my life. His equilibrium had been thrown off by recent circumstances, including his own denials of the Lord. And now, waiting for Jesus to show up in Galilee (as He had promised), Peter was really in the frustration cycle. I’m going back to fishing, he said, no doubt to relieve the stress. (Have I over-interpreted the present tense infinitive here? I think not. Peter is not going fishing because he’s hungry. He’s numb with pain and disappointment. He’s returning to his fishing business because that’s what he’s familiar with. It’s his security.) Eventually Jesus would restore Peter’s passion. But not immediately. For many days Peter lived on the edge of exhaustion — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I want to confess to you that I have struggled more these past 20 months than probably at any other time in my life. Life — or much of it — has become a weary journey filled with people (but not necessarily relationships) and events (but not necessarily wholesome experiences). Does that make sense? I know the road I’m on is going somewhere. But where? I’m ready to encounter Jesus again, to sit at His feet and enjoy the breakfast He’s cooked for me. Mmm, those fish sure smell good. Like many of you, I’m tired of all the gimmicks and easy answers. And I don’t feel guilty in the least for feeling this way. Fatigue, exhaustion, weariness, loss of spiritual passion — I’m a very normal man who knows the feeling of pain and disappointment that comes from unmet needs and broken dreams. More and more, the things that were once at the center of my life have suddenly drifted away, and even those that remain tax my energy, relentlessly, drastically. The tender encounter between Jesus and Peter reminds me that no one lives well who doesn’t have a “safe place” to enter in times of terrible weakness of spirit. In that place I can put aside my false sense of confidence and bravado. It is there, in the safe place, that I realize the only answer to my exhausted, passionless life is Jesus. It is there that I check the condition of my inner spirit, rest in my God, and pray for renewal and restoration.

Well, I’ll stop prattling for now. I can smell those fish again. It’s time for breakfast with Jesus.

4:34 PM Can you believe it? It was a warm 75 degrees today. A good day to work outside. I started digging this French drain today. Tomorrow I’ve got to finish it and dig another one, plus rotary till Becky’s garden beds. I sure was ready for this weather, weren’t you?

8:51 AM I’m struck this morning by the motto of Lausanne II: “The whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world.” There is no room for arm-chair Christians. Or for passive missionaries either. We must stop out-sourcing missions to professionals. As a seminary professor I’ll take it a step further: If missions is the THE task of the church, why is it just one subject in the seminary curriculum? Missions is the heart of Christian theology. It’s what makes the seminary relevant. Every seminary student is a missionary-in-training. Our calling is nothing less.

8:38 AM “What has just happened in Iran?” Thus begins this powerful (and somewhat lengthy) essay calledIran’s post-Islamist generation. The writer is Pepe Escobar, author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World Is Dissolving into Liquid War.

8:32 AM Update: B’s got lots of pain today. Even with her meds on board. Hopefully the pain will pass quickly. Your prayers are always appreciated.

Thursday, February 17

8:25 PM I like this piece by Jody Neufeld:Valentine’s Day — Not My Holiday. From her woman’s perspective, Jody writes:

It not about things. It’s about caring enough to grow a relationship every day. I saw it this year in the woman who was married to a service man who went away to war and came back without his legs. She held his hand to steady him as he walked and looked at him with such love, that I knew that was “steady” more than her hand.

I saw it in the man who cares for his wife who has cancer, loving her more than he did the day he married her.

I saw it in the couple walking down the street holding hands and holding their canes. Loving each other in the last years just as they did in those first weeks, 60+ years ago.

They gave many reasons as to why they love and it had nothing to do with diamonds or chocolate.

That’s some awfully good writing, Jody. On a day when I felt that somebody needed to hit me with the stupid stick, I really needed that.

7:55 PM B’s treatment went well today. She’s tired and sore from lying down so long. I got her home and she went right off to bed. While Becky was having her treatment I went to vacuum out the car at a gas station in Chapel Hill. In the process I accidentally left her old sewing machine on the curb. We had taken it with us to replace a cord. Of course, when I checked up on it the machine had long since disappeared.

Other than that, it was a fine day.

12:20 PM Off to Cyber Knife #2!

8:10 AM The irrepressible Michael Green, who just spoke on campus, once said:

The home is a priceless asset. It is informal and relaxed. It makes participation easy. The teacher is not six feet above contradiction and there is no temptation to put on a performance.

Many will undoubtedly find his words offensive. Six feet above contradiction? Yet isn’t that the impression we sometimes give when we stand behind our enormous pulpits? If Jesus could go low (Phil. 2:5-8), why can’t we? Paul too is a good example for us. The one who was “less than the least of all Christians” (Eph. 3:8) also saw himself as “the chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).

I enjoy it when pastors and teachers minister from the floor, on our level. I love it too when they invite participation from others. Last night at Bible study was an excellent example of this. Wise leadership is not afraid to allow “words of encouragement” from the flock. It could be that they have something to teach us! I think the Spirit laughs at our puny attempts to control Him. Do you really believe that He speaks through others? Then why not conclude every meeting with a simple invitation — the one found in Acts 13:15 — “Brothers, if you have any words of encouragement for the people, feel free to speak.”

7:54 AM I’ve received several questions in recent days wanting to know how I managed to learn Greek after getting off to such a rocky start (I dropped out of my first Greek class after only 3 weeks). Rather than being intimated by my failures I tried to allow God to use them as a springboard to launch me forward. Irwin Lutzer, of Moody Church in Chicago, has written a book called Failure: The Backdoor to Success. I’ve never read it, but I agree with the title! If we walk with God, we will have failures. We need to learn how to bounce back when we do. Because of Rom. 8:28, Plan B can be just as good as Plan A. I’ve had students in my classes who were on Plan C and Plan D. They’ve never given up! I say, Thank God for a large alphabet. There’s no substitute for old-fashioned doggedness sometimes.

If you’re struggling with Greek and I can help, let me know.

Wednesday, February 16

9:53 PM I find it impossible not to link to this excellent essay over at Willis Wired. It’s calledLeaders are Pot-Stirrers. The author, Randy Willis, writes:

Leaders are not called to maintain the status quo or to allow people to remain in their comfort zones. Leaders are not tasked with keeping things running smoothly. Leaders are called to lead people (including themselves) out of their comfort zones. And that requires stirring the pot!

Looks like we can expect a follow-up essay with pot-stirring suggestions. Can’t wait.

9:40 PM If you’re at all interested in agrarianism, no doubt you’ve been following the exciting saga of Arthur Sido and his family. They’ve posted pix of their new livestock in an essay calledDown on the farm. Love it!

9:33 PM Just got the program for the upcoming SNTS meeting at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, this August 2-5. Conveners Chris Caragounis and Jim Voeltz have assembled a fine slate of speakers for their seminar, “The Greek of the New Testament”:

• Eberhard Güting: “Observations of the Language of the Res Gestae divi Augusti.”

• Jesús Peláez: “Prepositions and Preverbs in the Greek-Spanish New Testament Dictionary.”

• Jeffrey Kloha: “The Development of the Greek Language and the Manuscripts of Paul’s Letters.”

I’m told there will be a respondent for each paper. I am really interested in seeing what my friend Jesús Peláez has to say about prepositional prefix morphemes!

9:21 PM Today a student testified to me how helpful he was finding his Greek interlinear. I asked him to email me with more information. Here’s what he wrote:

The interlinear I spoke to you about this afternoon is the Zondervan Greek and English Interlinear New Testament (NASB/NIV), edited by William D. Mounce and Robert H. Mounce.  I have found it to be an excellent tool to help me reinforce what I am learning in Greek class.  I have also been pleasantly surprised at how much of the Greek text I can understand, albeit slowly! 

Amen to that. Outside of class, I don’t mind my students using all the helps they can get their hands on. In class, we will continue to use only the Greek text.

5:13 PM Odds and ends…

• Rick Yount recounts thedifference between head knowledge and heart knowledge (knowledge and know-how).

• Whenwords are not enough.

• Another of my students has taken up the blogging mantle. Check outAlien in this land.

• Lindsey Wilson College announces an opening inReligion.

5:05 PM Loved this quote fromAndrew Rozalowsky:

Studying the language(s) of the Bible helps me know the Bible better. My study of linguistics is not in vain. It is helping me handle the Word of God. It is helping me develop a deeper understanding of how language works and the Bible is a book!

5:03 PM I was very glad to see a post about seminary education by my publisherHenry Neufeld. It’s a bit of a harsh comeuppance, but worth a read. One part of Henry’s essay I find especially interesting is the following:

My friend asked me which seminary I would recommend a young person go to in preparation for Methodist ministry. My intemperate answer? “I wouldn’t.”

Yet there are things I like about various seminaries. My problem here is that I don’t like the professional education approach to preparation for pastoring. In fact, I don’t like it much for anything at all. I think our educational system is well-designed to prepare people to live in the 19th century. it’s not completely incapable of preparing people for the 20th century, but it’s not fully equipped for that task. Unfortunately, none of us have the option to live in either of those centuries.

On second thought, the educator in me makes me think that Henry may be going too far!

4:55 PM Speaking of foreign languages, here’s our President speaking his (and my) native tongue, Pidgin English: (If you tink I making pilikia, you no like fo make huhu wit me, eh brah?)

 

4:46 PM If you’re struggling with your German (likeour friend Jason is), here’s some advice:

• Check to see if there a GermanMeetup group getting together near you. My assistant Andy Bowden, who is feverishly working on his German, will be attending his first Meetup tonight in Raleigh. How can speaking German with ex-pats not help you with the language?

• You could also do what my colleague Tracy McKenzie and his family are doing. They are meeting weekly with a German-speaking tutor for group instruction in the language. Tracy is about to leave for Zurich to begin work on a second doctorate in Old Testament and raves about his German tutor. (Today I caught Tracy off guard a bit by speaking to him in Swiss German, a language he will pick up easily enough once he relocates to Switzerland.)

The lesson for all of us is this: Given enough time and energy, anyone can learn to speak a modern foreign language with facility. And there is no better way to reinforce the learning process than by meeting with a native speaker on a regular basis. I did this for a year before moving to Europe and it paid handsome dividends!

Tuesday, February 15

5:58 AM If you’re going to learn New Testament Greek, be prepared to take some “casualties.” The first casualty will be your pride. “How in the world can anybody master such a strange language? Surely not me!” Languages are good bubble busters. Often you’ll be unpleasantly surprised at how little language aptitude you really have.

Which leads me to my second casualty: your laziness. You grimly realize you won’t succeed without diligence and perseverance. No way.

The third casualty may well be naiveté. You discover just how many blind spots you have. Such a discovery is always unexpected — and painful.

The final casualty is jealousy. Or at least it needs to be! How do you know if you’re jealous? Jealousy always tears other people down. It always leads to backbiting and resentment. If you are a slow language learner you will be jealous of fast learners. If you get only passing grades you will be jealous of the straight A student.

These “casualties” tell us as much about ourselves as they do about the Greek language. Indeed, if we’re not careful, learning a foreign language can aggravate our natural inclination toward sin and self-centeredness. More often than not, we blame others for our own weaknesses and failings; we deny any share of responsibility, even if our share is relatively small. (Of course, Greek profs often share the blame to a great degree!) Good students of Greek step up to the plate of responsibility. They do not act out of pride, sloth, naiveté, or jealousy. We need to keep on examining our own motives, but never the motives of others. That’s God job. Ours is to give it our very best, “forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead.” If we do our utmost for His highest, in His strength alone, God will reward us.

Below: Teaching Greek at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa in 2005. The 6-week course produced 40 Greek lovers from many areas of Ethiopia and formed the basis of our GreekDVD series.

5:43 AM Is Iran next?

Monday, February 14

8:50 PM Nice little serendipity: One of our pastors came to UNC prior to Becky’s Cyber Knife treatment to pray with us. Thank you, Jason. It was a very loving gesture and greatly appreciated.

All went well today. Here are some details:

• Becky’s tumors received 253 beams of radiation. The physicists were careful to avoid the heart, carina, aorta, and liver.

• Proton radiation was used for a total of 1200 centigrays (almost equivalent to rads). Rads measure radiation going through water (which is almost like human flesh); centigrays measure radiation going through human flesh.

• Comparing this radiation treatment to the previous (pelvic and lymph node) radiation of a year ago, when Becky got 35 treatments for a total of 4500 rads, you can see how “potent” this CK treatment is.

• 250 chest X-rays were also shot to check the lineup of the beams with the gold balls (fiducials) implanted a couple weeks ago by the thoracic surgeon.

• Total time of shooting: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Bec said I could post this pic.

My thanks to all who, like Jason, were burdened to pray for Becky today. You are very special to us! Our greatest desire is that others would see God’s grace and love in and through us at UNC.

Right now B is showering and getting ready for beddy. Yours truly cooked her a supper of creamed tuna over rice with whole kernel corn. (Did I say that right?) Not too bad for the sous-chef, eh? I’m asking the Lord to give her a super good sleep tonight so she’ll have plenty of energy for tomorrow.

10:28 AM Off to UNC!

10:22 AM Shoko, a blind young man in Burji, recites Scripture from memory.

His goal is to memorize the entire New Testament. Sure raises the bar for Awana.  

9:28 AM Great news! Cyber Knife is starting! We are scheduled to receive four treatments at UNC starting today at 12:30 and continuing on Thursday of this week and Monday and Thursday of next. The doctors will treat only 2 of Becky’s tumors to begin with. If it is God’s will it will work. They will do CT scans after 3 months and again after 6 months. Then we will know.

Our God is great!

9:24 AM Is God’s love abox of chocolates?

8:49 AM Not that it matters, but here is a picture of my dogs I snapped last night while I was snacking on some saltines while reading. As you can see, they are the politest beggars.

They are, however, under strict house arrest in view of their recently-developed propensity to go gallivanting all over the neighborhood. This explains the big chuckle I got when I read Ed Stetzer’s post calledDogma Tweets.

Warning: If you are theologically thin-skinned, you might want to forego it.

8:28 AM Much has been happening in Ethiopia. Special thanks to Becky for writing a detailed update. It’s called Sabers and Wordaya Village. Be sure to watch the video at the end!

8:12 AM The lesson of Valentine’s Day, I suppose, is the need for companionship. This is a very legitimate desire, even for believers. Christian friend, what you do in life, don’t do it solo! Do it in companionship with a brother or sister in Christ. And if that brother or sister happens to be your spouse, so much the better.

Becky and I are very imperfect people. (If you haven’t realized this yet, cheer up — you will!) This is why we need each other so much. We complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The tendency for a husband is for him to come into a marriage relationship willing to help but never to be unmasked, never to seek to be helped by his wife. The best marriages I know are two-way relationships. Each ministers to the other. They not only give advice, they ask for it.

No earthly person knows me like my Valentine does, and still she loves me. That is called grace. It is no exaggeration to say that Becky has been the best thing that has ever happened to me (other than knowing Christ). For 34 years now, in the nitty-gritty give and take of life together, we have learned that we are truly members of one another. We have learned to act out this unity, to visibly and audibly love each other, to break down old habits and barriers of pain, and by the sheer grace of God to fight and claw our way back to each other. Through it all, on bright and cloudy days, she has been my helper par excellence.

And yet she is much more than that!

Like the women in 1 Cor. 11:5, she engages in the ministry of prayer. Like the women of Tit. 2:3-5, her role as a teacher is well known. Like Priscilla (Acts 18:26), she helps others through personal counseling. Like John Mark’s mother, she is engaged in the ministry of hospitality. Like Dorcas (Acts 12:12), she even makes clothes to give away to others! Above all, like Euodia and Syntyche (Phil 4:3), she “wrestles with me in the Gospel” — a reference, no doubt, to strenuous evangelistic endeavor. If you’d prefer to call her, like Phoebe (1 Cor. 16:1), a true “servant” of God (Greekdiakonos), you have my permission!

Throughout the years, Becky and I have discovered the blessing of working together as a team — a “partnership in the Gospel,” if you will (Phil. 1:5). What a joy on this Valentine’s Day to be reminded that God uses both men and women in ministry with a balance that one sex alone could never hope to embody.

Happy Valentine’s Day, then, to my precious wife Becky Lynn.

Ich lieb’ Dich sehr!

Sunday, February 13

7:15 PM Nowthis is a book review!

7:10 PM Readpart 2 of Becky’s excellent series on depression.

7:07 PM Death.

7:02 PM This morning brother Jason brought a wonderful message from Acts 27. In verse 15, I noticed this interesting expression: “we were carried along by the wind.” (The Greek has epherometha. The source verb is phero, meaning “bring, bear, carry.”) The writer Luke, in verse 14, tells us that it was not a mere gust of wind. It was a hurricane-force storm called a “Northeaster” (Euraquilo).

Now, what I found particularly interesting is that the very same verb (phero) is found in Heb. 6:1. And yet which translation of the Bible correctly portrays this image of being carried? (Butsee the ISV.) We are not told to “press on” to maturity. We are, rather, told to be “carried along” (Greek pherometha). The picture is that of a ship raising its sails, as it were, and being carried forward. Do we not need that today? Is there not a grave misunderstanding of God’s sanctifying work in us when we think we can attain it on our own? No, if it is to be done, God must do it, in and through us. And when I come to Him and confess my inability, it is His sovereign work to bear me up and carry me along. Yes, we need the power of God’s Holy Spirit like we need nothing else in this life.

One more thought. If the apostle Paul was the author of Hebrews (as one or two very obscurantist New Testament scholars believe), then is it not possible to see in the language of Heb. 6:1 an oblique reference to the wind that blew his ship along in Acts 27? I think so. Thus the remedy to our immaturity is not to “press on” in our own strength. It does not lie with us, but with the Spirit of God. He alone gives the power. It is, as Heb. 1:3 reminds us, Christ who “carries” (pheron) all things forward by His powerful Word.

Let us, then, allow ourselves to be carried along to maturity by the Spirit of God. And this we will do, if God permits (Heb. 6:3)! 

6:37 PM Recently the devil attacked my church in Bethel Hill, North Carolina. He used an Islamic radical to do so, and the attack was devastating. You did not know there were radical Islamists living in Bethel Hill, NC, did you? Actually, there aren’t any — as far as I know. But when Satan recently attacked one of our Christian brothers in Burji, Ethiopia, it was also an attack on Bethel Hill Baptist Church in the state of North Carolina. How many times do we refer to the persecution taking place “over there”? Yet there is only one Body of Christ. Suddenly I see persecution in a whole new light. When one part of the Body suffers, the entire Body suffers. As never before, we need to be willing to suffer with the persecuted church wherever that persecution might be happening at the moment. It is through co-suffering that we catch a glimpse of the catholicity of the church — one church throughout the world, in which our own local congregation has the privilege to a be a small part.

“All who want to live godly lives in union with Christ Jesus will suffer persecution,” says 2 Tim. 3:12. How dare we think we have a right to be an exception here in North America! It is only because of our faulty ecclesiology that we do not suffer when those in other nations do.

7:59 AM From Australia comes this question:

I read with interest that you had a lot of trouble in learning Greek in your first attempt. What kept you plugging away at it to learn and what did you find helped the most in your eventual learning of it?   

This was my reply:

There were two problems here — me and the institution.

First me. I was born and raised in Hawaii, where the public school was (at least when I attended high school) abominable. Thus when I entered college I had had no foreign language experience whatsoever. Added to this was my natural inclination toward laziness and mañana thinking. (Hey, you’d be lazy too if you grew up on a beach and surfed all the time!)  Hence the odds were stacked against me when I enrolled in my first college Greek course.

The institution helped little. My Greek professor’s philosophy of teaching went something like this: Weed out all of the slow learners and concentrate on those with an aptitude in foreign languages. Nothing was taught on my level — that level being rock bottom. Thus after only 3 weeks in the class I dropped out — and not only I but about half of the class. It was only by God’s sovereign grace that I discovered Moody Bible Institute’s correspondence course in New Testament Greek, which I was able to ace in just 4 months because it was taught on my level (“Greek for Dummies”).

I graduated from Biola in 1975 and a year later was hired to teach Greek there. 34 years later I am still in love with teaching this language. In the interim I have often wondered why it is so many “teachers” have not the foggiest idea of how to teach effectively. Here in the U.S. one must be certified and credentialed before one can teach in our high schools. Not so at the college or university level. A Ph.D. in your field of study is quite sufficient, thank you very much. When I was hired to teach Greek at Biola I also enrolled in two courses that changed my life: College Teaching Procedures, and Tests and Measurements. One thing I learned very quickly was that I could not assume that my students knew anything about language, even their own! Hence my method is to start from scratch, and always go from English into Greek (“This is how it works in English, and this is how it works in Greek”). I will do everything I can not to lose a single student in the course of the semester. If I do, I always consider myself at least a partial failure. Greek is logical, and when it is taught that way even the least capable student among us can learn it — even a boy from Kailua Beach on Oahu. 

7:21 AM What a wonderful thing, this concept of shared leadership. Whether it’s the 12 apostles, or the 7 servers in Acts 6, or the 5 prophets and teachers in Antioch, we see that Jesus never entrusted leadership to a single individual. Last week, in our Mark class, I intended to discuss this fact but forgot to. (In Mark 3, Jesus chooses the 12.) But it bears noting. In New Testament terms, pastoral ministry is always a shared ministry. Unity yet complementarity are the twin hallmarks of genuine leadership. The gift of the risen Christ to the church is a partnership of ministry. (Please read Eph. 4:11.) I admit that a pyramid model of leadership is more efficient. But we find nothing of the sort in the pages of our New Testaments. I hope you are part of a church that affirms corporate leadership. It will, I suppose, be a little like the church in Antioch (Acts 13), whose leaders were people of vastly different backgrounds and educational levels. Still, leadership was shared. There was no hierarchy of leadership. I so appreciate the leaders in my own church — how they work together, how they love and trust each other. What an eloquent testimony to the polychrome nature of the church! Once you have experienced it I dare say you will never go back to a dull, monochrome pattern. Very few Southern Baptist churches where I live take this teaching of Scripture seriously. Leadership is almost always exercised singly. This is both tragic and avoidable. How sad for one man to feel himself capable of leading a congregation! Team leadership is not only healthy for the leaders, it is much more fulfilling for the church. If this sounds extreme to you, perhaps you should reexamine the New Testament teaching on leadership. Shared leadership is the normal pattern. The New Testament everywhere abominates domination by one man. How worthwhile it is when we recognize that all are called to serve and that a number are called to lead!

Saturday, February 12

3:57 PM Looks like Ehrman’sat it again, but there’s nothing to fear, says James White. 

Just be ready to reply, “Ehrman? Why not cite the 150 year old German liberals who came up with this silliness long before he slapped a new coat of paint on it and retired to the Bahamas?”

Touché!

3:42 PM Catching up on noteworthy posts:

• Interestingstatistic: 3,500-4,000 churches close their doors each year.

• Check your knowledge of Frenchhere.

• Brian LePort reviewsThe Drama of Ephesians.

• The difference betweenmonologue and dialogue.

• They’ve foundNoah’s ark!

3:20 PM I see that Arthur Sido agrees with my views onthe Lord’s Supper. What I enjoyed most about hisblog post was his reference to a note in a certain Study Bible. The note, it seems, missed the point completely. It’s amazing to me how often we circumvent the clear emphasis of a text because our traditions have blurred our vision. The pettifogging nature of New Testament scholarship is sometimes heartbreaking! I think Jesus must have felt the same way with the enormous layer of rabbinic tradition He encountered, much of it pure legalism. Glancing at Matt. 5:16-48, we see how He rejects this tradition, reaffirms the simple teaching of the Old Testament, and then draws out its implications for daily life. “There is a teaching that says …, but I say to you….” Jesus hoists the traditionalists on their own petard!

To return to the Lord’s Supper. The description in Acts 20:7 applies to our churches. With marvelous succinctness Luke has shown us how the early church met to break bread. Their meal was no doubt anticipating the heavenly banquet, “the marriage supper of the Lamb,” as the book of Revelation puts it. The Last Supper had replaced the Passover forever! This is a marvelous description of the early church, and the one thing we take away is their focus on Jesus. Christ was the center of their worship. And it can happen again.

But the final word belongs toHoward Marshall:

The Lord’s Supper in the New Testament is a meal. The appropriate setting for the sacrament is a table, and the appropriate posture in our western culture is sitting. To describe the central piece of furniture as an altar is completely unjustified in terms of the New Testament understanding of the meal.

2:54 PM As everyone knows, this week I sent my students home with their first exam over the indicative mood. In giving exams I’ve found several guidelines to be helpful:

• Set the bar high. You don’t have to settle for sloppy, careless work — and neither do your students.

• Don’t expect students to necessarily be as concerned as you are with exactness and details. Why should they be? Their goal is not to become Greek teachers (this is a generalization) but to learn how to accurately use Greek in real-world ministry.

• Demand only attainable standards. The more common error here, as I have said, is to aim too low. We need to stretch our students. But always be reasonable.

• Be firm but positive. Always commend good work. A simply note that says “Great job!” can go a very long way.

• See yourself as an enabler. The goal is not the exam. It is training, both by precept and example, to be careful expositors of God’s Word.

• Finally, remember this: To demand excellence of our students is not chauvinistic or a sign of imperialism. We do it to ourselves. We are all accountable, both to God and to each other. The key to a fruitful relationship between student and teacher lies in the concept of shared stewardship. Each of us has a responsibility before God, and we must trust Him for enablement. After all, “without Him we can do nothing!”

I hope my teaching will help my students to be better prepared for the work to which God has called them. I hope above all that it will help them to live out the Good News that so captivated and transformed a band of 120 on the Day of Pentecost so long ago.

11:29 AM Gorgeous sunshiny day. Taking Becky out for a long country drive.

10:41 AM Curious as to what a fulltime missionary looks like? Then read the latest essay on our home page: On Being a Missionary.

10:33 AM Do you need to forgive someone today? Let these words of Michael Green be an encouragement to you (Matthew for Today, p. 176):

Naturally we may find it hard to forgive. Peter did. He wanted to know how few times he could forgive his brother (poor Andrew!). He suggested seven times, and must have felt he was offering the moon: the rabbis reckoned three times was enough! But Jesus’ reply will have shattered him. Not seven times but seventy times seven. It means go on and on and on forgiving. Not, of course, 490 times, but constantly. God’s pardon is like that. Ours must mirror it if we are in his family….

To say ‘I forgive you’ is not enough. It needs to be repeated whenever we feel the sense of grievance rising in us afresh.

Friday, February 11

7:58 PM Becky and I just got back from eating at our local Chinese restaurant. Her invitation. Always happy to accommodate!

5:38 PM I’m feeling really proud of myself today. This afternoon I changed the water filter in the downstairs crawlspace, all by myself. All I had to do was buy a special wrench from the plumbing store this morning. Our water once again flows freely. Victory!

But not all the news is good. A month or so ago our hot water had turned warm. So I checked the water heaters and the owner’s manuals, but to no avail. I read or saw nothing I could do. So naturally I called a plumber. After two minutes of labor — and a hefty $90.00 bill — we had hot water again. How was I to know that all I had to do was remove a cover plate and flip a reset button?

Pray for me. Seriously. I am the world’s greatest klutz when it comes to household repairs. But now that Nate has his own family to take care of it’s time for the good Greek prof to step up to the plate … or at least the reset button.

5:05 PM The news of Mubarak’s downfall reminds me of Christ’s standing orders for His church. We are to be committed, not to maintenance, but to mission. The Great Commission flows from the heart of a God who sees the nations as they truly are. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,” said the prophet about Christ’s first coming. And who can doubt that the darkness in Egypt is very great?

What will happen with a regime change there? No one knows. But one thing is certain: Periods of change and disequilibrium are always opportunities for the Gospel. Egypt must now be placed at the very top of the church’s agenda in the Middle East and North Africa. Not in terms of sending. But in terms of supporting the indigenous churches there. The world’s problems will not be solved by politics. Our Lord came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Of course, as Christians we can easily fall into the political rut, and a rut is only a grave with the ends dug out. Christian bloggers are thrilled that the repressive era of Hosni Mubarak now appears to be at an end. I fully sympathize with that feeling. But the heart of the matter is spiritual liberation, not human freedom. The Gospel always speaks to the fundamental issues of life. In today’s world, the hunger for freedom is all-consuming. But no political philosophy can address the deepest issues of life, or engage the root problem, like the living, loving person of Jesus, who broke the shackles of the grave.

I wonder if Egypt’s best days are ahead for it. They can be if Egyptian believers go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit and proclaim a message which, if received, leads to true revolution, the forgiveness of sins, and the creation of a new commonwealth whose sovereign is King of kings and Lord of lords. May we here in North America stand with them in prayer.

10:26 AM In case you wanted to see what aninternet community looks like….

10:24 AM This may well be thequote of the century:

Learning New Testament Greek is not just a tool for seeing new things in the text, it is a tool for beginning to see why many of the things you have been taught to see might actually be bad interpretations.

10:03 AM Isn’t the internet wonderful? I can now write references for my students who are applying to Ph.D. programs and do it all online.

9:57 AM Anybody out there feeling a little beat up today? Thank you, I see that hand. Here’s an encouraging word from Charles Spurgeon for us all:

All events are under the control of Providence; consequently all the trials of our outward life are traceable at once to the great First Cause. Out of the golden gate of God’s ordinance the armies of trial march forth in array, clad in their iron armour, and armed with weapons of war. All providences are doors to trial. Even our mercies, like roses, have their thorns. Men may be drowned in seas of prosperity as well as in rivers of affliction. Our mountains are not too high, and our valleys are not too low for temptations: trials lurk on all roads. Everywhere, above and beneath, we are beset and surrounded with dangers. Yet no shower falls unpermitted from the threatening cloud; every drop has its order ere it hastens to the earth. The trials which come from God are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and to add to their energy. Our Lord in his infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon his people’s faith that he will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened. You would never have possessed the precious faith which now supports you if the trial of your faith had not been like unto fire. You are a tree that never would have rooted so well if the wind had not rocked you to and fro, and made you take firm hold upon the precious truths of the covenant grace. Worldly ease is a great foe to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valour, and snaps the sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the cords are cut; affliction doth this sharp service for believing souls. While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk it is useless to man, it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known. Thus it is well that Jehovah trieth the righteous, for it causeth them to grow rich towards God.

9:44 AM Who said it?

The Lord’s Table should have been spread at least once a week for the assembly of Christians, and the promises declared in it should feed us spiritually.

Answer.

9:40 AM Nice essay here from Jody Neufeld:The “Ghost” of my Sin. Jody writes:

The bottom line is: we don’t like to have our own sin pointed out. Oh, we have plenty of ways of avoiding saying that straight out. The other person is overly critical, or controlling, or nagging, or just plain negative. Perhaps they’re proud, arrogant and judgmental. We’ll think or say just about anything to avoid simply admitting that they make us angry because they point out our sin.

9:30 AM Egypt’s Christians:Hopeful but nervous.

9:11 AM Another thought on yesterday’s post about Francis Schaeffer and the temporary nature of fame. The letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament is formally anonymous. (I say “formally” because the recipients of the letter surely knew who the author was.) Imagine that. Here is one of the most beautifully constructed documents ever written — a magnificent cathedral of truth, if you will, with beauty, symmetry, artistry, sublimity — and the author decided to remain anonymous. It’s almost as if he wanted to point our attention away from human authorship altogether and toward the letter’s divine Author. I submit to you that that took a great deal of humility — the kind of humility the author of Phil. 2:5-11 so exquisitelydescribes:

In God’s own form existed he,
     And shared with God equality,
          Deemed nothing needed grasping.
Instead, poured out in emptiness,
     A servant’s form did he possess,
          A mortal man becoming.
In human form he chose to be,
     And lived in all humility,
          Death on a cross obeying
Now lifted up by God to heaven,
     A name above all others given,
          This matchless name possessing.
And so, when Jesus’ name is called,
     The knees of everyone will fall,
          Where’er they are residing.
Then every tongue with one accord,
     Will say that Jesus Christ is Lord,
          While God the Father praising.

Thursday, February 10

2:55 PM Allan Bevere writes:

For Christians, modern political progressivism is not progress and modern political conservatism is not a guarding of our best traditions. And for Christians to identify themselves by such labels is not only to undermine the politics of God’s Kingdom, it is to embrace idolatry. In such a context no wonder doctrine becomes unimportant. When the world of Christendom sets the agenda, doctrine becomes nothing more than matters of personal preference, and morals are founded on the slippery and vacuous rantings of emotivism and not on Scripture informed by our deepest and most profound traditions. And when the connection between doctrine and ethics is lost the church is left with very little in the way of uniqueness with which to commend itself to those outside the walls of its edifices, which stand as crumbling monuments to its embrace of civil religion and a day now long past. And those who insist that doctrine matters are ridiculed as close-minded snobs as if God cares little about his people’s search for truth and much about their living a domesticated ethic which amounts to little more than being nice. The mainline Protestant project sows the seeds of its own demise.

This is a profound statement. Politics continues to co-opt the Gospel, and it will do so as long as we remain content with our “crumbling monuments.”

ReadUnited Methodists Have No Identity.

2:14 PM Here’s a sign of the times. When I mention Francis Schaeffer in my classes, a majority of the younger generation doesn’t seem to recognize the name. A generation ago almost everybody knew who he was. I myself had the opportunity to hear him when I lived in Switzerland. (In case you’re still wondering why Schaeffer is a significant figure in evangelicalism, gohere.)

My point is that life is ephemeral. I am currently incarcerated in a particular place in time and space. One day, when I pass off the scene, the memory of anything I’ve said or done will be forgotten.

What should we do about this?

I suppose a good starting point is to stop being so eager for fame and recognition. Our names are written in His Book, and that’s quite enough. Earth’s books grow mold (right,Brian?), and signatures fade, but the record of heaven belongs in a different category. We are all great autograph hunters in the here and now, seeking the inscription (even in our Bibles!) of friends and the famous. (I had to smile when I was once asked to sign my autograph in the fly leaf of someone’s Bible. I politely refused, adding, “I only sign books I’ve written.”) The only autograph that matters is God’s. What a perspective this lends to life. Jesus’ true servants care only about faithfulness, not popularity. Their greatest delight is to serve the Lord joyfully, even in complete obscurity if necessary. Francis Schaeffer was one such faithful servant of God. And today he sees his Master’s face clearly, no longer as in a glass darkly. I’m sure the good apologist’s forgotten status today means nothing to him!

1:15 PM Update: Becky’s Cyber Knife has been postponed until next Monday. The doctors wanted more time to fine tune the procedure. Thanks to all who were praying for today’s treatment!

8:40 AM Quote of the day (Katy Brown):

Readers really are leaders. Reading stretches the brain like nothing else. A good book is better than any movie. You’ve seen a movie and heard someone say, “The book is better.” Books have a way of pushing us. Kids have lost this in the fast-paced, thrilled culture. I love Facebook, but it can easily eat up hours of time. People don’t know how it feels to have to imagine anything anymore. Sometimes we need to have to be patient for the climax of a book or have to really think about the story line. I love movies and TV shows, but they just don’t require much brain power. Reading does. Lets get back to reading and thinking. It is worth it and is incredibly enjoyable!

ReadReaders Are Leaders.

8:28 AM My beginning Greek students were sent home this week with their first exam of the semester. We reviewed the entire indicative mood, and did so by reviewing verb morphology. It can hardly be accidental that language can be studied scientifically. When my bookLinguistics for Students of New Testament Greek emerged, in the 1980s, there was very little on the market that spoke enthusiastically about the contribution of linguistics to the study of Koine Greek.

Mercifully, in recent years a paradigm shift has occurred. Books on Greek linguistics are proliferating. That is an encouraging development. But we still have a very long way to go, I feel, before the average beginning student of Greek recognizes the benefits of morphology. I tell my students, most sincerely, that I cannot teach Greek any other way. No aspect of Greek linguistics is too menial or exacting if it can help us to understand the life-giving words of grace we find in Scripture.

8:22 AM Becky has begun a series of essays on the subject of depression. It’s over at the Bethel Hill website. For part one of her series, gohere. If you’ve ever struggled with depression (and who hasn’t?), you will want to give it a look.

8:08 AM We got a light dusting last night. Simply beauteous.

7:55 AM This week, in our exegesis of Mark class, I’m asking my students to readThe Jesus Paradigm. I do so for one simple reason: Jesus is the model for ministry. This fact is all the more relevant in a world (and often a church) that is increasingly uninfluenced by the example and teaching of Jesus. Mark 10:45 reminds us that, like our Master, we exist “not to be served, but to serve.” For many years I failed to exhibit the character of a servant. Or if I did exhibit it, I did it poorly. Isn’t it astonishing that one can master the biblical languages and yet fail to be devoted to selfless service to others? Hence the need to study the life of Jesus. We meet the same characteristics of service in Paul as we find in Jesus. He too was prepared for costly discipleship — for suffering and rejection. For Paul, the divine “call to ministry” lay simply in a life of obedience, witness, and perseverance. The whole gamut of ecclesiastical titles (“Reverend,” “Doctor”) he would have found reprehensible. By word and by deed Paul demonstrated that the supreme glory of the Christian is service to others. If only my students could get a grasp of this! If only they could see that it is by donning the apron of service that true leadership is exercised! I know of no reason why this should not happen. We have the infallible Scriptures as our guide and Jesus as our paradigm. It’s unfortunately so revolutionary a concept that it will take time to be assimilated.

In 2 weeks our class will read Scot McKnight’sThe Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others, a book that superbly shows how true servants of Christ are always to be judged: by their love.

I am not in the least advocating everything my friend Scot stands for. My concerns about the emerging church movement are well known on campus. What I am urging is that my students rediscover the centrality of the love command in the New Testament — and Scot’s book serves this end with single-minded focus. I do not propose to examine the topic of Christian service part from an exegetical study of the text of Mark’s Gospel. I simply want to stress the need for both, or rather, to point out that the former is always the consequence of the latter. It is no accident that I picked Mark to exegete this semester. The pattern Jesus set was the pattern of service. He was supremely the servant of God. That was His honor and glory. So it must be with us.  

Wednesday, February 9

6:59 PM Great news! Becky’s test results are in and all systems are GO for tomorrow’s radiation treatment. Things kick off at 12:30. Trusting God for the results.

6:48 PM Superb supper. Becky’s meat balls over noodles are awesome.

5:52 PM I suppose there are few aspects of Christianity that demand a more radical reappraisal than the purpose and function of the Lord’s Supper. The trouble is twofold: we are enslaved to tradition, and we fail to give Christ theplace of preeminence He requires of His church (Col. 1:18). For these reasons I was delighted to receive in the mail yesterday from B & H Academic a book calledThe Lord’s Supper.

Edited by Tom Schreiner and Matthew Crawford, it is a refreshing call to rethink this vitally important celebration. It’s not kosher to say it, but we Southern Baptists have not always been good about questioning our traditions (though perhaps we have done a better job thanEric Carpenter allows). Here, then, is a book that tries to apply scriptural models to the way we “do” the Lord’s Supper. More than once I have wished for such a book – and in my excitement I wrote an essay to encourage my readers to delve deeper into the controversy. If you’re at all interested in the topic, my essay is called The Lord’s Supper, Then and Now.

5:45 PM Odds and ends…

• Louisiana College announces an opening inChristian Studies.

• Josh Honeycutt discusses anemotional word. (Mark students, take note!)

• A Jesus-era house isuncovered in Nazareth.

• Practice your German by readingthis wonderful testimony.

• In a fascinating article published this week, Justin Raimondo reminds us whywe do not need a foreign policy.

• Paul reminds us of the importance of the Bible in 1 Tim. 4:13: “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture.” So here are some tips onreading Scripture aloud.

5:33 PM Arthur Sido jumps into the current conversation aboutexpository preaching. Perhaps he overstates his case, but it is certainly true, from where I sit, that many of us pew sitters are still utterly too passive in our attitude toward our responsibility to be involved in mutual edification. We must face the fact that there any many Christians who are content to merely follow the teaching of one man rather than involving themselves in learning (and teaching) biblical truth. It is often here that the influence of multiple teaching elders can be most valuable.

5:24 PM Enjoyed talking with several students today about doing doctoral studies. Not here, but overseas. One student of mine is looking into German universities, another into schools in the UK. One bit of advice if you are in the early stages of researching doctoral programs: Be sure to get to know everything your prospective major professor has written. Then, if at all possible, try to meet him or her personally (to make sure the chemistry is right). It helps if your professor attends the annual SBL meeting in the States. But if necessary you should consider a trip abroad.

Of course, I am not against anybody studying in our own doctoral program here at SEBTS. Quite the contrary! I presently supervise several doctoral students in a wide range of topics, including the book of Revelation, James, and 1 Peter, as well as research into Greek conjunctions and biblical ecclesiology. I am open to supervising doctoral students in any field relating to New Testament and am only an email away. Moreover, the field of New Testament is well represented here at SEBTS, with 7 fulltime members in the department with strong emphases in hermeneutics, discourse analysis, and Johannine studies, to name but three areas. To read more about our program, gohere.

Monday, February 7

8:10 PM Supper’s ready! We’re watching the suspense-thrillerDuel along with our meal. Hot date night!!

8:06 PM What I want to be when I grow up: “research professor of theology, ecology, and rural life.” Yes, that title actuallydoes exist. I would qualify, don’t you think?

7:50 PM I’m getting used to a new slang term being used these days in cyberspace: “peeps.” Meaning: “Positive end-expiratory pressure.”

You didn’t know that, did you?  

7:40 PM Just received word of more persecution in Ethiopia. What joy there is in suffering for Jesus! Have you not found it so? Jesus taught us that we should be willing to accept persecution because of righteousness (Matt 5:10). If we identify with Him, we will be persecuted. However, He assures us that those who identify with Him in suffering will receive a great reward in heaven. What a grand blessing.

Still today, Christ invites people to accept persecution for His sake. I thank God for those believers in Ethiopia who are willing to do so, and to do so joyfully!

5:59 PM John Newton once compared spiritual growth to an oak. An oak tree grows very slowly. “Many suns, showers, and frosts pass upon it before it comes to perfection.” Even in winter, when the tree seems to be dead, said Newton, “it is gathering strength at the root.” I love the simplicity and clarity of that analogy. Spiritual growth is often imperceptible, but every healthy Christian will grow.

So, what is your “growth quotient”? Or better, what is your “serving quotient”? For a mature Christian will always be a serving Christian.

5:46 PM Odds and ends…

• Becky’s test went well. Results forthcoming.

• Check outBy working like this by Alan Knox.

• The Sidos areadjusting to country living. (Boy does that bring back memories, Arthur!)

• Looking for some goodFrench resources?

• Baylor has an opening inChristian Theology/Church History.

• Tomorrow we’ll be in Mark 3 in our exegesis class. I had to smile when I saw a reference in the NET Bible to Mark’s “gratuitous redundancy.”

• Looking forward tonight to one of Becky’s greatest supper concoctions! (It’s a secret.)

7:12 AM Quote of the day (J. Gresham Machen):

The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God—the grace of God which depends not one whit upon anything that is in man, but is absolutely undeserved, resistless and sovereign. The theologians of the Church can be placed in an ascending scale according as they have grasped with less or greater clearness that one great central doctrine, that doctrine that gives consistency to all the rest; and Christian experience also depends for its depth and for its power upon the way in which that blessed.

We are all recipients of God’s grace. Now we are to become dispensers of it.

7:06 AM Doing missionsin your own backyard. 

6:55 AM Grateful for this email from Scotland:

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve been continually praying for Becky and your family. I’m praying specifically for her healing, but also that God’s grace and goodness will be evident to you in the days ahead. I’m so thankful for your willingness to share your personal hardships with others. You and Becky have been a great encouragement to me and have reminded me often that “our comfort is abundant through Christ” (2 Cor 1:5).

Update: We’re doing a pulmonary function test this morning at UNC to establish a baseline of Becky’s lung function. The first actual radiation treatment is scheduled for Thursday. 

Sunday, February 6

8:35 AM As you know, the Cyber Knife procedure is our last option, medically speaking. We also feel that it holds out the greatest potential for success of all the treatments we’ve tried so far. Yesterday Becky wrote in an email:

We had a really good 4-hour time at UNC Hospital yesterday. The long/short of it is that for the first time since my diagnosis, there seems to be some medical hope. Of course, the doctor can’t promise anything….no official studies have been done, but he has had several cases of metastatic cancer (colo-rectal & high-grade uterine) that have responded nicely to this Cyber Knife radiation, with long periods of erasure of the cancer.

For me, the lesson I’ve had to learn throughout our journey with cancer is to be completely dependent upon God. When hard times come, pray, pray, and keep on praying. The believers in Ethiopia have shown us the way. They have held all-night prayer meetings for “Mama Becky.” And they pray on bended knee.

This very Sunday there are literally thousands of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters praying for Becky, in churches large and small. They are a people that understand the power of prayer.

One day some men were touring Spurgeon’s famous Metropolitan Tabernacle. Several of them were engineers. The guide asked them, “Would you like to see the power plant?”

The men were led into a prayer room where 700 people were praying — and the man who led them was none other than C. H. Spurgeon. He understood prayer. He called prayer “our master weapon.”

Do you think this is an area the American church can grow in?

In Luke 18:1-14, Jesus teaches us to pray always and “not to faint” — that is, become weary. The word “always” does not mean all the time but at all times, whatever the circumstances, however adverse they may seem, and especially when we are in danger of “fainting.” God delights in our persistent prayers. “Because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she’ll stop wearing me out with her coming!” (Luke 18:5).

I know you have prayed for Becky Lynn. But today I’m asking you, imploring you even, to persist with me in prayer on her behalf. If I may be so bold as to say it, let’s wear God down with our prayers.

“Keep on asking,” Jesus said, “and it will be given you.”

I am convinced that this procedure has the potential of adding years to Becky’s life. Without it, we are probably talking about months.

Thank you so much for joining me at the throne. God’s will be done.

7:06 AM Bradford Hall was graced with the presence of Michael and Courtney Sexton last night as we gathered for food and conversation. Michael, an M.Div. student at SEBTS, is currently exploring Ph.D. programs.

At SBL in Atlanta he interviewed with Tom Wright, and since then he’s been exploring doctoral programs outside the U.S. So they had lots of questions for Becky and me and, of course, we were happy to share with them what our experiences in Basel were like. Studying overseas can be described in one word:

Awesome!

The reason is you get two educations for the price of one. Not only do you get to work with a professor whom you greatly admire, you learn what it’s like to live and work in a vastly different culture from your own. In some cases, you must even master speaking a foreign language — a great asset for anyone who wants to understand how Bible translation works.

Michael and Courtney, blessings on you as you seek God’s will for your lives. He is a Good Shepherd. He won’t push, but He’ll nudge you enough so that you will have no doubt as to where He wants you to study.

Saturday, February 5

3:30 PM Care to join Becky and me on our walk today?

The brooks were babbling…

The trees were barren…

The leaves formed a blanket for the ground…

The birds had their nests…

The pines awaiting thinning…

What beauty! What a Creator!

1:10 PM Henry Neufeld chimes in on the “interlinear controversy“!

(This is getting to be fun.)

12:55 PM Just parsed the 119 verb forms in Mark 3. Love this language!

12:14 PM This thought just occurred to me:

My favorite bloggers are not bloggers.

That is, my favorite bloggers are not known primarily for their blogging or for their activity in cyberspace. They are not living vicariously, peeking over others’ shoulders, bloviating and pontificating about anything and everything, but are teaching classes and publishing books and going places to serve King Jesus. Scot McKnight comes to mind. So does Ben Witherington. For them, blogging complements their ministry but does not define it. They would make good role models for the rest of us, I should think.

As for me, blogging is at best an enjoyable avocation. If it kept me from writing books or going abroad as a missionary, I would cease and desist in a heartbeat.

11:58 AM Two questions for my exegesis of Mark students in preparation for Tuesday’s class:

1) Does the compound verb sullupeomai in Mark 3:5 imply something stronger than lupeomai would? The ISV renders the text as “he was deeply hurt because of their hardness of heart.” Would “brokenhearted” or “deeply distressed” work better?

2) Does the compound verb diarpazo in 3:27 imply a more intense action than the simplex verb harpazo? Here the ISV has “ransacked.”

What do you think?  

11:40 AM Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, told an audience thatprayers for his wife are working. Praise God! Glad to hear it! All healing comes from Him!

11:20 AM This morning I referred to a past-time we call Civil War reenacting. It’s a very realistic hobby. Weapons are accurate reproductions, and the sights and sounds are awesome and loud. But it’s still make-believe — grown men “playing bang-bang.”

Not so the Christian life. Throughout His ministry Jesus made it very clear that following Him could be dangerous. Discipleship is not a picnic. Jesus calls men and women to tribulation. In 2 Tim. 2:3, Paul reminds us that as believers we are soldiers, and that we are not playing at war. He is saying that by following Jesus you may get hurt and killed. How easy it is to avoid the wider implications of this!

A couple of years ago a young Burji named James served as our translator when Jason Evans and I preached among the warlike Gujis in southern Ethiopia. James knew the risks, and so did we. But still he went. James’s martyrdom was a grim reminder to us all that following Jesus can be very dangerous business. Anything can happen.

Friend, the Christian life is not a reenactment. It’s the real deal. You had better not follow Jesus if you are afraid of the fight.  

11:05 AM If Paul and Silas could sing in jail, we who visit the hospital regularly owe it to everyone to sing our song. It is perhaps the only way most of them will ever hear the Gospel. Every sufferer ought to be a singing sufferer!

10:58 AM In the teaching world we often speak of “outcomes” when we write our syllabi. Here’s what I tell my Greek students: “By the end of the course you should be able to read your Greek New Testament with the use of a lexicon.” Now, many different roads can lead to this outcome. The most important is probably grammar; then comes vocabulary (which unlocks the door to rapid reading). But should students be discouraged from using other helps in their pursuit of this objective — interlinears, for example? Looks like one writer thinks so — that students should “burn their interlinears” (see Mark Stevens’review of Con Campbell’s book Keeping Your Greek.)

I respectfully disagree. It is a day of conformity. Individuality is being erased until we all are like eggs in a carton. It is amusing to me to hear people proscribing tools that get students into the text. There is freedom in Christ, and it is unrealistic to think that our graduates will always master the languages to the degree we want them to. I’ve quoted it before, but the words of an old preacher bear repeating:

Halitosis is better than no breath at all.

Isn’t that great?

Oh, if you need an interlinear recommendation, I’d suggest you acquireThe Zondervan Greek and English Interlinear New Testament — which, by the way, is published by the same company that puts out Campbell’s Keeping Your Greek (*wink*).

9:21 AM Alvin Reid reports from Kiev that the church in Ukraine faces the same problems we face here at home. He notes,

Thus the gospel must come today to a city like Kiev or a city like Raleigh. We cannot simply speak the gospel to people we hardly know and live insular lives separated from the world for which Christ died.  There is a great, missional tide sweeping across the hearts and lives of many who want to see a movement of God, and I pray I will be found riding that wave.

Amen! We cannot live insular lives, friends! This is also the message of Alan Knox in his recent postWhat surprises me… Thank you, gentlemen, for this reminder.

8:40 AM In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I thought I’d post my top ten Civil War sites.

10) Bentonville, NC. The Battle of Bentonville was fought March 19-21, 1865. It was the last major battle between Union General W. T. Sherman and Confederate General Joseph Johnston. It was also the first battle in North Carolina that I reenacted when we moved here 13 years ago. The Harper House, which served as a field hospital, still stands.

9) Sailor’s Creek, VA. On April 6, 1865, one fourth of the retreating Confederate army was cut off by Sheridan’s forces near the Lockett Farm southwest of Petersburg. Ten Confederate generals (including Richard S. Ewell) were captured that day. When Robert E. Lee saw the remnants of his army retreating, he exclaimed, “My God, has the army dissolved?”

8) Malvern Hill, VA. The Battle of Malvern Hill took place July 1, 1862, at the end of the Seven Days Battle that raged east of Richmond. Union General George McClellan’s troops were forced to withdraw to the James River, thus ending the bloody Peninsula Campaign.

7) Harper’s Ferry, VA. The war was a disaster for this small town, which changed hands 8 times between 1861 and 1865. John Brown’s raid took place here (and was put down by a Union Colonel named Robert E. Lee).

6) Shiloh, TN. The Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) was fought April 6-7, 1862. It was the bloodiest battle in American history up to that time. Union casualties numbered 13,047; Confederate casualties 10,699. The dead included the Confederate army’s commander, Albert Sidney Johnston. One can stand today on the actual site where he was mortally wounded. We reenacted this battle in Tennessee several years ago.

5) Appomattox, VA. The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was the final battle between Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Later that day, Lee surrendered to Grant. One of the greatest ironies of a war filled with ironies took place in Appomattox. The site selected for the surrender was the home of a man named Wilmer McLean. McLean had lived near Manassas Junction during the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), and had retired to Appomattox to “escape the war.” Or so he thought!

4) Andersonville, GA. Andersonville prison, officially known as Camp Sumter, served as a Confederate POW camp during the war. If you do visit Andersonville, be sure to see the National Prisoner of War Museum opened in 1998. It is a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Exhibits use photographs, displays, and video presentations to focus on the living conditions of American POWs in all periods.

3) Manassas, VA. The Battle of First Manassas (First Bull Run) was fought on July 21, 1861. Although a Confederate victory, both sides realized how unprepared they were for battle and that the war would take much longer and be much costlier than what they had originally anticipated. It was here that Thomas Jonathan Jackson was given the sobriquet “Stonewall.” The site remains largely untouched by monuments. Reenacting this historic battle was an unforgettable experience for me.

2) Gettysburg, PA. Fought July 1-3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg is often thought to be the “turning point” of the war. The two armies suffered between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties. If you visit the battlefield, be sure to walk the “deadly mile” from the Confederate Monument to the “Angle” on Cemetery Ridge. (I have done so 3 times.) It is difficult not to visualize the fierce musket and canister fire from Union General Hancock’s II Corps.

1) Sharpsburg, MD. This is by far my favorite Civil War site to visit. The Battle of Sharpsburg (also known as the Battle of Antietam) was fought on Sept. 17, 1862. It was the single bloodiest day of the war, with over 23,000 casualties. Although Federal General George McClellan failed to destroy Lee’s army, the Confederate invasion of the north came to an end. It was significant enough of a Union victory to allow President Lincoln to announce his Emancipation Proclamation, which discouraged the French and British from recognizing the Confederacy. Reenacting this battle was an eerie feeling for me because our unit was selected to “perish” in the famous Sunken Road (also called Bloody Lane). 

So, what are your favorite Civil War sites? Remember, you have to have visited these sites for them to count.

6:54 AM The British Bible commentator Matthew Henry was once robbed. After he was robbed, he prayed the following prayer:

God, I thank you that though I was robbed, he didn’t hurt me.

And God, I thank you that though I was robbed, all he took was my money.

And God, I thank you that though he took my money, it wasn’t very much.

And then he added this:

And God, I thank you that I was the one who was robbed and not the robber.

In the midst of our current health issues, Becky and I still have much to be thankful for:

Thus far Becky’s cancer has metastasized only to her lungs, and not to her liver or other organs.

Her tumors are mostly in her right lung rather than near her heart.

UNC has the Cyber Knife procedure — the only hospital in North Carolina that does. The machine alone costs $4,000,000.

The doctors and nurses have been fantastic.

God has blessed us with good health insurance.

I have a job to be able to pay for gas, meals, etc. while on the road.

I have students who are able, willing, and capable of covering for me should I have to miss class.

Becky is in good health otherwise.

God is using Becky’s testimony to encourage and bless many.

Praise be to God!

Friday, February 4

8:55 PM I am looking forward to dinner tomorrow night with greedy delight. Any meal prepared by Becky is a gourmand’s pleasure and a hungry man’s heaven. She is planning on cooking Raclettes, which is a delectable meal that we learned to love while living in Switzerland. It is a very simple concoction made up of sausage, cheese, and potatoes, the kind of meal a Swiss shepherd might have enjoyed along an Alpine slope on a winter’s day. Becky will add a garden salad to the mix. But beyond the food we’re looking forward to hosting two of my students from the seminary, a lovely couple who have been out to the farm on many a Student Day but will join us for the first time as our special dinner guests. Should be a delightful evening and a great topper to what has been a great week.

7:50 PM Quote of the day (Mark Stevens): 

It seems to me that the ‘project’ to make the church more professional, more slick,  more appealing and relevant, has failed (At least by gospel standards). While big churches get bigger and smaller churches get smaller are we seeing any discernable changes in the way Christian’s live their lives? Are we seeing Christians’ make the radical decisions to lay down their life and follow Jesus and become disciples of him? I am sure we are but the attrition rate is much more noticeable. The standards by which we judge the ‘success’ of Christian mission are not the same as those applied to bottom lines of fortune 500 companies. Big or small it does not matter. What matters is how we live as God’s people. How we live as disciples of Jesus.

Boy do my toes hurt. If only I could learn to live this way! If only I weren’t so self-centered and pleasure-minded! If only I took seriously Christ’s call to Lordship as I ought!

7:20 PM This came today:

Dear Dave,

I have just finished your book Christian Archy. I have been trying to improve a few Wikipedia articles and I have added a link to your book and some other authors you listed in Further Reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anarchism

Glad I could help 😉

7:12 PM We were driving to the hospital this morning on one of our country roads when suddenly a small bird flew under our car. Through my rear view mirror I could see it had been hit. As it fell to the ground, dead, I groaned audibly. Becky, who had witnessed what transpired, said to me quietly, “It wasn’t your fault, honey.” The scenario has played out in my mind all day long today. Death. Rarely foreseen. Yet inevitable. And determined by the Creator.

My days are numbered. So are Becky’s. Christ, after presenting His petition to the Father three times and submitting Himself to the will of God, told His disciples, “The hour has come” (Mark 14:41). Then He went forth confidently from the Garden to meet His betrayer.

Becky does not fear death. Our loving heavenly Father has absolute control over such matters. If that’s true when a tiny bird dies, how much more is it true when He calls one of His children home?

7:04 PM This morning Nathan told me he had closed our driveway gate. Seems someone’s bull had gotten out and was terrorizing the neighborhood farmers. Funny thing, everyone thought it was one of our bulls. Well, it ain’t. Our ornery bulls tend to end up in our freezer, if you know what I mean.

Anyhow, if you happen to be in Southside Virginia tomorrow, please do be careful. El Toro Loco is apparently still on the loose.

8:05 AM Becky’s latest essay is all aboutrelationships.

7:22 AM Chris Armstrong hath begotten an interesting list ofwords in the KJV that now have a different meaning. 

7:08 AM Servants are produced when we see ourselves as recipients of grace and realize that the toughest, lowest service should be received with humility and gratitude.

6:58 AM In less than 3 hours Becky and I will be leaving for Durham and then Chapel Hill, NC. We’ll make a couple of visitation calls at Duke Hospital before settling into the radiology department at UNC Hospital. It’s been 20 months since Becky was diagnosed with cancer, though sometimes it seems much longer than that. It’s gotten so that I can drive to UNC blindfolded. So today it’s just another “normal” day in our lives, the only difference being that Cyber Knife is a new experience for us. Please keep praying for Becky.

By the way, I’ve been reading a great book by Bruce Feiler calledWhere God Was Born: A Journey to the Roots of Religion. He’s referring, of course, to the Fertile Crescent. It’s strange to think that I’ve actually been in most of the countries he describes. The Los Angeles Times calls the book “smart and savvy.” I’d agree.

Thursday, February 3

9:12 PM Trivia time: Which state in the United States is both the southernmostand the widest from east to west? Its capital is also the largest city in the world.

For the answer, gohere.

8:41 PM This evening Becky and I finished watching the unforgettable film Sense and Sensibility starting Emma Thompson who, despite her outspoken atheism, is a marvelous — and humble — actress who “has said that she keeps both of her [Oscar] award statues in her downstairs bathroom, citing embarrassment at placing them in a more prominent place” (source).

8:24 PM Many thanks indeed to Andrew Rozalowsky for hisresponse to my query. I hope it prompts discussion at his site!

6:37 PM Delicious supper tonight by Becky. The meat came from a jar that said, “Venison, 2007.” Mmmm good.

2:26 PM One of my favorite moments from our trips to Ethiopia was speaking at the commencement service at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa in June of 2005.

Well, I’ve just been invited to write a charge to the graduates for this year’s commencement program. That doesn’t happen often, so I am both surprised and honored. What can you say to these young graduates in a few paragraphs that might have an impact on their lives and ministries? Right now I have no idea and will just have ask the Lord to show me what to say. In the meantime, as we think about these future leaders of the church (whether in Ethiopia or anywhere else), may we remember the ancient prayer, “O Lord, change the world. Begin, I pray, with me.”

1:16 PM Praying for my colleague and friend Alvin Reid as he travels to serve Jesus in Ukraine.

1:02 PM Quote of the day (David Guadrón):

Para muchos creyentes, Dios pierde Su poder… Piénsalo, para muchos, Dios fue grande en sus vidas y ahora no lo es más… Pero Dios no cambia. Él sigue siendo el mismo.

What a joy to know that God never loses his power because God never changes. 

(P.S. If you’re wondering who David Guadrón is, gohere.)

12:30 PM Care to join us in Ethiopia? In July, 2010 we took 23 people to Ethiopia, where we divided into 6 teams.  This video follows the Konso/Guji Team in Burji.

 

12:18 PM Arthur Sido has just published a lengthy essay calledA different take on separation. It is Arthur at his very best. He concludes:

Better that we should be a persecuted minority that stands for the truth and apart from the world than a willing accomplice to the cultural stupor we find ourselves in.

Here’s a prayer I have prayed many times and it’s always helped me: “Lord Jesus, please help to me bear a faithful witness for your exclusive Lordship right here in North America.”

11:38 AM Mark students: Have you noticed a pattern yet?

Jesus has been establishing His authority over that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Here’s what we’ve seen thus far. Jesus has authority:

• over nature (1:16-)

• over demons (1:21-28)

• over sickness (1:29-34)

• to preach (1:35-39)

• over defilement (1:40-45)

• to forgive sin (2:1-12)

• over men (2:13-17)

• over tradition (2:18-22)

• over the Sabbath (2:23-28)

The emphasis in each of these pericopes is the same: Jesus Has authority. Not only was He able to unfold the Scriptures in an understandable way, He avoided the platitudes and ingenious hair-splitting of the religious teachers of His day. People were amazed at His teaching. They quickly recognized that His doctrine was independent of the rabbinical forebears of Judaism. “A new teaching,” they said with open-mouthed astonishment, “with authority!”

Lesson:

What your favorite Bible teacher thinks is important (Piper, MacArthur, Driscoll, or whoever), but it isn’t nearly as important as what the Bible says. As brothers and sisters in Christ we are commanded to search the Scripturesfor ourselves and hold our own convictions (see 1 Cor. 14:5). Remember the Bereans? They didn’t care how famous Paul and Silas were (Acts 17:10-11). They were eager to see how their teaching squared with Scripture!

Do you point people to the authority of Scripture when you teach? Do I?

11:10 AM Near the top of my reading list for 2011:Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N. T. Wright. The book includes the papers from last year’s Wheaton Theology Conference. 

11:04 AM Yet another opening inBible,this time at Carey Theological College.

10:51 AM With Egypt in the news so much it’s easy to forget that Jesus once lived there. Matthew saw Israel’s sojourn in Egypt as a type of God’s future dealings with His people during New Testament times. “Out of Egypt I called My Son,” he wrote (quoting Hosea 11:1). Thus Joseph and Mary obeyed the command to flee into Egypt along with their young son. Egypt — land of the Bible!

Below: Egypt in happier times.

(P.S. Becky wishes everyone to observe carefully just who is leaning the farthest in this historic photo.)  

[UPDATE: No, Ben Durand, the answer is NOT Becky’s camel.]

10:42 AM Please continue to pray for the church in Alaba. As I type this update the case is before the courts. Pray especially for the church leaders. They are simply asking that the Ethiopian laws be enforced. In the midst of all of this we continue to believe that God is in control. Immanuel.

7:57 AM When Becky was growing up she used to play a little game called “20 Questions” with her family. Well, here are 10 questions and their answers….

1) How is Becky doing?

She is doing great, now that her treatments are over. The old saying is true: “If the cancer doesn’t get you, the chemo will.” Even the doctors are amazed at how much physical stamina Becky has these days despite how rapidly her lung tumors are growing.

2) What’s next for her?

As I mentioned yesterday, our final medical option is a procedure called Cyber Knife that tries to eradicate tumors with very high doses of radiation. Otherwise, we have finished with all chemo and radiation therapies. Her tumors are really not the result of lung cancer; she has metastatic uterine cancer, which makes her case a bit unique.

3) How is your Ethiopia ministry going?

Like gangbusters. We maintain constant contact with the churches in Burji and Alaba. We have recently sent money to assist the persecuted church there. We are still traveling and speaking about Ethiopia every chance we get. This ministry is still “fulltime” for us!

4) Will you be going back to Ethiopia soon?

Not this year. Instead, we are planning on sending a veteran-led team of 16 people this November to carry on the work.

5) Why the trip out west?

Becky and I have a deep desire to see people and places we came to know and love through the many years we lived in California. We are planning on leaving a day after graduation.

6) Do you still do Civil War reenacting?

It’s been a long time since we’ve reenacted. Let’s just say our priorities have shifted in the past couple of years. I do miss the living history aspects of the hobby, and especially being able to hold period worship services on Sunday mornings in camp. The reenacting community is a huge mission field.

7) What are you working on today?

Becky is finishing up sewing a duvet cover and then we hope to get some work done outdoors in her garden and fruit orchard.

8) Are you still riding horses? Not since I gave my last horse away to a homeschooling family.

9) Are you and Becky leaders in your church? No. We seek rather to be servants. I am not an elder (or even a deacon for that matter) but we seek to support the current leadership there in any way we can. Currently Becky is theBethel Hill webmaster and is doing a splendid job of it.

10) What is your 5-year plan?

To be obedient.

7:36 AM B & H has published a book on the Gospels that will prime your pump. It’s by Ward Powers and the title isThe Progressive Publication of Matthew.

After looking at a prepublication draft, I wrote the following blurb for the jacket:

The Progressive Publication of Matthew is a tour de force both in its scope and depth. No serious student of the synoptic Gospels can afford to ignore it.

I think you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Wednesday, February 2

6:40 PM Wow. Another great post by Allan Bevere. ReadThe Church Has an Edifice Complex.

6:35 PM Listened to this excellent sermon today;Die Verkündikung der Geburt Jesu. The message treats Jesus’ association with the city of Nazareth. “Gott kam in die Dunkelheit herein.”

6:31 PM In response to Andrew Rozalowsky’s post about thetranslation of 1 Cor. 16:13 in the ESV (which, by the way, happens to be a very popular version on campus these days), I might note that theISV renders these imperatives as follows:

Remain alert. Keep standing firm in your faith. Keep on being courageous and strong.

It is clear that we did not agree with the rendering “act like men” for the third imperative as we did not think the expression was gender specific. But do note that we also tried to bring out the force of the present tense of all four commands. Is this an over-translation? Are we reading too much into verbal aspect here? After all, I’m not aware of any other translation that does this.

(Andrew, I hope you don’t mind me posting a blog entry here on the topic rather than commenting on your blog. This is my way of hopefully alerting others to your post and sending my students your way.)

6:25 PM Received this query from Romania:

By the way brother Dave…i read on your blog about your wife, sister Becky that she had cancer. How is she now?

I replied:

She is doing fine. We are going to try a procedure called Cyber Knife this week and next to remove her lung tumors. The Lord knows if it will be effective. We do not worry and have no complaints at all. God has been extremely good to us through 34 years of marriage.

Have you read her essays on suffering? Here’s the link.

http://www.daveblackonline.com/our_cancer_journey.htm

God bless you my brother.

Dave Black

By the way, a website called the Comfort Café also posted a nicestory on Becky’s cancer.

6:17 PM There’s some good advice from Andy Bowden onhow to learn German. Andy is one of my Th.M. students and I can tell you, here is one man who is devoted to mastering the languages, both ancient and modern. I especially appreciated his final comment. Speaking of Andy, as a grad student he is participating inthis project over at Logos Bible Software. As they say, it’s a good way to get published while also contributing to the world of scholarship.

6:12 PM As an incurable dog lover, thisYou Tube was too good to pass up.

6:06 PM Unbelievable! I finally found someone who speaks faster than I do. At any rate, he does a pretty good job of explaining thedifference between “United Kingdom,” “Britain,” and “England.” Since my family comes from Wales, it’s not a bad idea to know how the Welsh fit into the picture.

6:00 PM Okay, Rod, here are the7 things you asked for:

• Pauline authorship of Hebrews (yep, you got that one right)

• Authenticity of Mark 16:9- (ditto)

• High value of Byzantine text type (though not its primacy, contra my colleague Maurice Robinson)

• Matthean priority

• Originality of eike in Matt. 5:22 (see my Novum Testamentum essay)

• Originality of epoiei in Mark 10:20 (see my New Testament Studies essay)

• Originality of ho on en to ourano in John 3:13 (see my Grace Theological Journal essay)

Do these suffice?

Sincerely,

Your friend, the Un-Blogger

P.S. I’m stealing your statistics onNew Testament participles to use in my Greek classes when we introduce the subject in 3 weeks.

5:54 PM Here’s a good essay on what is probably the mostdisputed problem passage in Mark.

5:48 PM The book Loving God by Charles Colson (Zondervan: 1987) contains the following fabulous excerpt about our tendency to organize everything we get our hands on (pp. 196-97):

It is the nature of man to organize. Probably since the Tower of Babel we have been setting up hierarchies, organizational flow charts, orders of authority, and all the other structural schemes dreamed up through the ages. The more advanced the civilization, the more refined the organizational schemes.

However, though structures are essential to hold society together, they are there to serve, not be served. The marvels of modern technology have produced a sophistication in systems and structures that encourages what Jacques Ellul, the French historian, calls “the political illusion,” the misguided belief that all problems can be solved by structures – namely, institutions. So for each new problem, a new institution is created.

Unfortunately this mentality has invaded the church, and we treat it as a structure (and just another one of many in society at that) dependent on charts and manuals and plans and computer print-outs.

But the true church is not held together by any structure man creates; it is not an organization. It is alive, its life breathed into it by a sovereign God. Its heart beats with God’s heart. It is one with Him and moves as His Spirit moves – where he chooses and often against the designs of man.

The life function of this living organism is to love the God who created it – to care for others out of obedience to Christ, to heal those who hurt, to take away fear, to restore community, to belong to one another, to proclaim the Good News.

5:22 PM Our study of Mark, thus far, has been utterly delectable. We have seen how Jesus left the comforts of His “home” in Capernaum (the house of Simon and Andrew) to travel among the villages of the region, preaching, teaching, and healing. As He put it, “Let’s go out to the nearby villages so that I can preach there also, because this is why I have come.” He added, “I must preach to the other towns also.” Christ recognized that He had a divine mission to preach the Gospel throughout all of Galilee, not just in the comfortable cities. He felt obligated to preach His message to the as-yet unreached peoples of the other parts of Galilee. This was not a mission He undertook Himself. It was a work to which He had been divinely appointed.

Whenever people ask Becky and me where we work in Ethiopia, our answer is always the same. “The Lord Jesus has appointed us to work in….” This appointment has been conferred upon us. We did not choose this work. I feel exactly the same way about the many other foreign nations in which I have traveled in recent years, some of them “closed” to the Gospel. This sense of divine appointment was absolutely essential to Jesus’ preaching ministry. And so it is today: It is the Lord Jesus Himself who opens doors of ministry – and sometimes closes them as well. Our only responsibility is to be obedient to His leading.

Tuesday, February 1

5:58 AM How a strictly literal translation of the Biblefails us. Thanks for the reminder, Andrew.

Note: In my exegesis of Mark class I do not permit my students to produce a literal translation of the text. Anybody can say, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” Much better, in my opinion, is “This is how the Good News about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, began.”

5:52 AM From chapter 5 of Paul, Apostle of Weakness (forthcoming):

Although it would be unjust to Paul, and to ourselves, to construct a systematic picture from such disparate material and then see the whole complex as determinative in any particular case, nevertheless certain patterns do emerge, not only in those passages where weakness is a comparatively prominent theme, as in portions of 1 and 2 Corinthians, but also in other less salient passages. Broadly conceived, the Pauline weakness motif is composed of three sub-themes: the anthropological, the christological, and the ethical. These are the three inseparably related components of Paul’s gospel as well, and understandably so, since the terms for weakness are used primarily to defend and to illuminate the apostle’s preaching.

The book should be out later this year, so der Herr will.

5:46 AM Check outthis photo of the Complutensian Polyglot. What a remarkable tribute to the typesetters of that day. In just three short years the world will be celebrating the printing of the first Greek New Testament in 1514 — a part of the Polyglot. The Rico Blog has anexcellent discussion of this Bible — a must read if you ask me.

5:41 AM I’m jazzed! This week we finish up the entire indicative mood in my beginning Greek classes. I love teaching students Greek. Even more, I love watching them learning to love this language. But best of all is watching them grow in their love for the Great Author and Subject of the New Testament. An old Scottish proverbs puts it well:

Greek, Hebrew, and Latin all have their proper, but it’s not at the head of the cross where Pilate put them, but at the foot of the cross in humble service to Christ.

Amen!

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April 2009 Blog Archives

Thursday, April 30

7:50 PM A little taste of home for Nate and Jess. I took these not 10 minutes ago. We miss you guys!

6:44 PM When I heard about the recent fiasco at the Miss USA Pageant, I thought, “How sad.” I was reminded of Simon Peter’s beauty secret (1 Pet. 3:3-4). Everybody loves beauty. But Peter is not referring to a beauty you can obtain at the beauty parlor. Miss America of 2009 will not be Miss America in 2010, to say nothing of 2050. Little wonder Peter wrote, “Wives must not let their beauty be something external. Beauty doesn’t come from hairstyles, gold jewels, or clothes. Rather, beauty is something internal that can’t be destroyed. Real beauty expresses itself in a gentle and quiet attitude that God considers precious.”

Man, ain’t the Bible goooood!

6:22 PM Luther once referred to “security” as the ultimate idol. We Christians are willing to exchange practically anything to stay in our own secure little worlds. We are like vulnerable baby goats —  and I’ve got plenty of them these days on the farm —  who seek security at their mamas’ side, or like Linus who is never without his blanket.

In the church, nowhere do we seek security more than in our funny little traditions. We fail to confront our deceits because we are too afraid of upsetting the apple cart. What —  don’t display the American flag? What —  don’t have a Christmas cantata? What —  let people other than deacons serve communion? Unthinkable! Many “successful” churches are large because they have surrendered so easily to popular expectations. By nature, we Christians are creatures of habit. Lacking appropriate knowledge of the Bible, we act merely out of fear of change. If my reading of Phil. 3 is correct, however, then we —  like Paul —  must be willing to readjust our notions of a “successful” ministry. Alan Knox has been doing just that lately, and his reflections may be found in an excellent blog post calledI use to believe … Now I believe. Isn’t it interesting that a person can change his mind in such a brief period of time? A mere 8 years ago Becky and I had a vastly different priority system than we do today. Our “security” blankets don’t mean as much to us as they used to —  though I shouldn’t let myself off the hook too easily. The fact is that I still find it uncomfortable to be confronted, not simply with the lies of my secular culture, but with the radical vision of the church that the New Testament depicts. How do I fit in —  in this strange new world of downward discipleship? Is it really necessary to go back to the Bible? How can I forget all the stuff I learned in seminary about church? But that is exactly what Jesus calls us to do. The first step is letting go of my security —  my things, my presuppositions, my need for self-preservation. Bearing the cross is the ultimate in dispossession and insecurity. As Barth famously wrote in his Church Dogmatics (4.3.2), the church “exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar … and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise.”

So Luther was right after all. If it is security we are after, then Christianity makes no sense whatsoever. The cross is not a sign of the church’s passive acquiescence to culture but rather the church’s revolutionary participation in a kingdom that transcends Christendom and whose main task is the formation of people who are willing to give up their security to pay the price of discipleship. People often hear the most logical arguments for Christianity without being greatly moved. But there is no answer to a life that has surrendered everything —  including “security” — in order to serve others.

12:55 PM On Sunday, Becky and I will be doing our last Alaba team training session at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in North Wilkesboro, NC, in preparation for their departure on May 23. (I will leave two days earlier.) What a joy to be working with Baptists who aren’t reactionary. They’re not fussing over minor issues. They have a philosophy of ministry that gives them profound freedom. And they are seeking in creative ways how to love their fellow believers and how to love the lost. God loves people! And the early Christians were filled with compassion for them. Our missionary teams are not people who show up every few years and give a report and then disappear. They are all home-grown members, accepted as “real people,” living among their congregations, taking off their masks (or having their masks stripped off). They are establishing networks of love and care between their churches in America and churches in Ethiopia. And when they come home their congregations will be waiting eagerly to hear their reports.

Why should local churches not plant local churches? Why should local congregations not send out their own missionaries? I truly believe that this method is not only more biblical but also more effective in the long run. There is built-in accountability, close friendships are established, and intimate needs can be met. Every local church ought to be strategizing how to get involved in world missions. So should every family. Evangelism — loving people to Jesus — calls for teamwork. And the best teams I know of are local churches that get into the business of living, helping, healing, and caring.

So my hat’s off to our intrepid Ethiopia team. I can’t wait to go to Alaba with you. Together — through work, through prayer, and maybe through tears — we must reach and reach and reach!

Note: the following pix are not for Interpol. We sent them ahead of our team so that the team members’ faces might be recognizable when they arrive in Alaba. I’ll have more on their individualized ministries later. These are some truly big-hearted Christians!

8:27 AM This morning I’ve driven off the freeway of life and pulled into the rest stop.

Why? Because I’m on the edge of exhaustion — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I’ve joined Elijah under the juniper tree. (See my initials next to his?) My zeal has all but dissipated. I am frustrated that my goals are not being accomplished. I’m struggling with sinus headaches.

What to do?

BE HONEST: With myself, with others, and with God. He knows my body. He knows I’m worn out. He knows my spirit. He knows I’m discouraged. He also knows my future. He knows it is still good.

BE REALISTIC: I’m very passionate about what I do. I have high goals and standards. I feel I need to make a contribution to my worlds — family, church, school, missionary calling. I have a felt need to pour my life into others. This makes me vulnerable. Vulnerable to exhaustion, weariness, loss of passion, fatigue.

BE PROACTIVE: I need to stop ignoring the Rest Principle. I need to recover my scattered energies. I need to give myself — and others — grace. I need to let my soul catch up with my body. I need to allow the Word to renew my inner force. I need to stop making a god of self.

BE TRANSPARENT: I know, I’m wearing my fatigue like an oversized coat today. But I’m not ashamed to ask my friends for their prayers. Bonhoeffer once wrote, “A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another.”

Dear Lord,

Today I have shared honestly with my readers. If there are any vessels out there floundering on a stormy sea, use my words to nudge them to the Haven of Rest, just as you have done for me today. You know the worth of our weeping. Your economy of suffering does us more good than any faddish manmade “solutions.” Discipline us by the productivity of unproductiveness. Help us to submit to the discipline of Bible study and the dependency of prayer. Above all, thank you for your promise that you will complete what you have begun.

I pray this in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen

Wednesday, April 29

8:27 PM Becky recently sent out an important email: 

Just got an email from Ethiopia…the _______ Mission is willing to go the 17 hour trip to Burji to evaluate our clinic well!!!  And while they are there, they will evaluate putting wells at other church locations!!!!

PLEASE, please, Please!!!  Pray for God to give us grace in their eyes.  They are going down this week, so the next 7-10 days are critical.  Not only do we need them to be willing to do it, but we need the Lord to provide the financial means to do it!  He is able to all things according to His will….and it is exciting to watch Him do it!!!!

Rejoicing beyond words!

Please pray with us for a well in Burji. The need for water —  both physical and living —  in southern Ethiopia is very real. Thank you. Dave

Monday, April 27

9:56 PM What a great evening. Our prayer time for Ethiopia was splendid. Then Becky got a 100 on her quiz. It doesn’t get much better than this folks.

4:14 PM The high today was a perfect 83 degrees. My job du jour was rotary-tilling Becky’s garden and mowing the backyard.

Here is my exercise machine, home gym, and weight trainer all rolled into one. It really gives you a good workout.

Tomorrow Becky is planting corn and maters. The electric wire is to keep the predators — er, doggies — out of the garden.

Right now I’m resting and Becky is studying Greek. What a life….

10:05 AM Fred Sanders has just penned a delightful little essay calledKarl Barth Sinks With The Titanic. It’s about a sermon the young Barth preached to his congregation in Safenwil and which he later regretted for its liberalism. Make sure to catch the paragraph beginning “Looking back on those early days….”

Barth may have rued ever preaching this sermon, but I for one find at least one phenomenal statement in it:

God will not be mocked. He certainly intends us to work and to achieve something in the world. But he does not intend us to act as though we were done with working, and could now go fooling around.

Too many evangelical denominations today are simply “fooling around” when there’s a lost world to be reached with the precious Good News of the Gospel. One of Barth’s contemporaries, Emil Brunner, put it this way (The Word and World, p. 108): “Where there is no mission, there is no Church, and where there is neither Church nor mission, there is no faith.” Many of us today have forgotten that God’s basic call is a call to mission. Our main purpose as the church is a redemptive one. We are called to pursue the Great Commission, to make disciples of the nations, to build Christ’s kingdom worldwide. What happens on Sunday morning is only the beginning of what it means to be Christ’s Body.

The convention of churches which I have the privilege of serving desperately needs a Great Commission Resurgence. There is no doubt about that. It is by God’s unmerited favor, and by the atoning death of Christ on our behalf, that we are saved, delivered from divine judgment, and made partakers of a heavenly calling. But God did not pay such a price merely to shine us up a bit. It is sadly possible to enjoy saving grace in uncompromising orthodoxy without much serving grace in obeying the Lord Jesus. The church needs to learn how to walk as He walked who took the form of a lowly servant in order to “seek and to save that which was lost.” One sure mark of genuine revival is that it sets the people of God to sharing the Good News relentlessly and relationally. What showers of blessing can fall if we would only obey our Lord’s command to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.

For many years now missions has been my heartbeat —  more than my scholarship, more than my books, more than my personal comfort. Saving grace is serving grace. Our Lord Jesus came to set the world on fire. We need to rekindle the evangelistic flame of God in our marriages, our homes, our churches, and our denominations. We must confess and cooperate with God by throwing out the stuff that is displeasing to Him and recommitting ourselves to a Gospel- and kingdom-driven lifestyle. I am not big on resolutions and manifestos. But this one, I believe, deserves our support. It certainly has mine. If ever there was a day needing a Great Commission Resurgence among God’s people, surely it is today.

9:16 AM I enjoyed Billy Wheeler’s ode toBrian the Sheltie. The Arabian has always been my favorite breed of horse, and the Shetland Sheep Dog will always be my favorite dog breed. Is my partiality showing yet? 

9:06 AM Becky and I had lunch with Jon and Matthea Glass yesterday. Jon has one of the most interesting and inspiring blogs out there. Take a look attoday’s entry and you’ll see why I said so.

9:01 AM Heard from Nate and Jess last night at 11:30. They’ve arrived safely. Small things are good.

Sunday, April 26

6:25 PM Program note: Join us tomorrow night at Bethel Hill Baptist Church at 5:30 for a light supper and a prayer time for Ethiopia just before our Greek class begins. Of all of the many weaknesses that I have, prayerlessness is perhaps the greatest. A blessing beyond calculation can result from one single prayer offered in sincerity and humility!

5:55 PM Heard today: “Dave, you were tweeting before there was Twitter.”

5:25 PM Becky gave a dy-no-mite presentation today at Cresset. I also spoke briefly. “Filter every aspect of your life through the Great Commission” was our message. Take a look at your pocketbook and your calendar to see if you have biblical priorities. I think every one of us who is involved in missions today can look back and remember the day in our lives when God created a world-sized love in our hearts. Our single purpose in life should be to extend the kingdom of God in every nook and cranny of this planet. Please don’t mistake what I’m talking about for the new look in “doing church.” You can be as up-to-date as the latest fad in church planting and still not be outward looking as a church. Our goal is to reconstruct the church from the ground up so that we are no longer building our own little kingdoms (ministries and churches) but the Lord’s kingdom. If only the church in America could realize that we spend a disproportionate amount of money on buildings and staffing. By God’s grace let’s reset our priorities and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ with love, boldness, and humility wherever we go!

Switching gears, we ran across Nate and Jess about 3 miles from the farm just as they were leaving for Maryland. We could have missed them altogether but God wanted to give us one last chance to say goodbye. Believe me, a week apart is a very long time for us. Becky and I are praying that God grants them a wonderful, safe, and relaxing trip. Lord knows how much work they do when they are on the farm.

By the way, if you prayed for us this morning, we really felt it. Thanks! Here are a couple of pix for your enjoyment:

7:38 AM Barn Report, Day 3.

We got a very late start yesterday, but it was for a very good reason. People come from all over the Triangle to buy Nathan’s antique lumber, and yesterday he made a very good sale of flooring. It was 2:00 pm before got to work. We were assisted by Rachael Woodworth and William Warren from the seminary.

William worked in construction in his home state of Mississippi and was a great asset to us (especially to me!). The ladies worked on sorting and folding Becky’s fabrics. She plans to do lots of sewing for the grandkids.

Us guys spent most of the afternoon cutting down pine poles and rafters.

We managed to finish framing in most of the structure as the day drew to a close.

And so ends our work on the barn for a while. Nate and Jess are going out of town today for a visit to her parents’ home. Obviously, when the boss man is away, the workers go on vacation too. Watch out, Nate. We might be unionized by the time you get back.

Miss Rachael and William, thank you for spending your afternoon with us. We enjoyed your fellowship, not to mention your peach cobbler, Rachael!

Saturday, April 25

1:10 PM Right now we’re taking a hiatus from working on the barn. Nate’s selling some lumber to a guy from Fuquay-Varina. So I’m going back over the draft of my book. May I be honest with you? The more interest you show in the Jesus paradigm, the more Jesus expects of you. That’s what I’m discovering these days. By writing this book I have placed myself in big trouble. Jesus has infinite patience with mere beginners. But when someone claims he can explain to others THE “Jesus paradigm” — such audacity deservesa dressing down. James wrote, “Teaching is not for everybody. If you tell others how they should think and act, you’d better be prepared for a much harsher judgment.” That worries me. Cynically I take heart from Jesus’ original disciples. Perhaps it’s unfair of me, but I am encouraged to see how often they had trouble adjusting their pre-conceived notions about Jesus, and they were His closest followers. So I keep on searching for Jesus. I’m not only finding Him. I’m finding a new way of looking at myself. Frankly, very often I don’t like what I see.

I conclude my book with these words:

That is why it is dangerous for you to read this book. The more we know about the kingdom, the greater our obligation to live for it. We are not called to be Americans. We are not called to be Baptists. We are not called to be Republicans or Democrats. We are called to be foot-washers. If you feel like you are a failure in this regard, join the club. But don’t despair. Jesus is quick to notice every simple effort to please Him. And we please Him most when we make sacrificial service in His name the core, not the caboose, of our lives.

As Jesus’ disciples discovered many years ago, I am discovering that you pay a high price to follow Jesus. This is not a very comfortable position to be in. But I’d rather be nowhere else in life.

Back to work….

8:20 AM Today work on the barn continues. We’re expecting a high of 92.

7:40 AM Wow! Jessie’slatest post is a blessing. What a precious daughter God has given Bec and me.

7:28 AM Please pray for Becky and me. Becky is preparing a talk on Ethiopia she’ll be giving tomorrow at Cresset Baptist Church in Durham. We are very excited. Jon Glass, who went with us to Ethiopia last year and had a fabulous ministry of teaching and mentoring, is now serving there. Becky and I are now poised to take 2 teams with us to Ethiopia in less than 4 weeks. I truly believe that God is up to some big things in Africa. And it’s always exciting to visit with new churches who have expressed an interest in Ethiopia. I find myself wanting to explode with enthusiasm whenever I have the opportunity to share about God’s glory in that part of the world. But here’s the kicker. God already knows the churches and individuals He wants us to partner with. And, in His sovereignty, the pool of participants just seems to keep growing. There is nothing more urgent in life than making disciples of the nations. Nothing. I love the Gospel. Maybe it’s because I’ve been on the receiving end of God’s grace so often. I truly believe in my heart of hearts that God desires to see every local church radically sold out to the cause of world evangelization. But it starts one church at a time. Involvement may or may not mean supporting the work of God in Ethiopia. But all I can say is that God opened a door so wide for Becky and me in Ethiopia that it would have meant disobedience had we decided not to walk through it. What door of missions opportunity has God opened for you? Go through it with gusto!

Friday, April 24

7:40 PM Barn Report, Day 2.

Yesterday we cut the floor joists and pine posts. This morning our first task was setting the joists. Here’s how far we got before we ran out of joists.

So it was back to the forest to cut down more pine trees.

About this time who should show up but some much needed reinforcements. All pitched in eagerly.

What a joy to watch Caleb and Isaac work as a team to accomplish what neither could do by himself.

Neither of them could wait to pound nails.

Must be in their DNA.

By lunch time we had completed laying the floor joists. Not bad for a morning’s work. Back at the Hall, the ladies had fixed us a great lunch.

We ate on the back porch along with the puppies, one of whom is getting the tummy rub of her life here.

On the way out I noticed that Becky had finished sewing Jessie’s new dresses. Beautiful, aren’t they?

We spent the afternoon raising the framing.

At break time, the ladies brought us some delicious ice-cold lemonade. Micah’s job was to see that everybody got a cup. “Thank you, Micah.”

After that we put up wall studs and wall braces, which required that we stop by our other hay barn for our tall ladder.

Our salvaged lumber will provide us everything we need for the flooring and bracing. We plan to use salvaged tin both on the roof and the sides of the barn.

Our goal today was to have the barn framed in. Here are we applying the finishing touches at around 6:00 pm.

Thus came to an end day 2 of our project. Tomorrow we hope to add the rafters and begin laying the flooring. We had lots of good help today. I want to thank Caleb, Isaac, and Micah for their assistance.

Caleb, you did a great job of photographing Papa B and Uncle Nathan. Thanks a bunch. I see you also took a self-portrait. Looks great. I love you!

Thursday, April 23

6:38 PM Today Nate and I started work on our new barn. Just for the fun of it, I thought I’d publish a photo diary of our work. If this isn’t your cup of tea, I understand completely. But the rest of you will, I think, enjoy watching our progress, slow though it may be. Remember, Nathan’s assistant is the world’s klutziest klutz.

The spot we selected for the hay barn is next to our old tobacco barn and across from the goat barn Nate and I built several years ago. It sits astride one of our gravel driveways for easy access. Beside the barn we will add a small shed for equipment.

Here Nate is limbing the trees that overhang the barn site. We’re still not sure what the roof pitch will be, but we’re playing it safe.

Our next job was to clear the area of whatever small tree growth we thought might be in our way.

Here are our floor sills. Each is a 30 foot cedar we cut and limbed weeks ago in preparation for this project. Believe me, they are not light.

Then it was off to the lumber barn to see if there was any salvaged lumber we could use for rafters. In the end we decided against using our salvaged wood. We will just cut down pine rafters as soon as we reach that stage of the project.

The next step was to lay the corner stone and then align our floor sills. Did I mention that this barn will have a floor to protect our hay from damp rot?

Here you see the final floor plan. Length is 30 feet, width a mere 17.

So where to get our floor joists? From one of our pine forests, of course.

Nate’s job was to saw and limb the joists, while I disposed of the limbs.

After several hours of work, we badly needed a break. We lay supine for about 10 minutes before loading the pine joists into our trailer. Sure felt good.

In the meantime the goats figured they’d take advantage of the sudden silence to saunter over and begin chomping on the delicious pine needles.

As the day drew to a close, we hauled our joists to the construction site, where tomorrow we plan to lay the floor and begin the framing.

8:53 AM It’s good to be back on the farm. Today I’m helping Nathan and Jessie spread manure, working on a book manuscript, and beginning construction on a new hay shed. It is all work and it is all ministry. Some of this work is beyond what comes naturally to me. There is much growth and grace in that. I find writing more congenial to my personality than pounding nails. I am more delighted to be a facilitator than a leader. It is more natural for me to execute than to plan. Like you, I am sometimes put into positions I did not chose and for which I am not naturally suited. I have more than a little empathy for the student who finds Greek drudgery. Some students clearly have more language aptitude than others. But if I am a serious Christian, I cannot do only what comes easily to me. I don’t enjoy traveling. By that I mean I don’t enjoy cramped airplanes and long lines at airports. But I still accept many invitations that require air travel because, like Paul, I use travel to serve the kingdom.

What’s your work today? Any drudgery involved? Who knows —  you may accidentally discover that you are co-yoked with Someone who will turn your drudgery into joy.

Wednesday, April 22

9:50 PM Becky bakes bread….

Nathan helps himself….

Puppies wait for crumbs….

Didn’t Jesus once use this as an illustration?

8:28 PM Speaking ofThe Jesus Paradigm, my publisher has just posted a notice at his blog abouthow you can receive a free prepublication copy of my book for review. I hope many of you will take advantage of this generous offer. 

8:10 PM Inspired by Tuesday’s commissioning service of our student missionaries (you can listen to IMB President Jerry Rankin’s outstanding addresshere), I’ve been toying with the idea of adding a section called “Afterwords” to myforthcoming book on discipleship. Here’s a draft:

Afterwords

A New Paradigm for Theological Education?

As I have said, in the last few years God has been working on my priority system. You see, rather than seeking status or privilege my goal now is to make as many disciples of Jesus as possible before I go to heaven. Notice I said disciples and not simply converts. When I was in college, I “went witnessing” every Saturday during my freshman year. I guess I was pretty good at it too. But then the Holy Spirit began to show me from the Word that Jesus wanted lifelong followers, not mere hangers-on who from time to time hit the piñata of heaven for goodies. I still shared my faith, but not so much “on the run” any more. I began going down to Watts (South-Central LA) on a regular basis and just hanging with the dudes there, playing pickup basketball and trying to presence God’s love among these tough and hurting kids. Can God use cold-turkey evangelism? Yes. But today I much prefer relationship building, even though it takes more time and effort.

This does not mean that I’m not involved in writing and scholarship any more. I am doing more writing than ever. But my idea of theological education has also changed in the past few years. In this book I have argued that the seminary exists to serve the world, not only the church. Instead of being oriented primarily toward pastoral care of congregations, theological education must refocus on training men and women to be the people of God serving the world. I recall reading the story of the founding of one of America’s largest and best known evangelical seminaries. The founder’s purpose in starting the school was to establish a training center for evangelicals who would preach the Gospel in every corner of North America. Through the years, however, the seminary moved further and further toward a knowledge-based paradigm and toward becoming a school for professional ministry. This also happened to many other evangelical institutions of higher education. Most seminaries today are knowledge-based and classroom-dependent. The professional paradigm drives their curriculum. Ministry has become detached from God’s mission in the world.

This is one reason I want to see biblical education returned to the local church as much as possible. In-ministry formation is, I believe, the best means of producing servants who can lead the church. The focus would not be on profession or licensure or ordination or degrees but on shaping leader-catalysts who are committed to mobilizing a whole army of evangelicals to be on mission in the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. Leaders would see their role as mobilizing the people of God for sacrificial ministry to the nations, including their own. The local congregation would again become the locus of training, wherein natural leaders are recognized by the church for their giftedness. These leaders, in turn, would guide the church into the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers not only in regard to ministry and mission but equally in regard to the interpretation of Scripture. Whatever programs are developed would be seen not as preparation for ministry but as opportunities to enhance the ministry that is already taking place. The goal would no longer be to enlarge church membership but to train people who are committed to God’s mission in the world. Congregations would become not only the primary training center for ministry but the primary sending agency for their missionaries. To be a Jesus-follower would no longer mean “going to church.” It would mean confessing and living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord of the whole of life. It would mean working together as the people of God with other denominations in proclaiming the Good News to all the peoples of the earth.

Undoubtedly, this would entail a radical paradigm shift in our thinking about theological education. Christian action in the world would become our primary focus. We would no longer major on the minors. The professional paradigm would be replaced by a renewed emphasis on in-ministry training of all believers. Congregations would begin recognizing leaders who were called and formed in their midst rather than simply hiring employees with degrees in divinity. Pastoral servant-leaders would become equippers of God’s people for works of service.

Most important of all, the evangelization of the world would no longer be considered optional but recognized as the reason the church and the seminary exist.

This is just a first draft of what will probably turn out to be a much longer addendum. But it does try to encapsulate my thinking about why theological education needs to be missions oriented. I’m so glad and humbled to be a part of a seminary that strives to be a Great Commission seminary. And I’m so proud of my students who were commissioned on Tuesday to go to the four corners of the earth. Pray with me that God will use them in great ways to advance Jesus’ awesome kingdom on earth.

Monday, April 20

5:31 PM Quick update:

1) The Modest Boutique is now the exclusive distributor ofThe Myth of Adolescence. Price: $18.95. Of course, you can always pay $50.00 atEBay if you prefer.

2) Becky’s studying Greek hard, so yours truly is cooking supper tonight. No, it is not Chinese food!

3) I’m already receiving first pages from my efficientpublisher. Boy, is this fast. By the way, I very much like what I see.

2:02 PM Just had two more baby goats. Current total: 15. 

12:58 PM Ten years after Columbine: the effect on two pastors. I can’t even begin to imagine how enormously difficult their counseling situations must have been, all because of the human condition called sin. How do you rebuild trust in a community shattered by death? What a conundrum. All I can say is, God bless these two men and all those affected by the tragedy.

12:45 PM Why “conservative” protests against big government are not mycup of tea.

12:40 PM A week ago Becky and I attended a beautiful Easter Sunrise service in Person County, NC. But when I was growing up in Hawaii our sunrise services were held at Kailua Beach Park. This was the beach where I was baptized in 1960. This would have been a typical scene early on Easter Sunday morning:

I still think there is no more beautiful sight on earth than an ocean sunrise. At these events I would often be asked to play a trumpet solo, and the song I usually picked was “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Yesterday the Ethiopian Orthodox Churchcelebrated its Easter, called “Fasika” in Amharic. But the fact is that every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday, and every day we can live in the power of the risen Christ. A constant awareness of the presence of Jesus in our lives is both possible and desirable. It is the ideal. It is the biblical norm. It is what God intends. It is the confident privilege God wants us to experience not just one day a year but each and every day of our lives.

11:24 AM It’s so neat watching our little goats. Though only a week old, they’ve already become quite independent of their mamas (except at feeding time). They’ve begun to form little clubs. Each is Mr. Joe Confident. Just my opinion, but no farm is complete without a herd of goats.

10:19 AM Once again I’m reminded of the potentialpower of the Internet to do kingdom work:

Up until about two years ago, he said most people found his church as a result of being invited by family or friends. Now, most people find his church through its Web site.

Becky is having more fun with the revamped Bethel Hill site. Honestly, I can’t wait to read her updates. 

9:45 AM Bethel Hill Greek students, don’t forget that we’re still having class tonight, despite the awful weather. Come to think of it, thegloomy weather might actually help you do  better on your quiz.

9:31 AM The New York Times comes through again, this time publishing revelations for all to see but to which most will still be blind: Interrogation Memos Detail Harsh Tactics by the C.I.A. As was to be expected, Justin Raimondogot right on it. Who would have guessed that our own lawmakers would have been behind such nefariousness? As Raimondo states (with ample hyper-linking):

The Bush administration took this exceptionalist principle to unprecedented lengths, yet it is incorrect toclaim, as the Obamaites are doing, that this administration is abjuring torture. CIA chief Leon Panetta hastestified that they will not rule out “renditioning” prisoners to countries where torture is routine. So instead of torturing our own prisoners, we’re going to farm it out tooverseas contractors – behavior that would normally be considered ignoble in the extreme, except when engaged in by the U.S. government.

America is driving down a dangerous road, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be turning back any time soon.

9:20 AM In the first 3 months of 2009 there were56 soldier suicides. Last week in Roxboro a 21-year old young lady hung herself in her boyfriend’s backyard. It seems that every week our community has its share of crises. God’s love and power are so awesome. That makes it all the harder when things don’t go the way we think they should. I wish everyone could hear pastor Jason’s message yesterday from Psalm 42-43 on how to handle depression. There was an anointing on the service that was unique. Larry Crabb once said that in every human heart are deep pockets of incurable pain. I don’t find anywhere in the Bible that God is obligated to make our lives easy. I work with people who have been deeply impacted by evil. That’s right. Seminary students are no more immune to spiritual abuse than the rest of us. Maybe you have tried to live out your Christian life and have failed. Maybe today you are where many of us have been in the past: in despair. I challenge you: Go to a friend who will listen to your heartache. Go to God. Go to His Word. He is good and worthy of us to entrust our lives to Him — again and again. Please don’t give up.

8:55 AM In 1972, German theologian Hans Küng published a book that asked a simple question:Why Priests? A Proposal for a New Church Ministry. He attempted to detail the catastrophic emergency (as he called it) in Christendom. The root, he said, was a polarity between the office of pastors/priests (who form the “above”) and the members of the congregation (who form the “below”). He pointed to the rediscovery and use of the total membership of a congregation as a necessary remedy. His call for a return to the New Testament concept of the church, not as a highly organized and professionalized institution but as a ministry of all believers serving Christ in every walk of life, fell largely on deaf ears.

 

Today, no local church can afford to go on with the business-as-usual attitude as it faces its God-assigned task to minister effectively to the people of our modern times. A recent blog post that encapsulates the situation and asks the right questions, boldly and hopefully, is Alan Knox’sMutuality: Dangerous, Acceptable, or Necessary. No church, and no church member, remains unaffected by the spirit of professionalism. The Body of Christ needs dedicated men and women who desire deeply to get beyond mere nominalism to active discipleship, and in this way recover the dynamic power of the early Christians as described in the book of Acts. The malady is not a minor illness. And, as Alan notes, it is not restricted to one or two denominations. Renewal must come not only from the bottom up but also from the top down. The church is not just a place for solace but for service, and that by every member.

I hope you will take a minute and read Alan’s post. Better yet, why not read, study, and meditate upon Eph. 4:11-16? For a refreshingly provocative translation of this key passage, gohere. 

8:10 AM The latest addition to our home page is called Our Family on the Hill.

Sunday, April 19

8:25 PM Yesterday morning Becky asked me to go to Food Lion to get some ice for our Student Day. On the way there I was listening to Weekend Edition on NPR. Scott Simon was interviewing the author of some book (I forget both the author and the book), and in that interview I heard something so profound I just had to share it with you. The author said, “To the wealthy a book is an ornament. To the poor a book is a weapon.” By that he meant that the poor often use books to escape from their circumstances, a medicine to help them make it through a desperate situation. There’s a lot of truth in that. At present I am fairly comfortably situated, but my growing up years in Hawaii were spent in a broken home and poverty. Often our evening meal consisted of leftovers from the local public school. During those restless years, reading became an escape for me, an outlet for my vitalized mental condition. Conjure up, if you can, the absurd spectacle of a young surfer spending his evenings being transported by the Hardy Boys from Kailua Beach to the pine forests of Maine and Vermont.

Those memories of my verdant years will always be with me, and even today I enjoy the pleasures of being a book worm whose delightful occupation it is to read anything he can get his grubby hands on. It scratches my heart to think of all the children who escape from desperate situations via the codex. Truly, to the poor the book is a weapon.

8:03 PM As the rain begins to fall, another wonderful day draws to a close. Earlier our good friend and fellow missionary to Ethiopia Mary Jacobs and the fine ladies at Bethel Hill put on quite a baby shower for Nate, Jessie, and ???. Nathan was his charming and witty self (as usual), but Lady Jessica, radiating with maternal glory, stole the show. They got gobs of nice gifts, but I think they would be the first to say that the fellowship was the main event today. The beauty of their relationship is a testimonial to God and their own wise choices in life. It never ceases to amaze me  — absolutely amaze me —  how such a young couple can have developed an ability to discern wheat from chaff, to recognize and appreciate true values, and to know what is worthwhile in life. For most couples it generally takes a lot longer to achieve such spiritual tranquility and perspective, and many never achieve it at all.

Becky and I discussed Jessie’s baby as we drove to church this morning. Our best guess is that he is currently about 4 pounds. I thought back 26 years ago, to that day when Nathan came 6 weeks early. I brought him home from the hospital at a whopping 4 pounds, 9 ounces. All the more reason to rejoice and be thankful that Jessie’s pregnancy seems to be progressing normally.

My thanks to Miss Mary and the entire Bethel Hill church for making my son and daughter feel so welcome today. 

8:52 AM From the Preface tomy new book:

I draw great courage from the fact that a new generation of Christians is awakening to Jesus’ call to a sacrificial lifestyle. I have begun to witness a major paradigm shift from cultural Christianity to radical discipleship. It appears that God is raising up a group of Jesus-followers who understand that regardless of what we believe on secondary and tertiary issues, evangelicals need to start acting like Christians if we are to build the kingdom of God among every people of the world. There seems to be a growing realization that every member of Christ’s Body needs to be involved in kingdom work, not just paid professionals. This will not happen unless we face our own materialism and even laziness, unless we deliberately choose to live more simply so that others may simply live.

7:55 AM Joe Staub reviews myWhy Four Gospels? I don’t know Joe, but I appreciate the thoroughness of his review. While you’re at his site, why not also check out his review ofEhrman and Bauckham?

Saturday, April 18

10:15 PM What an awesome day! When J. B. Phillips translated the New Testament into modern English, he said he felt like an electrician wiring on old house with the mains left on. As I spend time with my students and their families, sometimes I feel as if I am touching God’s household of faith “with the mains left on.” They are already “attempting great things for God.” What an incredible privilege to be their teacher! 

If you missed our Student Day, here are a “few” (wink, wink) pix for your enjoyment. Talk to you tomorrow.

Friday, April 17

11:46 PM Well, as you can see, our website is almost back to normal. Yesterday it went completely bottom up when my ISP changed servers and yours truly failed to re-upload Front Page. Thankfully, one of my former students came riding to the rescue on his white horse (that is, his cell phone). I’ve only a got a few more pix to upload and then I think we’ll be okay. Thanks a million, Jerry, for all your help.

Thanks also to all of you who wrote asking, “What in the world happened to your blog?” You know, it’s amazing to me that anyone would care. I think I’d write this blog even if no one read it. One day it will make entertaining reading for my grandchildren when they get good and bored one evening.

This has been a challenging week in more ways than one. Yesterday one of our mama goats went into a very distressed labor, and Nate, Jess, and I worked on her for a good hour before she delivered her baby. The latter, I’m sorry to say, was stillborn, and the mama died last evening. It stunned me to be reminded that motherhood can be just that costly.

Today Becky and I worked our aching bodies till – as they say in these parts – we couldn’t work no more! I don’t care much for the aches and pains, but I do like the idea of a bunch of people coming up to the farm tomorrow and the fellowship we’ll enjoy. I’m not teaching this Sunday, so I’m planning on just gelling and hanging all day Saturday with my students and their families. Just think: On our next Student Day there’ll be a little Nate (or a little Jessie) crawling around with all the other babies.

As if to assuage our sorrow from the loss of our goats, yesterday the Lord sent us a letter from the sweetest lady, whom Becky and I met while speaking at a country church last month. Her handwritten letter was accompanied by a money gram for $10.00, designated for Ethiopia – a sum that represented a large chunk, I’m sure, of her monthly income. Letters like that, and gifts like that, are hard to deal with without getting emotional. What does Jesus look like? I’m sure a lot like this dear saint who is hoping and praying that her investment in the kingdom will come to fruition.

By the way, the orders for our DVDs are beginning to come in hot and heavy. Got two more today. I’ve learned the hard way: unless you review, review, and then review some more, you’ll quickly lose the grammar you once worked so hard to acquire. God speed to all of you who are embarking on the study (or review) of Greek.

There’s so much good, God stuff going on it’s hard to keep it to oneself. May your joy be as full as ours!

Thursday, April 16

11:32 AM I just spent a few minutes browsing the website of the artist who painted the cover art we are using in my new book. His name isGregory Eanes. He’s done some really interesting work, including several pencil drawings, something I myself have dabbled in from time to time. Care to play theCan You Name the Face game?

10:35 AM Some good reads:

1)Better Prayer Meetings and Prayer Groups.

2)Homeland Security.

3)The Progression of a Christian is Downward.

4)Dissertation Complete! (If you know Matt, send him a shout out.)

9:30 AM I want to congratulate my friend Elgin Hushbeck on the release of his latest book,Preserving Democracy. Much to reflect on. Elgin took Greek from me at Simon Greenleaf University many years ago and has since begun an apologetics and writing ministry. I hope his new book gets a wide reading. I think it deserves it.

9:18 AM The weather forecast is calling for sunshine and temps in the mid-70s for Saturday’s Student Day. Students, if you missed the sign up sheet in class this week it’s still not too late to register. Just send me an email and let me know. In the meantime, let’s all be faithful to share the Good News with those God puts in our pathway.

Wednesday, April 15

8:18 PM Alan Huffman, author ofSultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, and the Worst Maritime Disaster in American History, was interviewed on the Diane Rehm show today. Even though I am an avid Civil War reenactor, I was unaware until today about the Sultana disaster on the Mississippi River in 1865. (You can get the details about the tragedy atHistory Net.)

Mr. Huffman made a profound statement during the interview. He said that survival is a process and not an achievement. The Union soldiers aboard the Sultana could have considered themselves “survivors” because they had lived through the horrors of Andersonville, or because they had survived a train wreck on their way to the Mississippi. Little did they know that they would soon face another disaster, one that would claim the lives of hundreds of them aboard the ill-fated steamboat. I have discovered that trouble is a constant reality in this world. I have survived a good many personal tragedies in my life, just as you have in yours. But survival is a process, precisely because we never know when the next storm will arise. Jesus once talked about superficial Christians who hear the Word and receive it with joy, but when trouble comes, when they read the price tag of real discipleship, they fall away. It is then that Christ meets us in our hopelessness and helplessness, if we will but trust Him! The Good News of the Gospel is that not only are we saved from the sins of the past but provision is made for the here and now.

Friend, what are you “surviving” today? Well did Spurgeon say a fish might fret about enough water in the sea before a child of God need be bothered about the sufficiency of God’s grace. Without such hope we would be nothing but shorn Samsons in a treadmill. But with it we are more than conquerors!

5:58 PM Henry Neufeld, owner ofEnergion Publications, has written an insightful blog post calledStuck on Silent Saturday? If you’ve ever lost a child, you need to read this essay. Powerful.

5:47 PM Elton Trueblood, in his magisterial bookThe Incendiary Fellowship, used the term player-coach to describe the ministry of the professional pastor. Many pastors I know of yearn to fulfill their calling as an equipper (trainer-coach) of the congregation. Sometimes the problem is that the congregation itself gets in the way because of their misconception of the role of a pastor. They fail to understand that the call to salvation and the call to the ministry are one and the same. God is calling His people – all of us – to be ministers through whom He may work His work of redemption in the world. Ministry is not to be the sole responsibility of the “clergy.” This is a revolutionary concept for many church-goers. They do not believe it and they certainly do not practice it. “That’s the pastor’s job,” they say. “If he can’t do it, let’s hire someone who can.” The congregation itself remains a vast untapped source of manpower.

A radical departure from the traditional understanding of the role of pastors is desperately needed today. That’s the message of Lionel Wood’s essayReleasing the Dove: Equipping Then Entrusting. It’s also a theme that finds a very prominent place in mynew book. We need to redefine what “success” looks like in our churches, and rethinking the role of the “laity” might be a good place to start.

5:34 PM It’s been great to see how many of my students were traveling during Easter Break sharing the love of God, fromMexico toNicaragua. Thank you, men and women, for once again showing that you are serious about reaching the world relentlessly and relationally for Jesus!

5:24 PM I recently heard about a revival that broke out in Florida not too long ago. It happened in a different denomination than my own. It was a reminder of the absolute sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. It also raised some important questions. Would I accept revival if it started in some other church or denomination than mine? Would I say “Amen” if God started an awakening on the other side of the world and in some other country than “Christian America”?

5:16 PM In Greek class this week we looked at a phenomenal passage: Phil. 3:12-16. I like how theCotton Patch Version renders it:

I don’t claim that I have already arrived or that I am as yet fully mature. But I keep on struggling, trying to catch on to why Christ Jesus caught hold of me. Brothers, I don’t think I’ve caught on even yet, but with this one thing in mind, forgetting everything that lies behind and concentrating on what lies ahead, I push on with all I’ve got toward the prize of God’s invitation to the high road in Christ Jesus. So then, let all of us who are mature set our minds on this. Even if you should see things somewhat differently, this too will God make clear to you. Let’s just live up to the progress we have already made.

Wow! Paul chose a goal that is completely unattainable in its entirety yet that allows no place for complacency. Paul says he wants to know Christ – the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. What a great goal! And what a satisfying pursuit, even though we will never reach it completely down here. The truth is that I can know Jesus better and better every day, I can experience increasingly the power of His resurrection, I can enter more and more into the fellowship of His sufferings. I can never settle down in lukewarm contentment or Laodicean comfort. And I must never become so occupied with lesser goals that I lose sight of the main attainment.

Paul is not “reaching for the moon.” Knowing Jesus is not a will-o-the-wisp, forever dancing ahead of us just out of reach. It is the greatest of all objectives. Paul is “off and running,” and so am I!  

5:03 PM One of the best ways to learn a modern foreign language is by listening to native speakers.This website has hundreds of audio files in German you can listen to. It’s one of the ways I try to maintain my fluency in the language. See if it doesn’t help you.

Monday, April 13

3:45 PM It’s amazing that we just keep having more and more baby goats. As of two hours ago we’re up to 13. Sheva had her twins then. Becky and I watched as her little ones found their mama’s milk for the first time. Oh the marvels of instinct!

And how are the others doing, you rightly ask? Quite well, thank you. Can the lavishly gracious hand of God be seen any more clearly than in the miracle of birth? I am very grateful.

Incidentally, Nate and Jess have “officially” placed their kittens up for adoption. One has already been spoken for. If you’re interested in any of the others, let us know.

1:50 PM As you can see from our home page, our Greek DVDs are finally available. I am incredibly grateful to Becky for all the hard work she did to make this a reality, from arranging the videographers in Addis, to working with our editor in Dallas, and finally in having the DVDs copied in New York. For more information on the series and how you can order the DVDs, go here.

Needless to say, I am stoked!

9:13 AM Two more goaties were born yesterday. Current total: 11. Mamas and kids doing fine.

Oh, Little Miss is going to have kittens. Seems like Rosewood Farm is downright serious about having babies.

9:03 AM A lesson fromIke?

8:45 AM Any time ablog post starts out, “I examine how macro-structure analysis (specifically some of the tools of discourse analysis) can help the biblical theologian determine themes and categories in Scripture,” you know you’re in trouble. You say, “That’s way over my head!” Truth is, you need to know these kinds of things if you are to be a faithful exegete of God’s Word.

I agree with Alan that discourse analysis is an indispensable tool in reading Scripture. A sample:

It seems problematic to approach biblical theology without a methodical approach to determine the “central themes” (that is, each contributor choosing a theme based upon their own “individual interests”) and without a common methodology to examine these themes.

No easy answers here, but some great questions are posed.

8:28 AM Bethel Hill Greek students, we will meet again tonight at 7:00 for our “Greek for Dummies” class. You’ve had two weeks to learn about the imperfect and aorist tenses. If you are still confused about anything, don’t worry. We’ll begin tonight’s class by fielding any and all questions you may have, will parse any verbs you are uncertain about, and will generally allow you a few moments to moan and groan before taking the quiz. Don’t forget to study your vocabulary both ways, as there will be 8 extra credit points on the quiz (English to Greek). So I’ll see you this evening. We’re expecting lots of rain tonight, so please drive carefully.

7:54 AM I was delighted to notice the conspicuous absence of an American flag in the sanctuary of a church I spoke in recently. There are many ways of melding the Gospel with lesser loyalties other than devoutly flying the Star-Spangled Banner, but perhaps none is more obvious. I hope my new book will lead to a challenging dialog on what it means to be a Christian in a post-Christian environment. The cross should be the definitive identification of Christianity against which all others should be measured. In calling for a more radical Christianity, I am simply calling for the church to go back to her roots as an alternative community committed to the downward path of Jesus.

My book, of course, is simply the by-product of a much larger movement of the Spirit within the churches that is calling into question our loyalties. It challenges the legitimacy of such movements as the home-school movement and the age-integration movement and the eldership movement or any other movement that makes the Gospel conform to the preferences and priorities of any segment of evangelicalism. It argues that baptism signifies a radical and decisive break with our previous loyalties and priorities, as brother Joel reminded us yesterday morning at our sunrise service at the lake.

When he read 1 Pet. 1 and Phil. 3, I was reminded that the Christian life is essentially staurocentric (cross-centered), making the priorities, practices, and affections of Jesus our one and only guide. By being born again, Christians are by definition not what they used to be. Baptism, as the despised Anabaptists used to say, is a doorway into a Christian community that lives as an “alien” body in the larger social environment. This new community, this new Realm in which Jesus alone reigns, is relentlessness transdenominational. Its sole loyalty is to the Way of Christ and His kingdom. If the church is to remain credible in the years ahead it must take the Jesus paradigm more seriously than it has in the past. Ever since the church and the world were fused under Constantine this has become more difficult to do. Yet Jesus calls His followers to be radical. The Gospel frees us from our captivity to our political, economic, and cultural bondage. It liberates us from all the lesser loyalties we hold so dear. It frees us from the curse of merely “playing Christianity” (Kierkegaard).

That is the message of Easter.

Sunday, April 12

3:28 PM A few thoughts on the writing and reading of books:

1) The books I write are getting shorter and shorter. “Less is more” is becoming more of a reality and less of an old truism for me. Your don’t need to know everything about a subject to understand it. In fact, innumerable facts are often a detriment to understanding. Above all, I try to avoid writing in such a way that might imply that thinking on the part of the reader is unnecessary.

2) I want my readers to become active participants in my book’s ideas. Some will read for information. “What does Dave think about this or that?” Others will read more for their own personal understanding of the subject, with the hope that something they read will shine some light on the facts they already know. Some of us are so guilty of abecedarian ignorance that we have to start with the simple ABCs. Our goal is simply information. Eventually, I hope we can read books preeminently for the sake of understanding.

3) Each chapter in my latest book opens with a quote or two that contains pivotal ideas as to the argument of that chapter. Every chapter also concludes with a brief summary of what is new or important in that chapter. Hopefully this will give my readers a sense of the basic pulse beat of the subject matter. Chapter 1, for example, opens with this quote by Gordon Cosby:

Part of the scandal of the gospel is that when you meet the abandoned, crucified Messiah, he grabs you and you belong to him. Wherever you are in privilege and power and status and opportunity, you start down until you are powerless, except for his power; you go down until you find yourself with the riffraff. The evangelists I listened to in my youth didn’t make that clear. But the evangelists in the New Testament make that devastatingly clear.

Have I whetted your appetite?

4) Whenever I read a new book I always read it through from beginning to end in one sitting and without pondering the things I don’t understand. I find I have a much better chance of understanding a book on second reading after I’ve already gained a bird’s-eye-view of its contents.

5) As for speed of reading, my golden rule is a simple one. I read a book no more quickly than I can read it with satisfaction and comprehension. I can generally skim a book on my first reading. This gives me some idea of its form and structure. I am thus prepared to read it well the second time around. I can always tell whether a book is a “good” book. A good book is one that is always over my head in some sense. It forces me to think, to stretch, and to pull myself up to its level.

6) As for marking in books, I do so religiously. My pen is my best friend in reading a new book. Whether underlining major points or placing an asterisk in the margin or circling key words and phrases, I try to read consciously and interactively.

7) Book titles are, or should be, attention-grabbers. They should tell us immediately what kind of a book we’re reading. Originally my latest book was called The Downward Path of Jesus. Later, in consultation with my publisher, we decided to change it to The Jesus Paradigm. This title gives essential information about the book but (hopefully) also raises a question in the reader’s mind: “Just what is this ‘paradigm’ Dave is talking about?” The answer to that question, of course, is to be found in the chapter headings. My new title has a further goal, however. It implies that my concern in writing is not merely theoretical. A paradigm implies that there is a right way of doing something, one that is better than another as an end to be sought or a means to be chosen. I don’t want to say simply what “is.” My goal is that things would be better in the Body of Christ as a result.

8) My new book, like most works of non-fiction, is chronotopical. It deals with things as they exist or occur in a particular time and place (hence the term “chronotopical,” from the Greek words for time and place). My book is the product of my own personal history. It traces how my thinking has evolved since I first began teaching in 1976. It is this revolutionary understanding of the Christian life (“revolutionary” to me, at least) that organizes the book into a whole. I try to explain all this in the book’s preface, naturally. The problem is that most readers pay as little attention to an author’s preface as they ordinarily do to the acknowledgements page. So I have tried to write in a way that exhibits unity, clarity, and coherence. Whenever possible I have told the reader what the questions are and the answers that are the fruits of my own study. But the reader must not expect me to do the job all by myself. He or she must meet me halfway. My goal is a “meeting of the minds,” a reciprocal benefit that depends of the willingness of both reader and writer to work together.

9) Finally, the heart of my new book lies in the major affirmations and denials I am making, and the reasons I give for so doing. You may or may not agree with all of my propositions, but I hope you will not miss their meaning. I think I’m simply verbalizing what we all know to be true, though I might perhaps state things in an unconventional way. “2 + 2 = 4” and “4 – 2 = 2” are different notations for the same arithmetic relationship — the relationship of 4 as double of 2, or 2 as half of 4. The same conclusion is forced upon us regardless of the proposition being made.

In the end, the best readers are the most critical. They make up their own minds on the matters the author has discussed. I invite you to read my latest book and engage me in these issues!

Saturday, April 11

6:37 PM Becky and I just enjoyed a wonderful meal at the local Chinese restaurant. Right now she’s canning chicken soup. She’s also been studying her Greek for Monday night’s class. Go Becky! I’ve been picking away at various chores around the house. Right now I’m going to sit down and enjoy one of my escape books. Let’s see, Major Calnan’s just about to be recaptured near Merseburg….

Oh, I want to mention again how much I have appreciated theTheological German website. Anything to help my doctoral students to master this difficult language is welcome. When you consider that thinking itself is nothing but sub-oral speech —  one must use words to speak at all —  you will appreciate the enormous importance of being able to read and pronounce German correctly. This is more than philological gymnastics. I think of the man who said to Paul, “Do you know Greek?” Every language we learn affects us. Each has the potential to open enormous doors of understanding and service. Unfortunately, many students fail to gain even the most rudimentary ability in German. I am a fundamentalist when it comes to modern languages. If you don’t learn to speak them well, then you may as well forget the whole thing.

12:35 PM On this day in 1945 the German concentration camp atBuchenwald was liberated.

Among those saved by the Americans was Elie Wiesel, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. If you haven’t read his book entitledNight, you simply must get a copy. It is a stark reminder that structural evil is just as devilish as personal evil. Structural evil has been described as three bored, silent people passing the buck. It is at the very heart of totalitarianism. We stand awestruck that such evil could have been tolerated for so long.

Wiesel’s utter loss of faith in God contrasts sharply with the experience ofCorrie ten Boom, another Holocaust survivor.

Both stories are a reminder of how our daily existence becomes a fabric of transition, an intricate interplay of all our psychological and interpersonal realities. I often ask myself whether I would have responded as Wiesel did, seeing only endless night, or with the spiritual vision of ten Boom, who discovered that “the light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness was not able to put it out” (John 1:5). That ten Boom learned to live triumphantly and joyously in the midst of raw evil will forever be considered a miracle in my mind. “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still,” she wrote, rising victoriously from the ashes of Hitler’s Germany. Remember that, my friend: “No pit!” Christ was, is, and forever will be the solution to the problem of evil.

10:35 AM Bec and I just returned from a walk through our pastures, checking out our goat herd along the way. We’re now up to 9 babies, though that statistic seems to be changing hourly. Here’s the guy responsible for all these goatlets. He’s living up to his name: Tarzan.

Little Miss is the curious kitten, as are we all. Interestingly, mama goat will let Cat get near her babies but not Dog.

The two latest additions to our herd:

Snowball finally had her twins (her brown baby is asleep next to the tree). Snowball will always be my favorite goat. Her mama died at childbirth and I bottle fed her for two months in my kitchen.

 

Just took my shoes off. I see Dayda has been stealing my socks again. That rascal. “Zer vill be no shtock shtealink! Tventy days cooler!”

Folks, I know what you’re thinking. “Dave’s gone nuts. If he’s this bad with pictures of his goats, what will happen when his grandbaby comes along?” Just wait and see!

8:32 AM Top Ten reasons to attend next Saturday’s Student Day here at Rosewood Farm:

10) The weather will be perfect.

9) You need to get out of Wake Forest.

8) It’s only an hour and 15 minutes away.

7) I won’t be lecturing.

6) There are no scheduled activities.

5) You’ll meet the sweetest Shelties.

4) Your kids can butt heads with ours.

3) I may challenge you to a game of Greek Scrabble.

2) You can see how HUGE Jessica is.

1) You get to spend time with Becky!

The farm will be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with lunch at 12:00 noon. So cancel all surgeries! Postpone all nervous breakdowns! Come one, come all!

8:17 AM The latest update at theBethel Hill blog will bless and challenge you. It certainly did me. I think question #6 is the one I struggle with the most.

8:09 AM Did you know that Energion Publishers is onTwitter? Why not send them a tweet?

8:02 AM It’s happening faster than we’d thought, but Europe is withdrawing from its involvement in deadly Middle Eastern wars. So writes Pat Buchanan in his latest:Why Europe Won’t Fight.

7:55 AM At the Washington Times, Doug Bandow finds not “laissez faire” but government aid to be the main culprit in Africa’s economic woes:Keeping Africa poor with foreign aid. As Bandow notes, “With aid’s help, corruption fosters corruption, nations quickly descend into a vicious cycle of aid.” Sadly, African nations aren’t the only ones lunging toward finance socialism and the plundering of taxpayers.

7:24 AM We arrived at Matt and Liz’s last night just in time for a delicious supper of homemade pizza. You should have seen the smiles on the boys when they saw their Mama B and Papa B for the second time in as many days. After our meal Micah shared with me some of the cashews I had bought for him. Thank you, Micah, for being so kind! Then it was off to Mount Tirzah, where the story of Jesus was told through the eyes of John 18. I was reminded that the way of the Gospel is the way of suffering, trial, poverty, and sometimes despair. We can no longer cling to our creature comforts. We are ready, like Jesus, to sacrifice everything for the Gospel. Just think: I am free in Christ to live for God’s glory!

I thank God for pastor Matthew, who has an equal concern for spirituality and scholarship, understanding and community, nonconformity to the world and cultural engagement. The breaking of bread (a single loaf, no less!) at the conclusion of the service was a great climax to an uplifting, interactive evening. Becky and I are praising God for our wonderful daughter Liz and her husband and three sons.

As you might expect, I took a couple of pictures. The Body of Christ:

Micah reads Papa B’s Greek New Testament.

An Easter diorama. Who will roll away the stone?

Mount Tirzah has been great about providing reading glasses for Ethiopians. Becky and I thank you!

Friday, April 10

2:17 PM Guess what? Nate and Jess just announced that they now have two more baby goats. No kidding! (Bad joke.) That’s makes a total of 6 babies in 2 days. I haven’t seen the new kids yet, but here are a few more pix of the ones I have met. Just wonderful!

1:45 PM I’ve been thinking a lot about church holidays today. Why? I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because we are going to a Good Friday service tonight at Mount Tirzah with Matt and Liz. Perhaps it’s because in the end it doesn’t really matter whether you religiously follow church holidays or religiously abhor them. Tonight we’ll enjoy family, friends, and fellowship with God’s people, and that’s what counts. Beyond that, our minds will focus on who’s really valuable: Jesus. “Jerusalem or Gerizim — the place doesn’t matter that much,” I hear Him say to the sinful woman of Samaria, hiding behind her veil of religiosity.

Today He might put it this way: “Good Friday or just another day — the name isn’t that important. I’m not limited by time or space or culture. I transcend those boundaries. I live in another Realm altogether, and that’s where you have to go if you want to find Me.” I’ve always felt it ironic that the church should have developed its religious holy days in light of such passages as Gal. 4:10. Labels are so empty — especially ecclesiastical ones like “Easter” and “Christmas.” But does it really matter? Like the Samaritan woman, I take a deep breath, look up at the mountain, then back to Jesus, whose words startle me: “Neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Jesus alone is real. All else is shadow.

1:32 PM Brian Fulthorp just reviewed myLinguistics for Students of New Testament Greek. If you’re interested in such things, you can read his reviewhere. Thank you, Brian, for such a detailed review. Your “turkey” example is destined to become a classic!

8:28 AM Speaking of the cross, I thought you might like to see the cover art we’re using for the book. The artist has graciously given us permission to use it. I am super glad for technology that allows me to roam the web and find such great art work. As you can see from the picture, theJesus Paradigm is anything but lovely, but it is beautiful.

8:24 AM It’s a beautiful day, but rain is coming this afternoon. My goals this morning are to finish spreading the manure, fill in a few holes in the yard, and work on our powder bath towel rack. I am totally thrilled to know that I’ll be back at The Hill this Sunday. They tell me the puppet team is doing a phenomenal skit during the sunrise service. I’m still opting for “Resurrection Sunday” and rebelling against “Easter.” I figure, though, that as long as we keep our focus on the cross (and not on bunnies) we will honor the One who left glory for shame, peace for hostility, and wholeness for the most painfully ruptured relationship the world has even known. Now, if we could only recover this Jesus focus every time we meet as church….

I hope your joy is full as we move into this wonderful weekend.

8:02 AM Notes in the margin:

1) InThe Suicide of the West, Justin Raimondo reminds us that blaming foreigners for our financial woes is ridiculous. We don’t blame gravity for plane crashes, do we? Make sure you read his piece to the (bitter) end.

2) Meanwhile,over at LRC the man himself explains to us the futility of trusting government to solve problems it itself has created. Lew writes:

In other words, this entire tactic is an extension of the exact path that got us into this mess in the first place!

So it is with every new plan, every new strategy, every new program, every new idea from the regime. They are all some variation on a theme that repeats the mistakes of the past. It’s like a person who bumps into a wall, and keeps bumping into the wall again and again. Every new plan for going forward keeps coming back to the same reality of bumping into the wall.

3) Alan Knox reprises hisConnecting the Dots series.

4) The Accidental Log istalking about gender again. Good stuff here.

As you mentioned before, the real problem is a root sin: grabbing for power. This mentality becomes evident when people talk about “who wears the pants” in a relationship. That’s a paradigm of power, and my husband and I reject that paradigm altogether. People have a tendency to grab for power in relationships, in social interactions between individuals, and on a larger scale: in institutions, and in society in general. This sin is broader than the gender question, and both women and men have been guilty.

It is the antithesis to the model of Christ, who transcended the very conceptions of social, political and other forms of power.

He opted out of the power game. He didn’t need to play it because He knew the love of the Father perfectly. And when you know you are loved, the desire to grab power just kind of disappears. The insecurity that motivates our need for power just dissolves in the face of God’s love for us.

Thursday, April 9

8:55 PM Becky and I enjoyed working outdoors today. The temperature was a perfect 64 degrees, with plenty of warm sunshine. We spread manure and compost.

Included were the fruit trees in our orchard.

Then Becky weeded the flower beds…

… while I dug the holes for our new pecan trees. Before:

And after:

(The bucket is our watering system.)

Guess what Becky bought for me? A push mower! I haven’t used one of these since my childhood in Hawaii. Works much better than our ride mower in the back yard.

At dusk I went to check on the herds and look at what I found. These kids were born yesterday.

Edelweiss had her twins this afternoon.

What a great day! In the midst of a neurotic world, the baby goats give me new faith and hope and heart.

God is good.

1:57 PM Arthur Sido’s recent blog post (Home Cookin) will elicit various responses, I’m sure. Mine was simply, “Ouch!” He is so right on.

8:20 AM Here’s thefirst published review I’ve seen of my revised grammar and its accompanying workbook. My thanks to TC Robinson for writing it!

8:00 AM The blogs this morning are abuzz with punditry aboutNewsweek’s essay about our so-called “Christian nation.” For what it’s worth, I offer two comments, or rather a few excerpts from my new bookThe Jesus Paradigm. I begin chapter 6 with two amazing quotes:

The evangelical subculture, which prizes conformity above all else, doesn’t suffer rebels gladly, and it is especially intolerant of anyone with the temerity to challenge the shibboleths of the Religious Right.

Randall Balmer

One is either a good German or a good Christian. It is impossible to be both at the same time.

Adolph Hitler

In chapter 3 I write about the Anabaptists:

Their views represent a theology of the state we can neither hear nor accept today. The Beatitudes have become absurd and unacceptable. We sterilize the words of Christ or reserve them for obscurantists. To declare that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, that the state is both corruptible and corrupting, that the paternal power of government inevitably leads to servitude – such ideas are condemned as the notions of self-deceived revolutionaries. The persistence of this sacral mentality helps to explain certain American traits that foreigners find so baffling: the sacrosanct attitude toward statists such as Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh; the biblical metaphors employed by American politicians to justify the spread of democracy by force; and the rancor against critics of the state such as Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, and Chuck Baldwin – to name just three.

In 1967 Michael Novak wrote, “It is very difficult for many American Christians even to conceive the possibility that American civilization is profoundly anti-Christian, precisely in those very places where it is most pious, patriotic, and full of noble sentiment.” Novak is right. We attack the “issues” of the day and drag in Scriptures to support this stand or that. We become so preoccupied with politics that we forget to preach and live the Gospel. We talk “peace” when there is none. Never has America sought so diligently to make itself safe as now and never with poorer results. We have resigned ourselves to unholy alliances with politicians with the excuse that “nobody is perfect.” False saviors offer their fads and panaceas and Christians join them with glee. Certainly American evangelicals have no right to point a condemning finger at the established churches of Europe.

I obviously spend a great deal of time on the problem of American particularism and the myth of a Christian nation. It’s really a matter of allegiance, pure and simple. Friends, the exclusive claims of Christ are just as controversial today as they were 2,000 years ago!

7:26 AM I want to thank four very special pastors for thinking outside of the box, pushing the envelope, and un-quoing the status this week.

Besides all the spiritual stuff, they made the atmosphere exciting and joyful for everyone involved in our meetings. I feel pretty pumped up this morning because I was able to deliver the five messages that God gave me. I think we all agree that doing a traveling Bible conference is worth repeating next year.

For those of you who attended and are still considering the claims of Jesus on your life, please feel free to email me. I’d be more than happy to pray with and for you. I trust that you will decide to sell out to Jesus and follow Him wholeheartedly. Discipleship is a reality series beyond our wildest dreams and aspirations. God bless you as you travel the road you’re on. I hope you’ll travel it with Jesus!

And to all of my newly-found Christian friends in all four churches: let’s remember that the typical American church places far too much emphasis on “our church.” We build the church (meaning our own church, not the church across town), give money to our church, invite people to our church, participate in our church’s programs, etc. Being a Christian can so easily become nothing more than being a “good church member.” To build the kind of church Jesus envisioned in John 17 we must help our people realize that it is not about us or about our church. It’s about His kingdom, a kingdom that centers around Christ’s glorious act of self-sacrifice. If we think we can present the Gospel without surrendering and forsaking everything in us, then we have not understood the Gospel. If we really want to reach all of Person County for Jesus, we must not only preach the real, unadulterated Gospel, we must live it.

So to everyone who made my week so enjoyable, a heartfelt “thank you” from the depths of my heart. I sense that God is doing some pretty awesome things among you. Don’t let that stop just because our “revival” is over!

Wednesday, April 8

5:45 PM We had a blast today over at the Rondeaus. Here Mama B greets the birthday boy with a card and a whole bunch of birthday kisses.

Isaac always has flowers for his Mama B.

Whenever Papa B gets to drink coffee, the boys get to drink theirs too.

I took Caleb, Isaac, and Micah for a long walk to downtown Charlotte Court House.

Here I am reading to Micah in the local children’s library.

The boys pose in front of the famous court house and its monuments to “the war.”

I loved this church sign: “The Church Meets Here.”

Boys will be boys.

They also tire easily.

Out comes the cake!

Out go the candles!

Cut goes the knife!

Yummy goes the tummy!

Caleb: You are growing up to be such a fine young man. Mama B and Papa B love you VERY VERY MUCH!

5:13 PM These emails blessed me:

• I like the new website for the new book.  It is my prayer that the Lord will use what He has laid on your heart to write, to awaken a sleepy church from our gluttonous slumber.  I am excited to read the book.  In our discussions these past several months I have been challenged by what the Lord has put on your heart to share through your teaching/blogging/writing.  I truly believe this work can be used in a great way.  Not because of the author, publisher, marketing, website, or cover art; but because of the truth of what it means to follow Jesus.  I believe it is a message that Jesus wants to get out to His followers.  Thanks for being obedient to write such a book that, “no one will like”.

• You asked, “Today Jesus is calling us all to Gelassenheit. He’s calling us all to Nachfolge. How will we respond?” My response: Jawohl, mein Herr und mein Gott.

5:06 PM “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Those are the words of Robert Frost, one of America’s most beloved poets. Those words could also be used to describe the route the Lord Jesus has taken a certain Greek prof on in the past few years. It has been an exciting journey, and it’s not over yet. At the heart of my journey has been my personal quest to find Jesus. Not the Jesus of my childhood, neatly compressed into a glossy magazine. Nor the Jesus of my academic research — an analyzable datum of objective linguistic investigation. Not even the Jesus of Southern churchianity — a fossilized relic deeply embedded in literary limestone and hidden from sight by the attendance boards and manger scenes so visibly on display in our sanctuaries. Recently, some scholars have sought Jesus in social convention — a Mr. Nice Guy who models societal decorum for our children. Others see nothing but the Jesus of politics — either the political revolutionary or the societal transformer who eagerly uses our tax dollars for spiritual causes. Oddly, I found Jesus in none of these places. The Jesus I know and love is found in the Scriptures about Him, the Gospels themselves. Here I find the most beautiful life that was ever lived, a life devoted to placing the needs of others over His own needs, a life willing to go all the way down to wash the feet of outsiders and sinners. This Jesus said of Himself that He did not come to be served but to serve. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He is the Model Missionary. And it is like Him I am seeking to become. It is this Jesus that I will talk about one last time during our revival meeting tonight, praying and trusting that the revival is not coming to an end but is only just beginning.

8:20 AM The new Messiah Baptist Church website is up and running. Gohere to find out who their pastor is. It may surprise you!

7:52 AM The basic thesis of my new bookThe Jesus Paradigm is that discipleship goes far beyond mere lip service. Like Bonhoeffer, I seek to emphasizeNachfolge — the German title of Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. The German word simply means discipleship. Followers of Jesus Christ are expected to, well, “follow” Him! As Bonhoeffer puts it, “Only the believer is obedient, and only the obedient person believes.” (The German original is fantastic: “Nur der Glaubende ist gehorsam, und nur der Gehorsame glaubt.”) Declared righteousness ALWAYS produces practical righteousness if it is genuine.

The Anabaptists used the term Gelassenheit (“surrender”) to describe their doctrine of discipleship. Christ calls us to surrender, to yield all we are and all we have to Him. “Cheap grace,” wrote Bonhoeffer, “is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Grace costs a man his life. This costly grace, this radical discipleship I talk about in the book, goes far beyond the personal piety popularized today by those writers who emphasize the so-called “disciplines” of the Christian life —  prayer, Bible reading, meditation, etc. For the Anabaptists, discipleship was always discipleship in community. It is especially manifested in the church’s visible witness to the world. That’s why the Anabaptists took Jesus’ Great Commission so seriously. The true meaning of discipleship is the carrying of the cross. Not the listeners but the doers of the Word are blessed (James 1:22). Hence the Anabaptists insisted on every-member ministry. All were ministers, and all were to minister. As Pilgram Marpeck wrote while attempting to describe the problem with the Protestant churches, “Individual members are not permitted to exercise their gifts for the edification of the congregation, as if you alone had all the gifts.” Bingo!

I am so jazzed that my students seem to be getting this message. They are forsaking the upward mobility mentality. They are willing to forego and eschew all the titles and status symbols that often meant so much to the preceding generation of leaders. They are willing to submit every area of their lives to Christ. Most importantly, they truly believe, are absolutely convinced in fact, that the Scriptures, and the Scriptures alone, and sufficient to guide them into truth.

Today Jesus is calling us all to Gelassenheit. He’s calling us all to Nachfolge. How will we respond?

7:32 AM Preached my heart out last night. The meetings end tonight. I absolutely LOVE doing revivals this way. Not only does effective Bible teaching take place but strong community relationships are built along the way. Being in a different location each night is such a great atmosphere. If you’ve never done a revival this way, you’ll have to give it a try. Good stuff.

Today it’s back to gardening with Becky and running a few errands. Caleb just turned 6 so we’ll drive out to Charlotte Court House to wish him a happy birthday. The other day he told his father, “Dad, I’m half way to being a man.” Isn’t that sweet?

It’s hard to believe that in just over a month we’ll be back in Ethiopia. What really excites me is not just the teams we’re taking with us, it’s the opportunity to return to a place where God is doing such a powerful work. He’s raising up an army of people who confidently proclaim the name and fame of Jesus to their neighbors. God is going to use them in huge ways to make a big difference in the Horn of Africa. I’m an American. I respect and honor my country. But I am first and foremost a citizen of heaven. To be honest, I’m tired of Christians looking to government for solutions. Instead, we should be the ones out leading the way in societal transformation through soul transformation. I for one will not put my hopes in government leaders when I can trust the one transforms the world through the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, April 7

5:25 PM Tonight is evangelism night. I will be bringing a message targeted specifically toward the unsaved. Please pray for my message to be clear and powerful. In the United States, presidents come and go. Peaceful transfers of human power take place all of the time. Tonight I am praying that many will sense their need to make the ultimate power shift, from lordship to self to lordship to Christ. He is the only sure Anchor in these turbulent times!

1:39 PM After 11 years of dialup, we just got connected to broadband via a satellite that is in orbit 23,800 miles above earth. Glory be!

10:18 AM I have really enjoyed our Bible conference thus far. Last night was youth night, and I sensed a great moving of the Holy Spirit among us. At the same time, I can’t help but feel that I am somehow contributing to the pulpit-pew division that I so often write about in this blog. How can I condemn the cult of the speaker when I am perhaps guilty of it myself?

Last week we studied Phil. 3:1-11 in Greek class. We saw in verse 3 that Paul gives us a radically new definition of what it means to be a Christian. A true Christian is one who “worships God by His Spirit.” The word we translate “worship” (Greek latreuo) can also be rendered “serve” or “minister.” It carries with it deep religious connotations drawn from its Old Testament priestly background and usage. To worship and to serve and to minister are all one and the same thing. But note: none of this is limited only to professional “ministers” in the New Covenant. Paul does not distinguish between leaders and spectators. In fact, by using the term latreuo Paul implies that all of us in the Body of Christ minister as priests of the Most High God. That has always been God’s plan for the church. That is why I’m an abolitionist and why my new book is all about the abolition of the laity! A truly biblical church always stresses that the people are the ministers and the leaders are the facilitators. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find the kind of pulpit-centricity so common in our churches today (including our “revival” meetings and Bible conferences). Paul reminds us that nowhere is the external of any significance  —  including our ornate sanctuaries and our robed choirs. And I say this as one who is personally moved to tears by the beauty of a John Rutter chorale or the ornateness of a Sistine Chapel! The vital sign of a saved person, says Paul, is when he or she ministers/serves/worships God without placing any confidence in external status symbols. And our commitment to serving God is demonstrated in our lives when we actively use our spiritual gifts to build one another up so that God’s spiritual work can be furthered.

That’s why it’s just as important to be involved in other people’s lives as it is to believe that Jesus died for our sins. Christianity is more than a belief system; it is a community of people knowing each other, drawing strength from each other, holding each accountable, and serving others and the world together. It calls us to a lifestyle of ministry and service, not a life of spectatorism. The New Testament knows nothing of the artificial split between pulpit and pew-sitter, professional and amateur.

Father, forgive me if I have fed into the lie of a clergy-laity division. As I employ my teaching gift, may I never infer that I am more important to you or to the Body than any believer to whom I am speaking. May I encourage others in such a way that they will be eager to use their own gifts for the building up of the Body and for the evangelism of the entire world.

I pray this in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

9:45 AM I appreciatedAussie John’s remarks about myforthcoming book on Jesus. Even though I am its author, I am strangely drawn to this Jesus I write about. And yet, because I am so much a part of my selfish culture, this Jesus seems like a complete stranger to me at times — this Lord who became a slave, this conqueror who came to save, this Owner of Everything whose riches were to be found in the very fact that He became poor to make you and me rich. I can hardly conceive of a more radical, revolutionary idea than the idea that the only Lord is the Servant of all. When I look into my own heart, I realize that the Lord shows His strength in my weakness and His glory in my surrender. I am discovering that it is one thing to write about Him and another thing altogether to know Him experientially  —  His greatness in poverty, His power in self-surrender, His self-abasement all the way from a dirty cattle stall to a bloody cross on Golgotha, mighty in His self-giving, lovely in His loneliness, beautiful in His tenderness. In that light, I am ashamed that I do not seek Him wholeheartedly, with everything in me, and that I do not live by what I know I ought to do. Slaves in the Sudan cry out for freedom, but no less do I!

Is it really possible to live like Jesus in the here and now, or is it only a dream? I feel ashamed that I can write a book about this Jesus and yet follow Him with so much self-will in my heart. Will I ever be undividedly Christian?

Ave crux  —  unica spes! Hail to the cross, my only hope!

Monday, April 6

11:15 AM It’s a day late, but I want to wish a very Happy First Anniversary to Nathan and Jessica Black. They spent their big weekend cooking over an open fire and sleeping out under the stars. No tentage for these hardy whippersnappers! 

10:47 AM Just a brief note to say I’m still alive and kicking. The living history weekend was great. Nate called a superb dance.

I even felt strong enough to bring the message on Sunday morning, with Gen. Lee in attendance.

Last night our “migrating” Bible conference got off to a great start at Bethany.

Tonight we’re at Antioch. Pray for me and with me for fresh power. All I want is for the life of the Lord Jesus to be manifested in my very mortal body. I feel so passionately that the church needs to return to her simple roots, before Constantine bound the Christian church and the Roman state together. We’ve a long ways to go to get over it, I’m afraid.

Friday, April 3

8:55 AM Azusa Pacific University announces an opening forDean and Professor in the School of Theology.

8:47 AM One of the things I try to show in The Jesus Paradigm is how mutual participation has enjoyed a long history in Baptist life. According to Wayne E. Ward (“The Worship of God,” The People of God: Essays on the Believers’ Church, eds. Paul Basden and David S. Dockery [Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991], 68), the earliest Baptist churches in England “were trying to restore the primitive apostolic form of the church, and, with unerring logic, they understood that worship must be an outward expression of their ecclesiology. Since the ‘gathered community of believers’ was their basic concept of church, all forms of worship, including baptism, the Lord’s Supper, prayers, hymns, Scripture exposition, confession, and receiving forgiveness, involved full congregational participation.”

This seems a far cry from the spectatorism so prevalent in Baptist churches today. I cannot deny that most Baptist churches have abandoned their own distinctive identity as a lay movement and have become at least as entrenched in the dysfunctional clergy-laity distinction as many of the more mainline denominations. I argue that the New Testament pattern for elders (as player-coaches) is to train, coach, and facilitate the ministries of the church’s lay people. At Bethel Hill, it’s been neat to watch as different people have given their testimonies as to the ways the Lord has been ministering through them. One of our members has used her unusual competence in animal husbandry to travel with us to Ethiopia and hold farming workshops among the Muslim communities. Another member installs solar panels for us. More and more I’m seeing traditional churches releasing their lay people in ministry.

How can we provoke one another to love and good deeds in the service of others (Heb. 10:24)? One approach would be to become more proactive in the way we recognize those who are exercising their gifts in the Body. This is something Becky is doing at our church website, especially in theblog (check it out!). Here’s another suggestion. During the Sunday meeting, why not pause and have everyone greet one another, this time not simply saying “hello,” however. Have them introduce themselves, give a warm handshake, and then tell the ministry in which they are involved. You say, “That would really put people on the spot! What if they don’t have a ministry?” That’s the point. As people who are not yet involved in ministry hear from others who are, this will communicate that Bethel Hill Baptist Church is as committed to lay ministry as it is to pastoral ministry. The next step might be to have lay people (instead of the deacons) serve the elements during the communion service or have the youth take up the offerings, on a regular basis.

I write in my first chapter:

What might this kingdom-focused church of the twenty-first century look like? It will be a serving church. Its organizational structure will be simple, unencumbered by bureaucrats and bureaucracies. Its financial priorities will reflect a commitment to missions, local and global. Capital expenditures will be reduced and the savings earmarked for discipleship. Most jobs that are currently salaried positions will be filled by volunteer help or eliminated. Denominations will make drastic reductions in funds spent on publications that are a waste of the church’s money (bulletins, glossy magazines, and Sunday School quarterlies – the Bible will be used instead). Church buildings will be used for primary and secondary Christian education. Believers will gladly work transdenominationally and cooperatively, especially at the local level. The church will proclaim the Good News of the Gospel as its first priority while not neglecting the cultural mandate. A full-fledged lay ministry will replace clericalism. Individual believers will be expected to assume specialized ministries according to their giftedness. Churches will provide regular lay training and build voluntary programs of education into their structures. Worship will no longer be confined to a single time or place. Preoccupation with church buildings will be seen for what it is – idolatry. The church will no longer cling to its prerogatives but take the form of a servant. It will refuse any longer to shun the secular. Trained pastors will become humble assistants to the “ministers” – every member. Disciples will take the going forth as seriously as they do the gathering. New believers will be asked to specify a regular community involvement (neighborhood council, PTA, volunteer library staff, nursing home visitation, etc.) in addition to their commitment to a ministry in the church.

Friends, pastors are to be enablers. And their team is as large as their congregation. Pastors and people have a common ministry. Can you imagine the impact the Body of Christ would have if the Spirit were to activate all the people as fellow ministers? Let’s pray to that end.

8:27 AM Alan Knox emailed me a link to this delightful blog post:Developing a Missiology for the Bible Belt. One of the most delightful things about it is a reader’s comment that we should call it the “Religious Belt” instead. Amen to that!

8:23 AM On his ever-interesting blog, Josh McManaway reviews a new book I was privileged to edit:Perspectives on the Ending of Mark. He raises a good question in his final paragraph. Thanks for reading, thinking, and commenting, Josh!

8:16 AM Just when I give up Doritos for a much healthier snack food (pistachios), the FDA goes and issues a warning against salmonella contamination. First peanuts. Then pistachios. This is nuts, folks! 

8:12 AM I’ve been following the president’s travels in Europe. It’s nice to see a man who doesn’t feel he needs to strut about like a peacock on the world stage. I enjoy watching Mr. Obama treat other world leaders with the deference and respect they deserve. But success in international politics requires more than affability. Will the Obama administration’s foreign policy reverse the course of the past 8 years, or will America continue its quest for hegemony with the spirit of triumphalism that characterized its recent past? Justin Raimondo argues that “the same old warmongering“ will continue, cheered on by the identical crowd of neoconservatives. He writes:

It doesn’t matter to these people that the nation is sick of war and near bankruptcy: they live inside the Washington bubble,the Imperial City, where hubris permeates the air. It doesn’t matter how many times the neocons have been repelled, they just keep bouncing back.

Obama is simply pursuing what has been official American policy for the last half century. And, as PBS reported Tuesday night on Frontline, rest assured that government will continue its disastrous socializing of the economy until we are worse than broke. More pain is awaiting us in the wings, which, of course, is a perfect time for a reminder that God has provided security against all the uncertainties of life. Even if we have great wealth in a lockbox we are still paupers unless we have an insurance policy from Him against death, sorrow, and pain. Our mission is to share these reasons to believe in Jesus with every person we know!

8:00 AM Greetings, bloggers and bloggerettes! I’ve got some great news on the publishing front.

1) My beginning grammar has just been released in its third edition. You can get it atAmazon at a nifty sale price. I had an absolute blast revising this book. I’m also very excited at its excellent companion workbook, which has also just been published. It was produced by the New Testament faculty at Liberty University. Once again,Amazon offers a great discount. The workbook contains 1300 practice sentences and more than 700 drilling exercises. Does this say anything about the way Greek students are multiplying by leaps and bounds these days? Yesterday I had one of my former students stop me to say that he and his 7-year old son are studying Greek at home together. For the Christian, time is a precious commodity, to be used to the full. I’m so grateful for all those who have used, are using, and will use these tools to help them acquire a reading knowledge of the language of the New Testament. The rewards are beyond comparison!

2) Energion Publications has just announced that it will publish my next book,The Jesus Paradigm. You can find the announcementhere, along with publisher Henry Neufeld’s blog post about the bookhere. This work grew out of my own spiritual pilgrimage in the past 8 years to return to the simple teachings of Jesus in my life and ministry. I hope it will provide a new incentive to take a fresh look at the church and to consider the changes necessary if the church is to become what God intended it to be. I really feel that Energion is the perfect publisher company for this book. It is a small but growing publishing house, established but willing to innovate, and radically committed to illuminating and illustrating the truth of the Gospel. Check out their site when you can, as you may be unfamiliar with them.

One last thought. I have to confess that in my writing ministry I have often found a fellowship with my publishers that goes far beyond the mere sharing of a common interest in book publishing. It is a supernatural and spiritual reality that carries with it the privilege and responsibility of serving the broader church and society. In a sense, we are bearing each other’s burdens in a sympathetic way, working together to expand Jesus’ kingdom on earth through the printed word. What a joy to be able to work together with godly publishers who share my interest in teaching and in enabling others to be all that God has called them to be. It blesses my socks off.

Thursday, April 2

6:21 PM Sitting in my doctor’s office this afternoon I scanned the March 23, 2009 edition of TIME magazine and was drawn to this attractively titled essay, “10 Ideas That Are Changing the World,” by David van Biema. I was surprised — and not very happy — to see that #3 was “The New Calvinism.” My disappointment stems from the negative publicity given to the debates now raging within evangelicalism over Calvinism. Case in point: the author’s reference to Mark Driscoll as “pugnacious.” He concludes the article with a nod to the “flame wars” in the Southern Baptist blogosphere (which I alluded to in an earlier blog post).

As a contributor to the ESV Study Bible (which the author correctly calls “Calvinist-flavored”), I am not unsympathetic to Reformed theology. But van Biema has read the situation aright: “It will be interesting to see whether Calvin’s latest legacy will be classic Protestant backbiting or whether, during these hard times, more Christians will submit their wills to the austerity demanding God of their country’s founding.” I for one would like to see the evangelical church move past the “flame wars,” but I’m not very optimistic that that will happen any time soon.

By the way, the diagnosis was pneumonia. I’m on two meds.

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   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Ethiopia Vignette #4

Life and Death in Burji: Aki and Tiblett

Becky Lynn Black  

Aki died quietly, a victim of tribal warfare. A few days before her passage into the Father’s arms, we were driving down the road and met her on the road.  She was being carried aloft on a mattress, borne on the shoulders of her relatives and neighbors.

We stopped, turned the vehicle around, and helped to load her into the back of the Land Cruiser.  We were en route to a rural church. This was the first time since my cancer diagnosis that I’d been back in Burji. People were waiting to greet us at the church, but this was more important at the moment.

We drove to the government clinic in Soyama. As we drove, church leader Oshe told me her story. She was from an Orthodox family. She and her brother had come to true faith in Christ a few years before, and were regular attendees in the local protestant church. Their farm was at the edge of Burji land. The Guji tribe next door was eager for their land. They roamed the area, preying on men working their fields. One day Aki was walking through their fields taking lunch to her father. She was shot in the belly by a Guji man. There is no hospital in Burji land.The government clinic tried to give first aid, but she needed to go to the distant Arba Minch Government Hospital; this was a full 8-10 hours’ drive away. The church took a special offering for her medical care and got her to the hospital. She stayed there until the money ran out. Then she was sent home with an indwelling urinary catheter, still very sickly.

Her family tried to care for her in their hut. But she grew weaker and weaker. It had been a year since she had come back home. The indwelling urinary catheter had not been changed during that time. And now they were bringing her to the clinic in desperation.

Aki was carried up the back steps of the clinic into a medium-sized room. Iron beds ringed the room. Some had mattresses; some did not.  She was laid with her mattress on a bed frame. I went to pray over her.

How emaciated she looked! Her skin was yellow, her cheeks hollow. Her eyes looked at me, limp with fatigue. She was beyond feeling. Each breath was shallow. Her mouth was dry and caked. My heart went out to her. It was clear to me that she was septic, and there was little hope for her. I could hear the family’s amazement that I would stop to be with Aki, that I would touch her, that I would pray over her. But what else could I do?  She was my sister in the Lord.  Though we had never met before, and though we could not speak words to each other, we would spend eternity together, and we had this moment together.

After my prayer, the family wanted to show me the sore on her back. They rolled her over, parted the sheets, and I saw the largest decubitus ulcer I have ever seen in my life! The bone was openly exposed. The meat yellow and black. The stench was unbearable. I knew then that she would die. Even in America, with the best of medicine, she would be a difficult case to heal.  I doubted if she would last to the end of the week.

 

After we got Aki settled, we drove on the church and had a wonderful time of fellowship and testimony. I shared with them the reality of my cancer, the prognosis, and the unchanging character of God. He is always loving, always just, always sovereign….before and after cancer.   

He does not change. And it is by living in the reality of His character that we have not only peace, but also joy, in the midst of the most difficult situations. I encouraged them to trust God to be who He says that He is. My greatest prayer request was that the Lord would make me to faithfully serve Him and trust Him until the end. One man walked 6 hours to meet me at that church….what an honor he showed to me!  Many of the believers in this church were some of the first to come to Christ in Burji. They had known my parents and they had known me as a little child living amongst them.  Such precious fellowship can only be found in the fellowship of the Lord Jesus! There are no racial, language, or cultural divisions in His family.

We drove back to our room late that day, and the next morning I asked to go to the clinic to visit Aki. She was still alive, hanging on, lying in that same dirty room. I prayed over her again, asking God to be merciful to her in her passing to Him.

I turned around. Across the room sat a mother, bent over her little baby. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, rocking gently. Beside her sat a little boy, his face a study in anxiety and concern.

Then I recognized the woman. She was Bogalech. I had met her the year before. She lives in the mountains of Burji, a wonderful godly woman who at that time was in charge of the women’s work in all the Burji churches. We had driven down the mountain together and I still remember her and Oshe talking away. How I love to hear the Burji chatter.

Why was she here in this clinic? What was wrong? As I questioned her, she showed me her baby. The child was over a year old now, but could not lift her head, could not swallow food, could not roll over. The clinic staff had said that she was mal-nourished. Bogalech explained that her milk had dried up and they were encouraging Bogalech to feed her baby adult food, chopped up.  But the baby choked and now they said she had pneumonia. They had given her a shot. 

As Bogalech spoke, I noted the quiet desperation in her voice. What could she do? Nothing.  This clinic was the best medicine available to her. She had tried everything she could to save her child, but it was clear the child would die. Her heart ached with the anticipated pain of the burial to come. 

I looked at the child. Her eyes were bright, her suck was good…there was hope! “What is her name?” I asked Bogalech. “Tiblett,” she replied. That moment I fell in love with little Tiblett.

 

Immediately I went to Oshe. “We must take this child to a bigger city to see a real doctor! I’m going back to the capital in a couple days. Why don’t we take this baby and her mother with us, and we’ll take the baby to see your brother (a doctor) in the big city of Awassa?” Oshe discussed this idea with Bogalech, and she readily agreed. Word was sent to her husband, an evangelist in far-off Konso. He left immediately on the long trip to Burji. Bogalech walked back to her village to arrange for the care of her other children with extended family.

 

Two days later, we pulled out of Burji; a phone call to Oshe told us of Aki’s death. As we drove, I prayed “God, help us to help this child Tiblett. Lead us. Guide us. And thank you for the privilege of being a help to them.” 

We pulled into Awassa, a large city south of Addis Ababa. It was known for its medical facilities and its university. We went straight to the doctor’s office. Diagnosis: Down’s Syndrome with cardiac involvement. 

I explained to Bogalech and her husband Wolde what Down’s Syndrome is. “It is caused by some changes when the baby is first made in the womb. Some cases are mild, others are severe.  Development is delayed, but if you are patient, she will eventually walk and run like other children. And God seems to give these children very special sweet and happy dispositions. They are full of love. And I have seen Him do great ministry through children and adults with Down’s Syndrome.” After a short time of grieving, they welcomed their child has God had made her. 

Knowing there was nothing medically that could realistically be done for Tiblett, I began to coach the mother.  I explained to her that she must go back to 100- breast feeding; Tiblett’s muscles were not developed enough to handle swallowing food safely. I gave Bogalech some protein bars and taught her about good nutrition. We discussed the necessity of drinking lots of good water. We saw to it that she rested. (I have often said that the life of a woman in Ethiopia is just above that of a donkey; they both work sooooo hard!) 

And sure enough, within a few short days her milk came in full, and Tiblett was enjoying a full meal again. Within a week of breast feeding, she was a new creature. Both mother and baby were happy. They returned to Burji; Wolde returned to his work in Konso. And I returned to America.

Six months later (July, 2010) we took the largest team we had ever taken to Ethiopia.  I had in my heart to send some tools for Bogalech, to help her in raising Tiblett. So amongst the other ministry supplies, we loaded a little musical swing and an exersaucer. I knew that eventually Tiblett would move from breast-feeding to normal food, so I packaged up powdered baby cereals and packaged fruits and vegetables, along with Melba toast. My focus was on the nutritive vitamins and additives to aid in her growth and development. Traditional Ethiopian food is eaten from a common platter, using only hands. So my suitcase for Tiblett contained a little bowl with cover, and a child’s spoon. Baby Tylenol, teething aids, rattles and clothes finished out the supply list. And lastly, I found space for a new dress for Bogalech.

 

What a joy it was to present these items to Bogalech and Tiblett. Ed Johnson from our Team put the swing and exersaucer together for me. And I wish you could have been there with me when we first put Tiblett into that musical swing. How she laughed and giggled!!! And all around, the Ethiopians wondered at this gadget. Never before had they seen a musical swing. We gave them extra batteries, and gave strict instructions that Tiblett and only Tiblett were to be in the swing.  If the older children tried to get in, it would break.

 

I demonstrated to Bogalech how to mix the baby pabulum, we checked that Tiblett could process the food well, and then we loaded everything into the Land Cruiser to help Bogalech get everything back to her village home. 

Months passed. From my home in Virginia, I sent emails and phoned to Oshe. “How is Tiblett?”  “She is doing good! She is getting big. She is beginning to pull herself up on the chair.” How I longed to see her!!

The next team went in November, 2011. It had now been 1 1/2 years since we had made that trip to the doctor in Awassa. I sent clothes and new toys for Tiblett. Oshe gave them to Bogalech and then he sent me pictures! She was walking! She had that happy, happy smile that so often goes with Down’s children. She was fat and chubby. And she looked so beautiful in my new clothes!

But the greatest joy of all what when I got to see little Tiblett on Skype. By the grace of God and according to His goodness, He sent us Dale Jennings who was familiar with computers. He set things up for Oshe on the computer. Bogalech, Wolde, and Tiblett came from their mountain village, and we joined them from Virginia. As I looked at that little girl via satellite, my heart exploded in praise to God.

By His loving sovereignty, He had taken Aki to Himself, and He had blessed Tiblett with life….and He had allowed me to be an integral part in both situations.

April 13, 2012

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Saturday, December 24

6:28 AM Several bloggers have recommend books to read for 2012. Others have noted their favorite books of 2011. I’d like to re-post here my ten best books for studying New Testament Greek (excluding my own books, of course). I hope many of you will read them if you haven’t done so already.

1. William Mounce,Basics of Biblical Greek.

Mounce’s beginning grammar remains perhaps the most widely used introductory textbook of New Testament Greek. Speaking as an author of a beginning Greek textbook, I am glad that Mounce’s grammar has had the recognition it so richly deserves and offer my best wishes for its continuance, since the book is a great service to students everywhere. No matter which beginning textbook you used, you will need to own this grammar as well.

2. Dan Wallace,Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.

Wallace’s intermediate grammar is a tour de force. It is absolutely impossible to describe the profundity of this book. I prefer to recommend it to you and then let you discover its treasures. The pedagogical implications, however, are such that I cannot agree to them without compromising what is dearest to me as a teacher — simplicity. It would do good service if one day the book could be rewritten and placed on a slightly lower shelf. Oh wait — this hasalready been done!

3. A. T. Robertson,A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research.

I seldom felt so pitifully incompetent as when I first picked up this book. It almost counts as a “mental autobiography.” Robertson tried to show the effect, upon a growing new science, of the profound transformation that modern linguistics had brought in the way scholars approached the Greek of the New Testament. Most modern teachers of Greek give the book faint praise, then promptly ignore it. In my opinion, that is a huge mistake. I require the book in my Advanced Greek Grammar course, but even intermediate level students who are willing to work will benefit from it.

4. Robert Funk,Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.

At the Amazon site, Dan Wallace writes:

BDF is still the standard Greek grammar of the New Testament even after four decades. It is in the process of being revised (by a revision committee of eight members), but the revision will take several more years to complete. We felt it needed revision because BDF presupposes that the average reader has had much exposure to classical Greek prior to working in the New Testament. This is part of the reason that BDF is so hard to use: most NT students have not had exposure to classical Greek nowadays. Another reason is its cryptic nature, Teutonic abbreviations, and omission of ‘normal’ grammar. Nevertheless, even with these shortcomings, every responsible exegete of the New Testament must own a copy of this goldmine of information.

Enough said.

5. Peter Cotterell and Max Turner,Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation.

In a sense this book could be called a popularization. It seeks to bring linguistics within the grasp of educated people in general rather than leave it in the possession of a closed and mysterious community. The authors have selected the thinkers in the field who have good judgment, and their own comments are accurate and clear as well.

6. Moisés Silva,Biblical Words and Their Meaning.

This book is a retreat from the radicalism of an earlier generation of New Testament teachers that believed in “Holy Ghost” Greek. Silva’s exegetical acumen fitted him well for writing a book on lexicography. This book inveighed me into actually delving into linguistics myself, and when eventually I produced my own book on linguistics it was Silva who agreed to write the preface.

7. Stanley Porter,Verbal Aspect in the Greek of the New Testament, with Reference to Tense and Mood.

This book, which suffers from gigantism, deserves a prominent place in my list because it opened an important can of worms known today as the verbal aspect debate. You mustn’t expect clarity from Dr. Porter, but you must read this book. Porter impresses me as one who has his finger on the heartbeat of the problem, though I disagree with many of his conclusions.

8. Maximilian Zerwick,Biblical Greek.

When I was in seminary I was introduced to this book and lived with it night and day. Despite its recklessly ambitious preface the book largely accomplishes what it sets out to do: introduce the reader to all the categories of New Testament Greek grammar in an understandable way. It really is a first-rate piece of work.

9.  Neal Windham,New Testament Greek for Preachers and Teachers.

What a pleasant surprise when I first laid eyes on this book! It covers six different areas of reading one’s Greek New Testament, including morphology and the Greek cases. Why it has not attracted more attention is beyond me. I feel it is one of the most underrated books of our generation, and I’d dearly like to see it read by every student of New Testament Greek.

10. Rodney Decker,Koine Greek Reader: Selections from the New Testament, Septuagint, and Early Christian Writers.

Having taught Greek for 34 years I can say with conviction that nothing is more important to the mastery of New Testament Greek than keeping our students in the text. Decker’s book is simply the best reader available today. The readings are all engaging, and the notes are both accurate and helpful. Decker will stretch your students without breaking them. The book is also very user-friendly for the independent learner.

Obviously, by composing this list of what I believe to be essential books for students of New Testament Greek grammar, I have no intention of imposing upon them harsh punishment. I can only speak personally, and — speaking personally — I have found each of these books to be a fascinating and helpful read. I surmise you will too. Like all books, they contain unforgivable omissions, and many pay far too little attention to English style. But they all have one thing in common: they will destroy your smugness. The sin of many seminarians is what the ancient Greeks called hubris — arrogance in the midst of prosperity. I am partly to blame if my students graduate with a head full of knowledge and a heart full of pride. I know of nothing that will dispel our inflated egos quite like seeing how much we don’t know. We are all imperfect teachers, but we may be forgiven if we have at least tried to warn our students against self-satisfied complacency.

At any rate: Happy Reading in 2012!

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   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Eat Or Be Eaten

 David Alan Black

Let’s identify the real war zone. The Bible represents Satan as the ultimate agent of evil. No one perceived this more clearly than the well-known Oxford medievalist and lay theologian C. S. Lewis.

In Screwtape, he used a literary device called “moral inversion” to expose evil’s relational process, which he viewed as “spiritual cannibalism.” Just how does a “hungry hell” work itself out? Writes Lewis:

My symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state…, an official society held together entirely by fear and greed…. “Dog eat dog” is the principle of the whole organization. Everyone wishes everyone else’s discrediting, demotion and ruin; everyone is an expert in the confidential report, the pretended alliance, the stab in the back…. Every now and then…their hypocritical politeness gets punctured, and the scalding lava of their hatred spurts out.

The voracious Screwtape is a biblical figure—biblical in the sense that it is precisely the same metaphor Peter uses in his First Epistle: evil’s howling hunger, “looking for someone to devour.” Peter’s image is rooted in Hebrew thinking, as seen in the Psalm quoted by Jesus on the cross: “They come at me with open jaws, like roaring lions attacking their prey.” What a graphic portrayal of evil in relationships: everyone chewing on each other and being chewed on!

We devour others, but there is no nourishment in it. Nothing satisfies; nothing helps us grow. How can we end this endless cycle of eat or be eaten? Where else but in the One who said: “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life…. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they replied, “Lord, give us this bread always!”

Referring to the Last Supper, Buckner Fanning once said, “It was not the Last Supper. No, we’ve misnamed it. It was the First Supper!” It is this table that sanctifies every other table: “Whether you eat or drink, do it all to the glory of God.”  Yes, there is an option besides “eat or be eaten.” We can eat from the Bread of Life.

The genuine believer tastes the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come (Hebrews 6:5), but he may also drink deeply and eat heartily of both even in the present life. Why do we snack at the cheap lunch counters of this age when we are invited guests to the Gospel feast? There is an abundance of food, and all is provided on the tables of God’s grace.

How’s your appetite today? Are you fed up yet with the husks of the swine and the cheap satisfactions of this poor world? If so, the manna of heaven awaits you.

August 21, 2003

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Are We Above the Law?

 David Alan Black

Our nation is well on its way to becoming a totalitarian society.  Case in point: our doctrine of national security.

With the United States engaged in the military occupation of Iraq, our president emphatically insists that the necessity of a war against that sovereign nation was based on a real and imminent threat against the United States of America, despite compelling evidence to the contrary. We are told that in the interest of national security we must all be willing to sacrifice our personal freedoms in the name of the Patriot Act and other measures that reduce the Bill of Rights to a worthless scrap of paper. In the name of security we are told that a government must not let its people know too much or they will be in danger of losing their influence in the world.

A spirit of wild jingoism seems to have infected the current administration. Men who are supposed to look at world events in a calm and dispassionate way now talk only of “war” and “liberation,” as though these were the sole thoughts of the American people. If you attempt to argue with such gentlemen they will tell you that you don’t know what you’re talking about, accuse you of unpatriotic conduct, and sneer at your reasonings and conclusions. I cannot help but feel that a rude awakening is in store for these self-constituted apostles of freedom and humanity.

One of the most disturbing examples of this attitude has been the administration’s willingness to used flawed intelligence to make its case for the invasion of Iraq. Bush’s posture on the war—including the fact that he invaded Iraq without constitutional authority to do so—is the beginning of what appears to be a growing totalitarian mentality that says, “We are above the law. We are not accountable to a world body or even to our own government. We don’t need to tell people what we are doing, and we will accuse those who challenge us, even in Congress, of making us weak.”

Now we are learning that the administration apparently established a legal basis that opened the door for the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraqi prisons. And the top brass’s cover story? “Some kids got out of control.” Not likely.

When government acts this way, it begins to look frighteningly like a Caesar trying to elicit unquestioning and docile loyalty from an unthinking populace. Government becomes a god, and demands to be worshipped as such. As that begins to happen, our response must be to say no because we have already said yes to the one Word of God whom we are obligated to trust and obey in life and in death.

Which brings us to our own doorstep, for the nation is comprised of individuals and too many of us “Christians” are pale imitations of the real thing, patterned after the world around us. We are squeezed into the mold of the age, taking it for our fashion plate.

Demanding that our elected officials obey the law of the land is not popular with this adulterous and wicked generation. I say, better be in good fellowship with Him than with this age!

May 17, 2004

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com. His latest book, Why I Stopped Listening to Rush: Confessions of a Recovering Neocon, will be released this year.

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