Dividing Walls

Wall, photo by echiner1 from Flickr

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” –Ephesians 2:14

Walls separate and divide. Some walls wall out the unwanted. Some walls wall in and protect. We all have walls in our lives, both literal and metaphorical walls. We are separated from God and one another in our sinful walls. As the poet Robert Frost stated in his poem Mending Wall, “Something there is that doesn't love a wall.”

In Ephesians 2:14, Paul spoke about the dividing and separating walls of the temple system, which divided people into categories: Jews, Gentiles, men, women, and priests. The temple walls separated and divided people from one another and people from the Holy of Holies and God’s very presence. Walls divide and separate. They categorize people into those who are in and those who are out. Walls even separate us from God Himself.

In the poem Mending Wall, Frost goes on to profoundly assert, “Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence. Something there is that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down.” What makes us build walls in our lives? What are we walling in? What are we walling out? Are there walls in our lives that we want to come down?

Walls isolate us from one another. Walls isolate us from God. We wall in our pet sins, our hurts and our loneliness. We wall out community and people who want to love us and help us. We wall God out with our sins, self-sufficiency and pride. We wall out God’s grace and forgiveness in our shame and guilt. We have all kinds of walls in our lives that separate and divide us.

God has brought down the biggest wall of all, the wall of separation between Himself and us due to our sin. God understands that our sin separates us from Him and walls us out. God understands that these walls of sin separate and divide us from others. God desired to bring down that wall, and He did. 

The good news that Jesus has brought down the dividing wall of separation between God and us flies in the face of the assumption that “Good fences make good neighbors.” In the gospel economy of freedom in Christ, “No fences make good neighbors.” God himself is our peace and has made both one. He has, indeed, broken down the middle wall of separation (Ephesians 2:14).

Mending Wall, by Robert Frost:
http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frost-mending.html  

A Prayer for Our Students

Prayer Booth, photo by Zach Alexander from Flickr

Many of the staff at Quisqueya Christian School are praying for each of our students, by name, regularly, going through our class lists.

Here is one prayer we are praying over our students:

Lord, we pray for the protection of our students. We ask that you would guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus, that you would wrap them up in Your love and deliver them from all evil.

Lord, we pray that you would give our students great enthusiasm for their studies. May you inspire them each and everyday. May each seminar and class bring fresh inspiration to their work. May each moment be filled with the energy they need for their tasks.

Lord, we pray that our students would know the hope to which they are called, that their life would be transformed by revelation from Heaven, that You would inspire their direction and gently lead them into their destiny.

Lord, we especially pray for all our friends at college. May they come to know Your goodness and love and to walk in Your freedom and grace all the days of their lives. 

Amen. 

(Prayer from: A modern prayer for college students)

Quotes on Prayer

Prayer Awakens, photo by Kevin Shorter from Flickr

“Pray, and let God worry” –Martin Luther

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” -James 5:16

“It is taken for granted that all the disciples of Christ pray.”
–Matthew Henry’s commentary

“You may as soon find a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does not pray.” –Matthew Henry’s commentary

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God." –Brother Lawrence

"Seven days without prayer makes one weak." –Allen E. Vartlett

"Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees."
 –William Cowper

“Prayer is where the action is." –John Wesley

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” – St. Augustine

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.”
–Oswald Chambers

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” –Corrie Ten Boom

“For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”
–Saint Teresa of Avila

“Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.” –Billy Graham

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
–James 5:17-18

"Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet." –E. M. Bounds

"Prayer does not influence God. Prayer surely does influence God. It does not influence His purpose. It does influence His action." –S.D. Gordon

"Four things let us ever keep in mind: God hears prayer, God heeds prayer, God answers prayer, and God delivers by prayer." –E. M. Bounds

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” –Romans 8:26

“And when you pray. . .” –Matthew 6:5-8

A Review of Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul

Cover of Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul, 

from Kregel Publishing

One of the best kinds of Bible study helps, or tools, are chart books. Chart books can be extremely helpful in condensing complex and exhaustive information into bite-sized chunks of readability and easy comprehension. The assimilation of valuable information into clear, easy to read and visually appealing formats is so important. Many people learn visually and the structure of a chart becomes very helpful in seeing the flow of important concepts and information.

This being said, Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul should have been a great addition to so many other chart books that are out there on the scriptures, which help us discover and to better understand the Bible. However, this book is more plain text than it is charts and it reads more like a dry commentary than a visually appealing chart book, leaving the reader disappointed and busy sifting through an over abundance of text. There are over 100 charts in this book, but they are small, not always self-sufficient in the information they present, they are secondary to the text, and are not the primary content of the book.

The concept of covering the letters of Paul in a chart book is a great idea, but it does not appear that the author has met the goal of covering the letters of Paul solely using charts. If you are looking for a chart book on the life, letters, and theology of Paul, you will be disappointed with this book. However, if you are looking for a great survey of Paul’s life, letters, and theology and background information and contextual information concerning Paul’s letters, and some commentary on Paul’s letters, and you do not mind a lot of reading, then this book could be for you.

Here is what the publisher has to say about Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul:

Paul's letters have fascinated and challenged most every reader of the Bible. As a result, many general introductions and specific studies on Paul are available, but none are like Charts on the Life and Letters of Paul, which provides over 100 charts to explore the apostle's background, life and ministry, letters, and theology. The charts visually offer clarity on:

1. Basic insights (e.g., "Autobiographical Information")
2. Comparisons (e.g., "Parallels between Acts and Paul's Letters")
3. Advanced tools for further study (e.g., "Key Words in Romans")
4. Analysis (e.g., "The 'New Perspective' on Paul")
5. Research (e.g., "Key Texts and Their Interpretations") 

Comments on the charts and discussions of significant theories-with leads for further exploration-are offered together with an extensive bibliography that includes references to past and current Pauline scholarship.

Interested Bible readers as well as students of Paul's life, letters, and theology will find plenty of material to deepen their understanding. Teachers will find the charts to be a valuable teaching resource. This book is an excellent supplement to any general introduction or specific study on Paul.

In exchange for this non-biased review, the reviewer received a free copy of the book, Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul. This review is also published on My Two Mites, Examiner, Amazon, and Christian Book.

When You Pray

Praying Hands, photo by C Jill Reed from Flickr

“And when you pray. . .” –Jesus, Matthew 6:5

In The Sermon on the Mount, an assumption Jesus makes is that the follower of God will pray. Jesus says, “When you pray” three times in Matthew 6:5-8.

Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse, “when you pray,” states, “It is taken for granted that all the disciples of Christ pray.” The commentary goes on to say, “You may as soon find a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does not pray.” As followers of Christ we will pray just as we will eat or breathe.

Prayer is a natural relationship with Christ and has Christ as its own reward. Brother Lawrence, who wrote The Practice of the Presence of God, wrote "There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God." It is only natural that followers of Christ would be in such an intimate communion with Him in prayer.

Jesus goes on to say this about prayer in The Sermon on the Mount, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:5).

The religious leaders of the day were seeking attention and notoriety for their prayers and “self-righteousness.” The reward they received was the attention and fame. However, they were missing the point of prayer altogether. The point of prayer they were missing was a relationship with the almighty God. Prayer is a relationship with God and is its own reward.

Jesus instructs the crowd of disciples, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

A relationship with our Father is its own reward. Relationships take time and intimacy. It is in the practice of prayer that we have the reward of prayer, intimacy with God. As E. M. Bounds put it, "Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet." In meeting intimately and privately with God in prayer, we learn how to relate to God intimately. We learn to pray.

Jesus continues, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7).

Often times we can have the false belief that God will not hear our prayers unless we get our words right, or unless we have enough words. The Bible is clear, we often do not even know how to pray, but God gives us the right words and even interprets our groans. As it says in Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Jesus goes on to say, “Do not be like [the pagans], for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8).

As a loving Father, God knows what we need, even before we ask. If God did not already have our best in mind, or if God was not aware of our needs, He would cease to be a loving Father and would cease to be God.

In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus says this clearly, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

God is expecting us to pray. Jesus did not say, “If you pray,” no, He said, “When you pray.” God desires a relationship with us in intimate prayer and communion. As Oswald Chambers put it so well, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.” There is nothing greater than intimacy with God in prayer. A.W. Tozer said, "[this] worship of the loving God is man’s whole reason for existence.”

So, when you pray . . . “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Bibliography

Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (Mt 6:5–8). Peabody: Hendrickson.

Prayer is God’s Will for Us

Prayer Booth 3, by Zach Alexander from Flickr

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

One of the most common, and profound, human questions is one of purpose, “Why am I here?” From a Christian perspective this question is adjusted slightly to, “What is God’s will for my life?”

From the beginning of creation humanity was made for an intimate relationship with God, in worship, in rejoicing, and in communion with God in prayer and in thanksgiving.

In Genesis 3:8 we see this intimacy between God and Adam and Eve as God walked with them in the cool of the day, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8).” God related intimately with His people from the very beginning.  

Today we can find this intimate relationship with God in our prayer lives. Billy Graham said this about prayer, “Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.” Prayer is a conversation with a friend, as Saint Teresa of Avila put it, “For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”

It is fitting that Paul asserts rejoicing, prayer and thanksgiving as God’s will for our lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 he says, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

God desires our worship and God desires an intimate relationship with us. Simply put, prayer is God’s will for us.

Remembering God’s Faithfulness Together

Stones, photo by Robbie Pruitt © June 2012

Remembering God’s Faithfulness Together

Quisqueya Christian School’s Staff, 2012-2013

“What do these stones mean? These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”  –Joshua 4:6-7

“I would like to learn, or remember, how to live” –Annie Dillard

1. Christ has died
2. Christ has risen
3. Christ will come again
4. We are thankful
5. We are knowledgeable
6. We are fruitful
7. We are projecting His image
8. We are spreading the good news
9. We are promoting His greatness and goodness
10. We rebelled, He loves us
11. We are blessed
12. We have a place to sleep
13. Our Jesus is awesome and dependable
14. Our marriages are a blessing (for those married)
15. We are alive
16. We are gifted and blessed to teach
17. We get the privileged to tell others about Jesus
18. Many have been or are broken, God heals
19. God has provided for us
20. The Lord disciplines us, because He loves us
21. We have bread without scarcity
22. He gives water to the thirsty
23. He is compassionate toward us
24. God is loving toward us
25. He is merciful, His mercies are new each day
26. God gives us our heart’s desire, when we desire Him
27. Our families bless us
28. God gives us our daily needs
29. He gives us good sleep
30. He brought us out of slavery
31. God is our comforter
32. God is always faithful
33. He cares for us
34. We are nothing without Jesus, but we have Jesus
35. He is our rock
36. Jesus is our teacher
37. His death is our life
38. God is first before all things
39. We have jobs and our needs met
40. We are comforted when we are hurt
41. God heals us
42. God does great things
43. God is our provider and our strength
44. Never once have we ever walked alone
45. God has been there for our families
46. God was faithful during the earthquake
47. God finishes what God starts
48. Our children are a blessing from God
49. God is powerful
50. God is faithful and good
51. We have hope in Christ
52. We have much to be thankful for
53. God is our comfort
54. God is our provider
55. God gives us relationships with each other
56. He is risen!
57. He gives us our daily bread
58. God loves us
59. God speaks to us
60. God desires us
61. God carries us when we are weak
62. God provides, protects and comforts
63. We are not alone
64. We are forgiven
65. God has a plan
66. Christ sacrificed for our sin
67. We have a great cloud of witnesses
68. God is faithful
69. God desires a relationship with us
70. Praise Him! God is here.
71. We remember His death
72. We proclaim His resurrection
73. We wait for His coming in glory

Understanding Scripture

Puzzles In The Air, photo from Into Thy Word

“No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” –1 Corinthians 2:11-12

When it comes to interpreting and applying the Bible, two extremes seem to be a common trend. This first extreme is approaching the Bible without care or concern for the true meaning of the text. The second extreme is an elitist view which holds that only the experts who understand the original languages of the Bible and have been to seminary can study understand the true meaning and application of scripture.

In the first extreme, the Bible is treated like an advice column. Scripture is utilized or taken out of context to support someone’s presupposed ideas, beliefs or desires. Someone who disregards scripture like this may flip through the Bible at random and point to a passage with their eyes closed to randomly select a word from the Lord. In this extreme, scripture verses are ripped out of context to illustrate a thought or idea, to arrive at a desired outcome, or to justify a preconceived notion. This is proof texting.

In the second extreme, the scriptures are looked at as untouchable or unknowable, unless you are part of the elite class who has been theologically educated, and only if you know Hebrew and Greek, and only if you have been to seminary, can you rightly interpret and apply the Bible. Those who hold this view believe that scripture reading should be left to the professionals. They believe the average layperson cannot accurately interpret and apply scripture unless they have a mediator from the elite group of experts. This group believes the Bible is not for the commoner.

These two extremes are very dangerous and prideful. Both center around the individual or group and not on God or His Word. There is a third or middle way to look at interpreting and applying the Bible. This third way is a humble acceptance that we have been given the Bible as a gift from God in our own language. And because of this gift, we should not take the responsibility of reading and applying the Bible lightly, nor should we arrogantly assume that the scriptures are only for the educated elite who know the original languages and have been to seminary.

It is very important to read and rightly interpret and apply the scriptures. We should always carefully read the scriptures as a whole and we should read them in their intended context. Reading and understanding our Bibles is hard work and we should be thoughtful in how we interpret and apply it.

While the Bible is for everyone, it is not some fortune cookie we can take lightly or flippantly read and disregard. We must treat the scriptures with the respect they deserve as God’s Word. We must also do the hard work in interpreting the Bible as we read it. We must rightly handle the scriptures.

In the short article Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture, by Tremper Longman III, Longman says:

Everyone who reads the Bible interprets the text. Unfortunately, however, the Bible is not always easy to understand. Even when the text seems straightforward, we may feel uncertain that our interpretation is right. All of us want to treat the Word of God with the respect it deserves, and we certainly don’t want to read into it things that are not there. For these reasons, we need to apply the basic principles of hermeneutics—the science of interpretation—as we read the text.

In the short article Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture; Longman gives seven simple guidelines to help the reader of the Bible to comprehend what God’s Word is saying. These keys help the reader to think through important factors of Biblical interpretation like the author’s original intended meaning, the context of the passage, the literary genre of the passage, the historical and cultural background of the passage, the grammatical structure of the passage, interpreting experience in light of scripture, and looking at the Bible as a whole.

The seven keys to understanding scripture are:

Principle 1—Look for the Author’s Intended Meaning.
Principle 2—Read A Passage in Context.
Principle 3—Identify the genre of the passage you are reading.
Principle 4—Consider the historical and cultural background of the Bible.
Principle 5—Consider the grammar and structure within the passage.
Principle 6—Interpret experience in light of scripture, not Scripture in the light of experience.
Principle 7—Always seek the full counsel of Scripture.

Recognizing that the Bible is a gift to us from God, we should give the Bible the prayerful respect it deserves in reading, interpreting and applying it to our lives. We should avoid the extreme of prideful and passive self-service in our reading and the prideful extreme of arrogant elitism. May we choose the third way, reading our Bibles responsibly, reading them with discernment, and reading with thoughtful consideration and research, while taking comfort in what Longman asserted, “The God who gave us His Word longs for us to understand it even more than we do.”

Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom Before Reading Sacred Scripture

O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart, that I may hear Your word and understand and do Your will, for I am a sojourner upon the earth. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Your law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. On You do I set my hope, O my God, that You shall enlighten my mind and understanding with the light of Your knowledge, not only to cherish those things which are written, but to do them; that in reading the lives and sayings of the saints I may not sin, but that such may serve for my restoration, enlightenment and sanctification, for the salvation of my soul, and the inheritance of life everlasting. For you are the enlightenment of those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good deed and every gift. Amen.

Bibliography

Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture, by Tremper Longman III:

http://www.cosnet.org/media/docs/community-life/articles/Seven%20Keys%20to%20Understanding%20Scripture.pdf

Prayer of Saint John Chrysostom Before Reading Sacred Scripture:

http://saintnicholasraleigh.org/prayer_before_reading_scriptures