Words Aren’t Enough

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Blind Faith (No. 17, 2008)

This week brought the “official” beginning of the laptop-

computer-on-the-deck writing season. Overnight low temperatures in the

50’s and 60’s quickly warm into the pleasant 70’s, with streams of

sunshine and gentle breezes. I have written before about sitting out

here, but the full splendor of the experience can never be captured in

written words.

Several yards away, a lawnmower prowls back and forth, and the

fresh smell of cut grass and onions wafts by. A little farther away,

two neighbors are talking. At this distance, their conversation is

unintelligible, but it is punctuated liberally with laughter. Birds

are assembled in full concert, each one singing a different melody in

counterpoint with the other songs. Airplanes passing overhead in

nearly perfect flying conditions make me jealous of whoever is blessed

with today’s opportunity to fly. A few puffy clouds dot the sky, but

visibility is almost unlimited, and turbulence is minimal. Even the

slight scent of tar from newly installed roofing shingles is

comforting. The slight breeze stirs wind chimes in both alto and

soprano registers, blending in random harmony. (I just had to move to

the other side of the table, the climbing sun proving too warm on the

back of my dark colored polo shirt. Shade!) Below in our yard, tiny

fruit are setting of the pear trees, blueberries are finishing a

prolific blossoming season, and buds are swelling into a promising

bumper crop of figs. Muscadine and scuppernong vines are reaching

tentacles across the arbor, twisting in hopes of luscious purple and

amber grapes to come.

No matter how I try to paint the picture in words, it never can

be enough. Sitting on the deck, breathing in the wonder of God’s

creation, is a captivating experience. You just have to be there.

Words aren’t enough. I will be back out on the deck for lunch, or to

sit in the evening, or to stretch out for a nap on the glider, or to

read the newspaper, or simply to sit and rock. Each experience is just

as delightful as the time before. Writing about it, or even reading my

own descriptions of the experience cannot compare with the wonder of

actually being there yourself.

Attempting through these paragraphs to evoke a genuine sense of

sitting out on the deck turned my thoughts to the relationship between

words and first-hand experiences. Word is a

concept richly used in the Bible. Both Hebrew and Greek languages held

high notions of how words function. Both languages understand words as

more than simple signs or names. In the Bible, words convey a dose of

the power that they describe or mean. Words invite a person to

participate in the reality they represent. The Word of God is more

than a collection of pen strokes on scrolls. It embodies the purest

and highest expressions of God’s love, grace, holiness, and glory.

Still, the words of the Bible in the Hebrew and Greek fare no better

then English translations at bridging the gap between ideas – however

sacred – and direct encounters of the presence of God. The story of

the Bible, though, leads us by the hand from abstract words on a page

to personal experiences with God.

A familiar verse from Psalm 119 takes us part of the way: ” I

have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

(Psalm 119:11 NIV) In the Bible, the heart represents the very center

of a person – spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. To hide

God’s Word in one’s heart is to embrace it with the best energy of

imagination, and reason, and anticipation one can muster. It involves

a committed desire for what we read in God’s Word to be the actual

state of affairs in which we are living. When reading about sitting in

the sun on my deck, I hope you yearn to find such a place for yourself.

When we hide God’s Word in our hearts, we should build an intense

desire to live by God’s love and grace.

But God went much farther to call us from only thinking about

his ways, to living, breathing experience with his grace. The stirring

opening of the gospel of John personifies the Word of God. It is

infinitely more than an idea about God’s love and grace: ” In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things came into

being through him, and without him not one thing came into being….

{10} He was in the world, and the world came into being through him;

yet the world did not know him.” (John 1:1-3, 10 NRSV) Although John

affirms the Word as eternal with God and active in creation of all that

exists, the Word remained a concept, something for sacred imagination

and contemplation, but not something to meet face-to-face. God knew

that direct experience – actually living in the presence of what we

need to know – connects much more powerfully with us. So, John

recounts, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have

seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and

truth. (John 1:14 NRSV) Not only did people read about God’s love and

grace, but Jesus lived as the flesh-and-blood presence of God, for

people to see and feel. This direct encounter with the Word radically

changed the lives of those who followed Jesus. The words of John and

other witnesses and participants with Jesus invite us to have direct

encounters of our own with God’s Word: ” The Word of life existed from

the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and

touched it. {2} This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we

testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that

was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us. {3} This is

the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also

so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is

with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:1-3 GWT)

Yet, the opportunity to experience the presence of God still

teeters precariously on the written or spoken testimony that “the Word

became flesh.” The only way truly to know the experience is to sit,

walk, and live with Jesus in your own life. Reading about a nice day

in the sun is no match for sitting there yourself, you have to get out

there and do it. Similar counsel is presented in the New Testament’s

guidebook for Christian living: ” Prove yourselves doers of the word,

and not merely hearers who delude themselves…. {25} One who looks

intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not

having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will

be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22, 25 NNAS) Christian faith

requires more than reading and meditating upon written or spoken

descriptions of God’s love and grace. Living Jesus’ way of love and

grace, conversing with him in prayer throughout the day, and practicing

sensing his presence in every moment do far more than mere words ever

will.

If you can’t come over and sit on my deck, sip some iced tea,

and experience the wonders of God’s creation, I hope you can find such

a place of your own in which to do it. Words aren’t enough to let you

feel the warmth of the sunshine and the refreshing breeze for yourself.

I hope, too, that you will absorb God’s Word deeply in your

imagination, contemplation, and anticipation of each day. How can you

bring God’s Word to life through your actions today? Words can’t

substitute for the actual experience, but words do have power. What

are your words doing to invite someone into personal experience of the

presence of Jesus in their life?

I’m sure you haven’t heard the last from my experiences out on

the deck. I run into God out there on a regular basis.

J. Edward Culpepper, Ph.D.

Check-up Season

Blind Faith (No. 16, 2008)

This Spring has produced a constellation of check-ups in

various areas of my life. Most are routine, just opportunities to

assess current conditions and to take action to correct any problems

that might be discovered. Some check-up procedures only require an

investment of time and attention. Others pinch either the body or the

checkbook, but may avoid higher tolls than if left undone.

A regular physical exam sent me without breakfast to a local

blood-letting center! Actually, the lab technician had a wonderful

touch, and I hardly knew when he drew 2 small vials of blood for the

fasting blood work. About a week later, my physician did a little

prodding, listening, and careful looking in order to pronounce that

everything was fine.

A few days after that, I was in the dentist’s chair for a

routine teeth-cleaning and dental exam. I told the dental hygienist

that I felt I should sit in a little booth with a sliding door, with

her on the other side. I should slide back the door and say, Bless me,

sister. It has been (how long?) since my last

cleaning.” With stainless steel implements, she scraped and explored

and prodded. Then with a mildly abrasive high-speed pad on the

screeching dentist’s drill, she buffed and polished my teeth. The

dentist followed with some picking and poking of his own, concluding

that all was well.

Earlier this week, we united with the millions of Americans who

mailed their tax returns on April 15. The annual tax preparation

season requires an examination of our financial health. All sources of

income must be reported. Expenses are carefully scrutinized for

allowable deductions. Both essential categories of expenditures and

frivolous spending are laid bare. Either elation over a nice tax

refund or depression over additional taxes due cap the review.

Spring brings all kinds of check-ups. A walk around the yard

to check for plants that need attention and renewal pays dividends

later in lush vegetation and flowers. Often dreaded spring cleaning

turns up plenty of handyman and “Honey-do” projects, many of them

lasting well into Fall.

We submit to check-ups in many other areas of our lives at

times other than Spring. Most jobs involve an annual formal or

informal job performance review, a generally uncomfortable time of

discussing with your boss how well you have done your work. Job

evaluations can be useful for clarifying goals, identifying skills and

gifts to develop, and improving the overall work environment. Most

people, however, just dread the process! We are subjected to quality

reviews almost daily regarding meal preparation, clothing choices,

hairstyles, entertaining, gift-giving, driving, parenting, and you-

name-it.

What about your spiritual life? Many other check-ups require

you to schedule time, pay attention to the process, and perhaps endure

physical or financial discomfort, yet the potential benefits make the

investment worthwhile. A careful examination of your relationship with

God might take some dedicated quiet time alone with God, or an honest

conversation with a trusted spiritual partner, but a check-up of your

faith life can produce benefits, as well.

Check-ups are recommended by several counselors in the Bible.

The earliest believers exchanged letters with the apostle Paul because

they were troubled by some practices they felt must be incompatible

with following Jesus faithfully. Paul wrote back, ” Make sure you are

solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted.

Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere

hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the

test, do something about it.” (2 Corinthians 13:5, The Message)

Centuries before, David had learned that he was capable of all kinds of

ungodly acts, from conspiracy to murder to adultery. He also learned

that self-evaluation could let him off the hook too easily. His prayer

for God’s help to have a thorough and truly helpful spiritual check-up

is memorable: ” God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my

nervous thoughts. {24} See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on

the road to everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24 NCV) David also

recognized the benefit of having God perform the check-up and following

God’s prescription for follow-up — God’s gift of everlasting life.

Of course, some check-ups are scheduled appointments, while

some tests are run in the unfolding of everyday life. The same is true

of spiritual check-ups. Attempting to follow Jesus as you go about

your job, or drive the carpool, or visit with neighbors, or do the

shopping, or hosts of other actions can put you into situations in

which the genuine level of your commitment to Christ is revealed. Just

as a dental check-up or a job performance review can inflate your

anxiety, testing of your faith can be distressing. But just as the

other exams can yield benefits of better health, increased productivity

in your job, etc., paying attention to spiritual testing can produce

benefits that are eternal. In addition, God is always with you as you

face the test. One of the most pragmatic books of the New Testament,

James, spells out the positive value of checking out your faith: ” When

your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. {4} So let

it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong

in character and ready for anything. {5} If you need wisdom–if you

want to know what God wants you to do–ask him, and he will gladly tell

you. He will not resent your asking…. {12} God blesses the people who

patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life

that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:3-5, 12 NLT)

Spring is a marvelous time for a spiritual check-up. Take a

walk with God in God’s blossoming creation. Focus your attention on

what has happened in your relationship with Jesus in the past year.

Are you closer, or have you drifted apart? What are the metrics for

your evaluation? Daily prayer life? Personal Bible reading (not in a

worship service or Sunday School class)? Loving other people the way

Jesus loves them? Participation in worship of God? Direct, hands-on

involvement in ministry? Letting people know what being a follower of

Jesus means to you (otherwise known as Christian witnessing)? You and

God can determine your metrics and set the scale for your check-up.

A spiritual check-up may pierce you to the heart — but it is

not likely to be accompanied by that frightful whirring you hear in the

dentist’s chair!

J. Edward Culpepper, Ph.D.

Follow Me

Blind Faith (No. 15, 2008)

I have been in Mobile, Alabama – where I grew up and

graduated from high school – more in the past three weeks than in the

past 5 or more years combined. My parents moved from Mobile during my

college years. (No, they didn’t move without telling me where they

were going!) For years, no connections were strong enough to draw me

back to my boyhood home. Then our granddaughter was born, an early

arrival. All the clichés about the effect of grandchildren on

grandparents are accurate! Our granddaughter is still honing her

feeding skills in the hospital nursery, and we are headed back to

Mobile this weekend.

Driving by places I frequented as a child and teenager

stimulates a multitude of memories. Eating in familiar favorite

restaurants evokes memories of good friends and good family times.

Being in the part of town where we lived and went to school elicits

memories of challenges faced, lessons learned, and life enjoyed.

Passing by the church we attended calls up all kinds of memories of the

foundations of my faith and growing participation in worship, Bible

study, and ministry.

Songs and their lyrics are an intrinsic component of my

memories. Songs implanted in my thoughts important images of being a

true follower of Jesus. When I was growing up, every vocal soloist

worth his or her salt had several essential standard songs in their

repertoire. One of those, Follow Me, is rarely heard today. (A

Google search for Follow Me produced only 23 results, about a

dozen of them links to lyrics to gospel songs by Elvis Pressley.) You

may not have ever heard the song.

Follow Me presents a Christian’s protest of all the

things he has suffered as a believer, and how fortunate Jesus is to

have him as a follower. In the song, Jesus responds with the reality

of his sacrifice on our behalf. The first two verses end with the

essence of Jesus’ call and desire for each and every one of us: “Follow

Me.” The third verse affirms the singer’s commitment to follow

Jesus.

For clarity in differentiating between the singer’s persona and

that of Jesus, I have italicized the words attributed by the song to

Jesus. I invite you to put yourself into the dialogue with Jesus, to

identify how often you feel similarly about following him. The

language of the song is a bit archaic, but the sentiments are as

contemporary as tomorrow:

I traveled down a lonely road and no one seemed

to care.
The burden on my weary back had bowed me to despair;
I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me,
And then I heard Him say so tenderly:
“My feet were also weary, upon the Calvary road;
The cross became so heavy, I fell beneath the load.
Be faithful weary pilgrim the morning I can see,
Just lift your cross and follow close to

me.”

“I work so hard for Jesus,” I often boast and

say.
“I’ve sacrificed a lot of things to walk the narrow way.
I gave up fame and fortune, I’m worth a lot to Thee.”
And then I hear Him gently say to me:
“I left the throne of glory and counted it but loss.
My hands were nailed in anger upon a cruel cross.
But now we’ll make the journey with your hand safe in mine,
So lift your cross and follow close to me.”

O Jesus, if I die upon a foreign field someday,
‘Twould be no more than love demands, no less could I repay.
“No greater love hath mortal man than for a friend to die.”
These are the words He gently spoke to me:
“If just a cup of water I place within your hand,
Then just a cup of water is all that I demand.”
But if by death to living they can Thy glory see,
I’ll take my cross and follow close to Thee.

(Ira Stamphill)

The whining expressed by the Christian in the song is nothing

new. Peter had the same complaining conversation face-to-face with

Jesus: “Peter replied to [Jesus], ‘Look, we’ve given up everything to

follow you. What will we get out of it?’” (Matthew 19:27 GWT) Paul was

not above blurting out his catalog of suffering for Jesus when

frustrated by complaining church members: ” I’ve done much more work,

been in prison many more times, been beaten more severely, and have

faced death more often [than other believers]. {24} Five times the

Jewish leaders had me beaten with 39 lashes; {25} three times Roman

officials had me beaten with clubs. Once people tried to stone me to

death; three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a

night and a day. {26} Because I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve faced dangers

from raging rivers, from robbers, from my own people, and from other

people. I’ve faced dangers in the city, in the open country, on the

sea, and from believers who turned out to be false friends. {27}

Because I’ve had to work so hard, I’ve often gone without sleep, been

hungry and thirsty, and gone without food and without proper clothes

during cold weather. {28} Besides these external matters, I have the

daily pressure of my anxiety about all the churches.” (2 Corinthians

11:23b-28 GWT) Our list of travails for our faith may be different,

but they are hardly original.

In a quieter moment of reflection, Paul penned the counsel

expressed in the song: Your attitude should be the same that Christ

Jesus had. {6} Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his

rights as God. {7} He made himself nothing; he took the humble position

of a slave and appeared in human form. {8} And in human form he

obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on

a cross. {9} Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of

heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, {10} so that

at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and

under the earth, {11} and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ

is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NLT)

Jesus gave up everything to offer us forgiveness and grace. We may

feel that we don’t have much to give – perhaps only a cup of cool

water, as the song says. But that is exactly what Jesus wants from us

(see Matthew 10:42) – nothing more and nothing less than everything we

have.

Do you remember all the apparent slights you have suffered for

your faith? Do you recall the weight of sin Jesus has borne in your

place? What resources has Jesus given you through experiences past and

your current possessions? Follow Jesus: give your all to follow

him.

J. Edward Culpepper, Ph. D.

Follow Me

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Blind Faith (No. 14, 2008)

A news conference photo line-up this week was so extraordinary

that it prompted an April Fool’s disclaimer from one of the

participants. A rare coalescence of Senate Republicans and Democrats

assembled to announce a bipartisan package of bills designed to help

millions of homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Given the intractable,

acrimonious partisan divisions characterizing almost every issue faced

in Washington in recent years, eyebrows were raised at the April 1

announcement. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid felt compelled to

assure reporters, “This is not April Fool’s. This is serious business.”

Of course, serious business is what the American people expect their

Senators and Congress members to do all the time. Unfortunately, much

of the hyper-partisan bickering and deadlock seems far too much like a

prolonged April Fool’s joke, although a joke that is not funny at all.

A constant hope is that legislators might remember that they are

American public servants first, and Democrats or Republicans a distant

second.

Political divisions that inhibit working together to assure the

values expressed in the Constitution (and, by extension, the

Declaration of Independence) are hard to understand. Yes, differences

of opinion always will exist about solutions to national and world

problems. National political parties represent different approaches to

realizing the American dream, but all parties ideally seek to enhance

the common good of America. Well-reasoned debate between parties can

elicit creative answers to shared problems, if the unifying ideals of

the country are kept clearly in mind.

If that kind of hope in the face of political schism is possible,

certainly followers of Jesus should be able to unite to accomplish his

mission. A recent Gallup poll indicates that denominational barriers

are not as entrenched as they were just a few years ago. The bad news

is that fewer adherents to a particular Christian denomination know

much of anything about the doctrinal distinctives of their church. The

good news is that more people identify with a particular church because

they find a rich community in which they can worship, learn Bible

truths, and serve God and meet human needs. But that hasn’t always

been the case. I grew up in an era in which a Baptist boy dating a

Methodist girl was thought to be running the danger of becoming

“unequally yoked together.” (See 2 Corinthians 6:14.) Many local

congregations were very hesitant to cooperate with any churches of a

different denomination, except for some “safe” community benevolence

projects.

My own Baptist family often made Democrats and Republicans look

like “kissing cousins” by comparison. I have attended national, state,

associational, and even local Baptist church meetings where the

partisanship, name-calling, and unwillingness to have anything to do

with the other group was as vicious as any party conflicts on Capitol

Hill. Fortunately, the New Baptist Covenant gathering in Atlanta the

end of January offered hope, as 15,000 followers of Jesus from30

Baptist denominations and fellowships pledged to work together to carry

out the mission Jesus announced in Luke 4:18-19. Baptists black and

white, clapping and classical, highly evangelistic and social justice-

activist, majority and scant minority in their communities, and most

other differences you can imagine came together around their commitment

to follow Jesus.

Divisions between groups of followers of Christ have been

around since the very first disciples. Mark tells about one of Jesus’

inner circle failing to see that the mission of Jesus was larger than

the group to which he belonged: ” John said, ‘Teacher, we saw someone

using your name to force demons out of a person. We told him to stop,

because he does not belong to our group.’ {39} But Jesus said, ‘Don’t

stop him, because anyone who uses my name to do powerful things will

not easily say evil things about me. {40} Whoever is not against us is

with us.’” (Mark 9:38-40 NCV) Jesus quickly chided John for his

exclusivity. Even though the others doing ministry in Jesus’ name

might have used different words, dressed differently, associated with

different demographic groups, or been different in many ways, Jesus

embraced them all as partners in his mission of demonstrating God’s

grace.

Paul addresses the problem of differences among followers of Jesus

in picturesque metaphors. He, too, strongly makes the case that

Christians are not to choose up sides against one another, but are to

unite in fulfilling the mission of Jesus:

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works

by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts–

limbs, organs, cells–but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re

still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ…. {14} I want you

to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A

body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all

the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. {15}

If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I

guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? {16} If Ear

said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t

deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the

body? {17} If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how

could it smell? {18} As it is, we see that God has carefully placed

each part of the body right where he wanted it. {19} But I also want

you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown

up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is

only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic

hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. {20} What we have is one body

with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part

is important on its own. {21} Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get

lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job

has been phased out”? {22} As a matter of fact, in practice it works

the other way–the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore

necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a

stomach…. {25} The way God designed our bodies is a model for

understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on

every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, {26} the

parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other

part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part

flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. {27} You are

Christ’s body–that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as

you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. (1

Corinthians 12: 12, 14-22, 25-27 The Message)

To extend Paul’s metaphors, each organ in the body serves an

important purpose, as different Christian denominations, fellowships,

and churches can today. When the intractable bickering or exclusive

claims of spiritual superiority break out, the body of Christ suffers

and is hindered from doing its work of showing the world how Jesus

loves all people.

Do you know someone who attends a different church? (An odd,

but serious question.) Invite that person or a group of Christians to

have prayer with you. OK, you can start with a blessing over a meal

together! Raise the bar a notch to pray for each other, a co-worker, a

neighbor, etc. Do you and another Christian from another church enjoy

similar ways of helping other people? Decide where you can work

together in Jesus’ name. You may find the place in one of your

churches, but don’t go into the shared mission with proselytizing the

other into your group as a hidden goal! A Bible study group involving

people from churches of different denominations can offer insights that

one group’s Bible scholars might have refined with special clarity,

adding to your understanding of scripture. For the body of Christ to

do its work, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal,

Catholic, Adventist, Church of God, Church of Christ, United Church of

Christ, and all kinds of other Christians are called to work

harmoniously together, energized by the same Holy Spirit.

A closing prayer Paul offered for the followers of Jesus in

Rome in the first century is a prayer Christians in the 21st century

should pray and work to fulfill: ” May the God who gives endurance and

encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow

Christ Jesus, {6} so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. {7} Accept one another, then,

just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans

15:5-7 NIV)

J. Edward Culpepper, Ph.D.