Not in the Brochure

  • May 18, 2023
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  • Jon Polk

Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 1:21-22, 25
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 

Reflection: Not in the Brochure
By Jon Polk

Expectations. We all have them. When fulfilled they can be a powerful source of excitement. When dashed, they can lead to tremendous disappointment.

Time for that family holiday to visit the amazing national park which you’ve heard so much about. You’ve studied the brochures, plotted your route and set out with great anticipation. You arrive to discover that the cabins aren’t as clean as they looked in the photos, the mosquitos are large and hungry, and you have to pay extra for firewood! This was not in the brochure!

Jews in Jesus’ day had read the prophets, their brochures describing the coming of the Messiah. Paul writes that “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom.” Jews expected a victorious Messiah, signs and wonders accompanying a conquering King with power, majesty and glory. The Greeks were sophisticated; they were concerned with the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge for its own sake.

Jesus dashed both their expectations. He did not come as a conqueror to please the Jews, nor as a philosopher to please the Gentiles. Instead, Jesus was a King who demonstrated his power through the sacrifice of his own life and his wisdom by preaching a message of selflessness and humility.

Imagine what even Jesus’ own followers might have felt seeing their beloved master, teacher and friend taken down from the cross and carried off for burial. “What just happened? Wait a minute, Jesus, this is not what we followed you for! This was not in the brochure!”

How would our life brochure read if we wrote it? It probably wouldn’t be much different than the expectations the Jews had for the Messiah. Jesus will solve all your problems. Jesus will make you happy. Jesus will defeat your enemies and those who have done you wrong. Jesus will bring roses and ponies and rainbows.

Now to be fair, Jesus does provide peace, comfort, joy, and satisfaction in life, but not always in the way we might expect. Come to Jesus and sacrifice yourself? Follow Jesus and give your life away? That’s not in our brochure.

The Christian life has a way of not turning out the way we expect. We make our plans, we have our ideas about what God should do for us, we have our own self-focused motivations, but the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. We strive to provide for our own security and comfort in this life, but the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 

Thankfully, through that foolishness and weakness, we are saved from our own expectations to discover God’s higher wisdom and humble strength and we learn to live a new life, one that we may not have expected.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and in misery.
Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; save your servant who puts his trust in you. — Psalm 86.1-2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Numbers 27 (Listen 3:08)
1 Corinthians 1 (Listen 4:03)

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To preach a crucified Christ is to proclaim a King whose very nature is wrapped up in sacrifice.

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Faith of a New Generation

  • May 17, 2023
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  • Erin Newton

Scripture Focus: Numbers 26:2, 63-65
2 Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.”
63 These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64 Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Reflection: Faith of a New Generation
By Erin Newton

We return now to the reason they titled the book, “Numbers.” The book opened with a census and now they count again. The author notes this generation was not part of the original group at Sinai. That generation died as a consequence of their rebellion.

A new generation grew up in the wilderness. Amazingly, the census total in Chapter 26 is only a few thousand less than the census total in Chapter 1—yet an entire generation was gone.

The pages between these chapters are filled with stories of rebellion, opposition, attempted mutiny, and disobedience. The earth opened and fire rained down. There were venomous snakes and a talking donkey. It was, to say the least, a tumultuous time.

The sins of the people resulted in a myriad of curses and disciplines. God did not turn a blind eye to corruption. There was a cost to their sin. Despite all the punishments, their numbers did not wither. The great nation promised to Abraham continued to flourish against the odds. Gordon Wenham highlights this truth, “God’s promises to the patriarchs may be delayed by human sin, but they are not ultimately frustrated by it.”

Delayed but not frustrated. These promises are not defeated by human sin because they are held and guarded by God himself. No human hand, no human sin, can thwart the promises of God.

The younger generation in the wilderness watched their elders rebel, complain, and sin until they were all gone. What could have been enjoyed by the elders passed on to the new generation.

There is hope and warning in this story. We cling to the hope of God’s steadfast promises. We observe and take to heart the warning that our sin can slow the progress of its fruition.

We do not know how the younger generation felt about entering the land without their elders. Perhaps they were encouraged to do things differently, to do things right. After watching the mistakes made by their parents or grandparents, they refined their faith and purified its practice.

Many young Christians today are openly critical of the faith of older generations. Young believers point to issues such as racism, hypocrisy, violence, political idolatry, misogyny, abuse, or apathy for the vulnerable.  

Identifying the spiritual and social flaws of the past is important. By such retrospection, new generations may follow God’s lead with faith refined. 

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Let us make a vow to the Lord our God and keep it; let all around him bring gifts to him who is worthy to be feared. — Psalm 76.11

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Numbers 26 (Listen 7:47)
2 Thessalonians 3 (Listen 2:16)

Read more about Work, Ministry, and Generosity
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Wary but not Paranoid

  • May 16, 2023
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  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: 2 Thessalonians 2.3-4; 9-10
3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Reflection: Wary but not Paranoid
By John Tillman

In Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sauron’s physical form is twisted and horrific, matching the darkness of his motives and methods.

As fans discussed early episodes of the Rings of Power series, they speculated about which character was Sauron. When this was finally revealed, fans of Tolkien’s work were not surprised that the character is very attractive.

Sauron was one of a group of immortal beings called the “Ainur.” He came in the disguise of a “fair man,” tricking the elves into helping him make the rings of power.

Tolkien reflected on two things as he molded the mythology of his Lord of the Rings universe: The Bible and World War II. It is no accident that there are similarities in Sauron’s path to power and downfall that mirror Satan and the Axis powers.

Paul reassured the Thessalonians about “End Times” anxieties. Some unidentified leaders had given some false information. Paul corrects them saying that before the end, “the rebellion” must occur and the “man of lawlessness” must be revealed. We have no shortage of rebellions and insurrections today. We have no shortage of lawless men. Is one of them THE man of lawlessness?

Jesus warned the disciples not to believe those claiming he had appeared, saying, “He’s over there! He’s in here!” (Luke 17.23; Matthew 24.26) We should have similar doubts about those claiming this leader or that one is the Antichrist.

Most of those pointing fingers at Antichrists are pointing at people they already hate or dislike. More than anything else, this indicates they are probably wrong. An unbelieving friend of mine says that the Antichrist is probably Ryan Seacrest, or someone equally as attractive and appealing. He’s probably right—not about the individual, but about the method. 

The Antichrist will come, according to Paul, “in accordance with how Satan works.” (v. 9) If this is true, the outer package will be appealing. So what should we do? Only trust non-attractive people? Follow people we dislike? What do we do to prevent being deceived? Paul says, “love the truth and be saved.” (v. 10)

Like Sauron, even after the success of Satan’s deceptions, dark lords and men of lawlessness will fall before Jesus. We should be wary but not paranoid. Cautious but not in crisis. If we hold fast to Christ and love the truth more than human leaders no “man of lawlessness” will fool us for long.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
You are my helper and my deliverer; do not tarry, O my God. — Psalm 40.19

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Numbers 25 (Listen 2:20)
2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen 2:32)

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End times prophecies are one of those areas in which well meaning believers can start missing the forest for the trees.

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Supporting our Work

More and More and Less and Less

  • May 15, 2023
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  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: 1 Thessalonians 4.1-2, 9-10
1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 

9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more

Reflection: More and More and Less and Less — Guided Prayer
By John Tillman

Paul uses the term “more and more“ twice in the fourth chapter of his letter to the Thessalonians. Both times he is pleased with where the believers are currently, yet hoping for and encouraging them toward more. 

Sanctification is easy to confuse with moralism. 

To the moralist, “more and more” means more rules and ratings.
To those being sanctified, “more and more” means fewer outward rules and more inner change.

Through sanctification, we are slowly transformed by influences beyond ourselves—the Holy Spirit’s power and the reading of God’s Word. In sanctification, we focus on change in our lives, not others.

Through moralism, we transform scriptures into affirmations of our faithfulness and condemnation of others’ sinfulness. In moralism, we focus on others’ lives, measuring ourselves against them instead of scripture. 

Sanctification and moralism both introduce change, but only one is spiritual and is powered by the gospel. Let us pray this prayer that we may not be more “moral.” But that, instead, we may be more like Christ.

More and More and Less and Less
Gracious Father, we know…

We cannot do “more and more” of the things Christ calls us to without doing “less and less” of some other things.

More and more of Christ in our life means less and less of us. He must become greater and we must become less.

Give us more and less, Father… 
More of Christ’s love for others less of our love of self. 
More of Christ’s grace for others and less of our grudging forgiveness. 
More of Christ’s hatred of sin and less of our hatred of those whose sins differ from ours.
More of Christ’s Word, the Bible, and less of the algorithmic sales machines that social media has become.
More of spreading the gospel’s good news and less of spreading the worst news we can find about our enemies.

We know that we will be at our happiest, at our most fulfilled, and at our most true self when we continually surrender more and more to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

No Christian is ever perfect until perfectly conformed to Christ. Conform us, Lord.
No Christian is ever righteous without the righteousness of Christ. Make us righteous, Lord.
No Christian can say, “It is finished.” Christ came to say it for us. Finish your work in us, Lord.


Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Purge me from sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed. — Psalm 51.8

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Numbers 24 (Listen 3:37)
2 Thessalonians 1 (Listen 1:52)

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Intercepting Deconstruction

  • May 12, 2023
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  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: 1 Thessalonians 3.3-5
3 So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. 2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. 5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. 

Reflection: Intercepting Deconstruction
By John Tillman

Paul mentions twice that he can “stand it no longer.” The tension of wondering what had become of the fragile, new faith of the church in Thessalonica was too much for him. Deciding to stay in Athens alone, Paul sent Timothy to check on the believers and report back.

To put that in context, Paul could stand a lot. He could stand imprisonment, stonings, beatings with rods, and many other indignities and sufferings. But to suffer the nagging doubt about the faith of those he cared for was beyond him.

Paul’s concern is two-fold. He was concerned that news of his troubles would distress the believers and that “the tempter” would take the opportunity of distressing news to short-circuit their faith.

Faith, like young plants, is vulnerable when immature. A young plant may be choked out by thorns but a mature tree barely notices their clutching at its bark. Plants mature over time but faith matures only through active cultivation.

However, even mature faith can be harmed and even great trees can be felled. Many in our day have backed away from faith or are reexamining it. Some irresponsible pastors have attacked “deconstructing” Christians as being fooled by or being tools of Satan. Some of these pastors are the same men who caused, endorsed, or ignored the abuse, hypocrisy, and suffering that has fueled the deconstruction movement. They stand throwing gasoline on the fire and blame the devil.

While it is true that spiritual forces and powers attack individuals and the church at opportune times, (Luke 4.13) we can’t ignore the tangible causes. When we find abusive pastors, sweaty and holding an axe by a felled tree, we don’t need to blame the tree for giving in to Satan.

Paul preferred to prevent, rather than condemn, deconstruction. And when faith faltered, Paul intercepted those who strayed correctively but always compassionately. His strongest words were directed at deceivers, not the deceived. 

In our age of social media and instant messaging, we don’t need to send Timothy on a hazardous journey to stay in touch, although sometimes discussing faith can feel like a hazardous journey.

Like Paul, let us take the risk and put our energy into cultivating, maintaining, and repairing faith. Who do you know, weak in faith, who needs encouragement? Who do you know strong in faith, who you can turn to?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
I call with my whole heart; answer me, O Lord, that I may keep your statues. — Psalm 119.145

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Numbers 21 (Listen 5:03)
1 Thessalonians 3 (Listen 1:44)

This Weekend’s Readings
Numbers 22 (Listen 5:55), 1 Thessalonians 4 (Listen 2:24)
Numbers 23 (Listen 4:01), 1 Thessalonians 5 (Listen 2:37)

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