to gather or to have mercy ... which is the question?

I have heard it taught that when two or three people gather together in the name of Jesus, he will be also present (Matthew 18:20).  This has come to my ears in three ways:

1. Jesus has asked all who have faith in him to gather and when we do he will turn up.  This is why we gather for Sunday church services
2. Jesus says he will be present even if there are two people of faith gathered together for his purposes.  This means we can be the church anywhere and anytime.  Large gatherings are not essential.
3. Jesus is the second person and so we can operate missional purposes individually, but still in partnership with him.

But are any of these accurate?

We could analyse these points, but I choose to start with the surround text this scripture is pulled from Matthew 18:15-35)

If brother sins against you, privately talk to them about it.  If they listen and acknowledge it, great.  But if not, take one or two other people with you and go back again, so they can witness what you are saying.[i]  If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If they still won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or corrupt tax collector.

Whatever you forbidden earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.  Also whenever at least two people agree on earth about anything you ask, God will do it for you.  Why” Because whenever two or three gather together in Jesus’ name, he will be there among them (agree).

Then Peter asks: “But how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

To which Jesus replies: “No!  490 times!  Then the Kingdom of Heaven requires you to forgive others from your heart because not to do so is like you are rejecting God’s forgiveness for you.” 

We need to have mercy on those who sin against us, just as God had mercy on us.  The consequence of not doing so is to be sent to prison to be tortured until your debt for God has been entirely repaid.

Jesus is speaking about forgiveness and restoration of relationships.  About the numerous opportunities a person needs to be given to accept their behaviour.  Talk with them in private, take a person or two to observe, take it before the broader church (not just leaders).  Failing all this, the person is viewed as having no faith.  They are unrepentant, having no faith in Jesus, and need to be treated as such.

One of the examples Jesus gives is “treat them as a tax collector” who at the time were considered some of the most vile people within the community.  Traitors even.  But hang on a moment.  Wasn’t Matthew a tax collector?  Why is this important?  Because Matthew is the one writing this!  In other words … “if the person continues to refuse what they have done, treat them as Jesus treated me.”  Wow!

While the consequences of this settles in, let us continue … when two or three are gathered.  Look at what is written again:

After speaking with the person in private, if they have not listened, take one or two people to say it again.
Therefore, with you added into the equation, this adds up to whenever two or three gather together in Jesus’ name …
In addition, if the person who had sinned against you had indeed listened and been restored to you then there would have been two (you and them) gather together in Jesus’ name

This is important because when we read the next bit, we understand gathering together in Jesus’ name means coming into agreement about the things that are important to him and thus God.

Whatever you forbidden earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.  Also whenever at least two people agree on earth about anything you ask, God will do it for you.  Why” Because whenever two or three gather together in Jesus’ name, he will be there among them (agree).

Forbid something or permit it.  What is important is God will make happen ANYTHING we agree to.  Why?  Because Jesus is also in the agreement.  God will do anything Jesus, his son, has signed off on.

So when Peter then asks how often to forgive someone who has done you wrong, he asks in such a way that suggests: “Surely there is a limit to how often I need to forgive someone before I can treat it as a lost cause.”  But Jesus response was “Nope!  There is no end to how many times you need to forgive them.  You need to show mercy in the same manner God has you.  Not to do so is to reject his mercy.”

This is not saying that God’s mercy is dependent upon yours.  Rather, it is saying that you have no concept of what mercy is and therefore need to continue being taught about it until you do.  That is, you have chosen to step out of the covenant made through Jesus and need to be treated as such.

***

So are the ways suggested of how we should gather accurate?  Not sure.  But upon reading this passage again I see this scripture is not about meeting together but rather God’s desire for us to forgive people, show unconditional mercy, and to make reconciliatory measure to achieve it which includes involving them so they may change.  I also see that even if they reject all these efforts, we need to keep showing them mercy as Jesus did Matthew the tax collector.  For how long?  There are no time constraints.  Remembering that we need to do this in the name of Jesus and as such God will commit to its success.

And yet again this leaves me with asking how to show mercy to someone who refuses to accept they have done wrong by me?  This is a discussion for another time.  But for now I just remember Jesus’ call for us to love our enemies.

---

[i] NOT about only taking people who previously know about this or have supporting examples.  They are there to listen to the conversation.

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did jesus lie to us?

Remember Paul?  Remember when he traveled to Jerusalem to see Peter and co? How long had he been serving God without them even knowing Paul? 14 years!  14 years of mission without contact with a local church, a HQ, etc. One moment having Christians killed, the next WHAM serving God amongst a mob who no one else had time for.  A mob who knew nothing of how to be a traditional Jew.  Totally uncircumcised!

Next thing Peter toddles up to see Paul in his stomping ground.  Peter hangs out with the Galatian locals and lives as if he is one of them.  Uncircumcised.

Next a few Jewish fellas come to see him.  And as quick as a flash Peter, out of fear of being criticised, pretends he is a good Jew too.  He stops eating with the locals and starts acting in ways that won't offend his Jewish visitors.

To put it plainly, Paul is a bit more than pissed!  He goes up to Peter and basically calls him a hypocrite to his face in front of EVERYONE.  The locals and visiting Jews too.  No hiding.  Peter, the man known for his faith received a public dressing down.

Why?  Because as Paul noted: Peter by behaving like this had stopped following the gospel message.  Because of his faith he was able to discard his Jewish Levitical traditions and live in the freedom of Christ.  But now he was suddenly doing them again.  Worse, he was advocating the locals to do likewise - follow the Jewish Levitical traditions.  Even Barnabas, Paul's loyal companion had been convinced back.

So here is what Paul explained: Just because you feel guilty that you don't follow the Levitical way once you get right with God by having faith in Christ does not mean Jesus led you to sin!  Not at all!  What makes you a sinner is trying to rebuild this old Levitical way (or follow it when it is presented to you).  Doing this makes you claim that God is a liar.  It makes you a sinner because no matter how hard you try to keep it, it can only condemn you.  Isn't this why we stopped trying to meet its requirements in the first place and follow Jesus?

Seriously dude... Remember your old self has been crucified with Christ and so it is no longer you who lives but Christ in you.  So please live by trusting in the Son of God, who loved you enough to sacrificed his life for you.  Remember, God's grace is NOT meaningless because there would be zero need for Christ is by keeping the law we could be right with God.

***

So my question is where in my life do I still pursue these old Levitical ways?  Or in other words?  What am I doing that says "I don't need Christ" "Doing this or that will make God like me?"

Am I making tithes and offerings?  Am I advocating a special priesthood (pastor-hood, apostle-hood)?  Are we repeating the same rituals (maybe with an electric guitar) in how we meet and how we do things? etc etc like rearranging the proverbial deck chairs on the Titanic. How much of what I do is based on the church culture I was born into ... 

Protestants who in addition to mixing in ideas of human kingship retained much from the Catholic church who was birthed from the Holy Roman Church who took much of what they did directly from the Old Testament traditions of the Law.

And if I am not doing these things from a old covenant stance, and God has done away with them because they only existed because Jesus had not come yet... are they not empty shells?  What point is there for them at all?

And if I think that these ways are comfortable or familiar or traditional or make sense ... am I trying to fill these empty shells with the life of the new covenant, ie Jesus?  But didn't he say this wouldn't work?  Like trying to put new wine in an old wineskin, new cloth to mend an old coat...

***

Bugger

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god gifts the rebellious

Today I was discussing with a friend something read in Ephesians 4 earlier in the week. Basically, I can sometimes skip over the parts of scripture which refer to other parts of the Bible. For example occasionally in the New Testament, Paul or another writer, will refer to a scripture from the Old Testament.

My assumption has been that this does not need reading because the writer is simply repeating something he will explain elsewhere in the text.

How WRONG could I have been?

A lot!

The scripture in question is Ephesians 4:8 which in context reads:

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.  And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

This Ephesians 4:8 is a quote from Psalms 68:18

When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives.  You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you.  Now the Lord God will live among us there.

In short God gives his gifts to people even if they have rebelled against him.  That is are unrepentant.  That is have not sought forgiveness for what they are doing or have done or will do against him.  This can be both people we call 'unsaved', people who do not have anything to do with Jesus.  Or it can be people who say they have faith in Jesus; are 'saved'.  The saved rebellious?  Yes, for they were once without faith.  And there will be things they do or say that continue to be actions against God.

So when the rest of Ephesians is read, and the types of gifts God gives out to people ... My mind and heart was floored as I realised that God gives all them to people we would otherwise dismiss as people nothing to do with the church, regardless of their culture, religious affinity or anything else.  God simply wants people to know him and he shows no favouritism in how this occurs.

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holy holy ... whichday?

If it is possible for some to consider some days more holy than others, while other people may consider every day as equally holy ... how will this apply to sundays?  To recognised church services?

In the former situation, there is not much more to say.  If one day is more important than another then certain things can only occur on that day.  They do not happen on others.  If it is argued that they can occur on other days, then the reason for the importance of the chosen separated day is the 'why it occurs on at day'.

However, if you are someone who considers every day as equally holy and arguing for a move away from focusing on Sundays then ... it is possible to take one of two approaches

1. Sunday  needs to becomes like every other day, or
2. every other day needs to become like Sunday
   

In effect, this is the same thing but with drastically different outcomes

1. The first dilutes Sunday because it was once considered 'more holy' and the others by virtue of this belief 'less so'.
2. The second makes the other days equally significant as Sunday because the once be 'lesser days' must now take on the sacredness of Sundays. 

And since prayer, worship, sacrament, faith, service, etc cannot be watered down, as each act no matter how infrequent is full, the second option seems more viable.
So what is implied by Jesus' comment that "the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath" in the context that every day may be considered as the Sabbath?
That is God introduced rest because men need rest.  Not.
There is a rule of rest so men must take it to justify its existence.

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