Charisa Stories

Tag: paul

  • The Apostle Paul’s Marketing Plan in Athens, Greece

    Royal Academy of Arts

    I was reading the book of Acts this week when it hit me how much human nature has not changed in the last couple of thousand years. I know that genuine followers of Jesus want to communicate to our divided culture in a kinder and gentler way but still boldly confront non-believers with truth and love. After seeing Paul’s experience, I believe God is telling us in advance that the results will be mixed.

    Acts 17 documents the apostle Paul’s visit to Athens, a city that caused him great distress (the Greek word, roughly translated, means “ticked off”) because the city was full of idols. Yet, instead of arguing with or maligning the Jews and God-fearing Greeks, he reasoned with them and others who came to listen. In their minds Paul was introducing them to some strange ideas but he did it in a way that they wanted to know more. Verse 21 notes that residents of Athens spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.

    Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. (Acts 17:21, NLT)

    Their pastime could be considered an ancient version of our social media scrolling and podcast sharing. I love what happens next. Paul met his audience where they were.

    “So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.” (Acts17: 22-23 NLT)

    Brilliant! So the Apostle Paul downloaded an intellectual tease to cause the skeptics to pay attention. He pointed out a common interest and then offered the audience an upcoming revelation to keep them tuned in.

    Paul had debates with Stoic and Epicurean philosophers. What if Paul and the early believers had approached Athens with some of the strategies we use today? Several believers would march throughout the marketplace defiantly holding up placards:

    “If you think you are Stoic now, wait till the Lord returns!”

    “Hey, Epicureans…the party’s over for you!”

    What if Paul had stepped up and announced, “Repent, you pagan, godless sons of the devil, before you burn in a fiery hell.”

    For some reason I don’t think Paul would have had much of an audience, let alone success. When he finished speaking to the crowd in Athens, the Bible records the box score. It’s pretty much what you and I can expect when we sincerely and lovingly explain our faith. Some of them sneered. Those are the ones that we worry about too much. Some of them said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” That means you have at least planted a seed. And a few “believed.” That is my prayer, along with hearing that a few recommitted to the faith. Paul endured all that he did to present the Gospel message to those who wanted to hear more.

    The early church had no chance to “win” the culture war. Instead, they built a community of loving and serving believers that infiltrated the culture. It is important to have theological knowledge, but when you combine that with love and grace you can change the hearts and lives of your family, your neighbors, and your community.

    So, every believer is to build a foundation first on the solid rock of hearing Christ’s words and then putting those teachings into practice, with no excuses. We will make mistakes and fall short of expressing God’s grace. But when we fall short, we should take responsibility, repent, regroup, and reenter the fray to follow the commands of Jesus expressed in Matthew 22:37-40.

    ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”

    But wait! There’s more!

    39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

    From that solid foundation we can build a healthier church, community, and culture. Paul didn’t have an easy journey at all. He suffered. He was beaten. Jailed. Mocked. But here was his desire to finish strong after an early life that he regretted.

    “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” (Acts 20:24, NLT)

    That is my prayer. We will have also mixed results but our goal is to glorify God and tell others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

    (A portion of this blog came from my book When Bad Christians Happen to Good People)

  • Train Up A Child In The Way They Should Go

    I was listening to Prime Country on Sirius/XM this week when the song  Watching You by country singer Rodney Atkins came up.

    Atkin’s song recalls his shock when his little boy drops a mild expletive after spilling his drink. The horrified Dad demands to know where he heard such language. His son happily confessed his source.

    He said, I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
    I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
    Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad
    I want to do everything you do.
    So I’ve been watching you. 

    The incident may be humorous but the principle is sobering. Our children learn far more from watching their parents than from listening to them. This little boy demonstrates that if they do listen it will often be at the wrong time! 

    The song goes on to detail a great response to his son’s revelation that he picked up that language from someone very close to him. His dad.

    We got back home and I went to the barn
    I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
    Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
    Just this side of bedtime later that night
    Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-doo nightlight.
    He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
    He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
    Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
    And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”

    The answer is obvious. He was watching Dad as he had earlier bowed in repentance before the Lord. It took me awhile to figure out that my sons were watching even when they appeared disinterested or even distant. Thanks to a wonderful Mom and a lot of grace we have been blessed with three awesome sons. I asked them after they had grown up to tell me what I did right. I also asked what I could have done better. Their answers were instructive. First, some positive things that our sons noted.

    • We picked our battles carefully. My son Scott told us that when we were passionate about an issue he knew it was important to us. We extended grace on most issues. For example, my wife graciously allowed the boy’s rooms to be a bit less tidy than she would have preferred. She knew that was not a battle worth fighting. She simply closed the door to their rooms and prayed for patience and for no rodents to nest. 
    • We prepared them to leave. Children are a gift that are entrusted to us for eighteen years or so. It is our job to prepare them to be independent and functional adults. 
    • We tried to model our faith during trials. When our daughter was born with a terminal birth defect we determined that our response would reflect how faith relates to life and especially to hard times. 
    • We learned to say “I was wrong” and “I am sorry”without “buts”. A wise person once told me that what follows the but is how that person actually feels. Parents must model that for their children. 
    • We carefully monitored their friends. 
    • We tried to adapt to their unique design and not try to force them into our personal dreams. 
    • We attempted to innoculate them to sin. An innoculation is a controlled exposure to disease that builds up immunity to that malady. We felt that sheltering our sons from the world would not prepare them to live successfully in it. 

    But nothing is more important than simply living what you are saying. They are watching. They start out wanting to be just like us. For new parents and future parents there is no more important lesson than recognizing how carefully your children are watching you.

    If your kids are grown or nearly grown let me offer a word of encouragement. I did a few things right but I also did some things very poorly. All three sons wished I had traveled less and been home more. So do I. But love really does cover a multitude of sins. They have forgiven me for being absent too often. If you feel you need to reconcile with your kids I would encourage you to do that today. Grace is amazing and redemption is always possible in Jesus. 

    Paul addressed the church at Thessalonica. He was trying to describe how he attempted to communicate with the believers there. It is instructive that Paul chose the example of parents twice.

    As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

    Later Paul makes this comparison.

    For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children…

    And how does Paul describe those dealings? He says that they communicated like a father that is “encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory”. 

    That is a pretty good roadmap for a father to follow. Be encouraging. Comfort your child. And urge them to live lives worthy of God. Proverbs 22:6 says to train up a child in the way they should go. God also desires for us to go that way as well. There is no fooling them because they are watching. Always.

  • What Is The Most Important Identity?

    I love the message Paul wrote to the Ephesian church. Paul had spent over two years teaching and discipling the new believers in Ephesus. Not long after leaving he received reports that those new hearts had reverted to old habits. Things were a bit of a mess and the word came back that the old behaviors of rage, immorality, lying, stealing and gossip were resurfacing. Paul wrote a letter to address this sad turn of events. The amazing thing to me is that the first three chapters never address those sins. Paul even greets them as saints for crying out loud!

    “From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 1:1 NET)

    If I was writing that letter it would have had an entirely different tone. Something more along these lines.

    What are you thinking?

    I am so disappointed in you.

    What is wrong with you?

    Do you know how much I sacrificed for you?

    But Paul doesn’t do that. Rather, in the first three chapters, he talks about identity. He reminds them who they are.

    Saints. Redeemed by Christ. Adopted children of God. Sealed in the Holy Spirit.

    This reminder to the church at Ephesus impacted my heart. For years I had a really difficult time trusting my identity and your actions tend to reflect who you believe you are. Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth talks about how our identity has changed.

    “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

    It took me a while to believe that because of Christ I have a new identity. That I am righteous because of Him and not because of trying to do more right “stuff.” I am a saint and there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. It is a liberating and joyous message. But there is a problem. Satan hates that message of hope and change. And so he aggressively goes about trying to “steal” my identity in Christ.

    We find it difficult to believe that we are changed because many times when we fail the old memories instantly cue up and start playing loudly:

    You always do that.

    I can’t believe you did that again.

    You will never change.

    What is wrong with you?

    All of those accusations that Satan (and others who are quite happy to help) hurls your way are no longer true about you. All of the guilt and shame and sin that used to define you are no longer true. That old life is gone. You are a new creation. New life has begun.

    Even though the Ephesians had messed up royally in how they were living out their faith Paul did not condemn them as he began his letter. He had to be heartbroken. But he showed his love by not lecturing but by reminding them who they were….adopted, redeemed, and sealed. Saints. He NEVER wrote a word about changing their behavior until chapter four!

    I have spent too many years being an Ephesians 4 to 6 Christian. I looked at behavior and judged that…often sinfully. I am becoming an Ephesians 1 to 3 Christian. Remembering and reminding myself and others who we are. Out of those truths behavior changes.

    Adopted. Redeemed. Sealed. Loved. A saint. Righteous. Accepted. Forgiven. A new creation.
    A child of God.

    No matter what difficulty or trial you might encounter this week I pray that you will take a moment and remember who you are. A saint. Adopted. Redeemed. Sealed.

    Live out of those amazing truths!

  • I Must Remember I Have A New Identity

    I love the message Paul wrote to the Ephesian church. Paul had spent over two years teaching and discipling the new believers in Ephesus. Not long after leaving he received reports that those new hearts had reverted to old habits. Things were a bit of a mess and the word came back that the old behaviors of rage, immorality, lying, stealing and gossip were resurfacing. Paul wrote a letter to address this sad turn of events. The amazing thing to me is that the first three chapters never address those sins. Paul even greets them as saints for crying out loud!

    “From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NET‬‬)

    If I was writing that letter it would have had an entirely different tone. Something more along these lines. “What are you thinking? I am so disappointed in you. What is wrong with you? Do you know how much I sacrificed for you?” But Paul doesn’t do that. Rather, in the first three chapters, he talks about identity. He reminds them who they are.

    Saint. Redeemed by Christ. Adopted child of God. Sealed in the Holy Spirit.

    This reminder to the church at Ephesus impacted my heart. For years I had a really difficult time trusting my identity and your actions tend to reflect who you believe you are. Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth talks about how our identity has changed.

    “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
    (2 Corinthians 5:17)

    It took me a while to believe that because of Christ I have a new identity. That I am righteous because of Him and not because of trying to do more right “stuff.” I am a saint and there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. It is a liberating and joyous message. But there is a problem. Satan hates that message of hope and change. And so he aggressively goes about trying to “steal’ my identity in Christ.

    We find it difficult to believe that we are changed because many times when we fail the old tapes instantly cue up and start playing loudly:

    You will never change.
    You always do that.
    I can’t believe you did that again.
    What is wrong with you?

    All of those accusations that Satan (and others who are quite happy to help) hurls your way are no longer true about you. All of the guilt and shame and sin that used to define you are no longer true. That old life is gone. You are a new creation. New life has begun.

    Even though the Ephesians had messed up royally in how they were living out their faith Paul did not condemn them as he began his letter. He had to be heartbroken. But he showed his love by not lecturing but by reminding them who they were….adopted, redeemed, and sealed. Saints. He NEVER wrote a word about changing their behavior until chapter four!

    I have spent too many years being an Ephesians 4 to 6 Christian. I looked at behavior and judged that…often sinfully. I am becoming an Ephesians 1 to 3 Christian. Remembering and reminding myself and others who we are. Out of those truths behavior changes.

    Adopted. Redeemed. Sealed. Loved. A saint. Righteous. Accepted. Forgiven. A new creation. A child of God.

    No matter what difficulty or trial you might encounter this week I pray that you will take a moment and remember who you are. A saint. Adopted. Redeemed. Sealed.

    Live out of those amazing truths.

  • One Secret To Navigating Life Is Counting Your Blessings

    Life’s circumstances can be hard to accept for even the most mentally ­healthy—​­if such people actually exist. The truth is that many of us are dealing with frustrations and challenges everyday. It is so easy to get caught up in our own resentments that we lose sight of the sacred all around us. And it is very difficult to see challenging circumstances as critical building blocks to spiritual maturity.

    Paul was dealt some pretty bad hands during his missionary journeys. I suspect it would have been easy for him to question God about his lot. After all, it was God who very aggressively recruited Paul onto the team while he was traveling to Damascus. But Paul knew that difficulties are a vital part of the ­spiritual-​­growth program. Here is what he wrote from prison.

    I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:10-12, NIV)

    I am so grateful that Paul did not write “I am content” and “I know the secret,” even though those words could have been true. He was divinely inspired to honestly write that he had learned to be content and he had learned the secret. It did not come naturally or easily to Paul either.

    I am grateful for how Paul addressed this topic. He did not say I am “always content with whatever I have” in his letter. Paul wrote that he had “learned” to be content. It was a process for Saint Paul just as it is a process for Saint Dave. I can’t say that I have fully learned. I can say that I am in the process of learning. By the way, I doubt you will ever see Saint Dave as a church name.

    Contentment is learning how to be present with Jesus in every circumstance. Our nature is to not enjoy the moment at hand when it is not ideal. We focus on whatever is bothering us. We long for comfort and fail to look for the blessings that usually surround us. Maybe we need to understand that the lesson of the difficult circumstances is remembering how blessed we are to have God’s gift of grace.

    I encourage you (and me) to thank God for every seemingly mundane, good thing that comes our way today. A hot cup of coffee or tea. A green light on your commute. A warm (or cool) car to get you to work or school. A favorite song playing. Laughter. A smile from a friend or stranger. A tasty treat. A cuddly dog. A beautiful tree or flower. A blue sky. What is your list of small and overlooked daily mercies?

    As I was meditating on these thoughts a song from Matt Maher and Seph Schlueter impacted my heart.

    God, I’m still counting my blessings
    All that you’ve done in my life
    The more that I look in the details
    The more of your goodness I’ll find

    Father, on this side of Heaven
    I know that I’ll run out of time
    But I will keep counting my blessings
    Knowing I can’t count that high

    It is true that God’s blessings are beyond my ability to count.

  • Can A Divided Body Of Christ Change The World?

    My head explodes when I allow myself to wade into the political discourse between followers of Jesus Christ on Facebook, X, and other social media. There are important cultural issues that Christians need to prayerfully and gracefully seek God’s wisdom to address. What I read is rarely graceful and that makes me wonder how prayerful the messengers have been before hitting the send button. What gives you the right to judge the faith status of another believer because you disagree with them? I was wrong about many political things in my life but I did believe in Jesus (in spite of what some critics thought) and God patiently changed my heart.

    Because of the nature of social media a topic that should be thoughtfully debated instead becomes an us versus them. I can assure you that no one’s mind is changed by a name calling rant. If fact, that person is more likely to dig in even deeper to what may be incorrect opinions because of your unkind comments.

    These judgements of motives and personal attacks are so damaging to the message of grace that I hold so dear. Sometimes I try to imagine myself as a skeptical seeker looking to explore this Christianity thing. I am pretty sure if I stumbled on some of these mean-spirited threads I would run straight for the secular hills.

    The irony of this need to “win” the argument at the expense of Christian charity and love may be one more profoundly effective tactic of the enemy. The moment the Church is divided by culture instead of united in Christ is the moment our light for the message of the Gospel dims. Paul noted that God’s sovereignty can take any proclamation of the Gospel and use it for His glory.

    “It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.” (Phillipians 1:15-18)

    I hope that most followers of Jesus wish to communicate the incredibly liberating forgiveness of the Gospel. I hope that most of us wish to be accurate in that communication. But I also hope that most of us wish to be gracious, kind, loving, and thoughtful toward all in the body who desire to celebrate Jesus. 

    When asked what the most important commandment was Jesus replied without hesitation.

    “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

    And he added a second part…”Be accurate and angrily make sure others are accurate at all costs.”

    Hardly.

    His convicting command is well known.

    “The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” 

    Don’t hijack my point. Accuracy is important but you cannot love your neighbor as yourself by condescension, assigning of bad motives, and smug righteousness. 

    I wish followers of Jesus would proclaim what we are FOR more passionately than what we are against. What if we decided to spend all of our energy proclaiming that the Son of God came to earth as a human, lived a sinless life, was crucified as a sacrifice for my sin and yours and then was resurrected to show the ultimate victory over sin and death?

    What if we decided to be a little kinder, give a little more, serve a little more often, and commit to unity in our ranks?

    My concern is that the lack of unity is the single biggest problem in the universal church and, of course, in our individual fellowships. There is no more powerful community than a group of believers who live in unity. Nothing levels the playing field like genuinely following Jesus. 

    Famous preacher D.L. Moody had this warning. “I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord’s people were divided.”

    The One that unites us is so much more important than the things that divide us. Can we commit to encountering others in grace based on our unity in Jesus Christ?
    The choice is ours.

  • I Think Jesus and the Apostle Paul Were On To Something!

    A study published by the Psychology Department at the University of Essex looked at the negative emotional and cognitive effect of hearing bad news only. Here is the opening statement from the study.

    “Journalists employing the maxim “if it bleeds, it leads” seem intuitively aware of the negativity bias people have in attending to and remembering bad events over good ones. Indeed, negatively valenced news dominates the press and is shared on Twitter more frequently than positively valenced. (newsjournals.plos.org)

    The study went on to note that “news featuring others’ immorality captivates people, it can have aversive affective and cognitive impacts, increasing emotional disturbances and negatively skewing people’s belief in the goodness of others”. 

    I think we have witnessed that increasing and divisive effect on our culture. The authors are correct that such reporting of bad news “captivates” and leads to lots of unhealthy biting on the clickbait of negativity. The study examined an interesting counterbalance. Would showing acts of human kindness and compassion immediately after the acts of immorality create better emotional health?

    The results revealed that seeing those acts of kindness left the test subjects in a better mood and with more positive views of humanity. Just to see if kindness was the difference maker they showed some subjects only humorous stories to offset the bad news. Those subjects felt better but the conclusion was fascinating.

    Quoting the study again.

    “Amusing news stories certainly helped buffer the effects of bad news and reduce the mood disturbances they caused. But in comparison, participants who’d been shown acts of kindness reported a more positive mood on average, and a greater belief in the goodness of humanity.

    This shows us there’s something unique about kindness which may buffer the effects of negative news on our mental health.”(niemanlab.org)

    I find these studies fascinating as a person who believes in the wisdom of Scripture. The effects of kindness were well documented in the writings of the Gospels, the Epistles of Paul, and many other places in the Bible. It is important to note that these concepts were revolutionary in a culture which focused on power and control. Paul’s message to the church at Colossae is just one example of the amazingly positive potential of following the teachings of Jesus.

    Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3)

    Scottish writer Henry Drummond observed in the late 19th century that “the greatest thing a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to some of His other children”. That is our job as followers of Christ. Too often we have failed to show up for work.

    I want the grace that God has given me to make my heart sensitive toward the poor and hurting and spiritually seeking. It is hard to spend much time in the New Testament and not realize our challenge to be kind. Here is a very small sample.

    35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. (Luke 6:35, ESV)

    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (Galatians 5:22 ESV)

    32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)

    4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. 1 Corinthians 13:4, ESV)

    The charge of hypocrisy leveled at the church has a lot to do with our obsession with sin management over living a life of kindness, grace and service. If I am not living out of grace then the love of Christ isn’t reaching as far as it could. Kindness is clearly step one.

    Kindness does not require great skill or advanced degrees. One of my spiritual heroes is Frederick Buechner. He wrote that “if you want to be holy, be kind”. You do not have to like someone to be kind. Kindness is powerful. Kindness tears down walls. Kindness builds trust. Kindness shows the love of Christ through our imperfect efforts. For Christians, kindness gives the hearer a reason to listen to our message of redemption and grace.

    Scientific research shows kindness makes a difference to offset the evil in this world. Scripture tells us kindness can make a difference. The world is overwhelmed with bad news. Wouldn’t it be a blessing to be a kind vessel of Good News for those we encounter on our journey? A good plan is to read the words of Paul and follow Jesus.