understanding ephesians

i think that lots of times, people do not understand the context of what they are reading in the bible. the personalize the message of each book, not realizing that each book in the bible was written by a person to a person (or group of people) that existed in a specific time and place. Christians also believe that while it was a word from one man to others, that message was inspired by God and can be applied today, in our lives and churches. we must first understand what God was saying to those people before we can understand or begin to understand how God wants to apply that eternal truth to our lives. consider paul's letter to the ephesians. below i'll describe what the city of ephesus was like. consider the context to which paul was writing when you read that book.

Ephesus was located on the eastern coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). It was a leading Roman city at the time, along with Rome, Corinth, Antioch and Alexandria, but is now uninhabited. The city was located on a harbor that was essential to make it an economic power and had about 250,000 inhabitants. There was a long road that led to the harbor that was about 11m wide and was lined with marble pillars to welcome visitors,

One of the most important aspects of Ephesus was its worship of the fertility goddess Artemis (Diana). The amazing temple that was built for worshippers was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, until the Goths destroyed it in 263. There was open prostitution in the temple. The temple and Artemis-worship actually generated much of the economic robustness of the city. Each April, there was a festival for Artemis where about one million people descended on the city. Artemis was not the only attraction, though. The city was full of amazing architecture. There was the stadium that seated 25,000 people (the mob scene of Acts 19), as well as the Library of Celcus. While Artemis worship dominated the religious scene in Ephesus, there was also a very strong presence of those involved in the magical arts. There was such a magical arts presence in the city that books written on the subject were often referred to as “Ephesian Writings.”

this letter, as were all parts of scripture, were written to people who lived in time and space. we must first understand what God was saying to them before we can understand how God wants to apply that eternal truth to our lives.

have you seen the devil?

have you ever had a boss like meryl streep in the devil wears prada? demanding, unthankful, clearly unhappy, driven, perfectionist? you've probably not seen anything quite as extreme as she is in this movie, but you may have had an experience or two.

i remember working in a cafe where my boss was very demanding. it drove me to perfectionism and insanity. at first, i did everything i could to live up to the crazy standards he would impose and do my best to deal with his unfriendliness. i got on well for a few...days...and then i was nearly at the end of my rope. by the grace of God, i never did quit and worked under him for 1.5 years before he moved on. i remember one time being so mad at him for being unappreciated that i walked into the walk in freezer and just screamed out a prayer to God for about a minute. sound doesn't travel well out of there so i yelled as loud as i could. at the end of it, i did walk out cooled off!

mark driscoll often talks about how media and advertisers believe more in hell than some christians. i think this is true. here is an example of work hell. no matter how hard the girl worked, she was never good enough. she couldn't live up to the standards set for her and for much of the movie she was miserable. every viewer identifies to some degree with her position. funny, while her salvation was in freedom from the oppression of this horrible boss, Jesus offers salvation from the oppression of the devil, who the bible calls the "king of this world."

Bush...funny?

whether democrat or republican, here is a funny clip of george w. i guess i didn't realize he was happy to make fun of himself for some things. one of the guys in this clip is the real deal...it took me a while to figure that out!
at a time when everyone is a cut-throat politician who either hates bush or loves him, this is a clever act. isn't it good to see a guy not take himself too seriously? thanks to mike kelly for this link.

Why this blog is called "refined thoughts"

(this was one of my first posts, back in december, and i'm just re-posting it so that you guys know what my title means.) It's a funny name, isn't it? My thoughts are not very "refined" in the traditional sense, so why did I call it refined thoughts? Well, it is because these thoughts are in the process of being refined. That's one of the points of a blog, right? To bounce ideas, concepts and visions off of others so that our thoughts and lives can be refined? Well, that is the purpose of this blog, anyway. Along those lines, please consider my writing and respond. Be angry, appreciative, devisive, or any other emotion. Let my thoughts refine yours as you refine mine along the way.

Obedience = Moralism?

have you ever met that guy that tells you faith in Christ is a bunch of do's and don'ts? you MUST not dress that way. you MUST not listen to that music. you MUST read so many chapters in your bible every day. you MUST be republican. you MUST not hang out in those places. you MUST give this much money every week to your church.

is that obedience to Christ? NO. Jesus doesn't come to us with a list of "do's" and "don't do's". Walking with God is so much more than that. Walking with God is an adventure beyond all comparison. to walk with the Creator of the universe! to abide in His unending love and be the object of his great mercy while spreading the good news of His love to the ends of the earth. to hear His soft voice in your heart and to respond - whether is sharing your faith or serving your neighbor. to seek His face all your days, when the sun is shining and in the dark night of the soul. to trust in Him and walk in FAITH no matter what you see in the natural. to trust in the things that are unseen because you know the things that are seen are just passing away anyway. to offer up a heart of love and worship and then to let your heart overflow into a journey with Jesus. that is obedience to Christ.

this hit me between the eyes at a prayer meeting last night. God is not calling His people to some sort of moralistic lifestyle, but rather to throw off all the encumbrances of life and the sin that so easily entangles so that we can run this great race with Jesus. if you are trusting in Jesus, He did away with all your sin on the cross. penalty paid for. now He wants to run with you. are you bold enough to say yes? it will be a wild ride...

Rarities

wow. if i were this guy, i would never get into a fight - what an easy target! i got an email with a bunch of these pictures of cool and unique piercings and i thought i'd share my favorite. have you ever seen anything like this? are you the guy in this photo? let me know if you have.

Immigrant Stories

i just finished reading a great book about the experience of immigrants as they come into the country. it's called The Chosen Shore and it chronicles the experiences of immigrants coming from nations near and far, that speak english, french, arabic, chinese, and many other languages, that have different cultural backgrounds and political and religious histories. it shows something of what it is like when an individual is placed in a totally new environment and then has to learn to live with little help from the outside.
the book is a great testimony to the power of perseverence because many of the stories do not paint pretty pictures. i am an anglo boy from new hampshire, so these experiences were very different from my own. the experience of an immigrant is full of suffering and hardship and do not always have happy endings. are you an immigrant? Do you have friends that are immigrants? tell us something of that story.

A New Man

i was reading in the book of Ephesians about Paul saying that we need to put on the "new self" when we become Christians. What does that mean? I thought it was a strange phrase so i tried to get my thoughts together on it and here they are. What do you think it means to put on the "new self" or to put off the "old self"? This section of scripture is in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 17-32.

For the “new man” to be put on, there must be a renewing of the mind in accordance with the will of God. Primary in the old self is that they were “alienated from the life of God” (v18) and so the first thing to do is get in line with what God has for your life. This starts in relationship with Him through Christ. Until that step is taken, no new man is there to be put on because the Bible actually says that we are dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1). Dead men don’t put on new men! But this new creation that has been born in the relationship with Jesus must then grow in transformation towards Christ-likeness. For this to happen, the old self must first be put off – a ship cannot take in new cargo without first getting rid of the first batch! We need to consciously seek to put to death all the things Paul mentions here (lying, malice, unforgiveness, etc) and then consciously seeking to do the things that Paul goes on to mention, forgiveness, speaking truth that builds each other up, being kind and forgiving (v25-32). This “putting on” of the new self is a continual process throughout our Christian lives – clearly Paul understood this when he listed all these great ideals of Christian living. He didn’t expect perfection but growth in all these areas. In both of these actions, putting off and putting on, we need to seek grace from God because the same grace that forgives us for the things we need to put off also gives us strength and life to live for Him. In effect, this gets us back to the first problem, of living a life outside of the life and will of God.
Essential to putting on this new man is that there must be a renewing of the mind, which comes in large part by the active work of the living Word of God (Rom 12.2, Heb 4.12). As we read the Word, the Holy Spirit convicts us to live a different way, something that looks like a living sacrifice to God.
I had many things that I needed to put off in my life, and it was only by these conscious actions of repentance and receiving grace that I was able to do it. I literally had to stop calling my old drug dealing friends and from hanging out in very dangerous situations. I spent a lot of time in prayer and fellowship, as well as getting into the word and by the grace of God and the help of friends, I was able to put off many of my destructive behaviors and start putting on the new self.

jim gaffigan

please check out jim gaffigan. most of you guys have probably heard him on comedy central or elsewhere but the guy had rhianon and i vibrating with laughter for the entirety of his 72 minute dvd last night. his side voice that speaks the likely thoughts of the crowd are hilarious and, being extremely pale myself, i love how much he makes fun of his pasty exterior. i don't know if i've ever heard someone speak with such wisdom and insight into the fantastic lives of "hot pockets." a beautiful singing voice, too! you can find some of his stuff on www.jimgaffigan.com

Where is my wild?

ever read a book that makes you think, "am i even alive?" if not, pick up Into the Wild. Phenominal. it is the story of a young man, chris mccandless, 22, that heads off across the country after graduating from a college in georgia. the book chronicles his life as a vagabond for about 2 and a half years, traveling up and down the west coast as a hitchhiker, migrant worker, train hopper and walker. he even rides a canoe down the colorado river for a while. it all ends in alaska as he tries to live out his jack london dream of being an ascetic woodsman and dies in the process (that happens in the first chapter so don't get mad at me for giving it away!) he gave away over 20,000 dollars to Oxfam and lived those two years, for the most part, with just the possessions "he could carry with him at a dead sprint."
when was the last time i had a dream, a vision, like this guy, and went for it so wholeheartedly? when was the last time you set out, not knowing where you would end up, but just certain that you were headed towards the promised land of your dreams? tell us about it.

Different Wiring?

I am currently being enlightened about the makeup of a woman - and i'm not talking about something created by l'oreal. i'm reading a book put out by john eldredge and his wife, stasi. john wrote a popular book on manhood, called Wild at Heart, and this is its companion.
the thesis of the book is that every woman is seeking the answer to this question as they live out their lives: am i lovely? as the expression of the beauty of the image of God, women seek to redeem the beauty they were created with as the crown jewel of creation.
this is an interesting book and i know my fiancee agrees with much of its arguement. i will press on for now and keep you updated as i find out why so many of the thoughts that go through rhianon's head have never entered my own.

The Preacher

So the quote of George Whitfield about humility is interesting because, more than most people, he must have been tempted by pride. Before he had the white head he's sporting in this picture, he was preaching out in the fields. At age twenty-three, he preached to 23,000 people out in the fields in Bristol in England. The crowd was made up of the young and old, poor and rich, majestic and downtrodden. Most of those that came to listen to him on that occassion and on many others were not to be found in regular church attendance - most wouldn't step foot in a church building! But because Whitfield broke the social code and brought the unbound gospel to the fields, many heard. God must have humbled him many times to enable him to be so exalted as well.

How are we allowing the gospel to be bound in our day? With Whitfield, it was bound by the walls of a church building. Are we keeping the gospel and sharing it only with the social elite in our day? Are we binding it politically, by sharing it only in nations that welcome the freedom of religion? Are we keeping it bound in any other way? Let me know how you think we are still binding it.

More on AA soon to come...