✧ Not Greater Than Our Master
[O]ur Western cultural moment is ambivalent about humility as a virtue, and not just when it comes to relating to other cultures. Humility, obedience, and submission are not among the virtues praised in Western culture. And the church has not escaped unscathed. ...
In light of our cultural moment and the ever-present tendencies of our own hearts, this article seeks to explore servanthood in three parts. To begin with, it will provide a brief introduction to Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord. From there, it will demonstrate how fundamental the Servant of the Lord was to Jesus’ identity. Finally, it will reflect on how Jesus’ Servant identity shapes our own identities and actions.
This is a longer piece, but it's well worth your time.
✧ God’s Defining Act Becomes Our Defining Moment
In the Exodus, the Red Sea functioned like a line-in-the-sand, defining moment that the Israelites would come back to again and again in their hearts, to remind themselves how present God was with them and how actively he was working on their behalf. ...
God often works through our efforts and activity. It’s invisible; it seems hidden, so to speak—and because he does that, we can start to forget that he is with us, or we might even start to doubt that he is present with us. So God gave the Israelites an event he wanted them to come back to again and again, a defining moment that reminded them of God’s presence and his faithful activity.
So what's the defining moment for Christians, and how does that guide us?
✧ What We Get Wrong about Nicodemus and Joseph
We know from the Gospels that Jesus’ ministry provoked mostly widespread opposition from religious leaders, both the Sadducees and the Pharisees. But the Bible also shows specific examples of religious leaders who earnestly sought to understand Jesus and eventually became followers of Christ. Of these, Nicodemus is perhaps the most prominent. ...
It’s easy to question why Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, away from the crowds. Those of us who have never faced any opposition for our Christian faith, who probably have more fish stickers on our cars than we do unbelieving friends, might not get what it is like to live as a Christian in a desperately hostile environment, but we would be foolish to consider Nicodemus a coward in this moment.
These two "minor characters" from the Passion accounts can challenge us if we understand them.
✧ On the Apostolic Preaching
Sometimes Christians forget how ancient Christianity is. Sure, we all know that Jesus lived, died, and rose again 2,000 years ago, but we forget that for the past 2,000 years there have been Christians worshipping Jesus, thinking about Jesus, living for Jesus, dying for Jesus, and writing about Jesus. The world of the earliest Christians is distant and foreign to us living so much later, but it is a world worth exploring! I would recommend On the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus of Lyons as a good starting point.
This is a good introduction to an accessible work from a (today) lesser-known Church Father.
✧ What is the Unforgiveable Sin? (video)
Jesus' words about this are terrifying, and so many people worry about whether they've committed this sin. Gavin Ortlund gives a great explanation of what it really is.
Image via Pixabay
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