Last weekend a church held another Encontro Weekend on the Mission Property.
An Encontro Weekend goes from experiencing God’s love to reflecting on personal brokenness to writing down all the things for which the participant wants forgiveness, to burning the list as an act of leaving the old ways behind, to the celebration, ending with a celebration service at the church, reconciliation of families, and testimonies, and fireworks.
The leaders spend significant time on the recognition of sin piece, explicitly describing things God that people do that are wrong because many people do not know. There are so many ways to justify sin that many find it helpful to see what is in the scriptures. The papers are personal. They don’t show them to anyone. Participants are also taught about reconciliation and making things as right as possible with others too. The fire symbolically represents a point in time when we were forgiven and we’re moving forward.
It is important to teach the leaders about confidentiality and the participants that if they confess serious crimes, the leaders are obligated to tell authorities. The life of sin is so messy it is amazing the devil can keep deceiving people into thinking it is some form of freedom.
Christians and eating good food together is a winning combination.
Jesus shocked the leaders of His day when He told them that relationships are more important than rules.
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (NASB, Mt. 22:34-40).
Our Heart Attitude Toward Those Around Us is Crucially Important to God
The summary is exceedingly powerful and disturbing, for it takes the questioner from the area of achievement, which he might conceivably fulfill, to that of attitude, where nobody can boast fulfillment. For people who, like this expert in the law, were strong on ethics and weak on relationships, this strongly relational teaching was a revealing mirror of the heart (Green, 2001, p. 236).
The Oldest Temptation
Tim Mackie from the Bible Project explained how favor to latecomers is a recurring theme in the Bible and an ancient test. Some Bible Scholars suggest this may have been the major stumbling block for Lucifer. God’s special angel was created first, and now God is favoring the newly created humans.
Consider the following list of firstborns and latecomers, reflect on what happened, and then imagine how things could have gone differently. What if you were one of the players? Imagine yourself on both sides. How would the best version of you treat the other?
David the Latecomer – 10/10
As a latecomer, David passed with flying colors. 10/10. David refused to talk bad about Saul, refused to take justice into his own hands, and received the highest honor from God. ” Saul, the firstborn in this analogy, is completely unreasonable. Why did he not honor David? He would have looked greater himself to be the king of a warrior who was doing exploits like Goliath. Saul failed the ancient temptation.
“After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’” (Acts 13:22).
Notice that David didn’t lose self to Saul. David didn’t offer himself up to die. David didn’t promise not to take over the kingdom. Etc. David respected and honored Saul and stayed true to his calling and anointing. David continued to serve the same people Saul was serving and did his best to help everything move forward as well as possible.
David the Firstborn – 10/10
Later in life, David experienced the same ancient and potentially deadly test again from the other side. This time David was the ruling king, and his son Absolom unjustly does a hostile takeover. David continues to love the other without losing self. David did not offer to give the kingdom to Absolom. David did not surrender himself. But nor did he quit loving the man on the other end of the ancient temptation who was trying to kill him.
Jesus
The Pharisees were furious because they were God’s chosen leaders, and now God was favoring a newcomer. Jesus continued to love them without losing self. Pay attention to how Jesus loved people without needing to be loved back. Our command from Jesus is to love others, not to get others to love us. Jesus ate in the Pharisee’s homes and talked publicly and privately with them while never compromising his mission or beliefs.
The Church
The church in Rome was in conflict. The Jews and Gentiles were trying to worship the same God from different cultural backgrounds. Paul wrote them a long letter explaining how they should love one another.
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you (Rm. 16:17-20).
1. Watch out for people who only want to argue. 2. They are enslaved to their personal desire more than to godliness. 3. God will use you, His church, to crush Satan’s head under your feet as you love God and love people. The context is loving God and loving people.
Paul refers back to the creation story!
“…He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel” (Ge. 3:15b).
Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, and now His church is walking it out. Paul had just had a long explanation about how people love one another.
“Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. . . . Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. . . . the God of peace be with you all” (Rm 14-15).
For Us…
1. It is impossible for us to understand the complexities of another person’s life. Job said, “It’s not fair…”. God agreed but didn’t explain except to say, “Running the world is more complex than you can possibly understand at this time.”
2. The rules are important, but loving God and loving others is more important. What if we have a neighbor whose dad abandoned them, their mom has a series of boyfriends, and things go downhill from there? With the little they know, they love God, and they love people. They give sacrificially when a neighbor is hurt, but no one thinks they are Christians, even though they sometimes post flowery Christian sayings on Instagram.
“In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Lk 13:28-30).
3. An ancient temptation is with people who have come after you or with those who have gone before. Maybe we all go through both sides of this well-worn path that leads right by the Tree of Judging Others and on up the hill to the Tree of Life. Are we able to keep loving the other as much as we love God without losing self? Our concern is not to get people to love us. That is another deceptive trap. But, like Jesus, Paul, and David, can we love each other, serve the same people, and not compromise our faith, beliefs, and call of God?
Your Thoughts?
References
Green, M. (2001). The message of Matthew: The kingdom of heaven. InterVarsity Press.
The Bergquists worked with us here in Marabá for a year, in 2009. Clyde helped build the house in the trees in this photo. This week they are here visiting.
This week I got triggered. Six months ago my computer crashed. I was finally reinstalling the fund accounting software and updating my computer records from my paper reports. I could not find the password for the specialized software I’ve used for almost ten years. I called the company, and rather than help me, it felt like they wanted to take advantage of my situation. They couldn’t find my email address and wanted me to pay them $1,000/yr for their updated product. They “generously” offered a discount for the first year because I’m a nonprofit. The whole situation struck me wrong, and I felt these indignant feelings rising in me. That doesn’t happen to me often anymore, but I’ve learned to pay attention and slow down. I wrapped things up with them and hung up. Later I messaged Steve Dolan, who helped me with accounting years ago, to ask him what software he used. Steve was traveling with his family in the US. To my surprise, he had the password I had lost, and within one day, I was entirely up to date.
Anxiety was a gift from God that I was drifting from the narrow Path to Life.
Trying our hardest to get things done may be a good thing, and it may get us into trouble.
For example:
1. Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, but the problem started when they took things into their own hands (NASB, Gen. 1:27; 2:6).
2. God promised Abraham and Sarah great things, but great pain for them and many others resulted when they took things into their own hands (Gen. 16:2).
3. Sarah and Abraham’s problems worsened as they continued to take matters into their own hands (Gen. 16:6).
“Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her (NIV, Gen. 16:6).
4. Rachel and Jacob got magnificent promises from God. When they took things into their own hands . . . (Gen. 25:23; 17:1-46).
5. Jacob’s sons, the namesakes of the twelve tribes of Israel, learned to take justice into their own hands, causing great pain (Gen. 34:25; 37:18-34).
6. Joseph, on the other hand, chose to submit to God’s leading, timing, and justice and refused to take things into his own hands (Gen. 37-50).
With God
The Bible authors thought that possibilities are unlimited when we work with God. But when we take justice or blessings into our own hands, we cause pain to ourselves and others. The temptation to make things happen rather than Actively Wait on God may be the greatest for firstborns, naturally gifted leaders, people with wealth, and those who are in positions of advantage within their systems. Thankfully God knows how to work with us.
7. God made promises to David, and as long as they worked together, David rose from a shepherd to King.
Can you hear the pain and disappointment in God’s heart when David took things into his own hands from his power-over position as King? God loved blessing and working with/through David. And then David decided to go out on his own and then patch up his blunders with an unethical horrible leadership decision (2 Sam. 11-12). It is so disappointing, unreasonable, and short-sighted in the big picture.
“I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!” (2 Sam. 12:8).
God continued in relationship with David, but now David and his family would experience more of the Chaos Desert than the Garden Blessings.
The Bible Project video commentary on the books of Samuel demonstrates with two big arrows how both Saul and David started well, but they fell off the path and didn’t realize their full potential. Click here to view the 6-minute video.
The Narrow Path
For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Mt. 7:14).
Jesus described our journey to heaven as a narrow way. The word “way” can also be interpreted as “a journey, road, or path.”
How do we stay on the path?
Guardrails
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful (Col. 3:15).
PEACE – Paul encouraged people to let the peace of God rule in their hearts. Rule may be translated as “to act as a judge; umpire, to control.”
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30).
REST – Jesus said His work is light. If someone feels overwhelmed, this is a sign to be careful.
ANXIETY is sometimes a lack of peace and rest, and a signal to slow down and wait for God. I may be running ahead. I am learning that Active Waiting is more enjoyable than running ahead. I often feel anxious when I am eager to make things happen in my own strength. That doesn’t produce the results I am hoping for, especially if it includes any form of power-over decisions, taking advantage of others, or unethical decisions. Remember, all people are created in God’s image. God takes these things personally (Ex. 22:22-23; Jam. 1:27; Is. 1:17). The collaborative path, where everyone wins, is often longer, slower, and full of awkward conversations, but it leads to the right destination. And it’s fun once you get on to it.
NOTE: I have found the collaborative path works if the leader wants it to work and facilitates the process when emotions are high, or if the leadership, over time, has developed a collaborative culture in the group. If a win/lose situation develops, I see God getting interested, raising His eyebrows, and looking over to the Holy Spirit and to Jesus with a hopeful smile, “Hmmm. I wonder how this is going to turn out.” Maybe He is even rubbing His hands together as He hopes His person will find the narrow trail past the Tree of Judging to the Tree of Life.
QUESTION: What if Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Rachel and Jacob, and David had learned the secret of Active Waiting? They had good lives until they got anxious and took things into their own hands. They had the whole Garden of Eden to enjoy with God until they decided to help God bless them.
ACTIVE WAITING is like David for the first half of his life. Whether David was taking down giants, fleeing from Saul, or ruling the world, he was writing hymns and waiting on God, kind of like a favored waiter in an excellent restaurant who loves their work.
IN SUMMARY: If you are feeling frustrated, hopeless, or overwhelmed, maybe these are nudgings from the Holy Spirit to slow down and wait for God. Consider anxiety a gift, a warning of sorts. Ask God what is going on and how to proceed. We can expect four blessings as we pay attention to the PEACE and REST guardrails and consider anxiety as a sign that we are drifting.
1. We will stay on the narrow path. 2. We will experience the best life possible, even in the desert stretches. 3. We can help many others find and stay on the path of Life. 4. Our hearts will overflow with joy, hope, and love no matter our circumstances.
Lucas is two months old. He was born prematurely to save his mom’s life. He is still at the hospital, waiting to come home to his family, who live downstairs in our house.
Ipé is a world-class hardwood. It also blooms annually. There are pink and yellow versions.
Highways leading to Marabá.
Marabá at dusk. BTW, the bright planet near the top center of this photo is Venus. Venus is bright because it is surrounded by thick clouds that reflect sunlight.
Years ago, Deanna and I signed as testimonies at Paula and Isaac’s wedding. We visited Paula and Vitória, their daughter. Isaac was working. He is a heavy-duty mechanic at a mine.
Isn’t is awesome, how good fruit trees bear good fruit?
We have a jaca tree in our yard. Jaca fruit is about the size of a watermelon. The fruit globules inside taste like bubble gum.
This lemon is growing beside our house.
This is a fancy kind of acerola, and the fruit tastes a little like gooseberries.
Kelly has still not seen her brother, except in a few photos. Silmara just got back with the good news that the baby is more robust every day and will soon come home.
Earlier this year, I included a survey about Daily Spiritual Experiences and Flourishing Among Two Age Groups in this email.
1. Both age groups responded similarly regarding Daily Spiritual Experiences and Flourishing. 2. The people who reported more Daily Spiritual Experiences reported more Flourishing. There was a strong correlation.
This is good news because it shows that for the 69 participants, older adults and young people have equal opportunities to flourish. Everyone has the same advantage and opportunity.
People willing to practice their faith flourish more.
I presented my scientific research virtually at the 10th International Conference on Opportunities and Challenges in Management, Economics, and Accounting in Europe. It was scientific because I used the scientific method.
Academics and thought leaders from Africa, North and South America, China, and the United Emirates presented their research.
I was surprised when the conference planners accepted my research about spirituality and flourishing alongside presentations about “Circular economy and green bonds in Europe” and “Assessing the financial risk of a shopping center.” It was a cross-culture experience for me, and as such, it was fun, and I’m glad it’s over. I am much more at home in the jail in Marabá, but like Apostle Paul, I am available for God to use among a variety of social strata. One of the most prestigious presenters, a professor doctor from South Africa, thanked me verbally in front of the others after my presentation, stating that it was in line with a growing trend in academic research that people do not make decisions solely on hard facts and data but also because of emotional and spiritual health.
Imagine a church where people come to learn to work on their issues to the point where their unchurched colleagues ask them “What is happening? “Why are you less anxious than you used to be?” And their families ask them, “Why are you different than you used to be?, and “How can I learn to flourish like you?” And what if the individuals and families in your church felt a growing, burning desire to help their anxious friends and relatives learn how to connect with God, to learn to optimize their capacity for creativity, beauty, and relationships? To me, that sounds like a church planter’s dream. Maybe it’s your dream.
The world is full of anxious people wanting to find peace and wanting to do their part to create loving, thriving families. They want to learn to flourish now.
Christianity is interesting in that it is a trade of sorts. We give up our right to judge, despise, and manipulate people, and God gives us access to the Tree of Life. Often the price of loving everyone is too steep, especially when everything is going well. It is easy for our identity to be wrapped up in our sense of justice. But when the pain gets strong enough, we get desperate for relief, which is a good place to start. God often uses pain to move us from our comfort zones to something way better.
Jesus Offers Beauty for Ashes
Jesus said He fulfilled the Isaiah 61 prophecy (Lk 4:18-21).
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. … he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory (NLT, Is 61:1-3).
Jesus ushered in Humanity 2.0. God’s plan has been unfolding since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Did you know that Jesus called Abel a prophet? Abel was the first prophet. He chose the Tree of Life.
“For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah…” (NASB, Lk 11:49-51a).
The whole Old Testament is about Jesus.
“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:44-45).
Jesus continued from the Luke 11 scripture quoted above…
“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.” (Lk 11:52).
QUESTION: What did the lawyers not enter?
The idea is that Jesus, who was God Himself, came to earth to show people how to spend time with God the Father and then live in a new reality.
Spending quality time with God is like entering the Garden of Eden to be refreshed at the Tree of Life and to drink enough Living Water to refresh all the people you influence.
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life’” (Jn 4:13-14).
The lawyers knew about getting into the Garden to the Tree of Life. They had the key to knowledge. Why wouldn’t they go in if they were that close? The story’s context was that they preferred to stand in judgment over Jesus for not being ceremoniously clean. He hadn’t washed his hands before lunch (Lk 11:37-38). The lawyers appeared holy. They correctly even tithed from the mint leaves that grew on the bushes by their homes (v. 42). But Luke makes sure his readers don’t miss how Jesus was correct in His evaluation of the lawyer’s character issues. The masks came off. “After He spoke, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile…” (v. 23).
Church-planting?
The church leaders in Jesus’ day had drifted into following rules as a way to God’s presence. Tithing mint was a good thing, but the requirements to eat at the Tree of Life are more stringent.
How can we help others experience the Tree of Life? How can we engage people in a way so their unchurched community wants in? And in a way that they feel empowered to help their people?
The way forward is not by trying harder but by trying differently. Hard work doesn’t get people into the Kingdom any more today than in Jesus’ time. Although doing nothing is not helpful either. The challenge is in learning to do the right things.
I learned to prioritize time with God as my first activity every day. .
Centering Prayer
For me, Centering Prayer has been a game-changer. I spend 30 minutes every morning quietly with God, often at the Tree of Life. Spending time with Jesus means bringing every thought captive to Him. God gave us a great brain. It wants to race around helping us get the most out of life. During Centering Prayer we take control of it and teach it to focus on God. We do not listen to the Accuser, the Victim, the Manipulator, or the Over-Achiever that wants to build a Tower of Babel. Instead, we sit with God, under the Tree of Life and look around at all the other good trees in the Garden. The first command to humans was to enjoy the fruit of all those other good trees except that one that is in a hole surrounded by slippery slopes. When we learn to stay away from that one, the rest are available. Our brain, of course, wants to help us, so we ask for God’s help, by His Holy Spirit, to help us carve new neural pathways. It’s hard work and takes supernational help. The old thought highways are so familiar and comfortable. The problem is, we don’t want those destinations. We want to live as fully equipped humans 2.0, actively waiting for Jesus’ return.
I also continued my normal daily spiritual activities like:
reading the Bible each year,
asking for impossible things like 1,000 churches and the jail crowd,
and opportunities to be God’s person to serve my people, all of them,
practicing gratefulness by speaking grateful words out loud many times per day,
expecting God to actively direct my steps,
enjoying everything as much as possible,
including, for me, studying.
The impossible dreams, for me, serve as a magnetic North on my compass. God can change that whenever He chooses, but until then I have a direction and I know how I’ll spend my discretional time, thoughts, and creative energy.
For Centering Prayer to work, we cannot have bitterness, unforgiveness, or negative triggers. When they come, we acknowledge them, repent, ask forgiveness, and expect God will show us how to love everyone as we love Him. This leads to a whole new capacity for flourishing in all seasons.
Flourishing is superior to well-being because people can flourish even in times of chaos. During the pandemic season, some people flourished. I flourished.
NOTE: If you are too busy for a significant time with God every morning, acknowledge it. Keep it in mind. Ask God to do whatever it takes so you have live 2.0. Tell Him that no matter what, you’re in. Repeat the prayer until it becomes real in your spirit. Give it some time, and see what happens. The path will likely be unexpected and have painful stretches, but in the end, by playing the long game, you will never regret your prayer and commitment.
