Sunday, March 22, 2015

Weirdness With the Blog

I have mentioned in the past that I get reports on sources that check out TDGH. I know what operating systems and internet browsers are used to access the blog and I also know what country in the world the blog is accessed from. Other than the United States, the countries that most often come to TDGH are Norway and Russia. I am not sure what that's about, but it's nice to have them stop by. Recently there has been an uptick in visits from browsers in the Ukraine.

I also had another Linux attack the other day. I got a spike of 70 hits all at once. This has to be a governmental or corporate entity since no one that I know of has a Linux operating system on their device. Why these entities would bother with TDGH is a mystery to me. It does tell me that all personal and public speech is being monitored by these entities. I suppose they have their reasons and I find myself wondering how long it will be before it will become impossible to find TDGH in a GOOGLE search, because one of these entities does not like what I may have to say. It worries me that free speech incites this kind of reaction in high places. I am small potatoes. But even so, they seem to be running a scan regularly. Key words set them off. I could list them for you and get a blog visit again this week. Next time this happens, I think I will.     

My Talent

I really don't have one. Ya, I know. Some of you have heard me teach. I am moderately skilled at that. I am no Plato or Paul, but I do all right. I do not consider it a gift. It is something I have sharpened with practice and if I am not studied or prepared the result can be disastrous. I am not a natural teacher. It's just not who I am. People sometimes think that because you know stuff, you should be able to help someone or teach. Not true.

What is within my skill set is to deliver a lesson from scripture and be as prepared as possible to field questions that may come up. What I like to do is ask questions and guide people to the correct answers. My method is a modified Socratic method. It works for the group I teach at church. Another thing that makes me successful at teaching this class is that everyone in my class has known me for decades. If I did not have that advantage, I probably would have failed as a teacher some time ago. These people tolerate me because they know me and love me and I am very grateful for that advantage. They are also patient with me and more than willing to correct their teacher when they think he is wrong. Another reason why I love these people. They are gentle, but firm. Not easily mislead.

I was asked today if I would advise someone on a particular subject. That is not really something I do. I am not a tutor or mentor. My personality quirks alone would be enough to mess someone up unless they really understood me and knew I did not intend harm.

I thought about this for a while and actually considered doing it and then said no. I know who this person is. She has attended my class in the past with her father. I did not figure that out until just now, but I believe that's true. She will do just fine without me. She has a strong faith and a desire to make that faith work. She does not need the advice of this old codger whose real life experience is very limited.

So I think I will stick to my little group at 0800 and teach them until we are all dead and then move on to the next stage. My skill set is limited. The time I have left is limited. I have enough responsibilities to keep me busy until that time is up. My usefulness to the body ends there. I haven't got anything else to give that is worth anyone's time. But thanks for asking.

Love Your neighbor...The Post Script

I thought it might be useful, if not instructive, to revisit the second greatest commandment which is "Love your neighbor as yourself". This commandment laid down by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew 22:40 is also the second half of a commandment of God in Leviticus 19:18. The full verse in context reads like this, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as your self. I am the Lord."

When Jesus said what He said in Matthew, was He changing the intent of the command from Leviticus or was He merely expanding it and in the broader context of the Christian faith and the Church, what does it really mean?

It's obvious to me that the Leviticus passage is intended to apply to the Hebrew people of Israel and how they related to each other on a daily basis. The intention is that instead of trying to avenge every wrong committed against you; you should leave room for a bit of forgiveness and grace. You see to your neighbor's needs as they arise and you treat them in the same way you would like to be treated in all of life's situations.

Does this mean that you actually have to like your neighbor or spend time with them beyond what is needed to achieve love's purpose? I don't really think so. As a matter of fact, it might mean just the opposite. It might mean giving them their space or leaving them alone or simply making yourself available if there is a need. The best neighbors are considerate of all needs. They are not always up in your bidniss as the expression goes.

I do not think that it was Jesus' intention to change this meaning. I do believe He intended to expand it beyond just the Jewish people however, because he knew the age of the gentile church was coming.

So how does this second greatest commandment apply in the church age. The book of Acts tells us a lot about how the Church lived and existed early on. What we see there almost communal living. Acts 2:42-47 indicates that the new church members held everything in common, they shared everything, they ate together and they sold their possessions as needed to give the proceeds to those in need.

The question is, were they applying the principles of the second greatest commandment or was their behavior merely an act of survival? I am voting for survival here. The early church was persecuted and it was mostly poor Jewish and Greek Jewish people. There were many widows that were uncared for. They were seeing to each others needs in very simple and unique ways. They did these things because they had to, otherwise the whole of it would have fallen apart. To be sure, they were loving their neighbors through these actions and it was needed in that environment, but their survival also depended on it.

And that brings me to today. Should the Church be living in the same fashion today as the early church did? Do we need to be living communally and sharing everything? Is that degree of togetherness really necessary here in North America?

As the Church, we have many responsibilities to each other and we should be helping each other as needed, treating each other as we would like to be treated, but I reject the idea that we need to be in each others houses all the time, eating together and being together. As a wise Chinese philosopher once said, "company, like fish, begins to stink after three days." Even the early church evolved to the point that they were meeting once a week.

There is a strain of thought in the church today that suggests, if your church is not the church of Acts 2, then it's not New Testament. I reject this categorically. Nothing could be further from the truth (in my opinion). If members of your church are calling you in the middle of the week and wanting to come over to your house to "pray" and you are not up to house guests because you have worked all day, you should not have to concede to their self invitation. If, on the other hand, they are calling you because they want you to participate in helping someone from church with a meal or a place to stay, that's entirely different and well within the realm of the second greatest command. And so is taking them out to eat and putting them up in a hotel, if you are not up to house guests.

After a hard day at work, I want to be alone. I want to relax and unwind. I do not want to entertain Christians that for whatever the reason cannot not stand to be alone. If you need my help in some tangible way, I will try to help within the scope of my financial ability and my skill set, but just because we are all part of the same Body, it does not mean you can invite yourself over or pressure me into inviting you. If I want you to come over, I will ask.  And for the record...it's OK to say 'no' when I do. It doesn't mean I don't love you. It does mean I want you to respect the boundaries I have in place...and I will respect yours...I am treating you as I would want you to treat me. Please love me enough to do the same.