March 1 – Shepherds of the Body of Christ

        1 Peter 5:1, 2 – "To the elders among you....be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing...."

        I have always been an idealist, someone who looks for that slice of utopia in certains aspects of life. I want to see the picture of a perfect world, or at least a piece of perfection in our skewed perception. One of those aspects has to do with the worldwide church's tradition of "the pastor". I use the word "tradition" because the "real-world" pastor and his role, do not necessarily meet the instructions thereof, found in the New Testament. On the flip side, God is so patient with his children, that he allows many things that are not in his perfect will. I am not referring to sinful ways, as they never receive his blessing. Reference 2 Thessalonians 1:11, where Paul prays for blessings on good intentions and purposes, whether they be from God's perfect will or from not knowing his perfect will in a situation. God will work through anyone whose heart is desirous to please him.

        Nonetheless, let us look at a few scriptures that describe a scenario where the broader church might not get things right. In English translations of the Bible, the word "pastor" usually shows up only once in the New Testament. This started in part with the Geneva Bible translation and carried over to the long-overused King James Version. Eph. 4:11 states, "It was [Christ] who gave gifts to people in order to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service...." The word "pastor" in this verse simply means shepherd in Greek. Therefore, let's look at a few pertinent verses about shepherds. Three pieces of this puzzle will suffice to get a clearer picture. Refer to the main verse above where Peter ties together the words "shepherd, overseer, and elder". In Titus 1:5, Paul tells Titus, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might organize what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." In Acts 20:28, Paul tells the Ephesian elders, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God...." In the early church, there was no structure where one man was the leader of a local body of believers. There was a plurality of elders, who humbly led the flock into God's truth. They were the overseers who taught the people God's ways and directed the affairs of the local body.

        In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul does state that the elders who direct well are worthy of double honor. However, I see leaders all the time who call themselves pastors in a possibly elevated manner. Jesus gives us a warning for such arrogant attitudes. In Matthew 23, especially in verse 7, he describes the wrongful actions of the scribes and Pharisees in this regard.

        For further study, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 give the qualifications for elders/overseers. May God bless our efforts to serve him, even if those efforts are not in line with his ideal plan, or our perceptions thereof. That wish, however, does not mean that we should not strive to know God's perfect ways. We are all guilty of sometimes settling for God's 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th best, instead of desiring his 1^st best. Let us strive for God's best in everything.

October 16 – Being Cold (Not Lukewarm)

        Revelation 3:15-16 – "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

       These verses troubled me for the longest time. Whenever a preacher would focus on these verses, he would always categorize the coldness in the same bad light as being lukewarm, for one simple implicit reason. We, as a Western culture, consider being hot, and on fire, as having a passion for something. If we are cold, then, it probably implies laziness and apathy toward something. However, we cannot force that cultural mindset on a 1900 year-old writing from the middle east.

        In the verses above, it is only the state of being lukewarm that is at risk. Jesus actually states that he would rather have us cold, than being lukewarm. Consider that the people in sub-tropical, or desert, environments two millenia ago, placed a great deal of importance upon water. Water at a cold or cool temperature was certainly not to be maintained since there was no refrigeration. So, how did one obtain cold or cool water? There are several ways: 1) from a natural underground spring flowing out; 2) from a well that had been dug; 3) from flowing streams or rivers; 4) from a collection of water or snow from a mountainous (cool) climate or in winter season; or 5) from a collection of any of the above that would immediately be placed in an underground cistern, meant for keeping water a little cooler than room temperature. Obtaining water through options 1-3 would take some time and effort to get to the source (a well was usually open to the public). Option 4 would necessitate being in a certain physical location or season. Option 5 depended on one's ability to have access to a cistern, (which might have been private). If one was therefore able to obtain cold water, it would have most likely been due to a spur-of-the-moment effort to retrieve it. It would also have been quite refreshing, since already-stored water would have been at room temperature and would have been the norm to drink throughout the day (unless one had easy access to a cistern). [The use of large clay water jars might have kept water a little cooler than room temperature, but not for long.] Jesus mentions cold water once in Matthew 10:42. He states, "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, that person will certainly not lose his reward". Giving that cold water could have meant sacrificing a little time and energy in obtaining it on-the-spot, in order to refresh someone who needed it and could appreciate the refreshment (see also Proverbs 25:25). The same could be said about a hot drink when it is cold. Doesn't that remind us also of being salt and light to a world that needs preserving and that needs to see (Matthew 5)? Don't they also need the refreshing love of God's forgiveness and freedom?

        From the context of verses 17 and following, we see what being lukewarm looks like. The Laodicean church thought they were rich and lacking nothing. But God rebukes them for not realizing that they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked – all synonyms for being in a sinful state of existence. God advises them to buy refined gold from him – a reference to 1 Corinthians 3:11-13. God also advises them to buy white linen to cover their nakedness – a reference to an earlier verse, Rev. 3:4, which describes a worthy believer wearing white. How is any believer worthy? By accepting the righteousness that only comes from Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). The upshot is that being lukewarm meant that this so-called church may have had some people who thought they were in Christ but were really not Christians, or at the very least, were nominal Christians. This idea is further pointed to, in verse 20, where Jesus says that he is knocking on your door and will enter your house to eat with you, if you only let him in. That could be a salvation invitation and/or an invitation for closer fellowship with the Master who loves us.

        Remember that Revelation was given to John in a cryptic fashion, and often needs explanations for its metaphorical pictures.