What is the Gospel? (1)

First of all, it is an English word  which comes from Middle English, from the Old English word godspel. This compound word is made up of god which means “good,” and spel which means “tale.” It is used to translate the Late Latin word evangelium which means “good news.” This comes from the Greek word εύαγγελιον which means “good news.”

So, what is the gospel, the good-tale, the good news all about? How is it portrayed in the New Testament?

First, we must look into the Old Testament and Greco-Roman usage to get the power of this word and why it was chosen to express a central concept of New Testament theology.

The verb “to speak the good news” is first used in 1 Samuel 31:9. After a battle in which the Philistines fought with Israel, Saul and his sons die in battle. After the battle is over the Philistine army strips the armor off of Saul and sends it back home, “sending round glad tidings (good news) to their idols and to the people. “ A public display is made of Saul’s dead body, and they exhibit his battle armor in the temple of Astarte.

This interesting use of the word “good news” comes out of the context of a victor in battle. The Philistines rejoice and sound out the good news that their arch enemy and leader has been vanquished in combat.

Theologically and metaphorically this idea stays inherent within the word itself. Satan and his army has been vanquished by the resurrection of Jesus. The good news of victory is inherent in the New Testament usage of this word.

In 2 Samuel 1:20 we find the next usage of this word. After the battle mentioned above, David laments over Saul and over Jonathan his son. David gives an order to share his lament with the sons of Judah, and even to have it written down for posterity in the book of Jasher. Part of this lament cautions, “Do not tell it in Geth, and do not tell it as glad tidings (“good news”) in the streets of Ascalon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice…”

Another inherent concept within the gospel, “good news,” is that the good news is bad news for someone. In this case, it was Judah and David. In the case of the Christian, it is Satan and his world. The good news of Jesus is bad news for Satan and his kingdom. Satan has already lost the war. He is losing enlistments daily. He is losing battles daily.

Continuing the story, in 2 Samuel 4:10 someone reports to David that Saul was dead, and assumes that David is going to take it as good news. David is so upset that he kills the messenger! This gives us another insight into “good news.” Often it is not appreciated and the herald or messenger is persecuted, punished or killed. Reminds us of Jesus, doesn’t it!

The gospel, the good news…celebration of victory, the enemy has been overcome, but the message not always appreciated!

What is the good news of Jesus in your life?

In Christian love, Curtis

NO LEFTOVER CAKE AFTER THANKSGIVING!

The first reference in the Bible to thankfulness is with reference to a thanksgiving cake! Both the recipe and when to eat it is mentioned! In my wife’s recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner, and even the recipes I remember seeing in my mother’s kitchen, none of them contained an expiration date or when to eat what was baked!

                Israel’s first instructions regarding an offering or expression of thankfulness connected with their “fellowship offering.” Traditionally this was known as a “peace offering.” Perhaps it is not a coincidence that an offering of thankfulness came out of fellowship and peace!

                Though today we do not think of a  thanksgiving cake, I suppose our substitute would be the Thanksgiving turkey.   Just as recipe stipulations were made in the preparation of Israel’s offering of a thanksgiving cake, so too, we all have family special recipes that determine how we fix and prepare and cook the turkey. Also, it seems that a dinner is not complete without rolls! We have Thanksgiving rolls, and what an aroma out of the kitchen when they are ready to serve!

                Another odd stipulation was that all of the thanksgiving cake must be eaten of the day it was baked; a person “must leave none it until the morning”(Leviticus 7:15). This does away with the necessity of creative leftovers. I was thinking about this command, and I suppose it is rooted in the idea of thankfulness being experienced in the here and the now. After all, the more leftovers hang around the less thankful we become!

                No leftover cake. No leftover turkey. No leftover fixin’s.

                In Leviticus these regulations for the “fellowship offering of thanksgiving” are in a large section where more regulations are given for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the ordination offering. These guidelines were given Moses on Mt. Sinai by God, and taken into their practice of offerings when they sojourned in the Desert of Sinai.

                Bottom line:   Every offering is connected with the covenant care and love of God to remind His people of how much He cared for them.

                This year in our participation of the Thanksgiving Holiday, let us focus on God’s love and care. Let us offer thanksgiving to God out of fellowship and peace with others.  This helps us keep this holiday centered, grounded in relationships, and thankful for life itself. The material blessings are just a serendipity!

In Christian love, Curtis

Struggling in Prayer Together

Every church I have ever been a part of has a prayer line or prayer request opportunity. So many misconceptions surround the practice of prayer. Additionally, many unknown dimensions of prayer remain unknown in actual practice. The one I want to focus on is what I call “Mutual Agonizing Prayer.”

            Sean was a young man who asked me to visit him. His world had caved in because of unsuccessful surgeries that left him virtually incapacitated and unable to eat normally. The pain, the misery and the depression were quite acute. On this particular day I entered his apartment and all he could do was listen and pet his dog. It was the first time in my life that I made the following statement: “Sean, I will help take on your painful struggle and pray in your presence right now, trying to say what you are feeling.” Taking on the pain of another introduces empathy into our own lives at a whole new level.

            The apostle Paul understood this mutually, deep experience of prayer. On one occasion he requests that his Christian brothers and sisters in Rome “agonize together with me in prayer” (Romans 15:30). He was asking to be delivered from mistreatment and other difficult obstacles in his life. He felt he could only face these trying circumstances by asking others on board his ship of life. No such thing as sailing solo for Paul during a storm!

            To the church at Colossae Paul reminds them of their friend, Epaphras, who also “agonized in prayer on their behalf”(Colossians 4:12). He specifically prayed for their spiritual maturity and an assurance that they were committing their lives properly to the will of God.

            Think with me, now, about this mutual, deep experience of prayer. Here is what we can struggle together about…

·         Health concerns that overwhelm

·         Proper way to respond to mistreatment

·         Spiritual maturity

·         Right decision-making

·         Support in the midst of emotional pain

·         Right direction in a person’s life

I know that we all can add to this list. When we go through the fires of pain, and life throws one obstacle after another in our path, we understand in the Christian world-view that we do not have to make that journey alone! “Struggling together in prayer” is a mutual blessing that is embraced by Christians who care for one another.

In Christian love, Curtis