Beware the dogs....

Like Paul, I often find myself in the position that he expressed in 1 Corinthians 9:3:

"My defense to those who examine me is this..."

It's the nature of my path and the ongoing outworking of living out the radical grace scandalizing gospel; that I will step on peoples toes. As a result I’m usually involved on some level with ongoing discussions, debates and defenses of my attempts to live in the freedom of the gospel and reach those who do not yet have faith in Jesus or call Him Savior and Lord.

The best equipping I have found for living on the edge of mission is a deeper and more full understanding of the liberating truth of the Gospel, the life of Jesus and the methods of embracing people in a redemptive way that He fleshed out. But like Jesus and those he chose as disciples; that path always leads to persecution, controversy, insults, character attacks, gossip, confrontation etc. Now there’s also the beautiful hard work of reasoning from the scriptures, honest debate, rigorous study and heartfelt renewing of the mind that I get to engage with people as well. That’s the rewarding work of enlightenment, revelation and teaching that the gospel usher in.

But the crux in these parts of the world usually involve peoples personal paradigm's of religious practices and traditions both culturally and religious. These are the places where sparks often fly:

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” -2 Timothy 3:12

You see that little word in that sentence is the battleground: “godly”.

The difficulty I find, is in reorienting people to a gospel understanding of what God considers godly versus what traditionalists, legalists, religionists, fundamentalists and hyper conservative culturalists consider: “godly”.

You see the same conflict following Jesus wherever he preached, taught and ministered life. The same goes for that band of trouble makers that spread the gospel all over the NT world. The beatings, scourging, imprisonments, assassination attempts, traveling jewish re-educators that followed Paul's church planting endeavors, the false brethren that tore at the fabric of new faith communities...all were part of the wake of the gospel. Jesus and Paul both were accused of messing with the status quo or shaking thing up.

We've found this man (Paul) a real pest...stirs up dissension...and a ringleader of a sect...-Acts 24:5

Paul expected it, wrestled with it, prayed often for it to ease up or be removed...but it was simply part of what he called the “great revelations” that he received. In fact he often prayed other people would also receive the sprit of revelation and understanding. Well a revelation of what? Simply...Jesus. His work, His life, His death, His resurrection and all that it means to be in Him and for Him to be in You.

But trust me that revelation will jack up your world....good and bad!

Yes, the sublime beauty of all that a revelation of the gospel unfolds within you, liberates you from pursuing, sets you free from fighting will also unleash a hoard of nit pickers that will hound you like locusts on fresh dewed gardens. Paul retold it all this way:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong”. (2 Cor. 12: 7-10)

Notice what Paul describes as the thorns in his life. I know most people have been told God gave him a sickness or disease because of his glorious revelations of Jesus but I think his own testimony in the verse says differently. I also think the pages of the many letters he wrote retell the “torment” he endured the most often was from...people.

"Alexander the metalworker did me [the Apostle Paul] a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message." -1 Timothy 4:14-15

Defending the gospel as it relates to mission is a common reality for those who choose to step outside the church walls. Soon as you seek to leave the comfy bible studies, the countless consumeristic religious programs designed to massages, entertain, coddle, pacify and feed the over fed into obesity...you get a target on your back.

There are too many believers that are convinced that we Christians are still living in a Old Testament reality where sin and contamination is the preeminent power...and becoming “unclean” is the threat that all sincerely religious people must be constantly concerned about.

Few are those who have experienced and live out the power of the Gospel that sanctifies the sinner. Where are those who touch spiritual leprosy and see the power of grace triumph over the power of sin? Jesus walked in an authority that the navel gazing, germ phobic, ceremonially minded, gnat strainers are not yet aware of. They have a gospel that is trapped in continual self focused gospel of self improvement. It breeds judgmentalism and it's a measuring religion that produces self righteous people who spend hours of time gnawing on dead things instead of spreading truth, life and the love of God. In the name of being right...they bloody the butts of every passerby them deem to be a threat.

Paul called them dogs:

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. -Phil. 3:2-3

Why dogs?

Well, my guess is...they bark a lot. They are loud, annoying and distracting. They incessantly whine, whimper and beg.

They bite, nip, growl, chase and hound you....tirelessly.

They pee over everything...as they mark out their supposed personal territories that they protect at all costs.

They poop all over the place and never bury their messes...in fact, you can guarantee that if they have been around...the place is going to stink and you are going to have to constantly watch where you step.

In the end, I pray that I will have the grace to endure....and as I ponder that beauty of the cross, I am reminded that “My grace, is sufficient for you”.

Amen, to that....