Last night I was reading about a Zambian priest who has been excommunicated from the Catholic church for ordaining married men to serve as priests. (4 so far…)  I was intrigues to hear this because of my heritage and personal conviction as a restorationist.  While I was interested in this article, and especially the comments that, “It’s amazing,” he said. “These are people who, because of celibacy, did not advance to the priesthood, and now they want to be ordained.”  I couldn’t help but think about 1 Timothy 4 and the scripture’s account of those who would later, “forbid marriage, and the eating of meats”.  (for reference, see http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235777,00.html )

I got to thinking about the theological differences in those who are concerned with simple Biblical truth vs. the machine of Catholic dogma.  Is it any wonder that men are coming out of the woodwork to serve in ministry if an archbishop will ordain them while married?  In 1 Timothy, Paul warned about this type of attitude, and when a man from the Catholic background shows up to start ordaining them, lots of guys who otherwise would have been priests years before – decide to enter service. 

So in a round about way – I got to thinking about that and all the differences in practices, requirements, and qualifications for not only priests in the Catholic church, but also each individual Christian in our modern day.  There are some folks who bind all kinds of non-Biblical teachings on believers.  Not that I would dare negate any Biblical teaching on specific requirements for holy living, but I would most certainly nail my 95 theses to the door of the cathedral of human tradition and empty pharisaic requirement.  I got to reading, and one of the simplest accounts of personal requirement and instruction I’ve found in Titus 3:1-11.  (text below)

I particularly appreciate the New Revised Standard’s rendering.  1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. ⁸The saying is sure.

I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. ⁹But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. ¹⁰After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, ¹¹since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.

I love that passage.  How simple!  It covers almost everything for daily living, and it even touches some doctrinal things such as, faith only vs. works, its allusion to baptism and empowerment for daily living by the Holy Spirit, and dealing with a divisive brother.  I pray that this archbishop keeps on the trek toward a more Biblical path.  I applaud his boldness and disregard of his excommunication.  Wasn’t Martin Luther excommunicated for his bold stand on simple Bible truth?  Not that he had it all perfect either, but he was on his way.  Which of us has it all figured out? 

In John 4, a very unique event takes place in Jesus’ ministry.  While passing through Samaria to go to Galilee, the Apostles go into town to get food.  What follows is as powerful a story of the life, bread, water, blood, and ministry of Jesus that is recorded in the gospels. 

I remember some years ago seeing a modern-day drama depicting this woman’s encounter with Christ, and it was powerful to say the least.  The thing is, ya gotta read between the lines to get the whole story.  Beginning in verse 15, the woman bites the hook Jesus puts out there in front of her.  “Sir, give me this water (living water) so I will not be thirsty or come all the way here to draw.”

So the response by Jesus?  “go get your husband, and come here.”  What?  Has this guy been a fly on my wall or something?  There’s no telling what she might have thought.  You have to pause here… I wonder what the time span was before she answered him with, “I don’t have a husband.”  Even in the Samaritan standards, this woman had apparently lived an extremely immoral lifestyle.  She’s had 5 husbands?  I wonder how immoral she was – having disappointed 5 men enough to be divorced.  And now – the man she’s with is not her husband either.  We’re not told about it… but I would guess that this woman had not ONLY had 6 men in her life.

How did the people look at her in town?  How would she have been regarded by her peers?  When she walked up to a store window (indulge me here), and a family of 4 was there looking at the goods window-shopping, how might the family have treated her?  My mind’s eye imagines a father wrapping his arms around his children and his wife by the shoulder and quickly scurrying off so as not to be seen with such a woman.  But Jesus… offers her living water. LIVING WATER!  What in the world would that be…

This is NOT about marriage, divorce, and re-marriage.  This is about a woman at the end of her rope, in need of something she can’t get anywhere else.  Immoral?  Absolutely… but she has faith to some level.  And she declares, “I know Messiah is coming…”  Why would she just randomly bring that up?  Had this man shown her that he could be the one?  Jesus offers her enough evidence in his speech (and he plainly states that he IS) to convince her that He IS Messiah.

In verse 39, the text clearly says, “many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman…”  While we could finish the story and talk about the belief of others here, the greatest point to me is that this woman had apparently changed!  How else would “many of the Samaritans” believe because of her?  Jesus brought living water to this woman, and she changed.  How could she not?  After spending time with the Master, experiencing his boldness, kindness, his very existence – she would undoubtedly have no choice but to quit the awful life she had chosen to live.  That is what encounters with the Christ are about!  May God bless us with encounters with Christ ourselves, and give others simple reasons to believe in Him!

There’s a song that begins, “Lord make me a servant, Lord make me like you…”  Christ was the greatest servant of all.  I cannot help but wonder what kind of open heart he must have nurtured to provide a place for the Spirit to work.  Along those lines, I came across these thoughts recently about the actions of the Christian. 
The following is a bit of text from pp. 126-127 of Chuck Colson’s Loving God.

A few years ago a brother in the order came to her complaining about a superior whose rules, he felt, were interfering with his ministry.  “My vocation is to work for lepers,” he told Mother Teresa.  “I want to spend myself for the lepers.” 

She stared at him a moment, then smiled.  “Brother,” she said gently, “your vocation is not to work for lepers, your vocation is to belong to Jesus.”

Mother Teresa is not in love with a cause, noble as her cause is.  Rather, she loves God and is dedicated to living His life, not her own, This is holiness.  It is the complete surrender of self in obedience to the will and service of God.  Or as Mother Teresa sums it up, complete “acceptance of the will of God.” 

Mother Teresa’s definition may sound rather nebulous to many Christians who have from childhood associated holiness with a long string of dos and don’ts.  But seeing holiness only as a rule-keeping breeds serious problems:  first, it limits the scope of true biblical holiness, which must affect every aspect of our lives.  Second, even though the rules may be biblically based, we often end up obeying the rules rather than obeying God; concern with the letter of the law can cause us to lose its spirit.  Third, emphasis on rule-keeping deludes us into thinking we can be holy through our efforts.  But there can be no holiness apart from the work of the Holy Spirit – in quickening us through the conviction of sin and bringing us by grace to Christ, and sanctifying us – for it is grace that causes us to even want to be holy.  And finally, our pious efforts can become ego-gratifying, as if holy living were some kind of spiritual beauty contest.  Such self-centered spirituality in turn leads to self-righteousness – the very opposite of the selflessness of true holiness.  – Charles Colson.

I don’t know much about Mother Teresa, seeing as my background is from the Restoration Movement heritage of the 19th-20th centuries.  But I love what I read of her life and spirit of holiness.  Also, I love Colson’s statement, “…there can be no holiness apart from the work of the Holy Spirit…”  It behooves believers in Christ to continue reading and studying the word of God, so we provide an adequate vessel for the Spirit of God to work in this world.  God knows, He needs ambassadors; the cool thing is that He doesn’t expect perfect people to be those ambassadors!  “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Lots of confusion abounds in the religious world today – especially between Christianity, Islam and Judaism.  All 3 of these world religions bear many, many similarities and connections from the creation through the time of Abraham.  Many years later, Moses inquired who was speaking to him in the burning bush in the wilderness – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Later, he told Moses to go to Pharaoh in Egypt as Israel was enslaved, and tell him the “I AM” says, to “let my people go.” 

Enter Jesus; 1500 years later.  Jesus of Nazareth did many good deeds, but was far more than a carpenter’s son, or a magician, or a philosopher as history might paint him.  In the gospel of John, there are 8-10 “I AM” statements of Jesus.  The reason the number is variable depends upon interpretation.  There are in fact only 8 specific metaphorical “ego eimi” (= I AM) statements; the others are things such as “I am the son of God” to his disciples or as part of another sentence.  Those statements that are very familiar to his disciples are these; I am the living bread, I am from above, I am the light of the world, I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and I am the vine.  It’s interesting that Jesus makes these statements the way he does.  There have been many attempts to explain them, but in each context, Jesus is making a point about the object based on the immediate situation; be it bread in the context of feasts, light in the festival of lights (modern Hannukkah), or the means of entering pasture – the door.

But the most powerful statement of Jesus in the context of the I AM statements is in John 8:24.  “for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”  Some translations inject “he” after the I am in that sentence, implying Jesus is referring to himself as the Messiah; however, there’s a problem with that simple little pronoun!  The issue is that the Greek New Testament does not include the pronoun “he”.  The passage should correctly be read “for if you do not believe that I am…” 

These statements are often referred to as they are in the Greek text; ego eimi (eggo ay-mee); simply stated?  “I AM”.  Jesus knew what he was doing, and who he was.  What remains is what will history do with him?  Will we reduce him to a meager human who was wise, did miracles (or healings), and philosopher?  He is so much more than just a prophet.  He is the bright and morning star; Messiah!  Ultimately, that is the only question.  What will we do with Jesus?  The only appropriate response to that question, is to respond as he wanted all his disciples to respond… “Yes you are” (the Messiah, the I AM).