Alternate Realities and Parallel Universes

“which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth” (1Tim 6:4-5)

Ever see one of those movies or TV show episodes where everything is opposite. Somehow someway, one of the characters ends up in some wacky alternate universe or a freaky dream that turns the whole shebang upside down. It happened on “Star Trek,” on “Dr. Who,” on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and even on “Seinfeld.” Life suddenly doesn’t make sense. The good guy is now the bad guy. One of the clues to this is the sudden appearance on our hero of a goatee, eyepatch, scar, or all the above.

In a letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul describes bizarro dimension when false teachers intentionally fool the followers of Jesus with fraud and falsehood. It will “produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth” (v4-5). In other words, EXACTLY the opposite of what you would expect to find among God’s people. When folks are deprived, they become depraved. That’s what life looks like in the parallel universe of sin.

That’s not how things were in the Ephesian church just a few years ago. Flash back when Paul first rolled into town and started telling everybody about Jesus. He spread the incredible news that the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth has thrown open the doors of God’s kingdom to anyone and everyone who trusts in Him. The apostle spent three years in the big port city and planted a church that sent the message of Christ all throughout the Mediterranean Rim (Acts 19:1-41; 20:31). 

Not long after, Paul’s enemies cooked up some crazy charges against him and he spent almost five years behind bars in both Judea and Rome waiting for a trial. Once Caesar released him, the apostle returned to the church in Ephesus only to find a heretical hot mess. He came back to see an evil alternate universe. 

A team of false teachers sold the worst kind of spiritual snake oil to Ephesian believers. They peddled a wicked brew of “myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations” (1Tim 1:4) as well as “deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1Tim 4:1). After kicking a couple of the ringleaders to the curb (1Tim 1:19), Paul had urgent business in Macedonia and left Timothy in charge of the church (1Tim 1:3). A majority of this little letter is the apostle’s instructions to the young preacher about getting the church out of the ditch and back on track.

Here in chapter six, we get a closer glimpse at the Ephesian dumpster fire that Paul found when he returned. Envy. Dissension. Slander. Evil suspicions. Constant friction. Stinking thinking. Starved for the truth. I’m VERY sorry to say this is the experience too many people have in the local church. What you would hope would be a place that drips with grace and forgiveness actually turns out to be a snake pit that would make anything Indiana Jones discovers look like a petting zoo. Let’s be clear. That’s NOT Jesus’ vision for His church. I’ll be the first guy to admit there are no perfect churches. That’s never going to be the case as long as they allow jacked up dudes like me through the front door. But the people of God should be a safe place from that sort of crapola.

Just to be clear, the apostle tells Tim that anyone who teaches a doctrine that disagrees with Jesus is an arrogant windbag and a know-it-all who really doesn’t know anything (1Tim 6:3). He has a sick obsession to stir up trouble and arguments. The result is people ticked off at each other, jealousy, hate speech, mistrust, and constantly rubbing each other the wrong way (1Tim 6:4-5). Not exactly the kind of safe place you would hope to find among God’s people. Instead it’s a sick and twisted parallel dimension of discord.

Do we REALLY need an in-depth study of “envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction” (v4-5)? You know these are bad, right? You DO know that, don’t you?!? If those are the qualities you’re looking for in a local church, please look somewhere else. Don’t bring that garbage around here. The bad news is there are plenty of congregations out there that specialize in that sort of fear and loathing.

According to Paul, this is the sort of thing you find “among people who are depraved in mind” (v5). Behind “depraved” is a Greek word (Gr. diaphtheiro) that means to destroy, rot, ruin, wear away, decay, spoil, or waste away. It’s the same term he uses when writing one of his notes to the Corinthians about how “our outer self is wasting away (Gr. diaphtheiro), our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2Cor 4:16). The result of the false teaching in Ephesus is a rotting mind. Remember when Igor grabs the brain of “Abby Normal” in “Young Frankenstein”? When you fail to teach people about Jesus, you get stinking thinking.

If that’s not bad enough, folks are “deprived of the truth” (v5). The verb here is apostrepeo, which means to withhold, defraud, rob, steal, obtain something through deception. When a young up-and-comer wants to join Jesus’ posse, the Lord asked him how he was doing following God’s commands, such as “Do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud (Gr. apostrepeo)” (Mk 10:19). Spiritual hucksters have pulled the old bait-and-switch. They’ve hoodwinked folks from the truth and into this bizarro reality of lies. 

Just a quick reminder on the truth. We’re talking Truth with a capital “T.” God created a perfect world. We jacked up the whole deal when we turned our backs on Him and tried to do it our way. We completely failed to follow His law and fell short of His perfect standard. That’s the point in the story where Jesus comes to our rescue. He leaves the comforts of heaven to make the ultimate dumpster dive to save us. Christ lives the perfect life that we fail to live. He dies the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don’t deserve. We place our trust in what He’s done for us rather than our failed attempt to save ourselves. Just in case you think I’m making this up, Jesus Himself told His crew that He was the embodiment of “the Truth” (Jn 14:6).

The result of Christ’s rescue is providing us with a group of people who admit they need a Savior just as much as we do. The local church is actually an alternate universe to the fallen world in which we live. Let’s do what we can to have a zero tolerance policy for anything that trashes that the truth and causes our thinking to be stinking. Stay focused on who Jesus is and what He has done. God’s people are to be a shining city on a hill in a dark world. A model home for heaven. A parallel universe of paradise. 

Do You Speak Klingon?

“nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (1Tim 1:4)

Do you speak Klingon? What’s your take on Yoda’s species? Do really think Captain America is a member of the Tea Party? Let me get this out on the table from the get go. I’ve paid cash money to watch more than my fair share of movies from the all the sci-fi and superhero franchises. But I have many friends who are so consumed with these fantastic stories you might think they live aboard a starship or in the Marvel Universe. Have they ever sucked you into a black hole of discussion about the impossibilities in the conclusion of “Interstellar”? 

Well if you’ve been hanging around Christians for any length of time, you know our friends who go to ComicCon haven’t cornered the market. Have you walked down the aisle of your local Christian bookstore lately? We’re constantly playing a goofy game of “Pin the Tail on the Antichrist.” You’ve got “The Bible Code” and its whacky sequels. There are books cooking up countless crazy connections between 9-11 and obscure Old Testament commands. You’ll even find authors claiming to find the cure for your irritable bowel in the pages of the Bible. I would say you can’t make this stuff up, but somebody clearly has!

Don’t make the mistake of believing this is some sort of recent fad. Church folks have been cooking up whacked out conspiracy theories for a thousands of years. When we take a look at one of the letters Paul wrote Timothy, we see it was going on at the megachurch in Ephesus. Yeah, THAT Ephesus. The apostle tells his protege that Jesus’ followers should not “devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (v4). Some of the most popular hobbies in the Ephesian church are interminable discussions about urban legends that aren’t in the Bible. Stuff, in the long run, that doesn’t mean a hill of beans. 

These aren’t occasional confabs over coffee at Starbucks. Paul talks about how they “devote themselves” to them. He uses the Greek verb prosecho, which means paying very close attention to something. It can easily be understood as being consumed or even addicted to a particular activity. That makes this a worship issue. Do you spend more time on particular preoccupations than on things that have no eternal significance? We can do this with our smart phones, Facebook, Pinterest, sports, and scrapbooking. None of these is really evil all on their own. But anytime you take a good thing and make it a god thing that’s a bad thing. In a word, that’s idolatry. A certain section of the Ephesian church has unhealthy obsession with debating issues that don’t matter. How about you? What have you allowed to be your personal time suck?

For the Ephesian church, a boatload of their schedule is loaded with debates over “myths” (v4). A closer look at the original language reveals exactly what’s going on. This is muthos, which is fiction, a fable, or made-up story. We’re talking about fairy tales. This term can even mean a wild rumor or whacky conspiracy theory. Imagine a small group devoted to digging into the pages of the Weekly World News or one of the other tacky tabloids at the checkout counter. I don’t know if you realize this or not, but you really can’t believe everything you read on the internet. Shocking, right? 

Apparently these whacky goofball stories are all the rage in the first century church. Later in this letter, Paul tells Tim, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths (Gr. muthos)” (1Tim 4:7). A few years later in another note, the apostle warns Tim again how Jesus’ followers are easily distracted and “wander off into myths (Gr. muthos)” (2Tim 4:4). Paul alerts Titus that the congregations on Crete must avoid “devoting themselves to Jewish myths (Gr. muthos)” which pull them away from God’s truth (Titus 1:14). Don’t think the man from Tarsus is the only one who sees these religious fairy tales as something to be avoided. Pete’s the leader of Jesus’ apostles and promises, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths (Gr. muthos) when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2Pet 1:16). 

But that’s not the only unhealthy distraction. Tim’s also trying to put the kibosh “endless genealogies, which promote speculations” (v4). Folks are spending WAY too much time and energy trying to trace their family trees. We all want to tell people about our impressive ancestors. Tell me you haven’t looked back at your ancestors to see if you’re a descendant of royalty or some celebrity. While it’s nice to know all about your memaw and pawpaw, there’s nothing to truly gain by spending hour upon hour climbing your family tree. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little afraid about what I might find along the way. A dive into one of these genealogical rat holes is “endless” (v4). Paul uses a Greek term here (Gr. aperantos) that means something that cannot be passed through. It’s boundless, limitless, and interminable. A series that never stops. It’s a conversation from which there is no escape! You’ve been cornered in a few of those, I’m sure.

All this mindless lip-flapping will simply “promote speculations” (v4). These aren’t so much controversies as distractions. God’s people argue about a boatload of stuff in the Bible that we don’t really have the answers to. How often should we celebrate communion? Should be people be dunked all the way under during baptism? Worship songs or hymns? How loud the music should be? Should we go on? I’ll answer for you. No. Some folks refer to these as open-handed and close-handed issues. There are doctrinal points we need to keep in a kung fu grip. You know the ones. The Trinity. God’s creation of the universe. How we broke His perfect creation. Jesus is the sinless Son of God who died for our sin, was buried, and rose on the third day.  

The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing. We should put all our efforts into “the stewardship from God that is by faith” (v4). Don’t major in the minors. Let’s avoid speculating on things that we can’t know for sure. Instead, let’s focus on our loving Heavenly Dad, our awesome Big Brother Jesus, and the brothers and sisters we’ll be spending eternity with. That’s the family we need to devote ourselves to. That’s the genealogy that really matters. This is a HUGE reminder that we’re to carefully take care of all that God has given us in Christ. It’s all about our faith in Jesus. What He did for us that we could never do. 

I really don't care if you can shoot the breeze with Worf in his native Klingon tongue. What intergalactic race of beings Yoda is part of, I care not. And I don’t give a hot hoot about Captain America’s political leanings. Instead, how about we spend a good bit of our calendar on what really matters? Who Jesus is. What He has done. Loving those around us. Being a firehose of His grace to everyone we meet. 

Objects in Mirror

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

My rearview mirror makes a horrible windshield. I’m not saying I should ignore that handy dandy little reflective gizmo. But I become a horrible driver the moment I become more concerned about what’s behind me than what’s in front of me. That’s when folks in front of me probably start need to check their own mirrors. From a spiritual sense, Paul says a key to his journey with Jesus came when he ripped his rearview and never looked at it again. “Brother, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (v13). He realizes there’s SO much more to be experienced in his relationship with Christ and he needs to stop worrying about what’s off his back bumper. His rearview mirror makes a horrible windshield.

The apostle writes to his friends in Philippi from a jail cell in Rome (Phil 1:1314). He got tossed in the slammer for telling fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah they’ve been waiting for and that God is now inviting non-Jews into His kingdom. He had devoted himself to telling everyone who will listen about the crazy good grace we have in the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. Jesus has done for us what we could never ever dream of doing for ourselves. He followed all of God’s rules and regs because we couldn’t. He took the full brunt of God’s punishment for our disobedience in our place. He walked out of the cemetery after being dead for three days just to prove He is the Son of God and that all His promises are true. 

As a result, Paul wants his readers to avoid the same potholes he hit. He spent much of his life piling up accomplishments and awards in order to impress God with his religious resume (Phil 3:4-6). But once he met the risen Christ, he suddenly realized all of his achievements weren’t worth a hill of beans (Phil 3:7-8). It’s who Jesus is and what He’s done that really matters. Religion no. Relationship yes. From that point on, the apostle puts the hammer down to tell others about Jesus and does everything possible to truly know his Savior as his closest Friend. Maybe you’ve made the same mistake as our buddy Paul. You’ve tried to dazzle God with your own religious resume. I’ve got some very bad news for you. No matter what you’ve done, it’s never going to be good enough. You can’t go to church enough. You can’t read your Bible enough. You can’t be good. You can’t save yourself. But I’ve also got some VERY Good News. Jesus and His accomplishments are available to you. Toss your trophies in the trash. Trust in what who He is. Trust in what He’s done for you. Take it from Paul. Stop driving with your eyes fixed on the rearview mirror of your so-called goodness. You’re going to get yourself killed.

The apostle tells his Philippian friends that his journey is far from over. “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own” (v13). First of all, he doesn’t set himself above his fellow Christ followers. He refers to them with a Greek term (Gr. adelphos) which is easily translated as “brothers and sisters.” No arrogance here. Not a hint of “Do this because I’m in charge.” He’s writing to his spiritual siblings. When it comes to knowing Jesus, Paul is just their brother from another mother. This doesn’t mean we don’t have spiritual fathers and children. The Bible is chock-full of them. Those are incredibly important relationships. However most of our connections with fellow believers are as brother and sister. 

The man from Tarsus tells the Philippians that he’s not there yet. “I do not consider that I have made it my own” (v13). Paul drops a verb (Gr. katalambano) in the original text which means to grasp completely, seize firmly, or take full possession of something. Looking back at the previous verse, he’s giving it all he has even though what he wants is still just out of reach. “But I press on to make it my own (Gr. katalambano), because Christ Jesus has made me His own (Gr. katalambano)” (Phil 3:12). Our Savior has His kung fu grip on us. We can be sure of that. Because of that, I make it my mission in life to grasp Jesus completely. We’re getting closer but we’re not there yet. You could say this is the first century version of the classic rock song “Radar Love” by Golden Earring. 

No more speed, I’m almost there.

Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care.

Last car to pass, here I go!

And the line of cars drove down real slow.

What’s up ahead has Paul’s total attention. He’s not worried that the objects in mirror are closer than they appear. He’s not headed in that direction. He’s speeding toward Jesus. He knows his rearview mirror makes a horrible windshield.

Because I haven’t reached my final destination, the apostle gives me important yet very simple driving instructions. Here’s the “one thing I do” (v13). The Greek literally just reads “but one” (v13). Have a singular focus. Don’t worry about anything else. Your driver’s ed instructor may tell you to keep an eye on your gauges and frequently check your mirrors. That’s certainly important when I’m driving up the interstate. Not on the ultimate road trip toward Jesus. There’s just one thing that matters. There’s a lone focus. “One thing” (v13). If I have more on my list than a single item, I’m doing it wrong. Here’s a little secret. When Jesus is your “one thing,” you don’t have to worry about anything else. No more frantic plate-spinning like some sort of crazy act from “America’s Got Talent.” When Jesus is your “one thing,” He takes care of everything else. When I’ve got my eyes locked on Christ, He watches my gauges.

Just in case something in my mirror has caught my attention, Paul reminds me to not pay it any mind. “Forgetting what lies behind” (v13). He uses a verb, epilanthanomai, which means to neglect, overlook, no longer caring for, or even keep secret. My favorite translation is probably to overlook something. Matt writes about the time he and his buddies road in a boat across the lake and overlooked bringing lunch along. “When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten (Gr. epilanthanomai) to bring any bread” (Mt 16:5). Over in Luke, Jesus tells His posse about the value of even the most insignificant of birds and how “not one of them is forgotten (Gr. epilanthanomai) before God” (Lk 12:6). The writer of Hebrews warns, “Do not neglect (Gr. epilanthanomai) to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2). Don’t miss out on rolling out the red carpet for strangers who might be angels. Hmm, does that make them “strangels”? No, I didn’t think so.

But there IS one thing we should ALWAYS overlook. And that, dear friends, is “what lies behind” (v13). Stop living in the past. The rearview mirror of life features two distinct distractions. The first is our glory days. Bruce Springsteen sang all about it. “Glory days, well they pass you by. Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye.” Don’t believe the Boss and me? Just ask Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico? He was so obsessed with his memories of being a backup quarterback in high school that he couldn’t function as an adult. Maybe he could throw a football over those mountains back in the day, but who gives a hot hoot about that now? Two thousand years before, Paul piled up the awards when he was younger and couldn’t put them down (Phil 3:4-6). He was like the dude who keeps wearing his high school letter jacket years after graduation. Talk about faded glory. On top of that, you look like a dork. Take off the jacket and ignore what’s behind.

The other distraction in life’s rearview is regret. There’s not a person you’ll meet who’s past isn’t loaded with pain. You can’t forget the time you were the victim of a hit-and-run. Someone plowed right over you and left you bleeding on the side of the road. You’re still wearing the tire tracks of your spouse’s betrayal. Bulldozed by a bad boss. A so-called friend left you swinging in the breeze. The hurt seems fresh. But the greatest treatment for my wounds is forgiveness. I can’t do it on my own but that’s where Christ does what He does best. At His lowest moment of betrayal and pain, He pleaded with His Dad, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). For most of us, one glance back makes it clear that our pain is self-inflicted. My mirror is full of bad decisions I wish I could take back. Relationships I’ve ruined. Lies I’ve told. Time I’ve wasted. Kids I’ve ignored. Dreams I’ve let die. I simply want to make a u-turn and try to fix it. But since I’m not driving Doc Brown’s DeLorean powered by a flux capacitor, that’s not possible. Don’t think Paul had big problems with his past? Before Jesus got ahold of him, he’s job was terrorizing and killing Christ’s followers. Or in his words, “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church” (Phil 3:6). If the Lord can forgive the rap sheet like that, He can certainly handle the regret in your rearview.

Now that we know what NOT to do, the apostle tells us he’s “straining forward to what lies ahead” (v13). The key here is the Greek verb eketeinomai, which describes reaching out toward the goal, stretching way out for something, or giving everything you’ve got to get your hands on something. It literally means “stretch out.” This is no casual reach where you give up easily. Picture a sprinter leaning forward and overextending themselves at the tape. Paul is a lot like Scottie from Star Trek. He’s giving it everything he’s got, Captain! We’re talking intense effort and determined purpose. For the man from Tarsus, he’s absolutely consumed with experiencing more of Christ. More of His love. More of His mercy. More of His grace. He hasn’t gotten there yet. But he’s floored the accelerator to get there as fast as he can. Jesus told one prospective follower not to be worried one bit about what’s off the back bumper. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62). Paul has ripped the mirror off. He’s only concerned about one thing: exploring and experiencing more of his relationship with Jesus. He’s figured out that when it comes to following Christ, his rearview mirror makes a terrible windshield.

Taking One Game at a Time

“We take it one game at a time.” It’s one of the classic pieces of folks call “coach speak.” It’s the way leaders in sports remind their players how they can’t play more than one opponent at a time. You can’t mope around after your last loss. You can’t keep celebrating your last victory. You need to move on and move forward. Here in Nehemiah 7:1-4, we see the governor moving forward after completing the massive project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. Immediately after they lay the last stone and hang the last gate, Nehemiah finds out some of the most influential families are still playing footsie with the enemy, Tobiah the Ammonite (Neh 6:17). Come to find out, this outlaw is one of their in-laws (Neh 6:18). The walls may be up but the city is still in great danger. Nehemiah keeps Jerusalem at DEFCON 1. He maintains a Homeland Security Threat Level Red. He does this not because of his lack of faith but because it is so deep. Because he trusts God, he takes the next step. He moves forward. Nehemiah’s a man who puts his deep faith into quick action.

Once again, the governor reminds us that the city’s defenses are back in a position the people haven’t seen for 140 years. “The wall had been built and I had set up the doors” (v2). God has used Nehemiah and the people to pull off the miraculous reconstruction project in just 52 days (Neh 6:15)! For you Trekkies out there, this is when Spock reassures Captain Kirk that the shields are back up on the Starship Enterprise. The people of Jerusalem are in a position to defend themselves once again. But this involves so much more than simply sitting behind the brand new walls and kicking back with a cold one. Nehemiah appoints “the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites” (v1). Gatekeepers. That makes sense. But what do they have to do with the singers and Levites? How is the security detail related to the worship team? As they sing on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the others.” Flip back over to the roster Ezra lists and you’ll see they are part of the same department (Ez 2:40-42). This is actually a typical grouping of personnel. Keeping the city and God’s people safe are a big part of reestablishing worship of God in His temple.

Okay, the walls are up. The doors are in place. The guards and worship team are ready to go. Nehemiah’s next step is handpicking two men who will essentially act as the new co-mayors of the newly walled city. “I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem” (v2). Just last year, Nehemiah’s brother first brought him the news about the Jerusalem crisis (Neh 1:2). We see that his bro has made the trip back from Susa to play a major role in the city’s renewal. Nehemiah names Hananiah as his brother’s partner. Hananiah has proved he’s a legit leader as “the governor of the castle” (v2). This is the fortress right around the corner from the temple. As the governor of Judah (Neh 5:14), As a humble servant leader, Nehemiah knows he can’t do it all himself. He shares the load of leadership by passing off the critical role of watching over the newly-walled Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah.

While the governor knows his brother is the real deal, he goes out of his way to describe just what a quality leader Hananiah is. “He was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many” (v2). In describing his dependability, Nehemiah drops the Hebrew term ‘emeth. It means firm, stable, reliable, true, and sure. He’s a lot like similar the dudes Nehemiah places in positions of responsibility for the storehouse “for they were considered reliable” (Neh 13:13). But it also lets us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hananiah swims in the deep end of the pool when it comes to his faith in God. Nehemiah doubles down on that idea when he writes that Hananiah’s a “God-fearing man” (v2). That does NOT mean that he’s cowering in fear that God will zap him with a lightning bolt the next time he messes up. It’s the Bible’s way of painting the portrait of a worshiper. Hananiah loves and worships the LORD more than he’s concerned about pleasing people. We’ve already seen the fear of Yahweh play a big part in Nehemiah’s leadership. When the governor puts a stop to the mortgage, he encourages folks “to walk in the fear of God” (Neh 5:9). And he opens up his home and invites 150 people over for dinner every night “because of the fear of God” (Neh 5:15).

Hananiah’s reliability on the job and faith in God are in contrast to the nobles of Judah who were passing notes back and forth with Tobiah, one of the key thugs trying to bully God’s people (Neh 6:17). Hanani and Hananiah could be replacing the the rulers listed in back in chapter 3. “Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem” (Neh 3:9) and “Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem” (Neh 3:12). With the walls and gates in place, the situation in the city has changed. Nehemiah may well see the need for a new season of leadership and a new kind of leader. Rephaniah and Shallum have apparently been faithful leaders during a very difficult time. They hand over the stewardship of the city to the team of Hanani and Hananiah. It’s a reminder that our role or position may not be for a lifetime. It may simply be for season. Since God gives it to us, He has every right to reassign it. As Andy Stanley says, “Leadership is stewardship.”

Meanwhile, Nehemiah gives his new co-mayors specific instructions in guarding the city and using the walls and gates to their greatest advantage. First of all, “let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot” (v3). The threat level is incredibly high. Just because the walls are up doesn’t mean danger has disappeared. Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of Jewish enemies are still out there. Just because the walls are up, don’t let your guard down. Normally the gates are opened at sunrise. Nehemiah wants them to take a little extra caution. Let’s wait just a little bit longer. Let’s wait until a little later in the day. Let’s wait until everybody is up and at ’em. Let’s avoid a sneak attack at sunrise. Secondly, he tells the co-mayors to “appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (v3). Those people living in the city will be the most committed to protecting it. The citizens of Jerusalem have skin in the game. Their families, homes, and businesses are on the line. 

The author then gives us an overview of the situation inside the newly built walls of Jerusalem. “The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt” (v4). This is a very big city with a very small population. There are a handful of folks living there but it’s basically still a ghost town. Most of the Jewish people who have returned to the Promised Land under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah are living in the suburbs and surrounding towns. One reason is that there are few places to live. The rebuilding of the wall took priority over reconstructing homes within the city. The focus of all the resources was on rebuilding the barrier. That’s going to change soon. But for right now, Jerusalem is all but deserted. 

Nehemiah took his leadership one game at a time. It’s not like he didn’t celebrate the completion of the wall project. But the governor of Judah knew that would all get flushed down the toilet if he didn’t take the next steps to protect the city. Jerusalem needed new leadership. The city needed a security detail. The people needed to remain on high alert. The walls are up but they couldn’t let down. Godly leaders keep their eyes on the next objective. They take it one game at a time.

A View from the Press Box

A football coach in the press box has a much different perspective than one on the sidelines. From field level, the coach can get a real feel for the speed of the game, the intensity of the play, and the mood of his players. But the view from up top allows the coach to see the formations of both teams, their overall strategy and the bigger trends of the game. Neither one is better. Both are essential in understanding the larger story of the contest. Here in Ezra 4:6-24, the author takes the elevator up the press box to give us a broader view of the historical perspective. But there’s an even wider point of view. Think of that as a looking down on the stadium from the blimp. When we step back even further with the fuller picture God gives us in Scripture, we see an even wider and more glorious panorama of His grace. When it comes to God and His Gospel, it’s all about perspective.

This section of the book is actually like a giant parenthetic comment. Don’t make the mistake of thinking verses 6-24 happen right here and right now in the text. No, Ezra describes events that go down about 50 years later. He wants us to know that the Israelites faced consistent and relentless opposition from the Samaritans in trying to resettle the Promised Land and rebuild the temple. He’s just painted the picture of the “adversaries of Judah and Benjamin” getting all hot and bothered when they hear the big party on the temple mount (Ez 4:1). They pull out every trick in their playbook of Samaritan sabotage in order to shut things down (Ez 4:2). Eventually they threaten and intimidate the Jews as well as grease the palms of various construction supervisors to grind the project to a halt (Ez 4:4-5). What started with such great promise and enthusiasm dies quickly with a whimper. Ezra inserts this section of Scripture to let us know this happened to God’s people over and over and over. 

Let’s be honest, this kind of resistance and hostility is still going on today. Everything from brutal violence by Isis to frustrations with local planning and zoning boards, the world continues to try to stand in the way of the kingdom of God. But we know that the love of Jesus eventually wins. If you’re not sure, you might want to read the end of the book. (And by “end of the book,” I don’t mean Ezra. I’m talking about the Bible. Don’t be afraid to jump to the exciting conclusion. You’re not going to ruin a cliffhanger. Spoiler alert: GOD WINS!) This is where I’m tempted to insert the phrase made infamous by the Borg in Star Trek: “Resistance is futile.” While that may be the case, Jesus isn’t looking for cyborgs in the collective. He’s loving each one of us to willingly follow and obey Him. And the Samaritans are no different. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s not quite take a ride in the blimp quite yet.

Ezra tells us how the Samaritans made whining and complaining about the Israelites a hobby during the reigns of both King Ahasuerus (v6) and King Artaxerxes (v7). These Persian dictators are the son and grandson of King Darius. It seems world domination is the family business. Ahasuerus is actually the Hebrew name for Xerxes. He ruled from 486-464 BC. You might remember him from such stories as the book of Esther and the movie “300.” He was the king that fell head over heels with Mordecai’s niece and came within an eyelash of beating Hitler to the punch on the Holocaust by several thousand years. If you saw the motion picture “300,” Xerxes is the warrior king that squares off with the Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae. His boy Artaxerxes hopped onto the Persian throne from 464-423 BC. Ezra knows all about Darius’ grandson. We’ll see soon how it was this king who gives Ezra the royal stamp of approval for his role in the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ez 7:13-28). Artaxerxes is also the same dude that Nehemiah works for as a cupbearer and throws the resources of the Persian crown behind his return to Promised Land as well (Neh 1:11-2:8). While these three generations of Persian kings will never be confused with Abraham Lincoln, God uses these three kings to play a huge role in His story. That’s a lot of historical info crammed into a small space, but hopefully it allows you to take a look at the entire playing field from the biblical press box.

Without going into meticulous detail on Ezra 4:6-24, here’s the bottom line. Most of the passage describes how Samaritan leaders wrote letters to Artaxerxes about the problems with the new neighbors. Kind of like griping to the HOA board about that new family in the cul-de-sac who park their RV in front of your house. They cook up a bunch of crazy accusations against the Israelites. They won’t pay their taxes. They’ll be a hotbed of rebellion. If the king lets this go on, he’s gonna be really sorry. Artaxerxes pushes the pause button the rebuilding project and the Jewish adversaries couldn’t wait to folks in Jerusalem, “Nanny nanny boo boo!” (Let’s just say that’s a fairly loose translation of this passage.) Down in verse 24, Ezra flashes back to the days of King Darius to say that this opposition has been going on a very long time. He lets us know that the Samaritans delayed the project this first time “until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia” (v24). That’s a 16-year shutdown if you’re scoring at home (Ez 4:5; Hag 1:1-15).

If that’s the view from the press box, let’s now take a look from the biblical blimp. The Samaritans continue to be a royal pain the Hebrew tail for hundreds of years. They hate the Jews and the Jews return the favor. Prejudice and bigotry would be kind words to describe the relationship between these two people groups. So you would think God wouldn't waste a moment in wiping the enemies of His people off the planet. But something funny happened. Jesus shows up. He tells a story about what it means to love like God and has the gall to make a Samaritan the hero (Lk 10:25-37). Christ stuns His own posse by not only traveling through the heart of enemy territory but having a conversation with a (gasp!) Samaritan divorcee (Jn 4:1-42)! Just before He heads home to heaven, Jesus tells His followers that once His Spirit falls on them, “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea an Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And before you can say “Great Commission,” God is welcoming in these former enemies into His kingdom (Acts 8:9-25). Bet you didn’t see that one coming back in Ezra!

What you and I need to remember is that we were just like the Samaritans. We were rebels and terrorists against the King of heaven. Despite shaking our fists at God, He reached out to us through Jesus. “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom 5:10). Instead of slaughtering His enemies, Jesus serves them. Instead of taking their lives, He gives His. We bring absolutely zilch to the table except our sin and rebellion. “But God shows His love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). He died for His enemies like the Samaritans. He died for rebels like you and me. While it’s important to get the view on the field, it’s vital to check out the perspective from the press box. And it’s even more critical to see things from the eye in the sky. When it comes to God and His Gospel, it’s all about perspective.

God. Never. Lies.

“in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (v2)

A friend of mine likes to say that you can tell when a politician is lying because his lips are moving. Let’s be honest, politicians haven’t cornered the market on lies. It seems like our world is full of fiction, fabrication, and falsehood. Truth tellers are few and far between. There is One you and I can always count on to shoot us straight. God. He never lies. Here in his letter to Titus, Paul reminds his buddy that God always tells the truth. God never misleads. He never fibs. He never exaggerates. He’s the greatest non-fiction Author of all-time. The apostle lets us know that’s especially true when it comes to life everlasting. When it comes to eternal life, Jesus isn’t joking around. And since God always tells the truth, He always comes through.

God. Never. Lies.

What if everything you and I believe about God is a lie? What if it’s all smoke and mirrors? What if it’s just the slickest con ever pulled off? Well, we would be in a world of hurt if that’s the case. But over thousands of years, God has gone out of His way to reassure us that He can be trusted. This was obvious even to Balaam the profitable prophet who said, “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?” (Num 23:19). God personally told Habakkuk that when He gives someone a vision, “it will not lie…it will surely come” (Hab 2:3). Our man Paul told believers in Rome that God can be trusted even when His messengers mess things up. “Let God be true though every one were a liar” (Rom 3:4). Jesus went so far as to say if we want to know what the truth is, just take one look His way. “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn 14:6).

God. Never. Lies.

Paul wants us to be sure of one thing. There’s no bait and switch with Jesus. And that includes eternal life. Since God never, ever lies, His promise of life everlasting is a stone cold, lead pipe lock. Here the apostle writes of the “hope of eternal life” (v2). This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky, sweet-bye-and-bye. The Greek word for hope is elpis. It describes a confident expectation of something awesome. We don’t just cross our fingers and hope for the best when it comes to everlasting life. We can take it to the bank, my friend. It’s going to happen. We can just as well understand this as the “certainty of eternal life.” It’s a sure thing. It’s a done deal. One Jesus rescues us, He comes to live in us. That’s why we can be sure of “Christ in you, the hope (Gr. elpis) of glory” (Col 1:27). Despite anything this fallen world throws our way, “we rejoice in hope (Gr. elpis) of the glory of God” (Rom 5:2).

God. Never. Lies.

With all this talk about our never-lying God, it might be easy to miss another huge point Paul is trying to make. He tells Titus that the Godhead has been promising eternal life “before the ages began” (v2). Chew on that for a moment. I don’t know about you, but that kinda makes my head hurt. Before God created time, He booked His calendar to spend it with us. Hit the rewind button and see for yourself. Before the cross. Before the manger. Before the Exodus. Before the fall. Before the garden. Before creation. “BEFORE THE AGES BEGAN!” (v2 emphasis mine). I can’t say that I ever even considered that God promised eternal life before time began. Watching an episode of Star Trek where the crew deals with the Time-Space Continuum makes my brain swim. But before He created time, God created His plan for my eternal life. 

Paul made this point when he wrote to his Ephesian friends. “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will” (Eph 1:4-5). That’s right, this whole deal has been in the works before He created the world. Just before his own death, the man from Tarsus told his boy Tim that our eternal relationship with God was all part of His plan before He started the clock. God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2Tim 1:9). 

Let’s live our lives with both of these facts in full view. First, God never lies. He’s the ultimate Truth Teller. If He says, it’s a done deal. Count on it. Expect it. Second, our eternal life with Him has been part of His plan since before time began. Go back to the very first words of Genesis for a moment. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). God created something before that. His plan for for eternal life with His people. When it comes to eternal life, Jesus isn’t joking around. And since God always tells the truth, He always comes through.

God. Never. Lies.

Messing with the Time-Space Continuum

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (v8).

Nobody but nobody messes with the time-space continuum like JJ Abrams. How else was he able to create an alternate universe for the reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise? His use of time travel in “Lost” caused many viewers to be, well, lost. But if you think JJ Abrams likes to jack with the time-space continuum, just wait till you see what Jesus does with it. Then again, He created it. The Apostle Peter lets us in on the fact that Christ views time like nobody else. 1 day=1,000 years. 1,000 years=1 day. Does that make your head hurt like it does mine? Good. It’s supposed to.

Pete doesn’t want us to miss this critical idea. “Do not overlook this one fact, beloved” (V8). Don’t ignore it. Don’t lose sight of it. That’s in total contrast to the trash talkers who “deliberately overlook this fact” (3:5). They intentionally ignore God’s work of creation, His destruction at the flood, and His ultimate judgment of the ungodly (3:5-7). The apostle has a word for those loved by God. Don’t miss the big idea. Here comes the headline.

“With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (v8). Before we jump into the divine wormhole, let’s be clear who we’re talking about. “The Lord” is Jesus. That’s very important. This is the very same Man who hopped into Pete’s fishing boat back when everybody knew him as Simon. And his life changed forever that day. Jesus changed everything in Simon’s life. He changed his name to Rocky. He changed his purpose. From commercial fisherman to a fisher of men. Over the course of the next three years, Pete was an eyewitness to the miraculous. After all that he’s seen and heard Jesus do, including that whole crucified-dead-buried-and-resurrected miracle, this whole bending of the time-space continuum seems like a piece of cake.

Like so many folks do, Pete is quoting song lyrics to make his point. He drops a line from a hit tune Moses wrote that back in the day. Man, talk about classic rock! “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Ps 90:4). If anybody knows about our eternal God, it’s Moses. When the Big Mo asked the Voice in the burning bush for some ID, He responded, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex 3:14). God’s very name is Yahweh. It literally means that He’s always been there and He will always be there. And wherever He is, He’s right there in the present tense.

In one of the most jaw-dropping moments in the entire Bible, Jesus announced that He is God Eternal. He made a mind-boggling admission to the religious bullies one day. “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8:58). Bad grammar. GREAT theology! This radical Rabbi/Carpenter from the boondocks of Galilee claimed that before Abe ever packed his bags and left Ur, He already existed. And He existed in the present tense. It’s easy for us to miss His point. Jesus has the guts to say that He’s God. He’s the very same God who talked to Moses at the burning bush.

And this wasn’t some random, one-time statement by Christ. When He showed up to visit His buddy John on the island of Patmos, the resurrected Jesus announced over and over that He’s always been around and He’s always going to be around. “I am the Alpha and the Omega…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8). “Fear not, I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (Rev 1:18). He’s “the First and the Last, who died and came to life” (Rev 2:8). “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev 22:13). Jesus always has been. Jesus always is. Jesus always will be. 

You see, as God, Jesus doesn’t have the same relationship with time that we do. When you create something, you have authority over it. God created time. He’s outside of it. Think of the Godhead standing on the banks of the river of time. He can see all of it. The Lord can see a thousand years as easily as He can see one day. And He can also make one day last as long as He wants. Think of Neo moving in super-slomo during one of those crazy fight scenes in “The Matrix.” 

At any point in time, Jesus can jump in and get involved. That’s exactly what the Son of God did. Around 2,000 years ago, He dove in and got personally involved. Think of it less of a graceful swan dive into the swimming pool and more of a dumpster dive into the most disgusting mess you can imagine. Our Hero got down and dirty on the greatest rescue mission the universe has ever seen. And when He left, Christ promised an amazing encore. He told us to be ready. He could make His comeback at any moment. But the problem is that it seems like it’s taking a very long time. Pete tells us that our Savior sees time WAY differently than we do. For Him, a millennium is like a Monday. And vice versa. In other words, Jesus hasn’t forgotten about us. His Second Coming hans’t slipped His mind. It’s coming. Better yet, HE’S coming! 

In the meantime, remember that our Lord created time. He can mess with it all He wants. JJ Abrams colors with crayons compared Christ’s masterpiece of time and space. 

Up and to the Right

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v8).

So just how do you really get to know Jesus? How in the wide world of sports do you have a so-called “personal relationship” with Christ? Can I be blunt? This amazing Rabbi/Carpenter walked the earth more than 2,000 years ago. After His blooding crucifixion, He headed back home to heaven. If to know, know, know Him is to love, love, love Him, how do I do that? Well, our pal Peter has the key. He should know. Pete was a member of Jesus’ inner circle, the leader of the Twelve as well as the first preacher in the church. I can’t think of anyone better to let me know how to know my Savior.

First, the apostle wonders if we have “these qualities” in our hot little hands. He’s talking about the list in verses 5-7. These are the ingredients to a delicious Gospel Stew. Faith. Virtue. Knowledge. Self-control. Steadfastness. Godliness. Brotherly affection. Love. It doesn’t matter how much you have of each component. Simply chuck what you have into the pot. This is the stuff that enables us to unlock a real relationship with our risen Savior. So you might want to take a moment to look over that recipe one more time. 

Pete tells us that these ingredients should be “yours and are increasing” (v8). The first word in the original language is huparcho. It means to be at one’s disposal, have as a resource, be at hand or belong to someone. Check the list. Do you have them? He doesn’t ask how much you have. He simply wants to know IF you have them. If you’re a follower of Jesus, these qualities are certainly part of who you are. OK, they might be small. Shoot, they may even be microscopic. But you’ve got’em. 

He wants to know if these personal characteristics are growing. Are they “increasing” (v8)? This is Greek verb pleonazo, which means to be more than enough, greatly abound and grow to the point of abundance. It describes something that is increasing and superabounding. If you put these qualities on a chart, are they going up and to the right? Earlier, Peter pleaded with his readers to work their tails off to add to each item on the earlier list. “Make every effort to supplement” them (1:5). He’s talking max effort. Or in the words of Scottie on Star Trek, “I’m givin’ her all she’s got, captain! She can’t take anymore!!” You might not have much of the items, but work your heiny off to increase what you have. It won’t be long until they “increasing.” Growing. Even superabounding!

The apostle then lets us know what happens if we fail to increase in these Christ following characteristics. We will be “ineffective or unfruitful” (v8). That’s actually a rather sanitized version of what’s in the original letter. The former hardworking fisherman uses the Greek word argos. It actually means no work. In one of His parables, Jesus talked about how the boss “saw others standing idle (Gr. argos) in the workplace” (Mt 20:3). Paul warned his buddy Titus about the work ethic among the people he was serving. “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy (Gr. argos) gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Do I seriously want to be inactive, not working, idle and unemployed? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want THAT to be on my resume!!

If that’s not bad enough, Pete warns that we run the danger of becoming “unfruitful” (Gr. akarpos). This literally means without fruit. Barren. Unproductive. Unprofitable. Paul gave the Ephesians a heads up when it came to what not to do. “Take no part in the unfruitful (Gr. akarpos) works of darkness” (Eph 5:11). It’s the exact opposite of the relationship Jesus taught His posse about. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in Him, he it is that bears, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Connected to Christ=lots of fruit. Unconnected to the vine=no fruit.

The apostle says that the fruit he’s talking about is “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v8). He’s NOT talking about filling your head with a bunch of facts about this first century Jewish Messiah. While that’s certainly a good idea, Pete’s talking about a relationship. 

Doing nothing. Producing nothing.

If I’m not maxing out to increase the qualities in the previous verses then I’ll be lazy and useless. I’m refusing to work. If I don’t have the qualities Pete lists in verses 5-7, I’ll look just like any other nonbeliever. So I need to get off my blessed assurance and use what God has so graciously given me to know Him more personally. This “knowledge” is epignosko, a deep understanding through personal experience. He’s given us everything we need “that pertain life and godliness” (1:3). And in doing so, He’s invited us to get to know Him. Personally. Relationally. Intimately. Jesus has given us everything. Now, get to work. That’s the surest way to get to know Him more deeply and intimately. A relationship that grows. A relationship that increases.

Up and to the right.