Posted November 27th, 2007 by Nathan
Yesterday my daily Bible reading took me to Mark’s account of the crucifixion. After the death of Jesus the reader is introduced to Joseph of Arimathea. The text does not say much about him except that he was from Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council (or Sanhedrin), and was waiting for the kingdom of God. Luke, in his Gospel, adds that Joseph was a good and upright man.
In the Gospel of Mark, all of Jesus’ disciples desert him at Gethsemane (Mk.14:50), one disowns him (Mk. 14:66-72), and three women flee the tomb trembling and afraid to tell anyone anything they have seen (Mk. 16:1-8). While so many of Jesus’ followers are faltering Joseph of Arimathea stands as an example of loyalty and faithfulness when none seemed to be found. In fact, Mark 15:43 describes Joseph going boldly to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. His asking for Jesus’ body was no small thing because it immediately associated him as a follower of Jesus, which was something Peter could not do at that time. I can’t imagine the mixture of emotions Joseph must have experienced as he buried his hopes and dreams in that tomb with Jesus.
The Gospels do not tell us if Joseph was able to see Jesus once he resurrected, and we are left to speculate what his reaction must have been like when he heard the news. His boldness and courage have ensured him a place in the recounting of the passion narrative. And Joseph of Arimathea is an example of one who was not afraid of the repercussions he might experience due to his being associated as a follower of Christ.
Thinking about Joseph of Arimathea has caused me to reflect on other characters that are briefly mentioned in the Gospels such as Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38) who were similarly “looking for the Kingdom of God.” But for now I will quit writing, perhaps such individuals will serve as inspiration for another blog …
Posted November 21st, 2007 by Nathan
The Thanksgiving holiday is by far one of my favorite holidays. It’s my favorite for a variety of reason: it’s during the fall, the family is together, lots of really good food, and most importantly there’s football on TV.
In the spirit of the season I wanted to share some of the things for which I am thankful. I am thankful for an incredible family and great friends. I am blessed to have the best teammates in the world and feel honored that I will get to serve along their side in Niteroi. I am also grateful for the love and support from the Pleasant Valley congregation.
I thank God for these and so many other blessings He has poured out on me.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34
Posted November 19th, 2007 by Nathan
As most of you know in January the Niteroi mission team will be moving to the Dallas area to do six months of training with Continent of Great Cities (www.greatcities.org). In preparation for our move we have been looking for apartments in the Addison/Carrollton area. This past weekend the entire team went to Dallas to evaluate the apartment finalists. Most of us arrived late Friday night and we spent the night at Brent’s parent’s house. The next morning we woke up to the smell of pumpkin pecan pancakes and bacon. After eating the delicious breakfast we set out on our quest to find our new homes. Upon visiting the three finalist we each took some time to evaluate each complex and then met together to make a decision. Without much conversation we agreed unanimously on our new home. The leases were signed and we are all excited about moving to Dallas.
We would ask that you keep our team in your prayers as we all prepare to move and begin our training in Dallas.
Posted November 15th, 2007 by Nathan
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book The Cost of Discipleship is easily one of my favorite books. In it he talks about the cost one must pay in order to be a disciple. In describing this cost Bonhoeffer says: “when Christ bids you come he bids you come and die.” These words remind us of those spoken by Jesus when he told his followers that they must carry their cross if they want to be his disciples (Matt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 14:27). Clearly there is a place for weighing the price that one must pay to follow our Lord (see Luke 14:25-33).
This week I was reading a section from the book The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. Willard provides a different perspective to that given by Bonhoeffer. He points out that the cost of nondiscipleship is far greater than the price paid to be a follower of Jesus. Here is an excerpt from his book:
“Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10). The cross-shaped yoke of Christ is after all an instrument of liberation and power to those who live in it with him and learn the meekness and lowliness of heart that brings rest to the soul … The correct perspective is to see following Christ not only as the necessity it is, but as the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities and as life on the highest plane.”
Posted November 12th, 2007 by Nathan
Yesterday, the Bible class I attended was looking at Ezra 7-8. The teacher of the class pointed out a verse that explains the reason why Ezra was allowed to be in charge of rebuilding the temple. Ezra 7:6 says: “The king (Cyrus) had granted him (Ezra) everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.”
Before I go any further it is worth stating that I believe that God loves all people and desires the very best for each one of us (John 3:16). However, my personal experience seems to point to the fact that some people seem to be more blessed by God than others. In reading the text a natural jump is to make a personal application of the text. Consequently the question that arises is “how can I find such favor in God’s eyes that His hand will bless me?” Going that route causes all kinds of problems because the focus of such thinking is self-centered instead of being focused on God and what He is seeking to accomplish in this world.
As the Sunday morning Bible class progressed the teacher went on to point out that the hand of God was on Ezra because he “had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” (Ezra 7:9). Ezra stands as an example of a person who simply sought to live his life in obedience to God. His intent was not to be blessed by God; the blessings he received were simply a byproduct of his faithful service. How many of us do Christian things because of the “reward” we will receive?
May we, as children of God, seek to be fully devoted to serving Him simply because he is worthy of our all.