Naaman's Road to Healing

I love being inspired and challenged by reading biblical accounts of folks who struggled with the same human weaknesses I see in myself. Many folks quickly dismiss the interpersonal aspect of these stories in their haste to find the bottom line. The ability to emotionally connect and be convicted by their stories, however, allows us to grow in our own lives. Learning how God interacts with others gives me a greater understanding of my own blind spots and roadblocks.

Naaman was commander of the Aram army. We can read his story in 2 Kings 5. He is described as a great man, highly regarded in the eyes of his king and fellow soldiers. Interestingly, the God of the Israelites is given credit for giving Naaman battle victories. Naaman suffered from leprosy.

Leprosy is a chronic infection affecting nerves, skin, and eyes and loss of the ability to feel pain. Minor wounds can become major issues resulting in loss of limbs or eyesight. Watching his body slowly succumb to this progressive disease must have been devastating for Naaman, his family and those under him. I wonder how Naaman processed his helpless. Did he shake his fist at the heavens, blaming the God who helped him in one area of life but apparently deserted him in this personal fight?

Within his house was an Israelite servant girl. She risked her position by telling Naaman’s wife about a prophet in Samaria who could cure the leprosy. Full of hope, Naaman asked the king of Aram to make a way for him to search out this prophet. Valuing his commander, the king gave Naaman gifts of silver, gold, and clothing plus a letter directed to Joram, king of Israel requesting Naaman be cured of leprosy.

Knowing he could not cure Naaman, King Joram tore his robes in despair, believing the Aram king was trying to provoke a war. Word of the matter got to the prophet Elisha who chastised King Joram, reminding him God was in charge and directing him to send Naaman his direction. King Joram’s reaction sounds very much like an anxiety response. He automatically went into panic mode and had to be reminded what was really true.

When Naaman knocked on Elisha’s door, the prophet sent a messenger with instructions to wash himself seven times in the Jordan river. Naaman was furious. First of all, he was a well respected man who’d traveled very far to come see the prophet, and Elisha didn’t even bother to receive him personally. Secondly, Naaman was probably very familiar with ritual washings and expected any purification rite to utilize the purest form of water, not a muddy, filthy river in the midst of a second-rate nation. Naaman had obviously expected some type of hocus pocus magic by the prophet to heal him rather than a call to humility before the Lord.

How often do we Christians expect God to work in very specific ways? Do you shake your fist at the heavens when God asks you to wait on his timing or to respond with grace and compassion instead of condemnation? Sometimes we need to be reminded who is in control, so we can voluntarily submit ourselves to God to receive all the blessings he wants to bestow.

Naaman’s servants begged him to reconsider the prophet’s instructions. Using logic, they reminded him of his character: he never backed down and never gave up. Acknowledging the truth of their words, Naaman humbled himself and did as Elisha instructed. His flesh was restored and his body was renewed. Returning to the prophet’s house, Naaman professed belief that his healing came from the God of Israel, a testimony he would share for the rest of his days.

How do you connect to this story? Is God challenging you to change your view on something or humble yourself in an area of your life? If so, allow the Holy Spirit to soften your heart so you, too, can receive healing.

Teachers Anonymous--Four Tests for Good Teaching

I had a sudden impulse the other week to change my writing name to Anonymous. No one would ever know who I was. Male, female, young, old, denominational affiliation—no one would know.

Admittedly, this would get a tad difficult when I went out on speaking gigs. Right away, I'm thinking that female thing would be out of the bag. Plus, I doubt Facebook allows anonymous to have an author page.

But why would I want this? Because I worry about the cult of Christian celebrity. Yes, I'm using the term “cult” not in its usual Christian definition but in Google's first and third sense: 

“A misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing; veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.”

I also realize I am highly unlikely to ever achieve the heights of Christian celebrity. Nevertheless, it bothers me to see so much of this veneration going on among a people whose first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

We do, people. We do.

While we preach against idolatry and imagine it to be over-adoration of money, sports, work, or Benedict Cumberbatch, sometimes our idolatry is a lot closer to our piety than we think.  [tweet this].

If you doubt me, ask people around you what teachers they follow. You'll hear immediate answers. Everyone has a favorite. Some will defend their favorites vigorously. Some will deny any and all arguments against said favorite, regardless of reality. “I follow so and so.” “I believe in the teaching of so and so.” “I feel so good listening to . . .”

It often sounds a bit too much like the church in Corinth for comfort.

“My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?” (1 Corinthians 1.11-13)

Particularly as we endure another round of leaders falling from grace, Christians need to look long and hard at our own tendency to worship at the altar of power and celebrity. We need to take responsibility for our own discipleship.

God gives us gifts of good teachers of His word. I am grateful for that and pray that, in whatever way he grants, I am one of those. But he also tells of to be careful. God makes it clear—we are to test what we hear.

But how do we do that?

If you see this? Run. Bad teaching. Also, bad fashion sense.

Examine motives. 

Does this person appear to be making disciples for Jesus or followers for himself?

I guess the anonymous thing isn't really new for me. Several years ago I had a discussion with our then senior pastor in which he asked how I wanted my name on the church sign, as associate pastor. I said, “I don't.” I was terribly uncomfortable with the idea of claiming any right to the church as “mine.” I know I can be prideful, and that door just does not need to be cracked open.

If a teacher insists he or she has all you need? If the end goal seems to be to sell books and create an email list? If there are far more mentions of the teacher's name than there are of God's? Look out. It may be there is more interest there in generating a personal following than creating disciples for Christ.

As a writer and speaker, this sounds odd, because branding “me” is exactly what I'm supposed to do. But a teacher can never lose sight of the fact that he or she is not the point. Look for someone who pursues humility like a dog pursues a squirrel. You're likely to find some good teaching there.

Study for yourself. 

Talking about Bible reading a while ago, people in a group I lead mentioned their methods for studying Scripture. One read a devotional. One read inspirational books. One checked the verse a day from a well known teacher. Only one actually sat with her Bible and read it, in context, in sections larger than a verse or two.

We're willing to settle for sound bytes of Scripture rather than dig in to the banquet that's there for us to consume.  [tweet this].

In Acts, the Bereans were commended for going home after listening to teaching and studying for themselves to see if the things they heard were true. I'm afraid most Christians prefer to outsource that job and allow someone else to tell them what they believe. We find it easier to listen to someone else tell us what the Bible says than find out for ourselves.

The best way to make sure you're following Jesus and not a human is to do what God said all along—study His word. Not a verse a day but in depth, in context, in big pieces at a time. This doesn't take a seminary degree—it takes discipline. Read a couple chapters every day and ask yourself; What is God saying through this? How does it work with what is around it? How does it fit with the rest of Scripture? What does God want me to learn?

A teacher who is making disciples for Christ will encourage you to question him and seek answers in the Bible. A person trying to make followers for self demands loyalty and considers questions a sign of weakness and disharmony. Run from that teacher.

Do a percentage test.

When you hear a teaching, ask the fist obvious question--Is this is Scripture? Not, "Is this in this person's individual proof texts?", but is this in the whole of Scripture, in context with the rest of God's word?

Then if the answer is yes, ask the next question. How much do I see it in the Bible? Teachers who want to make disciples for Christ teach what God made most important. They teach what God spent most of His time on. If what you're hearing from someone is in 5% of Scripture but makes up 95% of his or her teaching, beware. He's majoring on minors. (And likely making a lot of stuff up.) He's focusing on a detail and not on God's focus. That's a person trying to make followers for self, not for Christ.

Seek other ideas. 

Always relying on one or two people, people we know we agree with, for opinions and scholarly information can get us stuck in untruth without realizing it. Look to see what others have to say on the topic. Seek opinions you know are different than what you're used to. Check other Bible translations. (Yes, some do get things wrong. All of them do, at some point. And yes, some are deliberately translated toward the bias of the editors. Sad, but true.) You'll get a broader range of thought from which to look at the Scripture and think about what it really says.

So many times, I've heard people cry, “But he's such a good teacher!” in reference to a fallen leader. Let's clarify. No, he's a good speaker. Persuasive. Compelling. But that does not make him a good teacher. Only two things make a person a good teacher: Good theology, and a good heart. Look for both.

Don't Judge Me

Don't Judge Me. It's a popular catch phrase. Usually, we say it when we're joking or admitting to a guilty pleasure. As in, "I watch The Bachelor. Don't judge." (For the record--that is an example. I don't. See--I don't want to be judged.)

Freeee! I'm free, I tell you.

But “Don't Judge Me” has also become our culture's latest universal demand. No matter what I might do, don't anyone dare judge me for it. I'm a free agent. No one has any right to take me to task for any choice I might make. It's the greatest sin of modern America—to judge someone. That is, if we still believed in sin.

To judge, according to the online dictionary, has several meanings. Basically, they come down to this: to form a careful opinion or make a critical decision based on evidence.

Notice what's not in this definition. There is no assessment of a person's character. It does not include a moral determination of whether the person being judged is a good person. It's a clear, evidence-based determination of one case. Did the person do right or wrong?

We've made it into a character assessment. That's why we feel “judged” as people whenever someone lets us know, tactfully or not, that something we did was questionable. We've even called it being judged when someone just disagrees with us. If we can't agree on a definition, how can we know whether or not we are judging someone? Or being judged?

Then, we have to take this all one more step and ask—but what about within the church?

We are confused, especially given current events. What do we do with leaders who have fallen? Forgive and forget? Fire and forget? The Bible says not to judge—is that the standard we need to keep here? That seems to be the opinion of those telling us we're “being judgmental” in taking people out of leadership positions. (Which is kind of funny, since those people then are judging the ones they say are judging the leaders. By their own definition. But . . . oh this is getting really confusing.)

Then wait—the Bible also says that teachers should be held accountable for their teaching. Paul tells us to judge one another (1 Corinthians 5). Which one is it? And how do we know which road to take in which circumstances? What is the difference between accountability and judgment?

I wish there was a clearly marked yellow brick road that could tell us exactly how to do this accountability thing. There, are however, some guidelines in Scripture that help.

How do Christians judge Biblically?

We don't make it personal.

We are honest with someone about a behavior we witnessed. We do not make that into an attack on their character. Jesus told Peter (quite forcefully!) that trying to stop him from going to the cross was a short-term selfish plan. Jesus did not imply that Peter was a selfish being. He turned around and trusted him again with his friendship and ministry. He did not allow mistakes to turn into personal identities.

We judge only on facts we know.

We “just say no” to gossip and slander about another person. We refuse to listen to it, let alone allow it to influence the way we see or treat the person it was about. Matthew says that if we have an issue with a brother or sister, we go to that person (Mathew 18.15-17). Not our best friend, or the youth pastor, or the group of people standing around the coffee pot. Judgment is not to be crowd sourced.

We prioritize love.

Jesus said we must exercise both truth and grace. Too heavy on the first, and we become a Pharisee, wanting to be judge and jury for any infraction we might imagine but with little understanding of our own fallibility. Err too far on the grace side, and it becomes all peace and love with no correction. It's not truly loving to let a person go down in flames when we could have warned them at least. Don't confront someone without genuine love in your heart for them. Also, don't love someone unless you're willing to tell them hard truth.

We recognize when choices are different, not wrong.

Often, when we're upset about someone's choices, it's not that those choices are sinful but that they are uncomfortable. They are different than what we would choose. That does not make them wrong.

I have a painful example of this. Several years back, my daughter wanted to buy a Tshirt in support of the Day of Silence at high school. I said no. I didn't want my child supporting homosexual behavior. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized—she didn't want to support the behavior. She wanted to support her friends, and their right to go through a school day without being harassed or hurt. It made me uncomfortable, but my daughter was closer to following her WWJD bracelet than I was. Our choices were different, but neither one was categorically wrong.

We cultivate humility.

“Brothers and sisters, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (Galatians 6)

Restore how? By first remembering we could be just as guilty just as easily. By thinking of the last time were were tempted to fall just short of the mark. Or the last time we did. Jesus' main quarrel with the Pharisees judging was not that they did but the way in which they did. With pride and apparent enjoyment.

“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7.1-2). In other words, do you really want to judge someone harshly? Do you secretly enjoy being the righteous one? Are you the one on my Facebook feed always posting stories about people's stupid choices and saying how much you'd like to see them punished? Then expect to have those tables turned. 

Rather, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” Recognize your own frailty—then things will be much clearer.

We are reluctant to cast the first stone.

If we are eager to be the first in line when we sense a wrong somewhere, we'd better check our attitude. Christians filled with God's grace and truth do not want to judge one another. We do so as Paul did, reluctantly when necessary. Beware of those who take every opportunity to showcase their ability to “cleanse the temple.” That's the work of pride, not Jesus.

We earn the right to speak.

We earn it by being a part of another person's life, not a fly-by critic. We've taken the time to develop a relationship. We care all the time, not just when we want to point out a fault. We don't tell someone we hardly know how to live a better life.

I used to be a “don't judge me” kind of person. I bridled at any attempt at even perceived criticism. I've learned. The disciples needed accountability. The early church leaders needed accountability. I need accountability to become what God wants me to become. It's not a dirty word. I'm grateful for the people in my life with the courage to confront issues that don't bring glory to God.

Being judgmental is a bad thing. Being a good judge, however, is not. We should all be fortunate enough to have those around.

Make Someone Look Good

John 2:1-11

Jesus created his first miracle at life’s most joyous celebrations, a wedding. After learning of the host’s wine shortage, He secretively produced a batch of vintage wine so the festivities could continue. Guests praised the host for serving the best for last, not realizing the Lord of creation had created His first earthly miracle.

We all struggle with wanting to get the applause. The employee sits in a work-related meeting listening to someone else steal his innovative ideas on marketing. He wants to leap up, informing all listening that this original idea came from his mind.

Likewise, the songwriter desires credit for the singer’s song and the baker wants her due for the neighbor receiving compliments on her prized fudge cake. It’s flattering to think people like our ideas but we’d better get the applause!

In our society we value celebrities who crave the public attention. It takes the Holy Spirit’s humility to learn to relinquish credit. Our Savior modeled this ability, letting the guests assume the host saved the best for last. As a true servant, He focused the spotlight on his host.

Thought for the day: Jesus is the epitome of graciousness. He who created grapes, vines, and the rich earth, could have dazzled the wedding guests with a display of His powers. Instead, He stayed in the background. It makes us ask ourselves if we’d do as much.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to not always desire getting the credit. Help us make someone else look good today.

by Carol G. Stratton