David Bahn – Reflections

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I have just finished a long run, having served a church in Friendswood during the past 7 months while they sought, called, and installed a new senior pastor. Yesterday (Sunday) was a rewarding day. First I was honored to lead worship and share God’s word with those folks in the morning service. If you wish to watch that sermon, it is below for your edification. Then at 3PM we installed Joshua LeBorious as the new senior pastor. After spending a few minutes with the members and catching up with some good pastor and wife friends, then saying our last goodbyes to the folks at Hope, we headed to our small group gathering back in Cypress. It, too, was a rewarding and refreshing gathering.

But all that rewarding and refreshing needs some renewing. So I’m going to abide for the next two weeks or so. Jesus says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” So, in order that I am able to produce more fruit, I will be abiding in Jesus and seeking his renewing grace.

That means I’ll not publish these blog posts until sometime after January 26. May God bless and keep you in his care, dear readers!

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

I have a theory about Jesus’ death. It is very personal and not theologically tested. So I would not write about it for a theological journal. But since this is my blog along with my personal reflections on God’s word, I will share it with you.

The theory has to do with the amount of pain I can endure as I embrace other’s pain, struggles, disappointments, unfair treatment, or self-inflicted problems (sins, if you will). I can go only so far. As I think about such pain others experience, my heart is drawn to them, and I begin to empathise with them.

This is no boast. In fact it’s the beginning of a confession. For you see I can entertain only so much of others’ pain before I have to close my heart to them. I am not proud of this. But it seems necessary to me if I am to continue to function in this world. If I’m constantly grieving over others’ troubles and pain, sins and struggles, I cannot get anything done. I am just not capable of embracing the griefs of the world.

Jesus,on the other hand, didn’t close his heart to the pain, suffering, sin, troubles, trials, and injustices of the world. And as he took those into his heart, it killed him. It took him to the cross. It allowed him to allow his hands and feet to be pierced. It made the crown of thorns a perfect fit. The guilt, sin, and shame that we all carried became his own.

Paul speaks of being in the anguish of childbirth because of the situation in Galatia. He took in the pain they were in danger of inflicting on themselves. He cared deeply for their spiritual wellbeing. He beautifully reflected God’s love to them.

We may not be able to carry the pain of the world, but we can certainly open our hearts to those who are hurting, struggling, sinning, and suffering – if only to a point. To do so reflects Christ’s love for all people. Bring them to Jesus who carries our sins, griefs, and pains, and makes it possible for us to open our hearts to others in their times of struggles and pain.

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Have you ever been smooth-talked into buying something you really didn’t need?

During a period of 6 months we were visited by two of the most smooth-talking door-to-door salesmen on the face of the planet. One was selling encyclopedias. Encyclopedia Americana. They were beautifully bound. There was also a set of children’s stories. A three-volume medical set was part of the deal. Our children were 3 and 5 at the time. It would be years before they would need to use them. But we bought them.

Then there was the pan salesman. He gave a cooking demonstration in our kitchen. The thing I remember most about the demonstration was how he spun the lid on the pans as they sat on the stove as the steam escaped around the edges. That certainly was reason to buy those pans. So we did. Thankfully, however, within the three day cooling off period we cancelled the order (easier said than done). Alas our pan lids don’t spin as we’re cooking our food. I suspect somehow we’ll survive.

The proverb says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). I’m not sure those salesmen are enemies. But they sure did kiss up to us.

Then there was the wound from my Greek professor at the seminary. I was on the bubble as to whether I would pass the final Greek exam. These were no fluff exams. You really had to know your Greek, along with the vocabulary we had to know declensions, conjugations, grammatical rules, and where different accents go, and how they make a difference. I was asking my professor if I could have some grace, even before the test. He said no. “Greek,” he said, “is a sine qua non here.” It was an essential condition for continuing my studies. I buckled under and passed the test. Wounds from a friend can be trusted.

Paul is speaking some difficult words to the people in Galatia. He says, “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” 

Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly disciples of mine. You will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

Sometimes we simply need to hear the truth – difficult and wounding as it may be. But if it serves to bring us closer to Jesus, turn us back from a wayward path, or correct a wrong belief, it serves for our good.

Sometimes we know what word of truth we need to hear – difficult as that may be. When it comes to us, may we realize that, indeed, wounds from a friend can be trusted. A hard word of truth spoken by a friend is a word of life.

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

I love the Skit Guys. I love them mostly when they are funny. Often their humor has a way of sneaking behind our defenses and catching us by surprise. Think of Nathan confronting David about his sin with Bathsheba. Nathan tells David a story about a rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb to prepare a meal, despite having many sheep of his own. David is enraged as he hears about this only to be told by Nathan, “You are the man!” It was an uh-oh moment in David’s life. 

In the Skit Guys God’s Chisel video, however, there is little humor. There is a conversation between God and a Christian man who is being shaped by God into a beautiful masterpiece. God shapes us through all kinds of experiences, pains, heartbreaks, and and joys. The Skit Guys video focuses on one particular way: chipping away at character flaws and personal idols.

It’s not clear that Paul is referring to this kind of shaping when he says, “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.” But it is clear that Paul had experienced some physical bodily ailment that had directed him to bring the message of Jesus to them.

Somehow that bodily ailment brought Paul to Galatia. It could well be that Paul is referring to the thorn in the flesh he mentions in 1 Corinthians 12. It could likely also refer to Paul’s vision issues. He says, after all, “For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.” Was this a lasting effect of having been struck blind on the road to Damascus? 

Whatever the case Paul refers to his physical suffering as the means by which the Gospel was brought to the Galatians. God uses human weakness to display His strength and advance His purposes.

Most of us would rather have it all together, believing we must have no flaws if we are to share the message of Jesus. But the message of Jesus is shared by messy people. We who are broken and are not afraid to admit it can testify to God’s grace and power – a far better focus for others’ faith than the life of even the most sanctified believer.

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

There was no way it was real. But I didn’t care. I wanted a Rolex. And I gladly parted with $5.00 for it. Not $5,000. Not $500. Not even $50. $5. We were in Beijing China with our guide on a mission trip extension.

We had visited Hong Kong, Macau, Kunming, and Chuching learning about the work of foreign missionaries in that part of the world. They can’t use the “m” word there. But they were doing what they could to share the message of Jesus and strengthen believers there. This was years ago, before a severe crackdown on Christian churches and believers. It had been an enlightening trip, and we were quite inspired by it all.

After the mission trip we took a few days to visit Beijing, Xian, and Okinawa (where our son was stationed at that time). As we finished touring the Forbidden City we walked through Tiananmen Square and came upon a young man who was selling “Rolex” watches. As I was buying the watch, our guide spoke to Diane, “That’s a fake watch!” She assured him, “Yes, he knows that.”

When we think of imitation we often think of knockoff watches, Gucci handbags, and Chanel No. 5 perfume. But Paul is inviting a different kind of imitation. In another place, he says, straight out, “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). He is calling for the Corinthian Christians to imitate him in the same way that a young boy will imitate his dad shaving or working in the workshop. It has to do with inviting others to see how you live and follow Jesus so that they can learn what it looks like. It’s real-time learning – apprentice style.

The question is always whether your life is worth imitating. Do you want others to behave the way you do? Do you want to have people pointing to you and saying, there goes a true believer. It’s the opposite of having someone think of you as a hypocrite. It’s living a life of real faith. It’s about letting people see your struggles and your successes. It means recognizing we are not Lone Rangers. We are part of the Body of Christ. We need each other.

Tonight I sat with a group of men at Hope Lutheran Church where the new senior pastor is to be installed this coming Sunday. He talked about the importance of relationships, and said that discipleship happens in relationships. As we rub up against one another, we wear off the rough spots, and polish the smooth places in our lives. We become stronger. More refined. More like Christ. More worth imitating.

Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. ¹³ You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? ¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. ¹⁸ It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, ¹⁹ my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Saul of Tarsus was thrown to the ground on his way to Damascus take followers of Jesus to prison. His mission was to shut down the spread of the gospel of Jesus. Then, he makes his way from place to place throughout the Roman Empire spreading the Gospel of Jesus. And that not without much suffering, trial, and struggle. As he turns the page on this letter to the Galatians he refers also to the suffering he endured as he brought the gospel also to them.

Before going further into that, Paul makes a very important point. He says, “Become as I am, for I also have become as you are.” He is urging the Galatians to embrace the freedom in Christ that he himself has embraced. He has set aside Jewish customs and lives as a Gentile when among them, showing that he does not rely on the Law for justification. He is concerned that they are turning toward a legalistic understanding of the Christian faith.

I’ve seen this subtly played out in churches that allow for a less formalistic worship style, while holding to a formal liturgical style of worship. One (good and faithful man) once said, in effect, that people may come into the church through a contemporary worship style, but as they grow they will likely embrace a liturgical worship style. It was said without malice, but the message could be gotten that true faithfulness or worship is the liturgical style, while the less formal or more contemporary style is a poor substitute. That argument can go both ways, as those who prefer the contemporary worship style can think they are superior to those who prefer a liturgical style. They might think that the liturgy is all about going through the motions, not truly from the heart.

Our pathway to either preference is a product of many different experiences, times of pain and struggle, blessings of joy and favor, and challenges of many kinds. But we come into our own when we recognize the blessings of freedom in Christ and his calling to abandon anything that holds us back from faith active in love. So whether a more formal liturgical style of worship or a more contemporary style is not the point. The point is that we are free in Christ, and as we serve him in that freedom we do truly come into our own.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

During a very long call process at Hope Lutheran Church the Call Committee members began to get discouraged. They had been at work for more than 2 years and at that time they were wondering if their work was all in vain. They had issued two calls which had been declined. Another wrinkle in the process had cropped up. The list of candidates they had most recently received provided no good possibilities as they explored the list. They wondered if their work had been in vain.

Parents who see their children grow up in a Christian home, having been taught God’s word, and done all they could to raise them in the Christian faith – only to see them abandon the faith. They go to college and someone entices them away from the faith. Or through any number of circumstances a child grows up and completely disconnects from family, faith, and God. A faithful employee sees a colleague who cheats, lies, and steals gets the promotion. A faithful husband discovers his wife is having an affair. The list goes on and on. People wonder whether their faithfulness, godliness, integrity, and effort to do good is all in vain.

A child grows up and by the age of 14 learns that being good doesn’t pay off. At least that’s the way they see it. There is no quid pro quo; goodness in blessings out does not happen. The books seem never to be balanced. Evil seems always to get away with it. That is part of the key to all this. We don’t fight the battle of faithfulness without enemies within and without. Our sinful flesh, the world itself, and the devil conspire to bring evil upon even the faithful. Just ask Job.

Paul worries that his work among the Galatians might have been in vain. But he knows better. He writes to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). He knows better, but he warns the Galatian Christians not to let the message of Jesus be shared with them in vain. He is appealing to their better nature, and calling them back to faith in Jesus and away from anything that would trust in themselves for life and salvation.

We may not need that kind of reminder, except that any time we believe we can guarantee a good outcome by our efforts we are in danger of setting aside the true message of Jesus. His grace and truth are the foundation upon which we can build a life strong in hope and joyful in freedom. Our hope is in Jesus. Our freedom is in him, and in taking ourselves off the hook of engineering a good outcome by means of our own efforts. That freedom is made possible by his death. That hope is secured in the resurrection of Jesus.

Our labor in the Lord is never in vain. Paul will say that to the Galatians later in this letter: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). That’s a good reminder for all of us.