NEW SITE

My son, Samuel, has helped me move my blog to a new site: stevegrossblog.com. 

Future posts will be at the new site and there is an option there - if you want - to sign up for notifications of new posts.

Here's my first post at the new website: 

https://stevegrossblog.com/?p=11108

DO THE BEATITUDES DESCRIBE PREREQUISITES?

We tend to take the Beatitudes and turn them immediately into "here's what you need to do, how you need to think, how you must act" to get God's blessing. 

Be poor in spirit, be meek, be a peacemaker, etc., and then God will grant you entry into the Kingdom. 

But doesn't this call into question our core evangelical profession that we do not in any way earn our salvation?

That Jesus came to seek the lost sheep? That he came as a physician calling those who were sick?

Think about it. 

If we read "Blessed are the poor in spirit" as "blessed are those who recognize their own spiritual poverty" for "theirs is the Kingdom of heaven", then we are saying, point blank, HERE is the key to unlocking your salvation. 

As far as I can tell, "repent" is the only action directly associated with the arrival of the Kingdom in someone's life. 

And even then, repentance is the response to the arrival of the Kingdom, not some internal mindset that draws it out in the open. 

POOR IN SPIRIT

Yesterday I introduced a new sermon series where we will be taking a look at each of the Beatitudes individually over the next few weeks. 

The intro had to do with seeing Jesus as a teacher. In an important sense, He is even more foundationally a Teacher to us than He is a Savior. 

This week I am meditating on the first Beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)

You might think there would not be much to work with in a single line of dialogue like this. But considering its position as the opening line of Jesus' most famous recorded sermon, I think it is worthy of serious contemplation.

Perhaps ESPECIALLY when there seems to be wide agreement on what Jesus meant. I am always suspicious of easy and obvious interpretations of Scripture, especially when it comes to the words of Jesus. 

What is interesting to me about this verse is the way the usual interpretation makes a leap based on assumptions ... and little else. 

AI summed up the typical interpretation of "poor in spirit" as "having deep spiritual humility, recognizing one's own sin, and knowing you are completely helpless and empty without God". "It is about admitting you have no spiritual wealth or goodness on your own to earn God's favor." 

Some human commentators suggest getting at Jesus' meaning by swapping the word "humble" in for "poor". 

"Blessed are the humble in spirit."

But this is exactly what makes me suspicious and determined to keep digging. If Jesus was talking about people who are humble in spirit, why didn't He just use THAT word?

CATCHING UP POST-GHANA

Catching up here tonight after a long absence. I had intentions of posting daily while in Ghana but it is just not feasible - even if I had the energy at the end of any particular day, I did not have the internet connection to make use of it. 

I have much to reflect on now that the trip is over - but I am also neck-deep in getting back into the groove of daily life back home.

And it's quite the week. I plan to take on as few Mission Resource hours as I can, considering I am employed for 20 hours/week and just came off two full weeks of 24/7 responsibilities. 

I am going to need to invest those hours elsewhere. 

I returned last Thursday at midnight and on Friday I was able to visit with a church member under hospice care. He passed later that night, so I was incredibly grateful to have seen him one last time. His visitation will be Wednesday evening, with the funeral Thursday morning at the church. I will be officiating. He was a humble and hardworking servant of Christ and the world is poorer for his absence. 

On top of funeral considerations, Saturday evening will be the final night of our summer VBS program and Sunday morning I will be starting a new sermon series. 

I have been helping put together a local magazine - published every two months - and the next deadline is fast approaching and immovable. Right now I have more ideas for stories and graphics than the time necessary to execute them. 

None of this would feel overwhelming to me, but this is also going to be the first week for me back in the classroom with my adult English students. So, Tuesday and Thursday evening I will be teaching from 5 to 8 pm - with a couple of familiar students and 7 or 8 new ones. And their English abilities will range from conversational to next-to-nothing. 

I'm going to need extra energy this week. 

I do plan to share some photos here from the trip along with some reflections on significant moments. To start with, here's the team as we headed into the Indianapolis airport for the first leg of our flights to Accra:

EXPANSION AHEAD

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin

God willing, in less than two weeks, I will be stepping off a plane in Accra, Ghana with three college students - one being my youngest daughter, Sarah.

It will be my privilege to show them around the country and introduce them to microfinance as ministry. 

I came across the quote posted above in an email today and I include it here in hopes that I remember to share it with the three students. 

It takes a lot of courage to pack your bags and head to Africa for two weeks when you are still in your teens.

It's gutsy. 

And their lives - and faiths - will expand as a result.

And I will have a front row seat to watch that expansion! 

THE FLESH

If you asked people what is the biggest challenge they face in this life, I think most would point to family strife, a hated boss, financial stresses, or a major health crisis like cancer.

But Galatians 5 says humanity's biggest problem is NOT external.

Our biggest problem is IN-ternal. 

Our flesh and our spirit are opposed to each other. 

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." (Gal 5:17)

But the flesh isn't some equally matched "big dog", doing battle with the Spirit, as the famous sermon illustration would have it.

When Jesus was in the garden praying in anticipation of his betrayal and death, the disciples could not keep themselves awake to pray with him. And in that moment, He told them, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

He didn't say, "The flesh is strong. It will overpower you." 

No. He said it's weak.

It's a sandbag. An anchor. It suffers from inertia. It would rather sit on the couch, watching TV and eating Cheetos. It can't be bothered. 

It takes the path of least resistance. It is largely passive, only aroused by what is easy, pleasurable, or fun. If it encounters a bit of friction, it shuts down regarding anything that isn't feeding its own appetites. 

The flesh is NOT the all-powerful, unconquerable force we imagine it to be. 

It is not ferocious. 

The "flesh" is a couch potato. 

MORNING PROGRESS

I successfully hit the bed by 10:30 last night. AND I got a start on a new morning routine.

The most important aspect was this: I have decided that for at least the first hour after waking up, I will use my phone for nothing but a flashlight and a Bible. 

I was awake a bit before 5:00 am, got up and made my coffee and spent a few minutes in a comfy chair, praying. 

And, it turns out, prayer is much better for my pre-daybreak mental state than endless Facebook reels are. 

I followed prayer with some Bible study - which coincides with next Sunday's sermon prep but turned into so much more.

I followed that with a bit of kitchen cleaning before a two-mile walk - with more progress on the sermon. 

And THEN I came back to the house, picked up Melissa and the two of us walked to a brand-new donut shop that has opened near our house. 

All in all, a pleasant AND productive morning. And who could ask for more?