I hate to have to write this, but it appears to be necessary. Why are believers reluctant to wear masks? A friend of mine in a very small church said that when they started to meet again, half were strongly in favor of wearing the mask (per state order), and the other half were strongly opposed.

I believe it’s a very simple “care about the other person” issue. The New Testament is filled with counsel along those lines. For example,

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15.1, 2, ESV)

There’s a fellow in our church that has a weakened immune system and was wearing a mask and giving fist bumps long before COVID. By any definition, he is “weaker.” June just talked with a “strong” believer this week: “I believe in Psalm 91.” Look it up – it’s the protection Psalm. “He will deliver you from the deadly pestilence,” is in there. June responded, “I’m a huge fan of Psalm 91; I pray it every time I fly. But I’m also a nurse…”

The obligation of the “strong” believer in God’s protection is to wear a mask to honor the weaker believer – after all, the purpose of the mask in these COVID times is not to protect yourself as much as to protect the other person.

I’m pleased that some pastors aren’t afraid to say the same thing. My friend John Ed Mathison of Montgomery, AL, the state whose motto is, “We dare defend our rights,” wrote about masks, and here’s some of what he said:

One issue is about wearing masks. I will wear one at appropriate times to communicate that I care about other people…One of the best ways to help contain the spread of COVID-19 is for everybody to try to help take care of each other. We are better together! Whether something is mandated, suggested, or proposed, I need to seriously consider participating. If it’s going to save the life of one person or keep one person from contracting the coronavirus, it’s worth any kind of inconvenience on my part…If we try to curtail COVID-19 by practicing “I, Me, Mine,” our society will fall apart and the virus will continue to spread. The best decisions are based on The Golden Rule: “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” (Matthew 7:12 MSG) – John Ed Mathison, August 12, 2020.

A local pastor in Colorado Springs, whom I don’t know, has been preaching a series of COVID-related sermons. David Ramsey, writing in the Colorado Springs Gazette, said this about Pastor Ed White of Eastside Church of Christ:

Early in the summer, [Pastor White] examined the question, “To Mask or Not to Mask.” White dislikes wearing a mask, which causes his glasses to fog and leaves him looking, borrowing his word, “goofy.” Yet he believes a Christian should wear a mask in public as a statement of care to fellow woman and man. David Ramsey, Gazette

Again, scripture is clear:

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [or of mask-wearing or not mask-wearing!] but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14.13 – 17, ESV)

I haven’t written about the COVID-19 pandemic in a while, but it’s still very much with us, along with a plethora of people trying to figure out what God is up to or telling us what God is up to. Some have said it’s a sign of the end times. Others, that it’s a call to repentance.

An excellent book, hot off the press, decries this approach. It’s N.T. Wright’s God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath. I recommend the book – it’s a short read. One of his arguments is that the question isn’t, “Why is this happening?” it’s, “What do we do now?” He points out that when Agabus predicted a world-wide famine, the Antioch church did not waste time trying to figure out why it was happening. Instead, they decided what they should do:

One of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. (Acts 11.28, 29, ESV)

Then Dr. Wright makes this simple case:

The Lord’s Prayer is our ‘norm’. Are we looking for sudden signs of the End? No: we pray every day, ‘Thy Kingdom Come on earth as in heaven’, and we know that prayer will be answered because of what we know about Jesus. Are we looking for fresh, sudden calls to repent? No: we pray every day, ‘Forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ We know that prayer will be answered, because of what we know about Jesus. Are we then looking for fresh reasons to leave our comfortable lifestyles and tell our neighbours the good news? Well, shame on us if it takes a pandemic to get us to that point. Why wasn’t Jesus’ command enough? ‘As the father sent me, so I’m sending you’; ‘Go and make all nations into disciples’. As Paul knew in Athens, you don’t need extra signs. (Page 52)

Here’s what N.T. Wright was referring to with respect to Paul in Athens. I don’t think I need to add anything else.

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17.29 – 31, ESV)

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I recommend discipleship materials from time to time. Invariably that leads to questions, usually centering around, “Does that material contain explicit teaching about X?” where X is some particular emphasis the questioner feels strongly about.

The general answer to that question is that unless you carefully write the material yourself, no discipleship tool will have the exact balance that you would prefer. So choose one appropriate for the person you are helping and go with it.

The specific question someone asked the other day was whether a particular discipleship program stressed the importance of the Holy Spirit. Since the program talks about the Holy Spirit early and often, I can only assume that my friend thinks it might not have “enough.” On that, I do have an opinion, and it leans toward not overloading people with too much information. Here’s what I wrote:

I believe that less is more when it comes to talking about the Holy Spirit’s role. Is he there? Absolutely. Do I have to understand in detail how he works? I don’t think so, not any more than I have to be an expert in exercise physiology to know that exercise is good for me. I can work out, or walk, or run, expecting that the process will make me stronger without knowing exactly how that process works.

My grandson is getting his master’s in exercise physiology. What I know about exercise, compared to him, is minuscule. But I know enough to work out.

One more example: how much exercise physiology does a grade school PE teacher share with her 4th graders? Zero. She just takes them out and runs them around! When we are making disciples, especially of new believers, we are dealing with 4th graders. We need to “run them around” by teaching them how to read the Bible, how to memorize scripture, how to apply scripture to life. The Holy Spirit will do his job – we don’t need to worry about that.

If we cooperate with God by engaging in good spiritual disciplines (“Train yourself for godliness,” 1 Timothy 4.7), growth occurs whether we understand all the mechanisms or not.

And [Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4.26 – 28, ESV)

Yesterday, I wrote about three of Peter’s impetuous outbursts, trying to tell Jesus what to do, and Jesus’ three different responses. Today, let’s contrast Peter’s responses to two miraculous catches of fish: Luke 5 and John 21.  
The fish-catching events set up the same.

• Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. (Luke 5.5, John 21.3)
• Jesus directed them to try again. (Luke 5.4, John 21.6)
•  Peter obeyed. 
  • “At your word I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5.5)
  • “So they cast [the net].” (John 21.6)
• They caught more fish than they could handle. (Luke 5.6. 7, John 21.6)

At this point the responses differ.

In Luke 5, Peter says, “Go away for I am a sinful man.” This is the fear-based response of someone raised in rules-based, perfection-requiring religion with “holy men” separated (that’s what “Pharisee” means – separated) from regular people. 

In John 21, Peter can’t get to Jesus fast enough. “When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment for he was stripped for work and threw himself into the sea.” (John 21.7) This is the response of someone in a love relationship with Jesus (as the discussion in John 21.15 – 17 shows). 

Interestingly, both stories end the same.

• In Luke 5, they leave their nets to begin the adventure:

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5.11, ESV)

• In John 21, Peter plans to continue the adventure

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep…Follow me.” (John 21.17…19, ESV)

Our choice is clear:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4.18, 19, NIV)

Aren’t you glad Jesus patiently varies his responses?

Have you noticed how many times Peter tried to tell Jesus what to do? The first thing that comes to mind is after Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ…” in Matthew 16 (a good thing!), he tries to tell Jesus not to go to the cross (a bad thing).

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16.21 – 23, ESV, emphasis mine)

But the pattern started early. After the miraculous catch of fish, Peter’s reaction is, “Go away!”

When Simon Peter saw this astonishing miracle, he knelt at Jesus’ feet and begged him, “Go away from me, Master, for I am a sinful man!” Simon Peter and the other fishermen—including his fishing partners, Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee—were awestruck over the miracle catch of fish. Jesus answered, “Do not yield to your fear, Simon Peter. From now on you will catch men for salvation!” After pulling their boats to the shore, they left everything behind and followed Jesus. (Luke 5.8 – 11, Passion Translation, emphasis mine)

Then, in John 13, Peter tries to keep Jesus from washing his feet. 

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” (John 13.6 – 10, NIV, emphasis mine)

Three impetuous declarations, three responses:

• Go away! Jesus responds with encouragement and invitation. You will be part of my mission.
• You won’t die! Jesus responds with rebuke: “Don’t mess with MY mission.”
• You won’t wash my feet! Jesus responds with explanation. 

Jesus reminds us that there is no “one size fits all” approach to interactions. Or, as a friend of mine said once, “Answer the questioner, not the question.”

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4.6, NIV)

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5.14, NIV)

Another gem from my recent study of Colossians 4 were observations on prayer:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person…Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. (Colossians 4.2 – 6, 12, ESV)

Paul asks us to pray, being steadfast, watchful, and with thanksgiving. For what?

• Open doors for the Word
• Clarity in communication
• Maturity for believers, “fully assured” in all the will of God 

Those guys were praying for things I don’t always pray for. My friend Bill Mowry calls these “macro prayers” in chapter 4 of The Ways of the Alongsider. 

On the other hand, I don’t always pray for the little stuff either, but I did on Wednesday. I was waiting to deliver a 5-minute eulogy at Col Craigie’s burial service, a eulogy that only existed on my phone. I looked down and noticed that the battery which had been over 70% a few minutes before was at 43%. If that precipitous decline continued, I could lose all power AND my script! 

So I prayed that the battery would hold. When I finished my talk, it was still at 43%! Answers like that to the little things encourage me to pray for the big things as well.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15.5, 7, NIV)

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6.18 – 20, NIV)

I was struck by this verse at the end of Colossians:

And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” (Colossians 4.17, ESV)

Who was Archippus? All the commentators, I think, assume he is a leader of the church. A “minister,” since he “received a ministry in the Lord.” For example, here’s the note from The Passion Translation:

It is believed that Archippus was a spiritual leader in the region of Colossae, perhaps the bishop of Laodicea; he is also mentioned in Philem. 2. We can only speculate why Paul wanted this exhortation to be made to him. Some believe he was a minister of Christ who was discouraged and needed to be exhorted to not abandon his calling.

The fact is, no one knows. He’s only mentioned here and at the beginning of Philemon, a letter sent along with the letter to the Colossians to Philemon, who lived in Colossae.  

I believe everyone has received a ministry in the Lord, and it could be their regular work. And it needs to be fulfilled. How do we know Archippus wasn’t the custodian? Or maybe he was running a business to help meet people’s needs? I am VERY thankful for all the people at my hospital last week fulfilling their ministry, whether they knew it was from the Lord or not. (Some did, and I may write about them later.) We checked in for surgery at 5:30a, Tuesday, July 28, and people were there! Very impressive. Everything ran like clockwork because everyone: doctors, nurses, assistants, physical and occupational therapists, custodians, people in the dining hall… were fulfilling their callings – their ministry.  

I wrote almost three years ago about being asked to bless the food at a birthday party because “Bob is the closest thing we have to a minister here.” I prayed, but not before saying, “We’re all ministers here.”

“Minister/ministry” is just a word for “serve,” the word that’s used in this vignette from the life of Jesus:

And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. (Luke 4.38, 39, ESV)

Archippus might have been discouraged and needed encouragement, to be sure. But it’s pure assumption that the “ministry” was ecclesiastical and not something else. The very idea that Paul would encourage an ordinary guy doing ordinary things seems beyond our grasp. 

So let me leave you with the most important thing I can say to you:

See that you fulfill the ministry you have received from the Lord…whether it’s school-teaching, computer programming, car sales, hair styling, jewelry making, whatever. And along the way, I believe your ministry includes, as I wrote recently, seeking God, loving people, and teaching others to do the same.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3.23, 24, NIV)

This is the first blog I’ve actually composed since the surgery. I hope the “time delay” entries were useful for you.

Yesterday, I spoke at the graveside service for my friend, Col Don “Crusher” Craigie, at the Air Force Academy. With surgery just 8 days before, it was a monumental effort for me to be there, but God got me through it! In addition to Taps, always moving, the highlight of such a service is the “Missing Man Formation” flyover. A four-ship approaches, in this case, the team was from his last assignment when he was Wing Commander at Vance AFB, near Enid, Oklahoma. At the last second one of the planes pulls up and leaves the formation, symbolizing the departed. I tear up as I write.

A few minutes before, I closed my remarks with verses from 2 Corinthians 5. Crusher had suffered much over the past year, and especially the last four weeks. This encouragement from Paul seemed appropriate:

…We know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!…When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. (2 Corinthians 5. 1 – 8, MSG)

Crusher, welcome home.

I thought it would be fun to send a couple of pictures from the memorial service of my friend Colonel Don “Crusher” Craigie, Sunday, July 26, at which I spoke.

In addition to some personal vignettes, I included my observations on God and warriors that I shared here on July 24.

After I finished speaking, I received this picture from my son David in Atlanta:

David was watching the service through the miracle of livestream. When I got up to speak, our youngest grandson, Caleb, who turns two in October, recognized my voice from all of our FaceTime conversations. He climbed into the chair to see “GrandBob.”

What an age to live in. Our daughter, Melody, also watched the service from China!

On display in the lobby was this plaque presented to Don back in January:

Don was a 28-year veteran of the Air Force. Full colonel, fighter pilot, Wing commander, AND he was a servant. Often behind-the-scenes, the church recognized him for “Quiet work, abundant influence!”

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10.42 – 45, ESV)

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4.5, ESV)

I wrote yesterday about our Bible study on Colossians 3.18 – 4.1: let our relationship with Jesus be the model and impetus for our relationships with others. My friend Joel pointed out that we are being called to a higher standard.

For example, I said it was important for subordinates to submit because, when I was a commander, I told the folks, “I really want to be nice, but I don’t have a range of skills between ‘please’ and ‘the hammer.'” Joel’s response: “We’re called to a higher standard. If you didn’t have the skills you needed, you should have developed them!” A good word.

I heard recently of a Christian (so I’m told) husband who admits to “anger issues.” Well, guess what? We don’t get to have anger issues.

• Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3.19, ESV)
• Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (Colossians 3.21, ESV)

Sometimes we let ourselves off too easy. I’ve written before that the early church changed the world by living out the gospel. The behavior the Apostle Paul was calling for was counter-cultural. The men and I discussed that if we can’t do what we’re called to do, then we not only “trust God” and “rely on the Holy Spirit,” we train.

Train yourself for godliness. (1 Timothy 4.7, ESV)

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26.41) is a temporary condition. I’m weak post-surgery, but that’s temporary. That’s why I’m training and going to physical therapy. I’m “rebuilding the house,” physically and spiritually. I hope you’ll join me!

Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. (Haggai 1.8, NLT)