As I said in my first fasting related post, I am doing the
Daniel Fast corporately. There are three
other women in the mix and as is often the case when different approaches to
following the Lord come into play, disagreements can escalate. Emails have been exchanged and I guess that
Solomon would put me and my fellow Christo chick in the dock with this
following verse, and plead with us to do less of the first part of the sentence
and more of the last:
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the
tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
In my opinion, the greatest challenge to Christos in the 21st
century is not the militant atheists, the fundamentalists in other faiths, the
New Age mystics and the Pagan worshippers. No, the greatest challenge is closer
to home, and it is with one another. I have seen many simply amazing people of
God marginalised, victimised and sometimes chased out of the church, because
they did not fit a particular template. On one level, it is almost darkly
comical, as bible verses are used as
grenades for condemnation rather than compassion, and people are sifted as
being either ‘true to The Word’ or just ‘mere part-timers’. But here is the
thing; we ALL fall woefully short of the gold standard set by Jesus. Whether
you are a Christo super=swot , on first name terms with the vicar and running a
ministry on the side or the dosser who comes in late, enjoys the singing and
occasionally nods off in the sermon, Jesus loves you exactly to the same
infinite measure.
So what do we do about the divisions within Team JC? Firstly, recognise them for what they are
which is a distraction and an impediment to us all doing what we are called to
do. Rather like the trash telly that delays one from getting on with the
important tasks of the day, division stalls us from getting on with the vital
work of being part of God’s amazing plan. If God had really wanted a
monoculture, he would have created one. Instead he delights in the variety and
uniqueness in us all. It is a classic Team Red approach to try and disrupt the
work of four awesome women of God (bigging up the others as much as myself
here) when they are seeking to deepen their faith on an epic fast. If we’re too
busy arguing and nit-picking and pointing fingers, we will miss the blessings, insights,
challenges and the joy that comes with fellowship. Heck, we might even miss
something super-exciting, such as an Upper Room moment complete with tongues of
fire, because we’re pressing the ‘reply all’ button.
I tend not to dwell too much on the Devil, give him the
airtime and he will suck all the oxygen and leave you with the not so useful
Carbon Dioxide. However, it is interesting to note how he always shows up when something
extraordinary is about to happen. Even Jesus himself was tempted in the
wilderness when he fasted, and we all know what happened after that – his world
changing ministry. During a fast you are physically vulnerable, and with that
coupled with the corporate one I am currently on, may come harsh words,
irrational thoughts and everything else in between. Yet in the midst of this our
communality of purpose must not be forgotten as Paul says in his final letter
written before he died.
“I plead with you Euodia and I plead with you Synthyche
to be of the same mind in the Lord.”
Philippians 4:2
The sentence says it all, we all are in the same Lord, of
course Euodia and Synthyche were their own women and clearly of note if Paul is
name-checking them in his final letter.
Maybe they were friends, maybe they were (LOLZ) fasting together. Paul
is pleading with them because he knows what’s at stake: unity, progression and
being salt and light in the present generation. I think I may suggest a
barbeque for us to break the fast too come late June, that’s one way to kill
the beef!
No comments:
Post a Comment