Battle-Ready

1Timothy 3:1 "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work."

Paul continues the passage with further guidance for the appointment and conduct of bishops in the church. But much can be learned from a simple word study:

The Greek word translated "bishop" is episkopos (an overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly, curator, guardian or superintendent). It is related to the Greek words skopos (observer, watchman), episkopeō (to look upon, inspect, oversee, look after, care for), and skopeō (to look at, observe, contemplate, to mark, to fix one's eyes upon, direct one's attention to, to look to, take heed to thyself). Our word "scope" comes from these Greek roots.

There is also, I believe, another reason Paul used this word. In the Roman Empire, an episcopus was a military leader who would visit units to make them stand inspection. He would look for alertness, sharpness, and a battle-ready spirit. They hoped for his commendation. If the troops were unprepared and slovenly, they would receive a searing rebuke from the episcopus.

I have stood in the ranks of such an inspection many times during my military duty. We always spent weeks preparing for such a review. And our inspections went past the parade grounds to the rifle range, the obstacle courses, the training grounds, and even the barracks. It was a widespread event where you could fail for even the smallest spot of rust on your weapon!

My current job also incorporates attributes of the episcopus. Our bosses are encouraged to adopt MBWA...Management By Walking Around. The simple presence of our leader does much to encourage us in our work and to keep our minds focused on the tasks at hand. He doesn't need to speak, yell, harangue, or even work with us. He just needs to be there ready to offer his wisdom and experience should we need it.

The type of visit Paul seems to be demanding is not the casual drop-in our clergy has adopted as routine. (...or like my church where in over ten years not a single one of our six pastors has ever set foot in my family's home.) Rather, it is a visit that involves careful scrutiny of the situation. This kind of visit is by one who exercises profound care of the one he is visiting. Bishops are called bishops because they are the overseers of the flock of God. They are called to visit the sick, the imprisoned, the hungry, the angry, the content, and so on. They are given the care of the people of God. And in the Bible, the Supreme Bishop is God Himself. God has all men under His constant scrutiny. His eye lovingly scrutinizes each one of us intensely. He numbers the very hairs of our heads and is cognizant of every idle word that escapes our lips.

Do you have a bishop who takes the duty and honor of the episcopus? Does your pastor know you? Does he love you, care for you, watch you? Or does he even know your name? I recently heard of a pastor who spent so much time among his congregants that he could often recognize them by the sound of their walk! Imagine the time, the care, the energy that such an accomplishment would require?! It is so sad to think of what we are missing because our pastors do not heed Paul's commands. Nevertheless, it is awesome to know how much God loves us and is watching us. And I am filled with hope as I think of our heavenly home where eternal joy in the presence of Jesus and God awaits us!!

"Heaven is for Real"

Why do I live my life as though God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Heaven are just mere concepts, words on paper, ideas passed down through the ages?? This is not to say that I don't believe in them...I do. But why do so many parts of my life reflect the fact that my activities/words/thoughts do not always stem from my spiritual beliefs? How can I love Jesus (like I sing and say I do) when there are people I have almost nothing but negative feelings toward? How can I long for Heaven (like I sing and say I do) when I spend nearly zero time thinking about it...and have very little information about it...and have no real-time experience with it? How can I say I follow Jesus when He told me that to do so meant I had to pick up my cross? (...and I don't make it a habit to be tortured for Jesus; or know many that do.) Why am I so fake, a poser, a hypocrite, a scab? I don't want to be.

Well, a book came across my path Friday evening and I finished it 24 hours later (it was only 150 pages and written in a smooth conversational style)..."Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. It chronicles the author's son's visit to Heaven.

This little book made me smile, think, hope, cry, believe, and gain a better perspective on, well, stuff. It's hard to define right now; but some of those questions posed earlier I now am dealing with and considering in a positive manner. But the greatest joy gained has been the added knowledge of just how much God loves me. I recommend this story to you for no other reason than to offer the blessing of this wisdom.

Tolerance

"We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it's trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. What I've done is going to be puzzled over and studied and followed... forever."