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."

Mind-blowing!

Marine GySgt Jethro Gibbs (one of my favorite TV-show personalities): "Family is more than DNA. It's the people who care most about you."

Jesus cared for people. Despite the outrage of public opinion, He chose, over and over again, to care for people that were considered unworthy of love. Many people (my own DNA-family included) consider me unworthy of love. I won't disagree with the merits of such a decision; rationally speaking they have probably made a good decision! What staggers me though is the number of people who love me that have no DNA connection to me whatsoever!

First and foremost of these is my wife. Through the miracle/mystery of marriage ("the two shall become one") we have become bound with ties stronger than DNA. Next are a number of elder men who, over the years, have chosen to give of themselves to mentor me in one area or another of my life. There are also a few men, my peers, who have the heart and patience to look past the grossness of "me" to the Spirit living inside me. They have truly taken on the mind of Jesus when they choose to love me.

Scaredy-cat...

Islam scares me. I've been looking at the Koran and it scares me.

I am not shaking in my boots; nor am I petrified. Just very concerned at this force of evil arrayed against us. I have never much been interested in Islam. It was always just another religion to me. But after just a tiny bit of research I have changed my views. Here are some of my discoveries; I highly recommend you educate yourself concerning them:

• The Koran preaches war/violence more than it does peace. It commands Muslims to convert all men to Islam. Failing that, they are to kill them. Should they themselves fail to take up the banner of this Holy War (jihad) then they themselves are to be killed.


• Thus Islam, at its very foundation, is radical, militant, violent, supremacist, and terroristic; both to its converts and its own adherents. Radical Islam is not the minority. It is the heart and true soul of the religion. "Peaceful" Islam (if such a thing exists) is actually not real Islam but pseudo-Islam.


• Mohammad was a terrorist, murderer, slaver, polygamist, pedophile, robber, marauder, and false prophet. (You have got to look up the history of this man; especially his interactions with the Arabs and Jews in Mecca and Medina.) Yet he is still considered Islam's most holy man.


• The Koran promotes violence, murder, slavery, prostitution, female genital mutilation, sexual gratification for men, and the limitation of rights for women. And by "promotes' I really mean to say "commands". It is right there in black and white. Read it. I was shocked to see it.


• The Koran itself, as a literary work, is repetitive, badly worded, unclear, and full of historical mistakes and outright lies.


• The Koran, as the bedrock doctrinal foundation of Islam (a religion demanding allegiance from all mankind), does not offer appeal or relevance to all people of all time and of all cultures.

These are just a few points made vividly clear to me in my first forray into discovering Islam. There is so much more darkness one finds when you study the history, culture, governments, and current state of Islam. There is a conspiracy of enormous proportions when you compare the shrinking pouplations of non-Islamic countries and the increased immigration of Muslims into them. I can only whisper to you, "Take a look."

Why do I care? A friend of mine told me that events on such a macro-level are hard to imagine let alone affect. He is probably right. But what I do see is a "force" I never imagined existed. And the exciting thing for me, a follower of Jesus, is the apparent direction this "force" is taking the world; Islam is marching us directly into end-times events. Which means we will soon get to be with our Lord!! That is what really excites me...and doesn't make me so scared!