CHARACTER!

I was in Boston last week for the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Having time to kill, I decided to creep around town looking for things to photograph (yup, at night, and when it was freezing!). That’s when I came upon Trinity Church in the heart of town. This venerable church, founded in 1733, is part of the Episcopal Diocese of ye olde Commonwealth of Massachusetts. On one side of the remarkable building was the statue of its most famous son, Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), who served as the rector of the church for over two decades. That sculpture was created by the 19th century “American Renaissance” artist, Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Brooks, these days, is best known for having written the Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” And, by the way, he was single by choice, too, never married.

Standing 6’4” tall, Brooks was not only imposing in his physique, but in his moral stature as well. He was a firm believer in the principle that the character of the preacher was as important as the content of one’s preaching. The “real preacher,” Brooks said, in his lectures to students at Yale, is the one who pours out “truth through personality.” God’s truth delivered through our personalities—our words, our lives. In other words, there is no way one can demonstrate truth persuasively and be its effective witness but through one’s own life lived faithfully and consistently with that truth. Or as another, even more ancient one, said:

“Persuasion is achieved

by the speaker's personal character ….
[One’s] character may almost be called
the most effective means of persuasion [one] possesses.”

That was Aristotle (384–322 BC), in his Rhetoric. Paul would agree:

… our gospel did not come to you
in word only, but also in power
and in the Holy Spirit
and with full conviction;
just as you know what kind of men
we proved to be among you for your sake.
1 Thessalonians 1:5

Character. Ethos. Credibility. Contributes a lot to the potency of proclaimed truth, no question. In combination with the power of the Holy Spirit (notice Christ standing behind the preacher in the scultpure), the content of the message, imbued with the character of the herald brings conviction. Rightly, Paul appeals to this facet of his preaching.

You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers;
just as you know how we were
exhorting and encouraging and imploring
each one of you
as a father would his own children,
so that you would walk in a manner
worthy of the God who calls you
into His own kingdom and glory.
1 Thessalonians 2:10–12

A character of integrity, of probity, of respectability.

For our proud confidence is this:
the testimony of our conscience,
that in holiness and godly sincerity,
… in the grace of God,
we have conducted ourselves in the world,
and especially toward you.
2 Corinthians 1:12

Character. Truth through personality. So much so, Paul could exhort his readers to imitate him!

Therefore I exhort you,
be imitators of me.
1 Corinthians 4:16

I wondered to myself if I could ever say that. For all the preaching I do, could I offer myself as an example of God’s truth lived out?

… we did not act in an
undisciplined manner among you,
… in order to offer ourselves
as a model for you,
so that you would follow our example.
2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9

Truth through personality. May our lives complement the persuasiveness of our proclamation.

HIGHWAY!

Negotiating I-95 (the New England Thruway) from NYC to parts frozen (Providence and Boston) where I was headed for a couple of theology meetings last week, I spotted the El Camino Real—the King’s Highway—in Connecticut. And it was appropriately numbered, too.

Which King? Did he come or go this way? Or was it just a whimsical exercise to name the road “King’s Highway”?

As I took both my hands off the steering wheel to snap a picture, using my knees to keep the vehicle in its lane, I thought about the real KING’s Highway. The way of the Lord.

As for God, His way is blameless.
2 Samuel 22:31

Some follow it; some don’t. As God soliloquized:

For I have chosen him [Abraham],
so that he may command his children
and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD
by doing righteousness and justice ….
Genesis 18:19

And, needless to say, there is blissful thriving if one takes that route, but dire consequences if one does not, as Moses recommended to the nation of Israel:

… the blessing, if you listen to the
commandments of the LORD your God,
which I am commanding you today;
and the curse, if you do not listen to the
commandments of the LORD your God,
but turn aside from the way
which I am commanding you today ….
Deuteronomy 11:27–28

A few other rare birds, King Josiah, for instance, also stayed in the right lane.

He did right in the sight of the LORD
and walked in all the way
of his father David,
nor did he turn aside
to the right or to the left.
2 Kings 22:2

It is interesting that at least two other times, when “highway” or “way” is mentioned in the Bible, the emphasis is on not veering off to the left, nor to the right.

Here’s Moses asking permission of the King of Edom during the Exodus:

“Please let us pass through your land. …
We will go along the king’s highway,
not turning to the right or left ….”
Numbers 20:17

Or here are the Philistines returning the Ark, in a cart drawn by cows.

And the cows took the straight way …;
they went along the highway,
lowing as they went, and did not turn aside
to the right or to the left.
1 Samuel 6:12

The King’s Highway, God’s way, is meant to be adhered to, without deviation, without distraction, without derailment. That, however, is a natural human tendency.

“For My people have forgotten Me,
they burn incense to worthless gods
and they have stumbled from their ways,
from the ancient paths,
to walk in bypaths, not on a highway ….”
Jeremiah 18:15

Walking in God’s way is to live according to God’s demands, in congruence with His Word, in compliance to His call.

How blessed are those
whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Psalm 119:1

God’s people are to abide on that straight and narrow Highway.

The highway of the upright
is to depart from evil ….
Proverbs 16:17

And, one day, when the KING comes to reign on earth, there really will be an El Camino Real:

A highway will be there …
and it will be called
the Highway of Holiness.
Isaiah 35:8

The KING has already come, preparations have already begun, and soon He will be coming again.

Clear the way for the LORD
in the wilderness;
make smooth in the desert
a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3

The King’s Highway. Let’s stay on it, shall we?

SPICY!

Gosh, that picture makes me salivate! (Too much peanut butter can do that to you. I need to go get me some hot Indian food.)

Anyways, the other day I had a patient in my clinic. I could tell he was Indian before I even set my eyes on him. No, I had not seen his name or glanced at his chart before I came to my conclusion. He—or she—was Indian. I was sure. I had just walked by the room (s)he was in and discerned it instantly. Indian. One of that ilk—or there could have been a whole host of them Indians lurking around in the clinic (besides me). Indian it/he/she/they was/were, no matter what the gender, number, caste, or creed. No question. Indian.

For out from the room was wafting the delicate aroma of a mixture of esoteric spices from an exotic land. A profusion of fragrances—ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, sesame oil, hot peppers, coriander, turmeric, cumin, saffron, and a host of other enigmatic odors—dancing with abandon upon my olfactory nerve endings. Yup, Indian.

You see, novices of Indian cooking are unaware of one of its potent idiosyncrasies. The spices employed in that fine epicurean art invade and attach themselves to everything, and I mean everything. Your clothes, your rugs, your curtains, your lampshades—everything. Everything takes on a curry flavor! And that signature bouquet emanates from your person broadcasting your culinary inclinations and possibly your ethnicity as well. That’s how I knew there was an Indian around there that day. (Now peanut butter, stink, it doth not. Then again, it doesn’t taste as good as a fried hot pepper. Not by a long shot. Nope, not even JIF.) The cognoscenti, like my sister-in-law, know to use industrial grade fans in the kitchen (that can blow your hair off!), or to perform all those intricate gastronomic maneuvers on the deck outside the house (announcing an Indian meal to the rest of the neighborhood!). But gourmets like me—we know best: we just eat out! (Or stick with JIF!)

All this olfactory talk reminds me of a verse from Paul.

But thanks be to God,
who always leads us
in triumph in Christ,
and manifests through us
the sweet aroma
of the knowledge of Him
in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:14

Can they tell that I’m a Christian from far, before they set their eyes on me or read my name or look at my chart? Does the aroma of Christ emanate from me everywhere I go? Does anyone know? Do they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell Christ when I’m around?

God has this thing about smell. He loves fragrance. The Scriptures are awash in stuff about God being pleased by perfume. But only one particular kind of perfume. Not the concoctions of Gucci, Cavalli, Prada, Saint Laurent, or Chanel. Rather, the soothing redolence of sacrifice. That’s what pleases God.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD,
and took of every clean animal
and of every clean bird and
offered burnt offerings on the altar.
The LORD smelled
the soothing aroma …
Genesis 8:20–21

And in the New Testament, the ultimate sacrifice for sin gave God the greatest satisfaction—the “notes” of Christ.

Christ also loved you
and gave Himself up for us,
an offering and a sacrifice
to God as a fragrant aroma.
Ephesians 5:2

Now that’s an aroma that is pleasing to God. And our Christlikeness, our aroma of Christ, likewise pleases Him.

… we are a fragrance of Christ to God.
2 Corinthians 2:15

May our lives be spicy for God!

EXERCISE?

I go there three times a week. The Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center. It has everything—pool, spa, myriad machines and weights to enthrall and engage (and entrap) every muscle, ligament, and tendon of your body, ball courts, well-appointed locker rooms, orange juice in the morning, ample supplies of fresh towels … everything! And I go there thrice a week.

Of course, all I do is sit on the exercise bike. Nothing else. I don’t care for the free orange juice. I don’t watch their innumerable TVs. I don’t plug my ears with music while doing the hamster thing on the bike. I read. And when I’m done with my magazine, I’m outta there! I read on the many sofas sprinkled on every floor. I read in their shower. My own world. Oblivious to the glories of Landry.

And I also enjoy watching some of my Dallas Seminary colleagues sweat their lives out. Well, those old guys really need it! As for me, I just read.

It’s true, as one of them astutely pointed out to me: “You could read at home, you know.” I do! I just need a change of scene. So I go to Landry. Three times a week. To read. On the bike.

I was thinking these deep thoughts the other day, rather morosely, ruing the fact that I’d gone to medical school. Ignorance would have been bliss and I could have avoided making the thrice-weekly guilt trip to BTLFC. Yeah, guilt! And high cholesterol. That’s what makes me go there.

I wonder how many of us go to church like I go to Landry.

Guilt? Or maybe you just want to read … or sleep? Or listen to some inoffensive music? Some of these church enterprises even provide a decent cup of java. And depending on the preacher, one could, if you were lucky, be entertained for a short bit. You know, a few movie clips, a joke or two, a rant on sin. Fun! And all this for a couple of quarters in the collection plate. Great deal. Keeps the guilt at bay … at least till next Sunday. Our own world.

I hope not.

For there is no Christianity without the church. Every believer is an integral part of the church, the body of Christ.

Now you are Christ's body,
and individually members of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27

If body, then body parts. And for a body to function as one healthy and united entity, all the individual body parts must be working optimally doing the work of the Lord together.

Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil
is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Well, if each believer is a body part, then each of us, as a body part, is called to be an active part of the body—not like me at Landry, in my own world, unconscious of all else, assuaging my guilt.

So then we pursue the things
which make for …
the building up of one another.
Romans 14:19

Prof. Howard Hendricks of DTS once said that folks going to church are either “pillars” holding up the church—active, functioning body parts—or they are “caterpillars” crawling in and out of each service—non-/dysfunctional body parts stricken by paralysis.

No more stupor. No more slumber. Let us move into action, functioning for the good of the body.

… let us consider how to
stimulate one another
to love and good deeds ….
Hebrews 10:24

Let’s get some exercise!

DARK?

Another Superhero movie is coming, just in time for Christmas (the time of the year that celebrates the advent of the real SUPERHERO). The current celluloid arrival is Mr. Bond (again) in Quantum of Solace opening in a couple of weeks here in the US.

Quite interesting to see how “dark” these superheroes have become in their latest avatars. (Or should I say “gray?”) First it was Spider-Man (Spider-Man 3) last year. Then Batman this summer. In fact, that one was actually called The Dark Knight. While the thirst for Superheroes keeps the box office rolling, apparently you can’t be a “real” superhero unless you’ve got some grayness/darkness in you.

Now, of course, that is understandable. After all, Parker, and Wayne, and Bond are only human. And the Bible makes it clear that there is no one of that species without a dark side.

“There is none righteous, not even one;
… there is none who does good,
there is not even one."
Romans 3:10, 12

Sure, these superheroes are fallible and come packaged with warts (and acne and moles—and I do know a thing or two about these).

But what a relief that our SUPERHERO, the Lord Jesus Christ, is impeccable, blemishless, sinless!

For it was fitting for us
to have such a high priest,
holy, innocent, undefiled,
separated from sinners
and exalted above the heavens ….
Hebrews 7:26

The only SUPERHERO to perform the greatest act of rescue ever! Period! And the only One who did it once for all. Complete. Total. Final. For our sin. Washing it all away! Healed! Redeemed! Saved! SUPERHERO, indeed!

… He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

While Parker, and Wayne, and Bond, and even Kent, never perish in their annals (at least not as far as we have been told; their demise would certainly not help Hollywood’s bottom line!), our SUPERHERO did die!

For God has not destined us for wrath,
but for obtaining salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died, so that whether
we are awake or asleep,
we will live together with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–10

This “high priest” made the ultimate sacrifice for us—Himself—dying on the cross.

… Christ … gave Himself up for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God
as a fragrant aroma.
Ephesians 5:2

And this sacrifice, unlike the altruistic and philanthropic activities of the rest of the clay-footed Superheroes, was motivated by an incomparable love—divine and excelling all other loves.

But God demonstrates
His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

The amazing love of God, experienced by all who put their trust in Christ as Savior, believing that He died on the cross for their sin, and that He rose from the dead to live forever.

For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish,
but have eternal life.
John 3:16

And so in this impeccable SUPERHERO we put our trust. To Him we go often. For …

… we do not have a high priest who
cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but One who has been tempted
in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us draw near
with confidence to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15–16

Pure SUPERHERO!