Hammer on Anvil '

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:21)

In this chapter of Romans, Paul anguishes that the  Jewish people are enemies of the gospel -- so much so that he wishes himself cursed and cut off from Christ for their sake (vs. 3).

He mentions Pharaoh, and how God hardened his heart "that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (vs. 17). The Jews could then argue, as they were very adept at doing, that they are not to blame because "who can resist God's will?" (vs. 19).

Paul knew his audience. He knew how prideful the Jews were, and how set on making their own path to salvation. Not content to embrace the gospel of grace, they continued to insist that they were inherently better simply because they were Jews.

How often, I wonder, do we as Christians do the same thing? Oh yes, we say we are saved by the blood of Jesus, and in that way may be a step ahead of the Jews. But do we harbor that same stubborn pride in our hearts, that smugness that makes us think we are better than others simply because we are Christians? I know I have.

Though we bear the name of Christ, we allow society to dictate our identity and our sense of importance. Those who hold masters or doctorate degrees may deem themselves somehow a cut above those who only have bachelors degrees or have never attended college. Senior pastors may bristle at the thought of visiting someone in the hospital because that is the job of one of their elders or deacons. People with money may be esteemed more highly in the local church, because of what their money can DO for the congregation.

I love verse 21 because it handily puts all this nonsense in the proper perspective. Think about pottery for just a minute. A "noble" piece of pottery may be a beautiful vase on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. A "common" piece of pottery would be...hmmm...perhaps a chamber pot? You know, those handy little vessels that people had to use before we had the luxury of flush toilets?

See how quickly we categorize things as noble or common, beautiful or...well...unmentionable? Paul knows the hearts of men, and turns the focus on the Creator rather than the creation. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, educated or uneducated, wealthy or indigent -- we were all created by God and in His image. Our focus should not be on what we can do or how much money we can make, but on submitting ourselves daily to God, and asking Him to fulfill His purposes in and through us.

Am I willing to be a chamber pot for the sake of the gospel? Or do I have delusions of grandeur, and prefer to be recognized and praised by men? I confess to the latter. But as I read Romans 9 in my devotions last week, the thought of being a chamber pot started to become more appealing. Why should I think that I am "above" being a certain thing for my Savior's sake? He emptied himself and became nothing for me, and I would like to do the same for Him.

In the verses preceding these, Jesus told Peter, “I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie you and take you where you don't want to go” (NCV). He was alluding to how Peter would be martyred.

“It is the will of Christ that his disciples should mind their own duty, and not be curious about future events, either as to themselves or others. Many things we are apt to be anxious about, which are nothing to us. Other people's affairs are nothing to us, to intermeddle in; we must quietly work, and mind our own business. Many curious questions are put about the counsels of God, and the state of the unseen world, as to which we may say, What is this to us? And if we attend to the duty of following Christ, we shall find neither heart nor time to meddle with that which does not belong to us.”

When the believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, “So God is allowing even other nations to turn to him and live” (Acts 11:18).

Remember this story? In Acts 10, Peter had a vision in which a large sheet was lowered before him. It contained all kinds of animals, and a voice told Peter to "rise and eat." Peter was indignant and protested, "But I have never eaten anything impure or unclean!" The voice spoke to him again and said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

At first read, you may think this passage is about Jews eating stuff that's not kosher. But in fact, God was impressing upon Peter to not consider PEOPLE impure whom God has made clean. In this case, it was Cornelius. While in prayer, God told Cornelius to send for Peter, and he did so promptly. There was just one problem with this, according to the mores of the day: Cornelius was a Gentile and Peter was a Jew. Peter tells Cornelius in Acts 10:28: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean."

In chapter 11, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, the circumcised (Jewish) believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” When Peter explained, the believers responded with the verse quoted at the beginning of this blog.

How often have we responded with criticism when a brother or sister ministered to someone whom we deemed unworthy? One of my friends is devoting her life to ministering to women who work as exotic dancers. She blogged recently about the interesting responses she gets -- yes, even from Christians -- when they ask her what she does for a living. Some people nervously clear their throats, others simply walk away. It's as if they don't believe she would actually waste her time on these women.

I have encountered some very similar responses over the years about ministering to women who have had abortions. Unfortunately, some of those responses have been from pastors. It is distasteful to them, so they bury their heads in the sand and deny that there are women sitting in their church services who have had abortions. Women who need help and healing, not judgment.

This week, think about your "pet sins." We all have them. You know, those nasty little infractions that make us believe someone is out of the reach of God. Homosexuality. Abortion. Addiction to sex or pornography. Alcohol or drug addiction. 

Now think about the passage from Acts. Peter protested at first to the command to "Rise and eat," clinging to his religiosity and tradition. God had to open his eyes to the truth that salvation is for all who call on the Name of the Lord.

May we allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and blast us out of our tradition and our prejudices and our prideful "holier than thou" attitudes. All have sinned, and that includes us. We who know the truth need to be about our Father's business, bringing hope and light and salvation to others.

 

"I will be in them and You will be in Me so that they will be completely one. Then the world will know that You sent Me..." (John 17:23, NCV).

Generally when we talk about unity in the Body of Christ, Ephesians 4:3 is the Scripture cited: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." But as I read this passage from John last week in my devotions, the second part of this verse grabbed me: "THEN the world will know that You sent Me."

When will the world know that God sent Jesus? When His followers are "completely one." Gulp.

If you have been part of a body of believers for any length of time, you are well aware of the fact that sometimes unity seems hard to come by. We seem to forget that we are not our own, that we were purchased with the precious blood of Jesus. We push and shove and gossip and try to cause dissension when we don't get our own way.

Just last week, I heard another sad story of a church about to implode due to lack of unity. The youth group was given permission to do a worship service. When they began to play and sing, the adults promptly sat down, rather than standing for worship as they would normally do. The message they sent to the youth was, "If you're not going to do things OUR way, we're opting out." How tragic!

First Peter 2:9 says we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a  holy nation." Our mission is to "declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness." The knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus should bond us together in holy, brotherly love. What can be done to foster unity of the Spirit?

Nothing is more vital in this endeavor than to commit ourselves to lives of prayer. Remember the Upper Room? Christ's followers stayed there for ten days and "joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14). Jesus had exhorted them to not leave Jerusalem, but to "wait for the gift My Father promised" (Acts 1:4). I sense that in those ten days of united prayer, the disciples' hearts were knit together as one. Today, it's like pulling teeth to get God's people to come together for a prayer meeting.

I recently read an Andrew Murray devotional that painted a vivid picture of the importance of unity:

Because of the many mountains in Natal (a region in South Africa), the streams often flow down with great force. The Zulus join hands when they want to pass through a stream. The leader has a strong stick in the right hand, and gives his left hand to some strong man who comes behind him. And so they form a chain and help each other cross the current. When God's people reach out their hands to each other in the spirit of prayer, there will be power to resist the terrible influence that the world can exert. In that unity, God's children will have power to triumph with God.

Wow. What a lovely illustration of unity in the Body of Christ! Joining hands in a spirit of prayer, realizing that we CANNOT do life alone!

Are you forming a chain today in your relationships with other believers? Or are you yanking and pulling and stubbornly trying to go your own way? My friends, the world will not know we are believers in Jesus when all they see is bickering and jealousy. John 13:35 says, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples."

Let's try to do what the disciples did as they waited for the Holy Spirit. In the communion of loving, believing, faithful prayer, our hearts can be united for the one purpose of living for and glorifying God.