Taking the Plunge: Baptism In Acts (Acts 2, 8, 10, 16)

[This article was also posted on my pastoral blog Our Long View.]

Last Sunday, we celebrated the baptism of eight souls. However, in response to a number of tragic shootings in our country in the last couple of weeks, we took extended time to seek God in prayer for justice and reconciliation in our nation. The president of our denomination, Glenn Burris Jr., had sent a letter to all our churches entitled, Call to Prayer and Action from which we took our prayer focus. This is not a new topic to us as recent sermons have touched on issues such as civil disobedience, and passive racism from the text of Acts. Our congregational readings included 2 Corinthians 5:4 "we groan"; and verse 16, "From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh" (e.g., our family line, wealth, height, race, education, religious affiliation, etc.). We also read 1 John 4:10-11, and 19-21,

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Then since we were doing baptism I did a short message on Baptism in Acts showing the road of reconciliation the church should take in matters such as we are facing today. We had the joy of baptizing 8 souls!

Our culture may emphasize our divisions (see list above), but the Book of Acts shows how we all come into the church the same way—through repentance and baptism. It also demonstrates that all who follow Jesus in faith may come, no matter how counter-cultural it may be.

Acts 2:37-38 Inclusively Translated 

The Apostle Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost was spoken to Jews gathered from many different cultures and languages. It contained the message of the resurrected Christ. In response to their question about how they should respond, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized.” 3000 souls were added to the church that day. Notice that the number was not broken down according to our popular demographic dividers (men, women, adults, children, race, education, income, etc.). The gospel message was not subject to the cultural biases of that day, even within Judaism. The message was for all audiences, in their diverse heart languages, not in the color-blind way of cultural conformity. Since language is tied to culture, we see the diversity of languages as indicating that the gospel was for all cultures.

Acts 8 Including the Excluded

After the persecution of the church broke out in Jerusalem and Judea, Philip the Evangelist expanded the Mission in partial fulfillment of Jesus’ command in Acts 1:8. In the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, he preached, healed, and baptized...

• v.12 Even the hated Samaritans (a racially and religiously mixed people) responded to the gospel, believed, and were baptized, both men and women!
• v. 35-38 An Ethiopian Eunuch, treasurer to the queen of what would be modern-day Sudan, was eager to be baptized after learning about Jesus Christ. It is important to note that he was a non-Jew black man who had come to worship God in Jerusalem, but he did so as one who had a physical exclusion as a eunuch that would have kept him from full inclusion in Judaism (Deut. 23:1). However, the one who could not come close in the past was now in Christ included. Ironically, when Philip struck up a conversation with him, the man was puzzled as he read Isaiah 53 about the suffering Messiah, just a bit farther in Isaiah the text speaks about the inclusion of foreigners and eunuchs when the righteousness of the Lord comes (56:3-5). Oh, how that must have encouraged that man as it was explained to him!

Acts 9 "Before Breakfast"

Once Saul (Paul), the great persecutor of the church’s sight was restored (physically & spiritually) the first thing he did was get baptized even before breaking his three-day fast (v.18-19). By doing so he declared a change of allegiance, joining those he had formerly persecuted. The church has as its heritage down through the centuries the thankful inclusion of its repentant former oppressors. We truly are to be ministers of reconciliation.

Acts 10 Withholding Nothing

Here we find the story of Peter being supernaturally sent to the home/headquarters of the Roman “Cop” Cornelius (the Roman Centurion). Cornelius summoned all his friends and relatives to hear the message. While Peter was still speaking, all who heard the gospel received the Holy Spirit and praised God (v. 47-48). Peter responded rhetorically, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. It was this event that convinced the Jerusalem church that Gentiles were to be included as equal recipients of the gospel.

Acts 16 Two Families in Philippi “And all their household were baptized.” If we read the text of Acts 16 carefully, we will see the Gospel transforming two families from different socio-economic strata. Is it any coincidence that they are presented in tandem? No, for that is Luke's oft-repeated pattern.

• Lydia the wealthy merchant woman (she sold “purple” which only the wealthiest people could afford) was baptized with "her entire household." One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (v.14-15)

• The lowly Philippian jailer who worked in a dungeon (inflicting and suffering many of the same conditions as the prisoners) was baptized "with his entire family." Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. (v.30-33)

Acts 21:16 “Why do you wait?” Finally, let’s consider Paul’s speech to those in Jerusalem who were stuck in their ways and old loyalties, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”

Without going into an exhaustive theological treatment of Christian baptism, let me say that baptism is…

• A death to ourselves and a resurrection to Christ. In this transformation, we find new life and a new purpose for living.
• A public declaration of our change of loyalty. We are now citizens of the Kingdom of heaven, loyal to Jesus Christ above all.
• A recognition of our new identity in Christ. Historically, converts received their Christian name at this time, hence the term, “Christening.” While we are not accustomed to changing our name, we get a new identity—one not based on our past failures, present poverty, or unjust and unkind labeling from others, but one based on the finished work of Christ. Once we were unloved, we didn’t belong to anyone, and we were scattered before the nations. Now we know that we are loved, adopted into the family of God, and planted in the world for the purposes of Christ and the common good.

I presented this brief list in a survey format and with a minimum amount of explanation. Hopefully, you can see the racial, gender, and economic reconciliation modeled in Christian baptism as demonstrated in Acts and seek the same in the church and our community today.

In conclusion, I leave you with a personalized form of Paul’s appeal, “Why do we wait?”

The Purpose of Pentecost (Acts 2)

“Presence, Participation, & Power”
[This post is also found on my Our Long View blog.]

We have been examining the text of Acts 2 for the last three weeks and today, on Pentecost Sunday, I would like to step outside of our series in Acts to answer the question, what is the purpose of Pentecost?

As a church that is “Pentecostal”, we recognize the importance of the Holy Spirit moving in our midst. We believe in the continuation of the Biblical gifts of the Spirit and are thankful for the fruit the Spirit brings. However, I think that even as a Pentecostal church we may miss the point that…

I) The Holy Spirit came so that we might have the presence of God living in us. (John 14:16-17)

We should not think of the Spirit as the Pentecostal Santa Claus who gives us all kinds of cool gifts to enable us to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Rather we should see that the Holy Spirit is the gift, the gift of the abiding presence of God in our lives.

"The life that the Spirit gives is not some abstract thing. In fact, it is not primarily some thing that he gives at all. The Spirit gives us his very self, that we might know and enjoy him and so enjoy his fellowship with the Father and the Son."[1]

What could be better than that? It is by the Spirit that the Father and the Son indwell us and commission us as the church.  God’s eternal covenant, is reiterated throughout the Bible and contains statements such as:

• I will be your God—a call to know God faithfully
• You will be my people—a call to community, as his family (Ex. 6:7)
• I will dwell with you—a call to live in his presence (Lev. 26:11)

Neil Cole, writes, “I have come to understand church as this: the presence of Jesus among His people called out as a spiritual family to pursue His mission on this planet.”[2] Such a definition of church brings me to the next purpose of Pentecost.

II) The Holy Spirit came to invite us to participate in the ongoing mission of God.

If our purpose in life as Christians is to glorify God in the world (Eccl. 12:13; John 15:8), then how do we do this? By obeying his commands—however, this is not a legalistic formula but a relational dependence. God is relational and missional. His mission (what he does) is a manifestation of his being (who he is). God is outwardly focused and relationally inclusive. He wants to be in a relationship with his creation, not because of any need on his part but simply because of the overflow of his love. The mission of God is to “rebind the broken cosmos,” to redeem and reconcile the world. In the Holy Spirit, he invites us and then integrates us into that ongoing mission. We are an integral part of his plan.

When integrating into the mission of God, I once heard that four "D" words are a helpful checklist...

• Discover: What is God doing in this neighborhood? How is he pursuing and engaging the lost?
• Discern: How does God want us to participate? What can we offer? What can we learn?
• Do: Join his mission in obedience. When God opens the door to be witnesses what are we going to do? What is it we will say about God (Father, Son, and Spirit)?
• Debrief: Share with each other what you are doing, not to brag but to be mutually encouraged and accountable. We can't do this alone. We need to be considerate and cooperate with others. We are to be part of a body, a spiritual family, and a church. We must develop both our actions and reflections on those actions.

Last week we spoke extensively about fellowship, but are we willing to step into the mission of God, or are we content with managing our own efforts for our own purposes?

Defining the Task —The Great Commissions

As Jesus’ time with his disciples drew to an end, he gave them what is called the “Great Commission” (i.e. a mission beyond National and ethnic Israel) as differentiated from the local commissions given earlier (the sending the 12 and then the 70 to go into all the towns and villages of Israel that Jesus would visit). This commission is presented five times in Scripture, each time with a slightly different emphasis. I illustrate these by using the well-known “Five Flavors Lifesavers” candy. They are all lifesavers, just different flavors. So to, all five versions of the commission of Christ may have slightly different flavors.

1. The Discipling Commission[3] (Matthew 28:18-20)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As followers of Jesus, we are to “make disciples” What does discipleship mean?

• It means that we are allowing Christ’s teachings to actually guide our life’s journey.
• It means we (and they) are becoming more like Jesus.
• Jesus is the content of our discipleship.

So how do we make disciples? This text gives two primary ways. The first is “Baptism” representing not merely a religious ceremony but the transformation of a person’s loyalties expressed publicly. It is the outworking of repentance. Discipleship changes how we answer such practical questions as:

• How do I spend my time?
• How do I spend my money?
• How do I make my decisions?
• What attitudes and characteristics do I value?

And hidden within this list is a tricky discipleship detector. The true disciple of Christ comes to understand that it is not really an issue of my time, my money, or my decisions. If I understand the radical commitment of baptism I am dead to “my” and alive to Christ.

The second way we are to make disciples is, “By teaching them to obey Christ”. It is quite popular to use the metaphor, “the dust of the Rabbi’s sandals”  to illustrate this aspect of discipleship (Ray Vander Laan was the first I heard use it). The phrase refers to how a rabbi’s disciples either followed him closely on the dusty road to hear everything the master was discussing, or how sat on the ground at his feet to hear his teaching. So for us to become disciples and to “make disciples” we need to be doing what Jesus did. It has been said that “Genuine discipleship cannot happen apart from mission.” Jesus did it that way. He taught and trained his disciples while he was going about the mission of the Father! I suggest that it is the same today. We learn as we engage with what God is already doing around us.

2. Evangelizing Commission (Mark 16:15-20) 

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

The flavor of this commission is in sharing the good news with “all creation” with the desired result being belief and baptism. While some debate this “longer ending” of Mark’s Gospel, all of the accompanying signs are attested in the New Testament and the Church Fathers.

At Pentecost, we received the same Spirit that Jesus received at his baptism in the Jordan River. What did he do? He preached the good news, healed those oppressed by the devil, came to seek and save the lost, and he made disciples…who would one day do the same.

The Spirit moves us beyond ourselves and gives us a heart and a passion (and compassion) to reach out to the lost—joining Jesus as he continues to seek and save the lost. Successful evangelism is taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit, backed up by a loving, godly life, and leaving the results up to God.

3. Preaching Commission (Luke 24:44-47)

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Preaching is rooted in the time spent with the Lord, seeking a Holy Spirit-led understanding of the word, and it calls for a decision on the part of the hearer.  

In the early church preaching connected the dots between what had been written in the Old Testament and how those scriptures were fulfilled in Christ Jesus. But beyond information, preaching brings us to our need to repent and receive the forgiveness of sins that Jesus offers to us. Preaching shows us the answer to the problem our sin is Christ and him alone! There is only one gate by which we can enter. Jesus is that way.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit expanded his work of opening our minds to understand the Scriptures. There are many throughout history whole have come to saving faith in Jesus simply by reading the Bible. This is the work of the Holy Spirit!

4. The Sending Commission (John 20:21-23)

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 

The Father sent the Son and the Spirit and now sends us but we are not on our own—they all go with us. Michael Reeves (Delighting in the Trinity) builds on this verse as he wrote,

“The disciples should not have been at all surprised. Jesus had told them he would be resurrected, and he had told them that “whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19). The first thing the Father does, of course, is love the Son, breathing out his Spirit on him. Just so, doing as his Father does, Jesus breathes out the Spirit on his disciples. In fact, he had already said to them: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (John 15:9). But the Father also sends the Son; and doing as his Father does, Jesus thus sends his disciples. Like Father, like Son. That entirely changes what mission looks like. For it is not, then, that God lounges back in heaven, simply phoning in his order that we get on with evangelism so that he might get more servants. If that were the case, evangelism would take a lot of self-motivation—and you can always tell when the church thinks like that, for that’s when evangelism gets left to the more adrenaline-stoked salespeople/professionals. But the reality is so different. The truth is that God is already on mission: in love, the Father has sent his Son and his Spirit. It is the outworking of his very nature.”[4]  

We have received the same Spirit that Jesus received at his baptism in the Jordan River. What did he do? He preached the good news, healed those oppressed by the devil, came to seek and save the lost, he made disciples; he loved us to the end and beyond. Today, as a result of the work of Christ and his sending the Spirit at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit moves us beyond ourselves and gives us a heart and a passion and compassion to reach out to the lost—to seek and save the lost. In being sent we are actually joining the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as they go!

5. The Witnessing Commission (Acts 1:8)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The word for “witness” comes from the root that is transliterated as “martyr”. All too often witnessing for the resurrection of Christ has been punctuated with the death of the witness. Jesus needed intimate fellowship with his Father and the filling of the Holy Spirit to see his mission through to the end on the cross. We are no different in our dependence. It will take the power of the Spirit for us to stand strong to the end. Such endurance is not found in a stoic approach to doing our duty. It will take transformed desires, the desire that comes from seeing our triune God as he really is!

Summary of the 5-Flavored Commissions

John Amstutz ably summarizes these five flavors of the Great Commission into one concise statement with the two imperatives (commands) underlined,

"Going as my witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit, preach the good news of repentance and forgiveness of sins in my name to everyone, baptizing those who repent and believe. And make disciples by teaching them to obey all I have commanded. Do this beginning in Jerusalem to the ends of the earth—and I will be with you to the very end of the age."

Our ability to integrate effectively into the ongoing mission of God is due to the fact that we are not going on our own.

• We go in the same Spirit as Jesus
• We go in Jesus’ authority,
• We go with Jesus’ power
• We go with Jesus’ continued presence (John 10:37-38; 14:9-13, 20-21; 17: 20-23)

As the Church—we are a people called by God and sent to participate with God in mission. We are a body that is sent by the Spirit. We don't gather for our own sake but for the sake of others…

Discipling—“of all nations" How? Baptizing and teaching to obey.

Evangelizing—sharing the good news with all creation!

Preaching—the repentance and forgiveness of sins by faith in the risen Christ.

Sending—is not taking over but joining a missional God in his loving task.

Witnessing—speaking the truth of what Jesus has done in love, to the end.

III) The Holy Spirit came to empower us to live faithfully, bear good fruit, & glorify God in the world.

From the very beginning, the plan of God has depended upon the power of God not the strength of mankind. Abraham was a landless, heir-less, nobody with the promise of God who was going to change all that, for the good of the whole world. It was as a result of Pentecost that the fulfillment of that promise expanded beyond one nation to many,

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 

  And I will make of you a great nation,

  and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 

         I will bless those who bless you,

               and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you

                                             all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

(See also Gen 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:13-14)

If you don’t believe me, perhaps Galatians 3:14 will convince you,

"He redeemed us in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

In review, the primary purposes of Pentecost include:

• The Indwelling Presence of God (The Father and the Son, by the Holy Spirit)
• Integrated Participation in God’s On-going Mission
• Spiritual Power of God to fulfill our mission assignment

Pentecost. Perhaps such a day is worth remembering.

---

[1] . Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Kindle Locations 1326-1328).

[2] Neil Cole, “Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens." In Perspectives on the World Christian Movement 4th Edition, edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, 643-45. Pasadena, CA: Institute of International Studies, 2009.

[3] The titles for these five commissions are taken from missiological lectures given a number of years ago by Foursquare pastor, missionary, and professor, John Amstutz.

[4] Reeves, (Kindle Locations 1610-1625).

Slaves or Siblings? Shaking the Downside Up!

This post is an assigned response to Paul Louis Metzger’s post, The Crucified God Confronts Gendercide in which he engages Elizabeth Gerhardt and her book The Cross and Gendercide: A Theological Response to Global Violence Against Women and Girls. As I have worked my way through this doctoral program, my eyes have been opened in a rather uncomfortable way to the terrible injustices of the past that contributed to our white dominant culture lifestyle and also to the hidden oppressions that surround us still—including racism in its various incarnations from slavery to mass incarceration, the genocide of Native Americans, human trafficking (especially of women and girls) in addition to the gendercidal war on girls, to name a few. So much objectification—treating people created in the image of God as though they were mere objects in the way of our expansive greed. How could the Lord continue to delay his return to judge the earth? He is for us. It is his mercy that has stayed his hand (2 Peter 3:9). 
Much of what we have read has been rightfully heavy and heartbreaking. Jesus knows something about that as he carried the full weight of our sin on the cross where his heart was broken at our inhuman injustice to each other. He is for us. Even though we don’t deserve it. 
Dr. Metzger, invoking Luther’s theology, writes,

"The theology of the cross that gives rise to this doctrine of justification by faith removes the idols of self-justification/works righteousness. As we ascend to Christ in faith because of the outpouring of God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5), we are free to descend to our neighbor in love." (See Luther’s early Reformation treatise, “Freedom of a Christian”) There is no need for self-concern. Like God who is for us, we are now free to exist for others, especially those who are marginalized. It follows from God’s glorious revelation hidden in Christ’s humble and marginalized human state that we will find God revealed especially in the margins among the oppressed. 

What a powerful passage. Now because of the work of Christ, we no longer have to think about ourselves—because he is for us in ways better than we could ever manage. Being free of the drive to satisfy the boundless greed of the unregenerate self (James 4:1-3) we are free to finally serve others in love.

I recently posted an article on my pastoral blog from a message based on Colossians 3:22-4:1 entitled, Whatever: Our Work Belongs to God which addressed the idea of “descending to our neighbor in love.” Because of the transforming love of Christ, all our relationships should be transformed as well. Written into the specific culture of the Greco-Roman world, it describes a passage that is no less revolutionary today. It pushes everyone’s buttons—wives, husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters alike. These last few verses speak to the relationship in Colossae between masters and bondservants (slaves) in the household and in the church. I would like to use part of that post here as well.

²²  Bondservants, 

       obey in everything

           those who are your earthly masters, 

       not by way of eye-service,

                              as people-pleasers,

       but with sincerity of heart,

                                         fearing the Lord. 

²³ Whatever you do, work heartily, 

                                           as for the Lord

                and not for men,

                    ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord 

                    you will receive the inheritance as your reward. 

                    You are serving        the Lord Christ. 

²⁵ For the wrongdoer will be paid back

     for the wrong he has done,

                   and there is no partiality.

^4:1 Masters,

         treat your bondservants

                                       justly and fairly,

         knowing that you also have

 a Master in heaven.

While the New Testament is not primarily about social justice advocacy, we do see the inside-out working of the gospel, quickly impacting the economic and spiritual structures of evil. Paul’s exorcism of a demonized slave girl led her masters to stir up quite a bit of trouble in Philippi,

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.

“The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.” (Acts 16:19-24)

In the following chapter of Acts, we see the early followers of Jesus being described by jealous men, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:6-7) Were they trying to turn the world upside down? Probably not… but the gospel, when given free rein, has a way of shaking the downside up.

One more such incident occurred in Ephesus when the idol-making guilds rioted because so many people were turning to Christ that it was really hurting their business (Acts 19:21-41). Followers of Christ lived their lives with new hope and purpose and they didn’t buy silver idols (even as a hedge against the volatile market), or books on magic, nor did their teachings allow them to use those trafficked to the temples (prostitutes). Instead, they rescued infant girls that had been exposed (left to die in the elements). Turning from self-serving and power-hungry magic and idols of objectification, they turned the world upside down. Believers burned their own books of magic, not because they were required to do so, but because they rejected their premise and goal and would not wish that kind of bondage on anyone else. They had found something better—more life-giving, more hope-filled, more love-saturated—serving Jesus Christ by caring for others. Have we been so changed?

I have been moved recently by Paul’s short letter to a master named Philemon, who lived in Colossae, advocating on behalf of an escaped slave and thief (Onesimus) who had later come to faith under Paul’s ministry. We should not consider the passage in Colossians 3, about bondservants and masters, without reading the backstory to these commands. It can be found in Philemon 1:8-20. After initial greetings, Paul gets right to the point,

      Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)  I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

     So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.  I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Paul didn’t write a sweeping condemnation of the cultural practice of slavery but planted the seed for a new way of looking at it. Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, but made it clear that he should treat him as more than a slave, even as a beloved brother (v.16), receiving him as he would receive Paul himself (v.17). Paul graciously used all his relational capital to bring reconciliation between master and slave. Paul worked within the cultural context, but through his advocacy using subversive kingdom values, the Spirit brought a profound change throughout the Christian community. It is amazing to me that Onesimus the returned slave (with Tychicus) probably delivered this letter along with letters to the Colossians, Laodiceans, and Ephesians. He had indeed become useful (his name means “useful”).

I hope you can see how this pun-filled letter (the Greek text contains several) of directions to a Christian in Colossae completely turned the slave-based economy upside-down by Paul’s simple, yet profound, identification of the slave Onesimus as “beloved brother”, “my child”, and “my very heart.” He made a very strong case for Onesimus to be set free to return and assist him in the ministry but gave Philemon the freedom to do the right thing without being compelled by Paul. The love of Christ took care of that!

Let me finish this post by turning my own customs upside down and giving the final words to Dr. Metzger,

“As I come to understand more fully the radical good news that God is for us (pro nobis) and not against us, even though we were once his enemies, I will give myself more fully to the care of others as a response of gratitude to God and free exercise of the divine love.

   May God increase the church’s confidence in God’s radical, gracious love…   

   May we, the church, not stand aloof as we hear the cry of the victims of violence and sexual abuse…

   May we enter their nightmare with the hope-filled advocacy grounded in faith in the all-powerful, gracious, and costly love of the crucified and risen Jesus. Our Jesus is their victor.”

Refugees and the Pesky Law of Hospitality

I must confess that I am concerned about the Syrian refugee crisis. But perhaps not for the same reason as most. While this issue has become quite a political football, I think the issue of Syrian refugees is deeper than the rhetoric.

Many fear that allowing unvetted refugees into the country will put us at risk of terrorist attacks by hostile individuals pretending to be refugees. Perhaps so, but you can’t vet where there is no infrastructure to accomplish it. In my snarky sense of humor, I like to say that "vetting is for farm animals and family pets, not for people." While I am convinced that we, as followers of Jesus, need to be different and extend as much love and care to authentic refugees as we can, I am not convinced that bringing them to the USA is always the right step for them or for us. Setting aside national security concerns, it may still not be a good idea.

What about That Verse?

Ironically, a common Bible passage used to address the refugee crisis has nothing to do with refugees, but with resident aliens. Leviticus 19:33-34 says,

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Similarly, “sojourning” refers to a temporary stay, not to permanent immigration. Visitors should be treated as citizens, but this verse is not about refugees. There are better texts for that, including:

• The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12);
• The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:22-37);
• The call of true religion to provide care for widows and orphans (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 10:18; 1:29; James 1:27); and,
• Passages about doing good (Matt. 5:16; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Romans 2:9-11; 12:20-21; Galatians 6:9-10, etc.) and,
• Showing hospitality (e.g., 1 Peter 4:8-10; Romans 12:12-14).

^“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)

Having said that, once refugees are settled in our country, we will need to treat them like we treat each other... or better than that. However, I am not convinced that we are prepared to do this.

What Then Should We Do?

We should begin to pray for the Holy Spirit to release a newfound love for those who have historically been considered enemies, and with it the wisdom we need to bring honor to Christ by serving the "least of these." Here are some of my suggestions for ways that we can help Middle-Eastern refugees, along with my concerns. You can judge for yourselves whether I prayed about it before sharing them.

1. We can support sacrificial relief efforts by the church in Turkey.

Why not support those who are helping in Turkey (as my colleague Mark Nicklas shared in his blog post, Refugees), where it is both geographically near and culturally similar to what they have left behind? There is no government assistance in Turkey; help comes from a marginalized church. It is the formerly Muslim converts to Christianity who are helping the refugees, and who, after exhausting their own resources, are willing to go door to door begging on behalf of the destitute. Are we willing to go to such lengths of sacrificial humility for refugees? Are we willing to help the helpers? I hope so.

2. We could use existing regional refugee camps more effectively.

While no one wants to live in a “camp”, perhaps they could still be used more intentionally with international resources to resettle refugees in Jordan and Saudi Arabia if they do not want to specifically assimilate into European or American cultures. To take someone who has already been brutally displaced, perhaps having lost family members to violence, and plop them down in a culture for which they are not prepared is not helpful and may, in fact, produce further marginalization. It seems this approach might better care for them and would take their preferences into consideration. If we could work for an acceptable peace in Syria within the next 1-3 years, this would be an even better option, but I doubt that the power players in the region have the will to do it.

3. We should prepare refugees for the culture shock of immigration.

In our pluralistic, politically correct, tolerance-oriented behavior, are we actually marginalizing immigrants by not teaching them our culture? Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne, in Handbook of Cultural Intelligence (2008), suggest that we are doing just that, and caution those engaging with immigrants,

"When there is a large cultural distance, it is necessary to train immigrants to understand the consequences of their immigration, and to become somewhat culturally intelligent. In my opinion, it is irresponsible to give permanent visas to people who do not understand the local culture. It is also undesirable to use the "leave them alone" policy in "respecting" immigrant cultures. Immigrant cultures need to change, and people must become culturally intelligent or stay on the margins of society. People who are culturally intelligent zero in on aspects of culture that are different and respond appropriately."[1]

Suppose a refugee family wants to come to Europe or the USA, and we accept them. In that case, their cultural law of hospitality may lead them to believe that we, as the givers of hospitality, are responsible for providing for their needs on an ongoing basis. Are we really willing to send that message? One Oregon church has Iraqi refugees coming in every day seeking financial help. In our country, we have become used to institutionalizing assistance to the place where we now call them “entitlements”. However, this doesn’t relieve us of our responsibility and calling to care personally. We need to understand that we have very different views on hospitality. In the West, permanent house guests are not culturally appropriate except as fodder for late-night comedians.

4. We ought to ask refugees what they want and why they want it.

Even if we are prepared to accept refugees and mass migrants into our society, are they open to such a change in cultural values, or are they motivated by a false promise of affluence? Jesus asked Bartimaeus, the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” Doesn’t that seem like a “Captain Obvious” type of question? Of course, a blind man wants his sight restored…isn’t it that simple? No, not really. Bartimaeus was a beggar and likely had been one for quite some time. His cry to Jesus for mercy could merely be a request for a generous gift of alms (cash) to support himself in his current condition. Or it could be that he wanted Jesus to heal his eyes, but that would require him to stop being a beggar. He would have to get an education, work a job, etc. Was he willing to do all this? The question Jesus asked gave the blind man the chance to decide for himself whether he wanted to remain as he was or if he wanted to face the frightening responsibility of things being different. 

What does all this have to do with refugees? Two things: First, refugees should be told what they will face if they immigrate to America, and should be asked if they really want to move here, given our very different cultural values. Secondly, we need to honestly ask ourselves whether we are willing to be personally involved in their lives for the long haul, "to the end of the line" or not. 

5. We must be personally involved, no matter how scary it may be.

If we decide to allow refugees to come to America (and we will), we must be personally involved. That would be true hospitality indeed! How can we help?

• We can work to help them begin being educated about our culture (both values and systems) before they get here, so that they are not further marginalized once they arrive. Some of their culturally accepted behaviors will land them in prison here, just as some of our behaviors would land us in jail where they come from. We don’t want them to be ghettoized in addition to being transplant-traumatized already.
• We can specifically sponsor families (as families, small groups, or as whole churches) so that they have relational advocates to help them through the adjustment process. We can get involved on many levels, including helping them to learn English, teaching “culturally appropriate” driving skills, finding housing, navigating utility hookup issues, shopping, as well as helping with our healthcare and legal systems, etc. If help comes only through the government, it produces an institutional dependence that is more hurt than help. If help comes relationally through the love of Christ, then it will set the immigrant up to win, to be a contributing member of the community. 
• We can do our best to welcome them into our lives and allow them to teach us about their culture and invite them to make use of the gifts and talents which they bring with them…for the common good (Jeremiah 29:7).

If we are not willing to be personally involved with a refugee family over the long haul, then we should not bring them here. However, they are probably coming anyway, whether it is in their best interest or not, so how can we make the best of it for everyone involved?

Jesus shows us the way if we are bold enough to follow. Will we show ourselves to be the lambs or the wolves?

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (Luke 10:2-3)

[i] Soon Ang and Linn Van Dyne, eds. Handbook of Cultural Intelligence: Theory, Measurement, and Applications (Armank, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 2008), xii.