From Faith to Culture, Flipping the System

"Paul, a servant^* of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, ³the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit^* of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, ⁶including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. "

 

 

This is the first SENTENCE in Paul's letter to the church in Rome.  That is the first SEVEN verses of the chapter.  On a read through, I count 21 sentences over 32 verses in that first chapter (please don't let me know if I messed up).  The longest is this one.  The shortest, the last part of verse 25, is an imperative "Amen!" (anybody remember their grammar lessons? {Anyone remember being taught grammar as part of their 'English' lessons?})

 

And people wonder why the Bible is going extinct in the hearts and minds of church goers...although it remains the Best bestseller in history.

 

As a blog writer, I spend much of my time as the 'opiner', taking things of the culture and filtering them through my faith, expressing my opinions on what I see of significance.  The 'theologue', the theologian, derives from the opiner.

 

I am an avid observer of how the popular culture reflects on my Christian faith.  But how about my faith reflecting on the popular culture?  I know it is kind of built in, but what about a more explicit view?  I am thinking it is time to alternate in this blog between 'Cultural Opiner" and "Faith-Based Theologue".

 

And this one sentence gives me enough to work with all summer.

 

First, a little background:  The book of Romans is the longest of Paul's "letters".  It is written to a church that he is going to visit.  This is different from his other letters which were written to churches or to individuals that he had ALREADY worked with, to found and uplift in their faithfulness.  These were either as communities or individuals. 

 

The book of Romans can be looked at as an introduction of the most prolific Christian writer of his era (based on writings that still exist to this day) to the church where Paul is going to conclude his ministry.  BACKGROUND: At the end of Acts, Paul was under arrest, exercised his rights as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the Emperor, and was sent to Rome.  Historic tradition passes along the story that Paul was eventually executed in Rome.

 

You might title it: "What I Believe And Why I Think It Will Be Good For Your Church To Hear It From Me".  I know, that sounds pretentious, but the letter is a combination of personal introduction, systematized theology, faith story, cultural analysis, and theological reflection on history.

 

But it starts clearly enough: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ".  Before he goes any further with his job description or credentials, he starts right here.  It is a starting point that we can all have in common with him.  We start with our service to Jesus Christ.  That's the reason I write this blog (and it is good to be reminded of that from time to time).  That is the reason I pastor a church.  That is the basis of my own personal vision statement, the vision for our church, and the vision I hope our entire denomination will be led by. 

 

I don't do 'personal devotions' very well.  This blog is going to be an attempt to find a spiritual discipline that helps me do it better.  You don't have to agree with me.  Please don't give me the pressure of daring to be 'inspired' by what scribblings are put down here.  Walk with me, pray for me, and lets change the world.

 

Peace and Long Life.