Question: Ever heard the expression, “He/she is one-of-a-kind”? Probably so. We can be tempted to think that originality is invariably a good thing. But I know of no one who does not model himself/herself on others. And I would like to proffer the thesis that imitating the right people is not only biblical and mimetic, but wise.

Scripture: There are paragons galore from which I could pick. But Paul’s words in Philippians are so clear when it comes to this theme of imitating the right people–not just anybody, but the right people:

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:17-21, ESV)

Teaching: Did you catch Paul’s command to imitate the right people? It’s right there in verse 17. First, he tells the Philippians to join in imitating him (Paul). Why? Is that Paul’s hubris surfacing? No. On the contrary; Paul had grown to hate his former pride and Pharisaism. He was the meekest of Christians now, pastoring, planting churches, arguing with skeptics in the synagogues, and offering reasoned defenses of the faith with skeptics and all who would listen.

Second, he tells the Philippians that many “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ” (v. 18). In other words, know that you have people working against God and against God’s people. So, be wise. Be vigilant. Be diligent. Be steadfast. Be of good courage.

Encouragement: Mimesis is simply imitating those you admire. It’s right and proper. You could aim to be original in everything, but you might just end up being a new kind of failure. Paul tells us not to do that. He tells the Philippian believers the same lesson he tells believers today: Imitate the godly heroes of the faith. Imitate their depth, their wisdom, their service, their love, their courage, their faithfulness.

Text: “that I may know him [Christ] and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11, ESV).

Context: A prison letter, that’s what Philippians is. The apostle Paul was writing to this congregation of Christians in Philippi (present-day Greece).

Paul had several reasons for writing to them:

• to thank them (1:3)
• to remind them of the faithfulness of God, especially amidst trials (1:6)
• to encourage them to love and serve one another (1:9)
• to remind them to have courage amidst opposition (1:27-30)

The list could easily continue of reasons Paul wrote to these people he loved.

Teaching: I would guess that Philippians 4:13 is one of the most decontextualized and misapplied and misinterpreted verses in all the Bible: “I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me.” It’s often reduced to kitsch on jerseys, helmets, and coffee mugs. And many folks have no idea what the letter of Philippians is all about. It’s written by a Christian man who is incarcerated for telling the truth in a pagan world system, and that system’s leadership hated the truth and the heralds of that truth. Here, that herald is Paul in the 1st century A.D.

That’s why it’s so easy to miss this whole verse: “that I may know him [Christ] and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11, ESV).

When’s the last time you heard of Christians being taught that verse fully and in context?

More often than not, Christianity gets pitched like it’s candies of blessing for children rather than divine doctrine for theological battle.

Paul teaches that we are to embrace suffering that comes by virtue of laboring faithful in Christian ministry. We’re to count the costs, in other words. We’re to know that because Christ suffered, his people will suffer. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Christianity is not candies of blessing for children but rather divine doctrine for theological battle.

Encouragement: To be encouraged from the Scriptures is foundational, but that entails not glossing over the hard parts, not ripping verses from their context, not turning verses into t-shirt slogans, but instead living them out via transformed lives as those who’ve counted the costs, who’ve spent times of depth in the Scriptures, and who, by God’s grace, are allowed to fight on another day.

Introduction: Is suffering always bad? Not according to Scripture. Here’s what I mean…

Context: Philippians is one of Paul’s letters in the New Testament. It has been called a letter of joy. One of the crucial ironies of the letter is to remember that it was written from prison, where Paul was chained for bearing witness to the gospel. Joy amidst chains? Yes. Suffering but penning a letter to people he loved? Yes. The grace of suffering? Yes.

Paul writes to “the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi” (Phil 1:1, ESV) and reminds them of God’s grace to them and himself, and how God uses suffering as a grace:

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Phil 1:29-30, ESV).

Did we catch that? It has been granted to not only become believers in Christ but also to suffer for his sake.

Belief in the truth and suffering for that truth are graces of the sovereign God.

Some Reflections upon Why:

• As a testimony (Phil 1:15-18)
• To reveal the genuine (Phil 1:28)
• As encouragement to those who follow (Phil 1:25)
• To increase our love of Christ (Phil 1:9)
• To humble us (Phil 2:7-8)
• To strengthen us (Phil 4:13)

Encouragement/takeaway: Belief in the truth and suffering for that truth are graces of the sovereign God. Suffering for the sake of the gospel is not wasted or extraneous suffering. It is used by God to shape us into effective vessels–not for ourselves alone but for all who will come to the truth.

Introduction: I was in Philippians 1 recently. Paul, writing from prison due to his Christian witness, wrote to a Christian congregation. In the opening remarks of his letter, do you know what he wrote about? Discernment.

“For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:8-11, ESV).

Discernment: Keenness of insight; accurate judgment.

Question: Is discernment an outlier, a one-off, an issue with which the Christian should dispense and/or minimize?

Answer: No. God forbid. Scores of times in Scripture, believers are commanded to be people of discernment. Why? In order to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. It’s just one example: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1, ESV).

Here are just some of the others:

• Psalm 73:17
• 2 Samuel 19:35
• Ephesians 5:10
• 1 Corinthians 2:14
• Isaiah 27:11
• Philippians 1:9
• Hebrews 5:14
• Proverbs 2
• 1 John 4:1

The list could go on, but you get the idea.

Romans 12:9 tells us to “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” How can we know what those things are unless we have our powers of discernment trained?

I run the risk of beating the same drum, but I’m nothing if not persistent. Folks, God commands his people to be people of depth, of discernment, of wisdom. It is shameful the levels of entertainment and kitsch that pass for biblical Christianity in some places. God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7).

Encouragement/takeaway: We ought to strive to be a people who use our minds well; we should not settle for antics or sentimentality when the souls of men and women are before us. We cannot love that which we do not also grasp with the mind. Emotionalism is not Christianity. Traditionalism is not Christianity.

But we will not know these truths if we do not first learn to discern.

Bottom line up front: Pilgrimage as shaping metaphor

Text (Psalm 121, ESV):

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Questions/teaching: How important is one’s anthropology (doctrine of man) when it comes to mission effectiveness? I would wager that most folks would concede it is central. The question of “What is man?” is unavoidable. Failure to accurately define man, his nature, his purpose, his origin, his destiny, etc. results in mission creep, death by a thousand cuts, bureaucracy, and ineffectiveness. Currently in the military, a healthy restructuring is occurring wherein we are training to become lighter, faster, more lethal, and more maneuverable. But that entails recognizing what people are like; in other words, it means dealing with anthropology (the doctrine of man). In the military, one of the regulations currently en vogue is Holistic Health and Fitness (FM 7-22). Is spiritual readiness central for us Service Members? Even according to the Army, it is:

A spiritually fit individual is generally productive at work and performs assigned tasks with a high degree of effectiveness and efficiency. The confidence of identity provided through spiritual readiness practices enables the person to not only endure challenging and stressful situations, but provides purpose and meaning for the conduct of normal tasks. Just as a drop in productivity and performance can potentially indicate behavioral health issues, they can also indicate a spiritual readiness concern. While an individual’s moral and ethical reasoning might not change or deviate, his or her performance and productivity might waiver. This is also true when mission requirements prevent attendance at spiritual readiness events or hinder personal spiritual readiness practices. Creating conditions that encourage personal spiritual readiness practices can facilitate sustained performance and productivity for both individuals and a team. Monitoring of duty assignments can also prevent the same person from experiencing repetitive schedule conflicts which prevent attendance at spiritual readiness events (FM 10-35).

A return to the question: How important is one’s anthropology (doctrine of man) when it comes to mission effectiveness? Wise soldiering will recognize and implement spiritual readiness by fostering a climate wherein the reality of man’s spirit is addressed openly and wisely. If you are raising a generation of Soldiers who can articulate who they are, where they came from, where they’re headed, and why, then you have a combat multiplier. The converse likewise applies: If you capitulate to the wrong anthropology where generations of Soldiers cannot articulate who they are, where they came from, where they’re headed, or why, then we should not be surprised at the moral melee that results.

Encouragement/takeaway: Effectiveness and efficiency were the terms H2F employed. Scripture pictures it as simply biblical anthropology. Man is created in the image of God, either male or female, and we’re designed by the master Designer. He formed not only you and me, but all created things, things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And we’re to use our hearts, minds, souls, and strength to the best of our abilities because we’re not just matter in motion. We are spiritual pilgrims who are the creations of the infinite-personal God who does all things well.

Introduction: I was reading R.C. Sproul’s The Hunger for Significance: Seeing the Image of God in Man, and came across this zinger from one of the best minds and hearts I’ve been blessed to discover through his writings: Jonathan Edwards.

Edwards’ zinger: “If love is the sum of Christianity, surely those things which overthrow love are exceedingly unbecoming to Christians. An envious Christian, a malicious Christian, a cold and hard-hearted Christian, is the greatest absurdity and contradiction. It is as if one should speak of dark brightness, or a false truth” (from Edwards’ Charity and Its Fruits).

Encouragement: I read an article recently that claimed that biblical Christianity is again on the rise in the places where it is most persecuted. As one who studies a great amount of church history, the article did not surprise me. That has been the pattern throughout church history. When truth is most hated by the secular system, it spreads. Persecution is used by God to spur true Christians to seriousness and commitment.

Easy times, on the other hand, result in watered-down, mind-numbingly shallow and/or false Christianity, which is no Christianity at all. That is where many places are–hollow shells of the theology their members once laid claim and allegiance to. Those are the kinds of places Satan adores; they’re no threat to him or his legions of demons.

But what Sproul is driving at in his book, and what Edwards expressed in his inimitable ways in his many works, is that genuine Christianity is unstoppable. Why? Because it’s true. Because it’s rooted in the God who walked out of the grave, conquering death, the tomb, demons, Satan, and hell. And it’s rooted in the God who loved sinners enough to both die and live for them.

Bottom line up front: Two (Wise) Things for Which to Ask God

The text is Proverbs 30:7-9 (ESV):

7 Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.

What (2) Things: What two things does the wise person ask God for? One was distance between him and falsehood/lying (v. 8a). What a prayer! He’s praying for his own integrity and for his name to not to be associated with anything but honor. I say again, what a prayer. Second, he asked the Lord for “neither poverty nor riches” (v. 8b). How rare is that? Very unmaterialistic. Why does the wise man pray for that? Because he knows his own weaknesses. He knows that man’s default posture is one of idolatry. We want the gifts but not the Giver.

Encouragement/takeaway: I say very often to myself and to those close to me something along these lines: “Some passages are easy to preach but hard to live.” This is one of them. Why? Because we can all be tempted to prevaricate in order to be liked instead of telling the truth and being hated. The lie just seems so easy sometimes.

And second, sinful desires: “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:16) and it is impossible in our own strength to vanquish those desires. Ergo, the Christian is to seek the things of God via renewing his mind (Romans 12:1-2) and delighting himself in the ways of God (Psalm 37:4).

Bottom line up front: Consistency is key.

Illustration: When I was earning my B.A. and M.A. in English many moons ago, I worked many jobs to put myself through school in those years. One of my jobs was as a carpenter’s assistant. Though I am not naturally gifted in carpentry, I have a deep respect for carpentry. I learned a great deal about the craft in those years. One of the blessings that came my way during those years was being an assistant to a master carpenter named Lyman. Lyman had a long, silver, grizzly beard, and he sipped coffee all day long from his large, very dented, very worn Stanley thermos. He wore suspenders and a button shirt, and he carried a thick carpenter’s pencil in his right breast pocket. He wore faded and worn jeans, and he always wore suspenders over his button shirt. He rolled his own cigarettes from a tin of tobacco. When he rolled his cigarettes, he always knew I’d be watching him. Though I have never been a smoker, I was mesmerized by the smoothness and grace with which he rolled the tobacco into the papers, licked the cig quickly, lit it with his Zippo, and enjoyed his time during our breaks. Lyman was as consistent and faithful in his work, his craft of carpentry, and in his dedication as any man I’ve ever known. When I look back on those years now, I’m amazed how many years have gone by, and by how much Lyman impacted me. He was truly a remarkable (and remarkably consistent) man.

Context: Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem of 22 letters, each section beginning with the subsequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As a whole, the psalm is a psalm of praise; it praises God’s Word and God’s law. The psalm, quite lengthy by standards of Hebrew poetry, is comprised of 176 verses.

Text: “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law” (Psalm 119:113, ESV).

Takeaway/encouragement: What does my old buddy Lyman have to do with Psalm 119:113? Much. Lyman was consistent. You could set your clock by him if you’d had to. When the sun was up, or if weather permitted him (and us) to work in carpentry at all on workdays, he’d be there. He’d measure, cut, nail, stand up walls, lay on the level, snap the chalk line, and we’d nail some more. He’d roll his cigs and enjoy his smoke. He’d sip coffee from his old Stanley thermos. He was single-minded in his dedication, calling/purpose. He was consistent. What a testimony. God says in Psalm 119:133 that he hates double-mindedness. Many people mislabel God as a soft Santa Claus-like figure who dispenses joys and trinkets for spiritual infants, but that’s not the God of Scripture. Here, God says that he “hates.” And one of the things he hates is “the double-minded.” All the psalmist is teaching is that God loves and awards those who labor (Lyman-like) in their obedience to his (God’s) law and Word. Simple. Not easy, but simple.

Introduction: In some of my studies, I am in Paul’s letter of Ephesians. Structurally and theologically, no matter how many times I study Ephesians, I stand amazed. At its most basic level, it divides into two theological sections. Chapters 1-3 are indicative chapters; that is, they tell Christians what God has already accomplished. Chapters 4-6 are the imperative chapters; that is, they tell Christians what we are to do. In short, Ephesians is structured along this model: Since God has done A,B,& C, his people are to do X,Y, & Z.

Text:

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:6-17)

Pauline Paradigm: Paul is such a masterful writer. Look at the contrasts he has in the section above:

• Empty words (bloviating) vs. Truth/depth

• Darkness vs. Light

• Drivel/filler vs. Discernment/wisdom

• Secrecy/darkness vs. Transparency/light

• Foolishness vs. Wisdom

Encouragement/takeaway: The beauty of imperatives is their simplicity. Not their ease, but their simplicity.

God’s people are not to settle for empty words, bloviating, drivel, filler, folly, and ramblings.

They’re instead to expose such perversions. In Paul’s words, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:15-17, ESV).

God condemns foolishness and he commands his people to be discerning and wise instead.

Trying to be unbiased about a story and setting one loves so fully is less than easy. Set in South Carolina and parts of western North Carolina, Rash’s novel is simple structurally: there’s been a murder; there’s been an affair. It’s in a sense a “whodunit?” Where’s the body? Is it buried? If so, how was it accomplished and by whom? Can the sheriff prove it?

There’s no lack of lying and Southern protectiveness about one’s past, one’s property, or one’s privacy.

As to describing the crushing infiltration of the massive monstrous electric company clearing the region of its history and identity (not to mention its trees, creeks, streams, wildlife, and simple farms), Rash excels. Perfect.

Rash’s greatest strength is his ear for spoken upstate SC and WNC language. He’s a fine ear. The dialogue of his characters, especially the interior monologues of his characters, demonstrates that.

Rash also is dialed when it comes to the complexity of family tragedy. This book is not written at the level of one of Faulkner’s masterpieces about Thomas Sutpen, that’s certain, but Rash is adept at dramatizing how our families are all fractured. Each family has at least one beloved who is estranged, arguably with good reasons.

Again, I concede my prejudice in favor Rash’s setting in this book. His characters, too, I respected. Why? Well, they were real. Warts and all.