Christians, Get Along with Each Other!

Epistle to the Ephesians

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

If I had to sum up the message of Ephesians, I would say that it is for Christians to get along with each other. Not just socially, but also in the church and with family. The starting point for why this letter was written is once again; for the newly converted gentile Christians and Jewish Christians in the 1^st century to get along. While this theme keeps getting repeated in Paul’s letters, it provides a great example that is more universal than just the dispute between these two groups. In a way, these disputes act as an example of how we should all get along. In other words, we shouldn’t just look at the dispute between the gentile Christians and Jewish Christians as isolated and act amused at their inability to get along. Rather, we should look at our lives and see where we have created barriers with others, just because they are different.

But before we get too far in this discussion of Ephesians, there are two critical items regarding authorship and its date; and who the letter is written to we should discuss.

First, many scholars do not believe that this letter was written by Paul, but by a devoted student of Paul’s. The reason is the letter isn’t written with Paul’s normal literary style. Things like greetings and very personal well wishes are not as prevalent. But we should also know that in the first century, this was very common for a student to write in a teacher’s name. So, while in the 21^st century this might be considered a bit shady, in the 1^st century this was very acceptable and encouraged. So, if this is true than the letter was probably written around 80AD.

The reason for bringing this up; is that some people might feel that this is an inferior writing because of this issue. But the letter, by itself without this interesting quirk, was highly regarded by the early church leaders and thus its inclusion in the New testament. Because of the completeness of its message, I completely agree it is a very helpful letter for all Christians, regardless of this small quirk.

Another item, while the title is the Ephesians, I view this as an open letter to all churches and Christians. In other words, just take the word Ephesians and substitute your own church name. It will still apply. The reason for this thought is that the letter contains no reference to the church in Ephesus in its content. Thus causing me to think that it’s message is far more universal than just one church in Asia Minor.

So let’s turn to the opening verses in chapter 5, where it says, Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. So, what I see here is the attitude that is expressed, to walk in love as Christ loved us. What a wonderful sentiment! To just imitate Christ in all that we do.

So what does this mean? It doesn’t matter if we are a Yankee Catholic or a Southern Baptist. What matters is our desire to lovingly commune with all people with God through Jesus.

It also doesn’t mean to value each other differently based on our own special gifts. In other words, because one person is a banker and another is an author, that either is better. The most important thing is that we value each other as Christian.

We see this in chapter 4, verse 1-2 it says; As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

In other words, what we do and who we are isn’t as important as we how we treat each other. If you go into a business and meet the CEO and a dock worker, we are asked to treat both with humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

So, this is the primary message of this wonderful book in the Bible. As Christians, we should all get along with each other.  

Now another place we need to go, and it’s quite controversial; is Ephesians [5:21]-23, where it says; Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. The interpretation of these verses has led to a lot of harm over the years.

Some men have used the words, Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as a source of domination, while ignoring the words, Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is called Versification. Or in other words when we take selected words to support our behavior, instead of putting them together with other verses to understand their global meaning. This is very important. We always have to be careful in using the Bible to justify our behavior. Instead, use the Bible to form our behavior.

So my position on this controversial verse, is that I should treat my family out of reverence for Christ. I know there are some who will want to drag me back into the submission piece, but I feel my primary goal is one of love and not to have others dominated.

Finally, the last message of Ephesians is to stay strong in Christ. In chapter 6-13 it says, Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Another reminder of the purpose of faith. That we will all be tested, but keep to your beliefs and faith. And while things may be rough for a while, not giving in to evil or doubt will keep you safe. So while this statement doesn’t appear to fit with the theme of getting along as Christians, it does fit in with the theme of our Christian conduct. Which is still the overarching message of Ephesians.

This book is personally one of my favorites, as it gets to the point and is clear in its message of Christian conduct.

Read Ephesians with the knowledge, the writer wants us to all get along and put Christ first.

Listen to the Full Podcast – Christians, Get Along with Each Other!

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

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There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John [4:18]

A friend of mine said they were tired of listening to all the news about the Coronavirus, it was making him fearful. When I probed a little deeper to find out why; I discovered that during the day it was all he watched on television. Because he was now working at home; he had left the television on to get the latest news.

He had become obsessed with knowing everything he could about the virus. Over and over all day he heard terrible stories of despair. Leaving him on Friday’s exhausted and fearful. Well, we all know the cure for this, stop watching the news all day. Easy to say, but hard to do.  If you went to any mental health professional they would give you this advice, limit your watching the news to thirty minutes a day and try to watch at the same time each day.

Now beyond the obvious mental health benefit from this suggestion, it will also let other positive things appear, that had previously been blocked by the obsessive binge watching. Especially the positive of life. And more importantly, the positive things of heroism and joy that are sprouting up throughout our country and the world. Things you won’t find on TV, but they exist.

For instance, consider that there are over one hundred companies hunting down a vaccine, therapies, and better testing to wipe out the effect of the Corona Virus. Heroic people working through the night; many who haven’t had a day off for weeks.

Motivated to help, these people are passionately pursuing a way out with intense fervor. Everyday people who have the tools and education, working for humankind. They don’t fear failure, they are on a mission to help.

Despite what the news is telling us that a cure is eighteen months away, they actually hope it will happen far earlier. This past week, a new therapy was discovered in Chicago that showed wonderful results in rapidly reversing the effect of the virus. Likewise, in Great Britain, the leading scientist on vaccines, Dr. Sarah Gilbert, has stated that she is eighty percent sure she will have a vaccine available by September.

Many of the drug companies are doing this as a non-profit effort.

Also, consider the health care workers, who on the front line of this great struggle. Many working and staying at hospitals because they can’t go home. They stay day after day, because this what they trained to do, and this is the work they have to do.

In Great Britain, they asked for volunteers to help the vulnerable, over a quarter of a million people immediately signed up.

In Yorkshire, a ninety-nine-year-old army veteran is walking ten laps a day to raise money to fight the virus. His goal was to raise one thousand pounds, instead, his efforts have gone viral and he has actually raised the equivalent of twenty-three million dollars.

John Krasinski, you know him as Jim from the office,  has started a YouTube channel that is called Some Good News. His channel uplifts viewers and gives hope. Today, John has close to two million people viewing his channel. If you want to be uplifted; click this link and off you go to hear stories of human kindness; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5pgG1M_h_U.

In Rio De Janeiro, the famed Christ the Redeemer statue that stands above the city is illuminated with a health worker uniform and has thank you inscribed on the bottom.

On Easter morning New York City, the hardest hit by the Coronavirus, a rainbow appeared across the full horizon.

In Punjab, India, for the first time in decades, the local residents could see the Himalayas. Pollution is down by forty-four percent allowing these great mountains to be seen.

In hospitals around the world, doctors who work with facemasks, have pictures of themselves smiling on their uniforms.

Famous chefs around the globe are giving free cooking lessons on television and YouTube.

Elton John created and delivered a free concert shown from his living room. You can watch via this link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ptAm_JDZQQ

And there are so many more stories of people trying to help. Just type into Google, Corona Virus good news stories; and you will spend hours reading them all.

These are stories driven by love and not fear. Compassion from the hearts of people trying to give us hope. Not stories of panic, but stories making the world a better place. Stories that drown out the debilitating effect of fear.

In 1^st John, John tells us that perfect love drives out fear. That is what is driving the ninety-nine-year-old army veteran to walk every day in his garden. And the world has seen that love, instead of being driven by fear.

The health care workers around the world are more concerned with compassion than fear. They know what they have to do, and they do it. A tremendous walk across the bridge of fear to that of compassionate love. This is what heroism is.

Christ himself on Good Friday walked with his cross not fearful, but out of love for humankind. And that’s the point of John’s simple message. We all have trials in life and for some, there will be many more than they deserve. He exhorts us to not let fear drain us. Instead, let love lift us.

So my friend now loves John Krasinski’s, Some Good News channel on YouTube. The obsessive addiction of needing to hear the national news has been replaced by the uplifting events of humankind trying to help.

Choose today to seek love and not be put in a corner by fear. And sure there is plenty to be fearful of, but far more to admire and love.

Cross the bridge of fear and find love.

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Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

Luke [9:48]

Ann, a twelve-year girl, built a castle on a white sand beach. On top of the castle, she placed a cross. For the balance of her day, she knelt and prayed. Praying and thanking God for saving her family. In itself, this is an unusual act, but the events of the previous day were far more extraordinary.

A mother, Constance, and her two children, Ann and her sister Jean who was 14 had been on a two summer journey in a canoe. For two summers they would go north in a 20-foot freight canoe from Alberta Canada to the shores of the Arctic ocean, over 2,500 hundred miles.

Constance, who at this time was 47, had spent her early adulthood living in Alaska off the land. She hiked, canoed, and hunted in the most remote parts of the Alaskan wilderness. After the birth of her two children, she decided they should be raised in civilization and moved to Tucson. Her husband did not want to leave Alaska, so they divorced. Leaving Constance to raise these two young girls.

After a few years, Constance missed the wilderness and wanted to share the experience with the girls. They planned for a year and decided to spend two summers in a freight canoe with a nine horse-powered motor exploring the wilderness.

The first summer was eventful but safe. Ann had to have an appendectomy and missed the final month. They returned the next spring after the ice had melted and started off in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada, where they had stopped the previous summer. This meant they had to take their canoe across the Great Slave Lake to connect with the Mackenzie River and then head north.

The Great Slave Lake is remote and has few human habitats, larger than any of the Great Lakes. For a few weeks, they would be isolated making their way on the shoreline until they would cross over a nine-mile stretch to get the mouth of the Mackenzie River.

Well, they turned to cross too early. Constance, using very vague maps thought they were crossing at the right spot, where it would be a short nine-mile crossing and somewhat sheltered from the wind.

As they were miles offshore, Constance realized her mistake. Instead of a nine-mile crossing with some shelter to break the wind, they had an eighteen-mile journey instead, most of it into strong headwinds. It was too late to turn back by the time Constance figured this out. So they plowed ahead.

Jean had learned to master the motor and for a substantial part of the trip was in charge of the motor and sat in the back of the canoe. Constance was the navigator and sat in the front of the canoe, giving Jean directions. As the wind got worse they buckled down what they could, but still stayed exposed to the wind and icy water that splashed on them every time the canoe hit a wave.

Jean sat in the back with her hand on the motor and followed her mother’s direction. After a while, Constance noticed they hadn’t made any headway. The shore was still far away. She stopped looking and thought of what to do. They were doomed without a new plan.

Constance quieted herself and began to pray. Now, not a religious person, but she had been getting impulses to get closer to God. So now she did. In her desperate prayer, she felt that God told her to slightly change the way they were going into the waves. Not sideways, but at a little different angle.

She ended her prayer and signaled to Jean to slightly alter their course. Earlier, Jean had been wondering if this would work. Now that her mother had told her to do this, she became confident and steered the boat at a slightly different angle.

For the next two hours, they made headway and Jean frozen and wet from the blowing wind and water, never took her hand off the motor. Gripping it, literally as if her life depended on it.

Finally, they arrived at the white sand beach on the shore of one of the most dangerous lakes in North America. Neither of the two girls’ hands worked because of the cold, yet Jean never let go of her grip. Constance built a twenty-foot fire to warm them up. In their tent, they slept peacefully that night.

In the morning, Ann built the shrine.

Both Ann and Constance had long ago begun feeling like they should explore God and find out who God was. They never went to church, but knew God was important. They were always distracted living life and could never find quite the right time.

But on that day, there was no else to turn, but to God. And God answered. A slight change in the course had saved them. A message that Constance knew came from God. And Ann praying in the canoe, asking for help, knew God had heard her as well.

In an overwhelming sense of gratitude, Ann built the shrine and spent her day kneeling and praying to God.

Jesus often used children to express faith. The innocence of those who have not been tainted by the world. Allowing them to see God vividly. Ann knew who had saved her. She didn’t need some long theological reason, she just needed her childlike faith. A faith that drowns out the contrary messages delivered by the world. A faith of innocence.

For Constance, God had been calling her for years. She had been too busy raising children and working. Exhausted from her roles as mother and provider, she never had the time or energy to hear what God had to say.

In a desperate moment, she had no choice this time, but to hear God out. She listened and obeyed, saving her children.

In an extraordinarily remote wilderness, a gift was delivered to three people. The gift of faith.

Author’s Note: This story comes from a book called Down the Wild River North, written by Constance Helmericks. The book is the story of their two summer journey in 1965 and 1966. Constance wrote eight books in her lifetime. I read this book in 1979. She died in 1989 of breast cancer. Jean lives in Alaska today and is also an author. Ann moved to Alaska as well. Both are now in their seventies.

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Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

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Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 4:2

A friend of mine, whom we will call Tom, called this week looking for financial advice. He is unfortunately generally unaware of the workings of investing. He was very unhappy with his financial advisor and due to the Coronavirus had seen his saving shrink considerably. Far more than the rest of the stock market.

His mistake was he went with a financial advisor who invested in some highly speculative places. Naturally, in a steep downturn, like we are having, these investments will perform poorly. And these investments also contain very high fees, further eroding his nest egg.

Instead of answering his question, I asked him two questions. The first is what were his goals? In other words, what was he saving for; retirement, a nest egg to cushion difficult times or college.

The second question was had he prayed before he made his decision? And had to go to God to seek advice?

In both cases he had done neither, leaving him exposed to luck and the wiles of a person he had only met with for an hour or so.

Ironically, the same day, another person, whom we will call Sally, called seeking the same advice. In this difficult time, she had a different plan. She was looking to save money wherever she could and was cutting household expenses quickly. To her cash was king. She wasn’t looking to score a big return, instead, she was looking to protect her family.

She knew that the Coronavirus not only affected her family’s health but also her ability to provide for her family. She knew jobs would be at a premium and this wasn’t the time to get risky.

She also prayed a lot. Seeking guidance and wisdom.

I could not offer her any new wisdom, other than just keep doing what she was doing and to stay close to God.

In Colossians, a book chock full of great advice, it says; Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Three pieces of wonderful advice; pray and pray a lot; be watchful and be thankful.

This is what tough times require. So let’s start with, why prayer, and how to pray. First, have faith that God is the source of all answers, not just another place to go. With an open mind and in a quiet place, layout your worries and ask; what do I do? Then listen with a clear head, what the Spirit is telling us.

Some people will say that it is way too simple. Well, it isn’t, the hardest part is being open and receptive. Not having preconceived ideas in prayer or our personal wishes is very hard to do. But prayer requires us to be a blank piece of paper. The more we remove ourselves and our wishes, the more God can talk to us and give us His plan.

Now you might not get your answer in the prayer session, but the answer will come shortly. It might be through a Bible verse you read latter. Or perhaps through circumstances or another person. But only you will know what is a real answer or an illusion.

This is where being watchful comes in. First and foremost know the facts. Know what God is telling you and know your situation. Know both of these in great detail. Then as events play out, you will see God working.

This process is a commitment on our parts. It is not just going to God and asking. It is also a responsibility to know the facts and the details of our lives and what God is saying to us. God isn’t a genie, that we ask, and we automatically receive. Always remember we are in a partnership with God. This partnership requires us to be watchful.

Then we turn to thankful. By going to God and then being watchful; God’s plan in our lives we be revealed. It is here that we can be thankful. Thankful that God listened and for God.  And there is no greater feeling of accomplishment when your plans with God work out. You become assured of God’s love and God’s presence.

Now both Tom and Sally are not their real names, those names will remain anonymous. Sally put in the work. She had tossed and turned her numbers. She had focused on what was most important. She knew God wanted her to protect her family. She knew it was a big task and it required a lot of extra thinking. She wasn’t going to let the Coronavirus threaten her family. This was what she felt God wanted her to do.

Her very nature is humility and hard work. Those her know her would agree. She is also a woman of great faith. Knowing her, I know when she started to pray, she didn’t bring her personal wishes to God, but openly looked for help. She didn’t cloud the issue with thoughts of grandeur or to get God to rubber-stamp her ideas. She wanted answers from a place that had answered her continuously in her life. This was serious business and she was serious.

Tom was looking for the big hit. A clever advisor had gotten Tom to hand over his life savings. A quick and easy way to become wealthier. What seemed to be good to be true was just that, too good to be true. He didn’t pray or become watchful. He went for the Hail Mary, in a time when risk needed to be eliminated.

Now you might ask, why didn’t he go to God first? Well, if you knew Tom, he is a great Christian and knows the Bible really well, but Tom is also prone to taking short cuts. Too quick to seek the next great thing.

Sure he has a great relationship with God, but in this case, his Achilles heel got exposed.

And that is the point of being watchful in prayer. Slow down and make sure you know what God is telling you to do. Rid ourselves of our wishes, so that we can replace them with God’s and common sense.

These are difficult days. And with certainty, I know things will be better. But in these times we have to make good decisions.

We only need to do three things;

• Be devoted to prayer
• Be watchful
• Be thankful

And don’t forget God is with us.

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Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

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Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1

If you visit Ephesus, in all likelihood you will see a small tower in town that the locals will tell you it is the prison Paul was in when he wrote Colossians. Now, nowhere in the Bible does it mention Paul was in prison in Ephesus, leading some scholars to think this is a traditional aspiration on the part of the citizens of Ephesus. Maybe it is or isn’t, but it certainly makes for an interesting discussion.

But what we are sure of is that Paul did write some of his letters while sitting in prison, three in fact. They are Philippians, Philemon, and Colossians. They are called the Prison Epistles. Whether or not they were written in a Roman prison, Ephesus or somewhere else is interesting, but not the real story. It’s more about Paul’s commitment to Christ, despite his circumstances.

So it is easy to miss Paul’s commitment to his work, as we read his letters. But let us put ourselves in Paul’s shoes. His trials and dangers during his three missionary trips are legendary. And that is what is important. His rock-steady commitment to spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire is not just a fictional story, it was real life. Filled with danger, resistance, physical harm, and prison stays.

Imagine ourselves, sitting in prison, all because we preached the gospel. Would we have stopped to pursue a less turbulent life? Could we have focused on the mission, while surrounded by jail bars? Well, Paul did, and not only that, some of his best writing came while sitting in a dank and dark prison. Now to me, that shows exactly how much Paul trusted God.

So, when we read Colossians this is a good thing to keep in mind.

Another interesting historical note about Colossians is that Paul never visited Colossae, a small town in current-day Turkey. The church was established by a convert of Paul’s, Epaphras. Epaphras was successful in getting the church started and off the ground. The church blossomed and many started attending on a regular basis.

But as is normal for any new organization, outsiders started to try to change things. Things like mixing Christianity with worshipping pagan festivals. Others tried to introduce human philosophies to mix in with Christian theology. Still, others tried to introduce restrictions based on Judaic traditions.

Most importantly people started giving the church theories about Jesus and his origin. All of which was off target.

Paul, by now has had a great experience with these outside influences and knew just what to say to the church in Colossae. So, instead of bemoaning the fact he was stuck in a prison, he wrote this wonderful letter to the Colossians.

For instance, in regard to Jesus and his origin, Paul writes; For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians [1:16])

So here it is, one of the most articulate and understandable statements about who Jesus is and his origin in the Bible. The ruling authority of all that exists, both visible and invisible. All created by Jesus and for Jesus. The bottom line, Jesus is the boss of everything he created!

The second thing Paul does with this letter is to make sure the church knows how proud Paul is of them. And when you read chapter one, you will see his praise. In verses 3-4, Paul says; We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—

Now, this piece is very important, Paul is letting them know they are on course and to continue and not let others tell them differently.

When you read this book, and it doesn’t take long, you will find it is full of wonderful theology and statements about being a Christian. So many, you will find yourself highlighting many of the passages. One of my favorites is; Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)

The reason I love this verse is Paul is doing what he is writing. His complete focus; and I really mean complete, was to focus on following Jesus. Nothing else is more important than following the ways of Jesus to Paul, not prison, beatings or scarcity. He stays committed no matter what happens to him. And he keeps doing the job Jesus has given to him; converting the Gentiles.

As I said before, Colossians is filled with short but powerful statements about what Christian life is and looks like. Listed below are some of these verses you will encounter.

• So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ([2:16])
• Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (3:5)
• Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (4:2)
• Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ([3:13])
• Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (3:2)

By no means is this list complete, but it gives a general idea. An interesting exercise when reading this book is to highlight these phrases that you like. Colossians is so rich in Christian statements; I suspect you will highlight half the book!

Colossians is a valuable addition to the New Testament for us. For history buffs, it is written to a church that Paul didn’t start and shows the power of the Gospel in the 1^st century. The church was growing without Paul’s direct influence, but still much related to him.

For us, in the 21^st century, if you want the Readers Digest version of the purpose of Jesus and how to be a good Christian, here it is in Colossians. The language is clear, and concepts vibrantly expressed.

The next time you have a few minutes, read Colossians with this background and it might become one of your favorite places in the Bible.

Author’s note: I have been very clear that I believe Paul wrote this letter and a number of scholars agree. But you should know there is some disagreement as to its authorship. I suspect that Timothy helped draft this letter with Paul, which has created this scholarly concern.

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Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman