Willy Reimer’s Blog

Today I came across Hebrews 10:29 during my journalling time.  This verse rests in the middle of a passage intended to encourage the reader to persevere in their faith.  Some portions of the Bible address perseverance through encouragement.  Hebrews 10 uses warning.  It says;

²⁶If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 ³²Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. ³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

 ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  Hebrews 10:26-36

This passage is not aimed at people who reject Christ or who are living apart from relationship with Jesus but are exploring who he is.  This passage is aimed squarely at people who have experienced the unmerited favour and grace of Jesus and are now rejecting that grace.

As I read this passage this morning I was struck by the strength of the author’s call to Christ-followers to persevere so that we don’t have to live with consequences of falling away from Christ.  This is a tough passage.  Many North American Christians follow Jesus when it is convenient, useful and/or comforting.  Hebrews tells us that it is scandalous to treat Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf as if it were a commodity that is returnable at any time.  I don’t know what the line is between struggle, faithlessness and “trampling the Son of God,” but it is clear from this passage that gift of grace is not something to be taken lightly.

At breakfast this morning I was listening to stories of Mennonite pastors who have been imprisoned repeatedly for thier faith and thier work as pastors.  It was simply a reality of what it means to follow Jesus in thier context.  I know in the next few days I will hear more stories of struggle, persecution and faithfulness in spite of circumstances and persecution.

As I listen I’m asking God to show me what it means to persevere in a country where it is so easy to be quiet about my faith not because I fear persecution but because it is not politically correct to speak out with conviction about being a Christ-follower.  It is “un-Canadian” to be forthright about Jesus.  The result is so many Canadian Christians live out their faith in silence and as a result our children don’t know what it means to follow Jesus and friends and neighbors think that Christians are just nice people who are part of weekend club that does some good things around the world.  I don’t think Jesus died for that and is that close to “trampling” over Jesus?

On Wednesday my son’s team, U17 Elite West Volleyball Club defeated Puerto Rico’s Envoy VB Club for the US Jr. Olympics National Club Championship.  The Puerto Rican team was bigger, could hit with great power and show and their team hadn’t lost in two years.  They also beat us in pool play and were confident they would beat us in the final.  We took them two straight.  In fact they never really challenged us.

Parental pride aside the tournament playoffs were a study in strategy, momentum and flow.  In the quarter, semi and finals we never allowed the others teams to get into the flow of their game and capitalize on their strengths.  In the final we began with a few good blocks and then executed a game plan that kept the PR’s out of their rhythm.  They could never really unleash their big hitters and ride an emotional wave to victory as they were accustomed to doing. Instead they rode an emotional wave of frustration to defeat.  Our team executed the coaches’ game plan perfectly.  We were not in awe of our opponents strengths; rather we focused on our strengths which exposed their weaknesses.  At the end of the tournament the underdogs stood victorious while the favored defending champs were left wondering what went wrong.

Watching our team work play on the last day reminded me a great deal about the Christian life.  All too often we become overwhelmed by the taunts of the enemy and get our eyes off of Jesus and listen to the lies of Evil one.  As my friend Bob Ekblad points out in his book “Reading the Bible with the damned,” the serpent got Eve to take her eyes off of the truth of God and instead believed the lies the Serpent was feeding her.

¹⁵ The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. ¹⁶ But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— ¹⁷ except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:15-17

Look at the blessings:

§      They could eat all they wanted to from every tree except one.

§      If they disobeyed they would not be punished for eating but the consequence of eating was death. (Warning)

Then the serpent shows up to lie to Eve.

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”² “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³ “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”⁴ “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵ “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:1-6

The serpent begins by re-framing who God is for Eve and she lets him. Following the serpent’s lead Eve only partially corrects him when she says that they can eat the fruit of other trees but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and they can’t even touch it.  God didn’t say that.  Adam didn’t correct the teaching either and both of their minds and hearts were distracted from the goodness of God (You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden) and onto the lies they couldn’t achieve.  Adam and Eve lost momentum, played to their weaknesses and Satan’s strengths (deceit) and lost the match.

All too often we take our eyes off of Jesus and allow our focus to be stolen by half truths, lies and deception and we begin to believe the lies about God.  As we spiral down and away from God we commits sins, we bite the apple and allow our shame to re-frame God as a God of judgment when in fact he is not judging us but our own behaviors are which separate us from God’s love.

After Adam and Eve’s act of self-absorption God didn’t punish them, he protected them by removing them from the garden, providing clothes for them to wear and outlining consequences that would help to push Adam and Eve back to God.  Why did He do all this?  He loves us. He loves you and invites you to focus on who he really is not who the serpent tries to get us to believe He is.

I’m camped out in Asuncion, Paraguay.  I’ll write more from the Mennonite World Conference as I have a chance.

Gwen and I spent July the 4th listening to bands while we waited for Atlanta’s greatest fireworks show–and it was great.  Americans know how to celebrate their Independence day. They are patriotic to a fault which of course leads me to reflect on Canadians inability to celebrate a country that is so preoccupied with being open and multicultural that we don’t what it means to celebrate Canada Day or being Canadian.  We’ve lost our identity.

In a few days I’m heading for the Mennonite World Conference where Mennonite and Brethren in Christ folks from around the world get together ot worship, celebrate what God is doing and discuss what unifies us.  When this many people from around the globe get together you need more more than language, culture, politics to unify you.  You need Jesus.  He’s bigger than nationality, language, or worship styles. He is the center around which everything else revolves. He’s bigger than the 4th of July.

Gwen and I just returned from visiting the MLKjr Historic Site.  The MLK museum is rigt beside the church he used to preach at and a block away from the home he was raised in.  I was very impressed by his fortitude in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  I was depressed by lack of any reference to his faith or his relationship with Christ save for the one station that records his “dark night of the soul” when he prayed for courage to go on.  The Lord spoke to MLK that that and his courage to continue was re-energized.  A few days later his home was bombed.  MLK was convinced that that path to freedom was through aggressive nonresistance. In fact he said, “the choice is not between nonresistance and violence but between nonresistance and nonexistence.” MLK understood that the path to social transformation was the way of Christ.

MLK’s faith demanded a response to socio-political realities of his day.  People were oppressed because of their skin color which helped to reinforce an economic system.  The Jesus of their southern white church reinforced the vales, economics, politics and laws of the oppressors.  Jesus was interpreted in light of our image rather the other way around. MLK, faults aside, did understand that the gospel must make a difference if it is as it claims to be.  The preoccupation of our faith cannot be with ourselves but with Christ and with others.  As MLK said, “The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

The primary preoccupation of Christ-followers is not the questions, “what can Jesus do for me” but rather, “what has jesus called me to do for others?” Too many Christ-followers, me included are preoccupied with a form of spiritual narcissism. We think or at least behave as if Jesus died to make our lives easier.  He didn’t.  He died so that we can live without any fear of death.  Throughout this world there are people who live without any sense of justice or hope because those who could/should speak for them don’t.  As MLK said, “We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

I have to ask myself, “where have I been silent to the determent of others?” Where have you been silent? Where do we need we need to speak up, show up, “do” up to bring the reality of the good news of Jesus Christto their realities? What is mine to do? What is yours to do? MLK understood what God had given him to do and he followed through with his mission; are you?

On Sunday my family and i had the privilege of participating in the 3rd annual Serve Day.  What a great day to work together to bless people.  My wife, youngest son and I joined a group of people who were serving the folks at the Victory Outreach Center in Ogden. We had a great day demolishing a suite in preparation for renovations (I think I have a gift for demolition) and serving the residents a BBQ lunch.  In the evening we attended the Serve Day Celebration BBQ and service which was a great time.  It was exciting to see 8 south Calgary churches come together to show God’s love to people who in most cases did not participate in our faith communities.  It was simply a way of saying, “God loves you and we want to serve you so you can see how much he loves you.” No strings attached.  The stories were inspiring, the camaraderie was energizing and God was honored.  If you have a Serve Day story I’d love to hear it. 

Tonight we celebrated my parents 60th wedding anniversary! Amazing. Sixty years.  What were you doing sixty years ago?  Were you even born?  Over the past sixty years my parents have demonstrated a depth of relationsihp and commitment to each other that is incredibly inspiring.  They poured thier hearts and energy into providing us with a secure home that honored Jesus nad liad a foundation for us to

I have rarely been as thankful for eggs on toast as I was this morning.  I’m getting my energy back and the feeling of carrying a rock in my stomach is finally leaving me.  Once again the simple exercise of eating like much of the world eats as given me an appreciation for how good I have it and how I take food for granted.  Millions and millions of people can’t get a good meal which means they don’t receive the nutrition they need which makes it more difficult to work or even think clearly.  While the decision to participate in ELA is a personal one (as it should be) many people have missed out the experience because ELA was too inconvenient.  That makes me sad.  So many missed out on an eye opening experience–not to mention a quick way to loose weight.  While I’m grateful to be eating more than rice and bits of protein today I’m even more grateful that I have a choice.  I also have a choice about what to do with the surpluses that I enjoy.  How will I use the resources God has given me and Jesus will hold me responsible for? We all have options and so much of what we do/use is far beyond necessity.  The week might be over the lesson has only begun.

Learned something new today about ELA.  I tried working out at the gym and discovered that I had no energy.  I was completely waisted.  I couldn’t hardly run, I couldn’t do push-ups without feeling like I was going to die.  Now I know something of are thinking, “that’s because you’re old.”  While I am old I’m not dead.  Eating a diet with little food value makes it difficult to function.  This got me thinking about the long term impact of global hunger.  Often I think only about how terrible it is that people are starving while others live with far too much.  When you’re hungry it’s hard to function as a worker, student, or simply trying to live.  Most people in the developing world have to a much more physically strenuous life than we do because they need to gather food, firewood, water etc just to survive everyday.  There are no taps turn on or grocery stores to walk or drive to.  What are you learning as you ELA?

I thought I had a rock in my stomach and then I realized it was rice!  Two days of oatmeal or rice is getting to me.  Getting carbed up while protein lies all around me is killing me–sort of.  This simple eating exercise is teaching me how deep my cravings go and how I am oh so quick to explain why I should give in to them.  How’s it going for you?  What are you learning from ELA?

Well, it’s the end of my first day of oatmeal, rice and beans and rice and chicken bits.  Suddenly so many foods looked and smelled so good.  I felt and heard the rumblings of my stomach and thought of the many kids who don’t know any feelings other than hunger.  I thought of the kids who picked up our discarded banana peels and tried to scape bits of nutrition from the peels.  Suddenly my hunger pangs didn’t seem like such a big deal.  How was your first day? Write a comment on the blog.