I read something recently from a letter written by a seasoned theologian seeking to encourage an aspiring theologian. A critical thought to keep in mind is that though vocational theologians work in the academy, for example, we are all theologians. We all speak of God in one sense or another. Often, the question at hand is whether we are good theologians or bad ones. There were so many good things I could point out for our attention. You can read the article here. Here, though, is what I want to put on your plate to chew on — Theologians ought not to be nags, but they must be “the conscience of the congregation," reminding people that faith is not the same as anti-intellectualism and that God is not a supporting actor in their stories but that we have bit parts in his.This is what we see in the Book of Acts as we learn about what it means to enact the reign of the King, not ourselves. In the book of Acts, the Triune God is the recipient of the best actor(s) award. We find ourselves in their story, and what a story it is!
We have seen how Peter and John have played their bit part so far. We saw the challenging reality of Ananias and Sapphira’s bit part that illustrated the dangers of holiness. We have so much more to see, like the Ethiopian eunuch’s bit part and Paul’s influential and yet bit part. Be encouraged this week, Jubilee. While it is tempting to focus on the little tree of our lives and slightly forget the forest of God’s redemptive story, the part you have in this drama will redound to the glory of our King. By grace, keep playing your role as and among the King’s people well for our joy and his glory!
God is Not Supporting Actor
Jubilee Fam,
I read something recently from a letter written by a seasoned theologian seeking to encourage an aspiring theologian. A critical thought to keep in mind is that though vocational theologians work in the academy, for example, we are all theologians. We all speak of God in one sense or another. Often, the question at hand is whether we are good theologians or bad ones. There were so many good things I could point out for our attention. You can read the article here. Here, though, is what I want to put on your plate to chew on — Theologians ought not to be nags, but they must be “the conscience of the congregation," reminding people that faith is not the same as anti-intellectualism and that God is not a supporting actor in their stories but that we have bit parts in his. This is what we see in the Book of Acts as we learn about what it means to enact the reign of the King, not ourselves. In the book of Acts, the Triune God is the recipient of the best actor(s) award. We find ourselves in their story, and what a story it is!
We have seen how Peter and John have played their bit part so far. We saw the challenging reality of Ananias and Sapphira’s bit part that illustrated the dangers of holiness. We have so much more to see, like the Ethiopian eunuch’s bit part and Paul’s influential and yet bit part. Be encouraged this week, Jubilee. While it is tempting to focus on the little tree of our lives and slightly forget the forest of God’s redemptive story, the part you have in this drama will redound to the glory of our King. By grace, keep playing your role as and among the King’s people well for our joy and his glory!
Pastor Lew