Of chicken sandwiches and christian endurance

In James 1:2-5, the author writes:

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. (NLT)

If you're like me, this is a passage you're much better at quoting than living.  However, it seems to me that this is a timely message for Christians in America.  For a couple hundred years we've enjoyed a position of relative cultural dominance.  That is rapidly coming to an end.  Though the recent dust-up over Dan Cathy's (CEO of Chik-fil-A) support of traditional marriage, seems to testify that Christians (or at least free speech advocates) still enjoy a bit more vigorous support than some assumed, it would be wise for each believer to ask himself/herself "Just how far am I willing to take this?  Just how much do I believe in the words of James 1:2-5).  Though many (like myself) were able to purchase a sandwich at Chik-fil-A and enjoy nothing but unqualified support and acceptance from fellow believers, there were others (like the gentleman in this video) who were not blessed to swim in such warm and accepting waters.  What if I had been in his shoes.  Would I have had the courage to remain...to stand...to give my endurance a chance to grow?

It's Someone Named "God" on Line One...

The first chapter of Jeremiah includes what’s known, in biblical studies, as a “call narrative.” Basically, this is the story of how a prophet becomes a prophet. Classic literary criticism teaches that the call narrative was intended to legitimize the prophet in the eyes of his audience.

While I think call stories probably functioned in this capacity on some level, I don’t believe it was their primary purpose. There were tons of false prophets running around in Jeremiah’s day (we’ll see him have to contend with them repeatedly) and they, no doubt, produced their own “call stories” to impress the people. Ultimately, there was no way for the average Israelite to verify whose call stories were true and whose were made up.

Consequently, rather than being for the audience, I believe that the call experience was primarily for the prophet himself. It was an event he could look back on and draw strength from, during times of rejection and persecution. This would have been important as Jesus Himself said that rejection and persecution were almost universal experiences among God’s prophets. (Matt. 5:12; 23:29-37; Lk. 6:22-23; 11:47-49; 13:33-34)

That being the case, God used Jeremiah’s call to anchor the prophet—from the very beginning—in the truth that, though he will minister to the people, he does not work for them. Ultimately, Jeremiah is God’s servant; And therefore can be no one else’s. This idea may not have been as obvious as we might think. Jeremiah’s world was full of prophets-for-hire who say whatever you wanted to hear…for the right price. Not surprisingly, most of their “prophecies” ran something like this:

Thus sayeth the LORD: Thou art awesome. Everything thou doest is great. Thou has nothing for which thou needest to repent nor make recompense. Thy only problem is that thou hast not enough money and power. Thou needest more…nay, thou deservest more. I, the LORD, hath spoken.

As always happens when the Word of God ceases to be a Truth to be taught and becomes instead a commodity to be marketed, the people of Jeremiah’s day began to “prophet-hop” in the same way that some church-hop today. As his career unfolded, Jeremiah would be ridiculed, imprisoned, put in stocks, and left for dead. The temptation to take the easy way out and simply give the people what they wanted must have been tremendous. I suspect that during those dark days of his ministry, Jeremiah recalled the words God initially spoke to him:

“…You must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you… I have put My words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant…Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people…They will fight you, but they will fail, for I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jer. 1:7-10, 17-19)

-- Justin

Memory Verse

The Calling of Jeremiah coloring page

Almond Branches & Boiling Pots coloring page

Before I Formed You in the Womb

Additional Thought/Discussion Questions from Chapter One

1. God told Jeremiah, “Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as My prophet to the nations.” (1:5) Parents, what if you knew God had a similarly important destiny in mind for your child/children? If this knowledge would motivate you to do anything differently, why aren’t you doing it differently right now?

2. Are you hesitant to speak up for God? Jeremiah said he was “too young,” (1:6)what excuses have you used not to speak God’s words? What do you think is a good excuse for not standing up for the truth?

3. God said Jeremiah was being called to “destroy and overthrow…build up and plant” kingdoms.(1:10) How incredible is this!? Do you normally think of individuals with no real money or power at their disposal as being capable of such world-transforming work? What does this tell you about your own ability to change the world?

4. Why do you think it was important for people in Jeremiah’s day to know that God was “watching” (1:12)? Do you believe that He’s still “watching” today?