He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. – John 3:29-31

Teaching is an interesting phenomenon. Or in my case more facilitating than actual instruction. I really enjoyed it in the classroom when I was a young man, working with exceptional education students for a couple of decades. Then leading small groups in three different church settings. I also have a lot of fun with keynoting conferences and speaking at retreats and workshops as a spin-off from the books I have written.

But what is happening with “The Men’s Bible Study” here in Tarboro is a serendipitous highlight in my life, something neither planned for nor expected, at the same time both exhilarating and a little bit frightening.

I always return home with a tight knot in my stomach and it takes most of the morning for it to go away. The knot appears in response to the fact that A) I care so deeply for these guys, B) I am conscious of how important this is and I want to honor the opportunity, C) I second guess nearly everything and I often wonder if maybe this is the day I screwed it up!

I believe with all my heart that this is something God is trusting me with, and I believe it is that important. I want to be as good as I can be, and that means pointing people toward Jesus. Or, as John the Baptist put it, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The Phillips paraphrase is helpful:

“A man can receive nothing at all,” replied John, “unless it is given him from Heaven… It is the bridegroom who possesses the bride, yet the bridegroom’s friend who merely stands and listens to him can be overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That is why my happiness is now complete. He must grow greater and greater and I less and less.”

To that end, today’s conversation turned around the passages in Ephesians 2 where Paul writes that we are now citizens together and covered by the same covenant promises. And along with our membership in God’s household comes commensurate responsibilities. Not rule-keeping obligations but the opportunity to join in with God’s initiatives of mercy, grace, goodness, reconciliation, healing, justice and more.

God loves and accepts us, period. But remember, Jesus is a catalyst who in a sense activates and releases the power and the purpose of our spiritual nature. We become, as Paul points out “God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).

While it is true that Jesus himself accepted pretty much everyone without being all judgy – he also pointed out that “By their fruits you shall know them.” Jesus invites us to live into our salvation and to join in with God’s good work.

Like all good conversations, this one ended too soon. But we will pick it up again next Tuesday morning… and if I didn’t completely blow it this time I suspect that the guys will be back!

Love and blessings – DEREK