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March 2016

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Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

 

Today we celebrated Resurrection Sunday. The sealed tomb was miraculously opened and the resurrected King of Glory came forth from the tomb that could not hold Him. The tomb is empty. He is alive forevermore.

I thought about things that are sealed and why we bother to do so. An envelope—an ordinary object used to contain something, not given much thought, and pretty much taken for granted. I like the ones with a paper strip over the sticky stuff instead of licking glue to seal the envelope. Whenever I seal an envelope I feel like the contents are secure, even though I know a sealed piece of paper is far from secure.

On official documents like deed, wills, legal agreements, corporate papers, diplomas, and passports to name a few, a seal of some sort verifies the document as being authentic and binding. Your diploma, for example, officially testifies to the fact that you have completed all of the requirements of the schooling. The seal is the intended as a stamp of approval, authenticity, and protection from forgeries.

In biblical times, various ancient cultures secured their documents in different ways. The Hittites and Babylonians wrote their documents on clay tablets and they were put into clay envelopes. To sign their documents and make them official, they used signature seals in the form of signet rings, stamp seals, or cylinder seals. Cylinder seals resemble a bead with a hole through the length and could be worn like a pendant. The outer surface of the bead has symbols, graphics, and letters carved indicating the owner’s identity. When the owner would want to “sign” something, they would roll the cylinder seal onto the wet clay making an impression. It is then the signature seal that made the document official, authentic, and protected the identity of the person.

Other ancient cultures used velum parchment made of animal skins rolled into scrolls or bound flat. To make these documents official, a signet stamp was impressed into soft wax applied to the document. When the wax becomes hard, it forms a seal to protect the contents from manipulation and identify the source as authentic.

The whole point of using a seal is to secure important information and attest to its authenticity. Imagine, though, what it would look like if it were not on clay, parchment, or paper? God made covenants with humanity throughout the ages that came with a seal or signet of action, not wax and stamps, beads, or rings.

Genesis 17:1-11 reveals the covenant between God and Abraham. God promised to do two things: He would make Abraham a great nation, and that He would give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants as an everlasting possession and be their God. Abraham’s obligation and that of his descendants were two things: walk before God and be blameless. Circumcision is the sign of the covenant, the token that declares that the covenant is protected from misappropriation, approved, authentic, and secure.

The word for sign in this passage is the Hebrew oth, meaning a flag, beacon, monument, evidence. Hebrew for seal signet is chothemeth, the oth being the root. Romans 4:11 says, “and he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them.”

So, how could Abraham walk before God and be blameless? It requires the same thing that was required of humankind from the beginning. Abraham is a descendant of the lineage of Seth, who “began to call upon the name of the Lord. (Gen. 4:26).” It is an issue of faith from the beginning. It is by faith that Seth called upon the name of the Lord and it is by faith that Abraham walked before God blameless (Romans 4:20-25).

God simply wants a people of faith to fully believe in Him and take Him at His Word. We are justified by the shed blood of Jesus and we receive righteousness (reconciliation) by faith in Jesus and His work (Romans 5:8-11). Romans 10: 4-10 declares how we receive that reconciliation and righteousness—confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. God sent Jesus to die and be raised from the dead so that we can have resurrection life and we receive this work by faith. Now this covenant is not without a seal.

Ephesians 1:13-14 declares,“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 4:30 also says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The Holy Spirit living in you is the seal.

The word for seal is the Greek word sphragizo, and it means to stamp with a signet or private mark for security or preservation, to keep secret, to attest, to fence in or protect from misappropriation. The Holy Spirit is given as the seal in order to declare in both the earth and in the spiritual world that

  • we belong to the Most High God; that God has attested to our being His children;
  • we have His mark upon us for security and preservation now and for eternity;
  • we are fenced in to protect what we have against misappropriation of the power, authority and position of the Almighty in us to do the works we are called to do – preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, set the captive free, cleanse the leper, be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and walk in the fullness of all of His promises.

“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness’ (2 Tim. 2:19).” Furthermore, 2 Cor. 1:21-22 tells us, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

We are known by God and are recognized as one of His own by the seal upon those who belong to Him. This confidence that we have in Him that by His promises and Word, we who have “named Him as Lord” are irrevocably in His family. We are secure, preserved, and protected. The seal of the Holy Spirit within us is the eternal stamp of approval, the stamp of the covenant we now have with God, whereby we are sealed and have everything we need for life and righteousness now and forever. God provides the greatest possible assurance, that of Himself, the Holy Spirit, as the pledge of eternal life in Him, the ultimate guarantee of being signed, sealed, and delivered to the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Copyright 2016 by Eva Benevento. All rights reserved.

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Trees, Fruit, and Wisdom

I love the trees around my house—maples, oaks, poplars, pines. Right now tiny buds are forming in readiness for spring blossoming. Some time ago, a massive tulip poplar from the next property, well over 50 feet in length, crashed into my driveway. It took down two of my trees, and damaged two cars and house shingles. Thankfully, no one was injured. It was a sunny day with not a breeze anywhere, so the weather was not to blame. The tree was dead. We had warned the property owner of the condition of the tree more than once, but it was ignored. Since then I am even more diligent about tree health.

Trees show up in Scripture over 250 times. Jesus taught about character and eternal destination using trees—good ones and bad ones—as metaphors.

“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ (Matt. 7:16–23, NASB, emphasis added).

This teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:16–23 uses fruit bearing trees as the object lesson about the character and behavior of people. The tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. It serves as a warning that trees that do not bear good fruit are removed, and so it is with the ultimate destiny of the wicked.

Both kinds of trees had room, provision, and time to grow. Trees do not bear fruit when first planted, and so the ingredients for the tree to actually bear fruit took much time to process. The fact that the unfruitful trees are removed implies that the trees have someone who tends them, provides opportunities for fruit bearing, and inspects them when they should produce—a gardener who has ultimate decision-making power to remove the unfruitful tree.

Our lives are like the trees. We are given opportunities to produce good fruit as the gardener prunes and provides what is needed for a fruitful life. In what fruit is God interested? The fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, which are produced by controlling the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:22–24). I’ve heard people pray for fruit to manifest supernaturally. I applaud the yearnings, but it just does not work that way. We have control of our deeds by the willful decisions we make. As we make decisions that reflect the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit grows (Gal. 5:16–17). Fruit is the natural outgrowth of the life of the Spirit. As we are transformed into the image of Christ through renewal by the Word of God and obedience in the Spirit, we take on His image, the image of the Triune God.

From the metaphor of the trees, Jesus makes a parallel to practitioners. He says that not all who claim to be followers of Christ are in fact, good fruit bearers, but rather are virtually imposters, not worthy of entering the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus equates these as ones who practice lawlessness. The word practice (prassō) carries the idea of accomplishment, performance, commitment, and perpetration. It’s not simply experimentation or impaired judgment, but rather willful and determined repetition. The character of wickedness is not just an impulsive mistake. God’s mercy and grace is repeatedly extended for those who seek His forgiveness and strive for repentance.

To what laws could Jesus have been referring? Jesus made it simple—love God and love one another. The law of love undergirds all that is done in and for the kingdom of God. The fruit of the Spirit is not in the miracles, signs and wonders one performs, but in the character produced by hearing and obeying God. The law of love is fulfilled, for God is love. Having the infilling of Holy Spirit gives us access to hearing God and power to obey, not out of demand, but out of love.

Jesus says that you will know them by their fruit. He does not give us permission to affirm or condemn people by these words, but we can discern fruit or lack of it. We are not given the imperative to metaphorically speaking cut down the trees and burn them. That belongs to the gardener—God. He simply gives us wisdom to discern the difference between godly character and wickedness. It is for us to check ourselves first and use wisdom in our dealings with others. It is for us to give the good news to the oppressed of evil so that they can be free.

The warnings of “that day” are sobering. It is so easy to assume godly character with supernatural wonder workings. The truth is that supernatural wonders are the works of God, not the works of humans. “Did we not . . .” implies that some workers of good deeds take ownership of the workings of God, robbing Him of the glory, as if piling up effort and good works motivated by self-aggrandizement impresses God. The indictment in this context is that God does not judge by appearances of performance. God knows the heart of every person and He is the ultimate judge. We get to participate in His works because of His great love, not to earn it, even though He does reward those who seek Him.

Does this mean that people whose motives are not pure should stop doing good works? God forbid! People who do not know God or may not even believe God exists do countless good works. They have their reward in feeling good or in self-promotion. The recipients of good works are blessed regardless of the vessel that gives to them. Jesus’ teaching is not about the recipients, but rather about the person performing the work. He is especially critical of those who give the impression of altruism while all along having selfish motivation.

James 3 compares two kinds of wisdom, that which comes from above with that which does not come from above. God’s wisdom produces pure wisdom that is peaceable, gentle, merciful, unwavering, and without hypocrisy. These attributes mirror the nature of God. In contrast, the demonic and natural world offers a different wisdom. Wisdom that is rooted in jealousy and selfish ambition generates every other kind of evil because it is in direct opposition to the love nature of God.

In a few weeks my trees will be covered with little fuzzy things, new pine shoots, and lots of pollen. It lets me know that they are good trees producing good fruit. May our hearts remain pure before God so that all we do in His name brings Him glory and serves His creation–good trees producing good fruit.

 

copyright 2016 by Eva Benevento. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

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10 Things to Know About Writing a Book

“I want to write a book.” I have heard many ministers say this and each time I am tempted to say, “Be careful what you ask for.” I listen, nod, and smile. But I’m really thinking why is it that because people put together sermons week after week do they think that it’s the same thing as writing a book? Publishing a book is a scary affair, fraught with land mines and quagmires.

This blog post is a departure from my usual topics, but I want to share what I learned about indie (independent) author publishing. Improvements and accessibility of technology has opened more possibilities for indie filmmakers to find their niche, and similarly, technology has opened the literary world for indie authors. With the explosion of POD (print on demand), vanity press, and assisted self-publishing (ASP), the literary market has been blown open to writers in every genre resulting in some great, some mediocre, and some OMG-you-can’t-be-serious literature. Yes, anyone can write a book, but not necessarily a good one. All you need is a computer and money.

Seriously, here are some things you need to know that might save you from overdosing on Advil.

  1. Know your purpose.

Why do you think people will fork over cash to read what you have written? Does your book address a controversy, a neglected idea, something confusing that needs to be unraveled, a common need that you perceive? Is it a testimony of a remarkable story that is unique in some way? Is it something you are passionate about and want everyone to know about it? A good book answers questions and provokes new ones. It brings about new insights or inspires in a new way.

  1. Know your audience.

For whom are you writing? The audience will determine a few things—the style of expression and vocabulary choices; the depth of content; the degree of research you invest. Try to identify your audience and target your writing to them. After all, you want to hold their attention beyond the first chapter.

  1. Have something to say.

A good book has ideas that are strung together thoughtfully to build a central theme. Each new idea is  scaffolded to reveal the central theme with supporting evidence or details. The text has internal unity, and pieces well connected to each other. Nothing is worse than presenting a single idea up front and then beating it to death chapter after chapter. (I’ve heard enough sermons like that too.) The opposite is true as well, where disconnected rambling is a literary garage sale.

A good book, as opposed to a poorly constructed one, is like the difference between fine pastry and a dump cake. Both are edible, but let’s be honest, if you paid the same for each, which one would you choose? What you have to say and how you say it is the sum of your book. Keep in mind that if a book is poorly written, readers may not even finish it. Worse yet, they are not likely to recommend it to someone else or buy the next one you write.

  1. Get some help.

Remember the English class where you convinced yourself you don’t need to know about noun-verb agreement, not to mention dangling modifiers, when to split that infinitive, the difference between an en-dash and an em-dash, proper use of possessives, and the Oxford comma controversy? Consider yourself warned. Grammar, spelling, syntax, and format really matter. Besides the mechanics of proofreading, you have editing issues—structure of paragraphs, author’s voice, use of dialogue, argument building, just to name a few. Formatting (things like margins, indents, fonts, symbols, footnote styles) can make your head spin like Rosemary’s baby. Clean it up as much as possible before submitting it for print. Finding mistakes after a proof copy is done can be expensive. Here’s a secret: all writers need and get help. At least smart ones do.

If mechanics of writing are not your forte, you need a good editor. Use editing checklists and rubrics—several different types are available free online. Have others read your work and give you honest and tough feedback. If you have a friend who has major skills and is willing to slog through a mountain of text, you have found a great treasure. If not, you may need to dip into your treasure and hire one.

Trust me, just when you think you have caught every typo error, another one jumps onto the page. Tiny ninja-typos wait and pounce on your text when you are bleary-eyed from reading the same chapter for the twentieth time. After a gazillion read-throughs, you will reach the point where a typo error here and there, as long as they are not glaring, will have to be at the mercy of readers’ capacity for forgiveness. It’s a fight to the finish.

  1. Spend the time to craft your best.

Don’t be afraid of the delete button to cut unnecessary prattle and be brutal about rewriting. Rework those muddy, incoherent, or ambiguous paragraphs. Demolish those tired adverbs and long winded phrases that makes you sound pretentious. Vary those sentence patterns to keep the reader awake. Remember that editing is not just about proofreading for typo and grammar errors. It’s about polishing phrases and making your points clear. And incidentally, that online thesaurus is a very good friend.

  1. Set time, space, material, and pacing work for you.

If you ask ten authors about their discipline and writing habits, you will get ten different answers. Some follow strict rituals of time, space, material, and pacing. Others write in bursts of inspiration. Some require a tidy space with no clutter, while others work in spaces that look like a paper factory explosion.  Some authors work on a few projects at the same time, while others work on one at a time. Find productive routines that work best for you and stick to it. Set deadlines for your work load with only a little bit of wiggle room. Face it, you really want to get it done.

  1. Love the process even when it gets hard.

Give yourself permission to get frustrated, but don’t let it make you quit. Take breathers away from it when you need to, but not too long. You don’t want to lose momentum. When the writing process gets tough, don’t become a grouch and call it “creative privilege.” If possible, find a writing buddy or group where support is offered. The struggle is worth it.

  1. Do your homework and read the fine print.

You decide you book is ready for publication. Now what? You have many choices. You can send queries to standard publishing companies if you are looking for them to foot the bill for publishing. First books by unknown authors are rarely accepted, but stranger things have happened. Big time publishers most often work with literary agents, and by the way, if you go with traditional companies, they own the copyright, whereas with self-publication, the author owns the copyright. I’m taking a risk by say this, but I believe literary agents will become obsolete within the next fifteen years because technology has forced open the door of book publishing to the immediate world.

First time writers often opt for self-publication. Even experienced authors opt for this choice. Self-publication can be a minefield and difficult to navigate for a newbie. Persevere–you are too far into this deal to stop now.

Vanity publication is where you simply have your book printed, but get ready to stockpile your garage with a bazillion copies and then find outlets for selling them yourself. Assisted self-publishing (ASP) is where you contract with a company and they provide a variety of packages and services for which you pay fees for things like editing, formatting, interior design, ISBN number, LCCN number, cover design, and marketing tools.

ASP books are printed on demand (POD), which means you can purchase your books a reduced author’s price for your own marketing outlets in amounts you choose. That means you can still keep your car in the garage. ASP companies typically offer marketing tools and services for a fee as well. People can purchase the book at bookstores or online for which you will receive royalties. (Don’t get too excited here. Unless you are a J.K. Rowling in the making, breaking even on your investment is a huge accomplishment.) You can also have the book formatted and made available to download electronically. This is a huge trend and one I recommend.

You must do your homework. A huge amount of information is available online for writers, which will require you to find what matters to you. It is also a good idea to talk to people who have used the various publishing services. Ask them about their experiences. Check out feedback from authors online. Compare different companies for what they offer and what they charge for their services. By all means, always read the fine print so that a misunderstanding does not disappoint you.

  1. Believe.

Believe in yourself, your voice, your leadings, and your company of encouragers—that insider group of cheerleaders. This is huge. The greatest enemy that causes people to quit is the inner voice that says you don’t have the stuff—the creativity, the know-how, the skills, the whatever. A better voice prompted you to believe you can do this and your steadfast faith will carry you through to its fruition. “If you build it, they will come,” is the famous line from the film Field of Dreams. In the same way, you need to believe that if you write it, they will read.

  1. Finally, honor God in your work and it will bless people.

Steward your gifts, your calling, and the leading of the Holy Spirit with honor, integrity, and holiness. That includes the work of your hands and your mind. If you believe that God is prompting you to put those words into print, do it. God’s blessing upon you is also intended to bless others.

So, if you still want to write that book, go for it.

 

Copyright 2016 by Eva S. Benevento. All rights reserved.

 

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