Unpacking Honour

As I was teaching in a Highest Honour Discipleship Training workshop the past two weeks, I thought I would share more widely some of the material that was taught. It is my prayer and hope that it might enable others to also more fully grasp, in greater measure, the greatness and implications of understanding 'honour'.

In addition to training trainers in the workshop, how to teach through the Highest Honour book, and introducing to them as children's ministry leaders from across Southern Africa) the draft sampler of the 'Highest Honour for Kids' edition, we also further explored some of the dynamics of honour and shame…going beyond what we had covered in the first introductory stage in our 'Unlocking' brochure, to then going into the 'Unpacking' stage.

There are various ways of looking at the expansive concept of honour which can help us grow in our knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Habakkuk 2:14)

Here is some of what we talked about in the 'Unpacking' stage, to help begin - in a very brief way - to widen and deepen the understanding of how honour and shame function in Scripture, in our world and in our hearts. We covered 10 points as two sets of 5 - like 5 fingers each on our two hands……and had a volunteer draw their hands on the paper at the front for visual connection….(as in the photo above)….

Hand 1

There are 5 basic underlying factors we have to recognise about honour and shame that may seem obvious but overlooking them can hinder our understanding of how honour functions….. 

1.     Honour originates with God. It is not a human construct, but is firstly inherent internally within God Himself and then externalised by God.

2.     Honour is two sided in two ways

a.     The other side of honour is lack of or loss of honour which = shame

-        We crave honour and fear shame

b.     There is received honour and given honour

3.     Honour is an umbrella word – and various words in the 'honour family' of words can carry varying weight, impact, nuance or perspectives

4.     Honour is 'graded glory'

a.     Glory of general creation, glory of mankind in God's image, and the glory of God himself are each different.

b.     1 Peter 2:17 'honour everyone, love the brethren, fear God, honour the king'. The way we appropriately honour the position of a king may be different from the right and appropriate honour we should give so as to reflect the value of every human being without partiality. 

c.      2 Cor 3:18 'And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. Our growth in grace will result in the degree to which there is growth in exhibited glory shining out through our life.

5.     Honour is an 'everywhere-everybody core issue' in sinful 'mis-placed' ways (by definition and degree), and needing to be 'replaced' in biblical ways. It is the core motivation of all we think and do.

 

Hand 2

Here are 5 ways (although there might be more), we can view and unpack the dimensions, scope and elements of honour in order to begin to better appreciate and appropriate them in our theology and practical living...

1.      IAAA Honour View

a.     Inherent – e.g. 'I am the Lord' Lev 25:38

b.     Ascribed – when inherent positional glory is recognised and conferred –  e.g.'Ascribe greatness to our God' Deut 32:3

c.      Achieved – e.g. 'I am the Lord... who brought you out of the Land of Egypt'

d.     Associated – e.g. 'If my people who are called by my name…' 2 Chron 7:14

-        Who you are, what you do, who you are with.

2. Creation-Cross-Crown Honour View

a.     Creation – inherent honour, ascribed honour, value, as human beings created by God in His image.

b.     Cross – redemption honour restoring lost spiritual-life-glory  – as saints we have ascribed glory - in Christ, by association with the One (the Lord Jesus Christ) who first has it ascribed and has also achieved it.

c.      Crown – achieved and bringing future, reward yet to be received beyond the grave. Full and forever glory yet to be realised and experienced physically as well as spiritually/positionally.

3.     Sessions View (Sessions, W.L., 2007) - I call this the Sessions View because it was formulated by Mr W L Sessions.

a.     Conferred – 'regard, esteem or respect given…[& the] token of this regard – gifts, rewards, attention and the like'

b.     Recognition – 'publicly noticing and awarding due esteem for excellencies that merit or deserve such esteem' …recognise excellence and worth

c.      Positional – 'doing something that positions someone "above" others in the social group; it is relative to the others' accomplishments or status'

d.     Commitment – not person to person honour, but person to 'principles and propositions lodged in such speech-acts as promises, agreements or contracts.'

e.     Personal – honour as an achieved 'sense of honour' virtue of adhering loyally to a group's honour code – commitment to a code and a community…where an honour code is 'socially shared and publicly supported'.

4.     Love and Life View

a.     Love – honour and shame involve heart not just head, emotion/affection not just knowledge, in fact it is usually felt before it is cognitively understood.

b.     Life – it impacts all of life, and God wants our 'whole life' worship, love and honour. This is not just a 'section' of life, but impacts/directs all of life.

5.     Hierarchy of Honour (and opposite/contrast)...

1)     Acknowledgement        (to ignore, not look at or see)

2)     Consideration               (disinterest, disregard, forget someone)

3)     Appreciation                 (belittle, contempt, embarrass, disappoint)

4)     Invitation                      (banish, pass-over, disgrace, exclude)

5)     Acceptance                   (reject, separate, failure)

6)     Submission                   (rebellion, pride, self-promotion, stubbornness, resist)

7)     Obedience                    (disobedience)

8)     Approval                       (disapprove, disagree, criticise)

9)     Adoration                     (despise, abhor)

10)  Trust                            (betray, disloyal)

11)  Emulation                     (rebuke, attack, oppose)

12)  Allegiance                    (deny, destroy, forsake)

[As I have pondered honour and shame over the years, I realised that we can't take every form of honour on the same level as every other form of honour. Without realising it we function in life in accord with a kind of honour-hierarchy. So in the above 12 points/levels, 1) is the 'lowest' level and 12) is the 'highest' level. In other words, in the simplest form, acknowledgement is honour, but acknowledgement does not include allegiance, yet allegiance includes all points 1-11 before it. So to honour someone by inviting them to your birthday party, for example, you have already acknowledged them and considered them and appreciated them to some degree. But even just to appreciate someone for doing something for you doesn't necessarily or automatically mean they qualify to be invited to the birthday party. 

Hopefully this makes some sense as you observe the world of personal interactions around you.]

...And Spectrum of Shame View  (and opposite dynamic)

1)     Disappointment              (to be pleased)

2)     Embarrassment             (to be praised)

3)     Disapproval                   (to be welcomed)

4)     Humiliation                   (to be highly exalted)

5)     Rejection                        (to be chosen)

   6)     Death – Shame    (Life – glory/honour)

[Another way of looking at this variety of expression of shame and honour, is to look first at how shame is also more than one concept, but a range of emotion from 'lower' levels of disappointment to 'higher' levels of rejection and ultimate shame. We may not readily realise that 'disappointment' is on the shame-spectrum. But when we begin to realise these are part of the honour-shame dynamic we can begin to apply biblical truth related to honour-shame principles to these issues. Without this understanding, we miss the connection and stay blind to the truth of Scripture that God wants to use to transform our thinking and bring truth that sets us free from how Satan wants to use these things to keep us in bondage.]

 

Some of us primarily focus on avoiding shame that would undermine glory they already perceive they have, others seek glory to escape shame in which they see themselves, but we all do both in some way, and both are ultimately showing our hunger for honour and avoidance for what threatens honour.

Though this has been just a brief outline of each point, I pray you might find it helpful and encouraging in understanding yourself, your world and the wonderful truths in the pages of Scripture.

Learning from 'SPARE'

Photo - screenshot 

Last week Prince Harry released his long awaited (or feared!) book 'SPARE', supposedly the fastest selling non-fiction book and was the #1 seller on Amazon for the week. And yes, it is being read even here in Africa!

It has gained understanding, sympathy and praise from some quarters - as giving his side of the story, but seems to have made other readers disgusted, appalled, saddened and horrified as being a book that just tears people down, while others are refusing to read it. Although Americans seem more accepting of it than the British, even some Americans who don't understand the British Royal Family, have a problem with someone publicly trashing one's family and publicly exposing family stuff that should stay private behind closed doors...and all for a reward of millions of dollars...without mentioning the risks now brought to military veterans and beyond, over 'kill-count' revelations. Australians seem to be having mixed reactions. One Christian Aussie blogger suggested that to enter into the discussion or read the book is akin to fuelling or participating in 'gossip'.

I must confess I have not yet read the book and I'm not necessarily convinced I want to spend the money or carve out the time to read it…especially just now. But I have watched the interviews with him to hear his own words, and viewed/listened to some of the commentary on the book, not least out of interest in honour-shame dynamics of people and of the British Royal Family and British culture. And I'm not convinced that something that is influencing millions of readers and viewers across the globe should be totally ignored by the church….not to join the gossip, but for knowing the wisest and best ways to bring light and truth into such a situation and discussion.

But, in the light of the honour-shame interest, I thought it might be worth to briefly highlight three elements which stood out to me, which I think are worth reflecting on and learning from to be better equipped to understand our world and be witnesses and gospel-bringers in it.

SPARE

The book title 'Spare' is certainly a powerful one-word title. Prince Harry gave the reasoning behind the book title in an interview saying that it was so he could 'own' a word that had been used against him for a long part of his life. 

This appears to be a desire to 'redeem' a word and reverse a status. What he is doing here seems to be wanting to change the honour status of a label, from something that shamed him to something that is part of achieving value and worth. It re-assigns value…from negative value (shame) to positive value (honour).

It is a desire to reverse the honour-code.

We all have a deep inbuilt desire to reverse our 'shame' status and gain an 'honour' status. But ultimately and sadly, our own efforts to redeem ourselves are not likely to achieve what we hope in the end, or at most they become a pseudo-honour that Satan convinces our own hearts is the answer to our problems and keeps us away from the true and supreme shame-to-honour gift of grace that God's own Son (our perfect redeemer), died to gift us.

Shame

Maybe one of the biggest problematic and dangerous ramifications of his book stems from his comments about numbering those whom he killed while a soldier, and how he had to view those people not as real people at the time. 

In refuting the accusation that his comment was a 'boast', in one of the interviews he gives his reason for numbering those he killed as: 'I made a choice to share it because having spent nearly two decades working with veterans all around the world, I think the most important thing is to be honest and be able to give space to others to be able to share their experiences without any shame. And my whole goal and attempt with sharing that detail is to reduce the number of suicides. 

Despite what many believe is a lack of wisdom in such ill-advised sharing in a book like this, what becomes obvious is, Prince Harry's awareness of the destructive nature of shame (or what I would say is 'mis-placed shame') and his desire to escape it, not only personally but also try to help others to escape it. 

Suicide is at its core most often a desire to either escape, avoid or end humiliation and shame. Suicide is real, and the desires and fears behind it are real. However, once again it is a lie of Satan and our sin-bent hearts that it is the way out of shame. What Harry has got right is that suicide is not the answer. However, to beat suicide, and stay alive on this earth to try to conquer this earth's shame, and yet ignore or refuse God's offered rescue from a far greater eternal shame (which we will wish to escape from but will endure forever with no escape), is a far greater horror than suicide. And when we don't deal with shame, God's way, all other therapies (in missing the mark of God's solution), will have their own other negative impacts one way or another either on the person or those around them. For example, the subtle but powerful allurement of shaming others in order to elevate oneself, as a mis-placed means to overcome shame, is a path that will ultimately bring more pain.

However, having said that, this reminds us yet again that in our bringing of the gospel…the good news…to a sin-sick world, we must bring good news for shame. If we don't wake up to the reality of this, we not only fail to bring the full truth of the good news to hearts, but by our silence on the subject of shame, we end up pushing people to search for false and temporary shame-rescue options, and keep them thinking that Jesus Christ has nothing to offer.

Unconscious Bias

In one interview Harry talked about how he thinks the Royal Family need to deal with 'unconscious bias' that can lead to racism.

Interestingly in another interview, he has now very much tried to disassociate himself from labelling the Royal Family as racist.

But what is interesting here is that he has highlighted a very much overlooked factor in human community life - that of 'unconscious bias'….but his view of it is actually quite limited. 

Scripture gives us the truth that it is a more pervasive problem than we might like to admit.  Human beings all have an 'unconscious bias' - in other words a proclivity toward something that we are most often oblivious to, naive about, and unaware of. And for some, racism might be part of that of course (...and racism doesn't just mean tension between people of differing skin colour, or white toward black….racism can also be white to white or black to black!). 

Interestingly some are commenting in response, that 'unconsious bias' is still something people should be held responsible for, and it can't be detached from deliberate 'racism'.

However, there is a far more serious and sinister 'unconscious bias' than is being raised by Prince Harry ….which is our basic human assumption that we are in the right, that others are to blame for our problems, and that we should make sure to vindicate ourselves and shame others so that we can maintain or 'prove' our worth to ourselves or to others. 

Furthermore, we have a deadly bias toward ignoring God, and looking to creation (self and others) rather than the Creator to find honour and significance.

Fundamentally our unconscious bias is toward sin and away from God. That is the most serious type of unconscious bias that we need remedy for, first and foremost.

Yet, within this is an unconscious bias in us all, to seek honour. Romans 2 tells us this. Where we seek honour determines our life dignity, direction, and destiny. We need to fundamentally recognise the reality of that bias in our own heart and the hearts of others if we are going to understand how our fallen sin-bias functions. It is only then we are likely to grow in our openness and willlingness to have God show us where we seek honour in a mis-placed way which thus blocks (quenches and grieves) God and his work, and therefore blocks his fruit-bearing in our lives and his light-shining through our lives. 

And yes…it is also true, that 'unconscious' or not, God still judges sin. It is wrong in his eyes whether we are aware of it or not. But unlike much of todays world, where the only answer to such partiality (whether conscious or not) is 'cancellation' without offer of forgiveness, God has an offer of forgiveness and grace. God's condemnation of sin, which brings 'cancellation' and 'separation' eternally, only has to be endured if we don't take him up on his already secured promise of his forgiveness gift in Jesus Christ.

So, that was just a few more points to ponder….and maybe some ways you can ask the Lord to help you use them in conversation, to bring the gospel into the conscious awareness and needs of desperately honour-hungry hearts that fill our world.

Go into all the world and bring this good news!

Filled with Fear or Fuelled by Hope! - Gospel Opportunities in Unprecedented Times!

Are you like me? Have you had many fellow Christians forwarding you articles, video links, blog posts, quotes and such like about how many events so far in 2020 are indicating its the End Times?

Well are we in the End Times?  

I don't know. 

We might be. 

But there have been other generations before us that have maybe felt the same at different times. And maybe there will be more generations in the future who will feel the same way.

Whether we are or not, we are meant to be living every day like Jesus is coming back today!  

As Christians, Jesus said in Matthew 24:6 that we should not be alarmed even if there are wars and rumours of wars as part of the 'end times'. However, I am so saddened that many of these links I have been sent seem to be written and compliled in such a way as to stir a sense of alarm. The music chosen as background to some videos has even been to build tension. 

Yet, what is the purpose meant to be of Christians being alert to the end times?

Is it so that Christians spend their focus 'warning' other Christians that 'the end times are here', which often seem to only engender further fear and anxiety? Does Scripture give us the book of Revelation, and passages like those in 2 Thessalonians, so that our fear will increase and we become almost addicted to such messages of impending doom so that we get almost get an adrenaline rush from end times focused social media posts? NO. The truth of Scripture is not there to increase the Christian's fear of end times, but fuel their hope.  

But I have read or received very many links (almost none!) that have been designed to fuel my hope in God and passion for sharing his gospel.

Here is where I think we are missing the point on 2 counts.

1. Knowledge of the end times is supposed to be fearful for only one group of people - the unsaved.  And that should spur us to be even more active and passionate about sharing the gospel. 

Any signal of the end times should prompt and propel our gospel sharing, but sadly the messages I'm receiving are not about spurring people on to the urgency of sharing Christ.

So I don't think we are getting the 1st foundational point of knowing about the end times - increased intentional gospel proclamation and disciple making.

2. Then secondly for the Christian, what is the purpose of knowing about the end times?…..Building hope.  We are meant to encourage each other and spur each other on in the knowledge that this world is not our home, we do not live for the temporary earthly successes but for eternal and spiritual glories. 

We are reminded that we can endure whatever is coming because we are not alone, we are indwelt by the Comforter, never forsaken, strengthened by his might, calmed by his peace…and thus face the future not with fear but with confidence and calm.  But I'm not seeing this. I am not being sent messages of confidence, calm and encouragement.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what are we doing?

COVID-19, African locust plagues, and years of drought may or may not be telling us the end times are immanent. But even if Jesus is coming soon, we are not meant to fear, but eagerly cry 'come Lord Jesus'. We shouldn't be engulfed with fear or stirring fellow Christians to fear. Instead we should be beacons of hope. 

And as we shine as beacons of hope, maybe others will ask us why we have so much peace, calm and confidence in the face of so much uncertainty.  Maybe instead of worrying more we should be witnessing more!

In fact 2 Chronicles doesn't tell us that drought, locust plagues and pestilence (disease) are signs of the end times, but are signs God's people need to repent!

Fellow Christians, what do we need to repent of ?  What do you need to repent of?

Have we failed to hear the message of Scripture for the purpose God gave it? Have we forgotten that any 'signs of the times' are there to prompt us to give more glory to God, to be reminded that we are in safe hands since he already knew about this before we even began to think about it? Have we been messengers of alarm to fellow believers and quiet to non-believers, instead of messengers of warning to non-believers and comfort and encouragement to believers?

Yes there are conspiracy theories, there are wicked realities in our world, there are sinful and selfish hearts, and there is a Father of Lies whose aim is simply to steal, kill and destroy everything that is good and glorifies God. Satan is out to mess up the world and let sin have its full destructive force. He is the angel of light and great deceiver and will trick many into following what look like his 'good ideas' but are concealing destructive goals. His end-times schemes are destructive, are anti-God and are deceitful. 

But Scripture doesn't tell us to spend all our efforts in telling and retelling and retelling fellow believers that the end times might be coming. We already know they are coming…we have been pre-warned, not to be filled with fear, but to be equipped and forearmed with hope which gives us greater urgency to live and share the gospel. 

We are not taken unawares, so we should not be shocked or worried. We are children of the winning King. We already know the end of the story. God has the last say. God gets the glory and we get to live with him forever.

We are not victims of what world leaders might be up to, even though we might feel the impact of their decisions. Rather we are victors with the One who has already won the Victory over sin. Whatever man's and Satan's schemes, God has the greater plan. God is still working his plans. It is a deception and lie of the Devil for us as believers to be weighed down, discouraged, worried or consumed in our focus or time with all that might or might not happen or when. Yes, let's be aware that the world is not just going to plod on forever, there will be end times. Yes, let's be strong clear voices of truth and light and the salt in the earth. But let's also keep it in perspective, and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not the storm….or else like Peter, we will sink and not walk where Jesus wants us to.

So in this year of 2020 - what is your focus? Where are your energies? Has Satan got you diverted? 

Or are you propelled by the world's news into sharing the good news about Jesus more urgently than ever before?

Are you busy helping and encouraging others in their efforts to share the good news?  

Are you busy encouraging and building hope in the hearts of your fellow believers?

Oh how I would long to receive more messages or watch more videos that observe the sad and sorry state of our world and are thus filled with gospel urgency and passionate hope!

2 Thessalonians 2:16

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, 

who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 

comfort your hearts 

and establish them in every good work and word.

and the very next verse in 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (which encapsulates the goal of our ministry) should be the focus for our prayers and our work as we await the second coming of our King….

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,