Face to Face (Part 1)
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have provided for
the media a certain kind of human interest story that almost always
brings a warm-fuzzy feeling to the heart and sometimes a tear to the
eye. These stories involve members of our military who have been
deployed to a war theatre and separated from family for extended
periods of time. Teleconferencing technology (e.g., Skype) enables
these servicemen-women to set up video meetings with loved ones.
When a news outlet covers one of these “virtual” encounters, the
effect is both meaningful and emotional. A video conference,
however, is never an adequate substitute for the real thing—a face
to face!
The Bible has somewhat to say about face to face
meetings. The phrase “face to face” is found eleven (11) times in
scripture. Three of the usages portray interactions among men. The
other eight make reference to men having an up-close-and-personal
encounter with God. Let’s consider first the references to human
interaction.
Prior to Paul’s appearance before King Agrippa at
Caesarea, Festus conferred with the King to bring him up to speed on
the circumstances behind Paul’s imprisonment. In that meeting Festus
cited a Roman legality requiring “that he which is accused have the
accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself
concerning the crime laid against him” (Acts 25:16). This legal rule
opened the door for Paul to share his testimony and that of Christ
with a regal audience. Paul’s appeal to Agrippa’s faith in the
prophets and in Christ by extrapolation was the basis for this
reply: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (26:28). The
Roman law requiring a face to face between an accused and accusers
has survived to become a cornerstone of our own legal system!
Acts 26 encapsulates Paul’s answer to Agrippa and
entourage. One can read the entire chapter aloud in less than six
minutes. It might well be called his “Five-Minute Message”. It was
so effective that Agrippa was willing to dismiss the false charges
and set him free (if not for his appeal to Caesar). The
“long-winded” preacher can learn from this. If a congregation grants
him a face to face hearing on Sunday, why bloviate for an hour when
twenty minutes might be more effective? Ben Haden, pastor of First
Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, TN for thirty-one years, is a
case in point. His Changed Lives broadcast, consisting of 20-minute
messages, garnered perennial high ratings from an international
audience. Some suggest his oratorical discipline as a former
attorney was the reason he preached every message as if delivering a
closing argument to a jury. It might actually be possible for some
pastors to double the size of their congregations by cutting their
sermons in half using the Haden model.
John wrote his Second Epistle to “the elect lady and
her children” (v. 1). The recipient is variously understood to be
(1) a Christian family consisting of a mother and her children, (2)
a particular local church and members, and or (3) the body of Christ
at large and its spiritual members. In closing his brief epistle,
John said he had much more to say, but desired a face to face rather
than additional “paper and ink” to say it (v. 12). John obviously
felt that a face to face with the things of Christ at center stage
would generate a level of joy unobtainable through a mere
transcription.
Is not this principle still viable? Picture a Sunday
School class that comes together to recount spiritual battles during
the week and to share biblical insights during study-discussion
time. In the class is a scribe who takes notes and prints-mails them
in letter form to members not in attendance. Who derives greater
benefit, attendees or letter recipients? The same principle might
apply to a church service where God’s Spirit inhabits the praises,
the preacher declares God’s truth in heaven-sent power with sinners
and saints alike gathering at the altar for the purpose of
petitioning the God of grace. No attendee would be able to
adequately relate that experience to one who was not there. It would
require a face to face to fully appreciate the event and the work of
God therein!
John wrote his third epistle to “the wellbeloved
Gaius” (3 John 1). As in his Second Epistle, there were many things
he wanted to write, but would wait for a face to face to share them
by personal dialogue rather than “ink and pen” (v. 14). It may be
that John had led Gaius to faith in Christ, which is suggested by
this affirmation: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children walk in truth” (v. 4). Indeed, there is no greater joy for
a child of God than to learn that one of his or her converts
continues to walk in truth, grow in grace and bear spiritual fruit.
If there is one, it would be a face to face with that same
individual to see and hear first hand what God had wrought…which
appears to be what John anticipated with Gaius. Every believer
should experience this kind of joy at least once if not multiple
times during his or her sojourn to heaven.
Dear friend, we should
learn to cherish and embrace the face to face time we are afforded
with fellow believers in this life. It is impossible to replicate
those lost opportunities with pen-and-paper or word-of-mouth
accounts. In the next Pen, we will consider the “face to face”
references that speak of men having up-close-and-personal encounters
with God.
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