A Little More about the Forte

Posted on September 15, 2023 by ehurst

Today I headed north along the North Canadian River Valley, my first road ride on the Forte. Three years later there is still no work done on Midwest Boulevard at the Crutcho Creek bridge. However, folks who got tired of waiting have moved the barriers just enough to make access for fishing a little easier. It also made it very easy for me to ride through the barriers on both ends.

Repeated rain storms have caused the sandbars on the North Canadian River to move quite a bit. I’ve never seen that concrete slab rubble in the middle of this image. It was previously covered by a sandbar. Now the sandbar has moved quite a bit off to one side. I’m not able to get down closer and see if there are any other changes; the foliage is too dense and loaded with biting insects this time of year.

In all of its glory, this is the Zizzo Forte 2023 parked on the turn-around point of this ride. We have this view from the NE 122nd Street bridge over the North Canadian River. Because it comes with the “pig-nose” mount built into the frame at the front, I was able to craft a way to mount the kind of bag I typically hang on all my bikes. It carries stuff like a spare tube, some tools, my camera, snacks etc. Notice the three cables hanging down from the handlebars.

Those three were originally wrapped together, but the front brake cable was already binding just a little. Once I added the bag, it was really bad, so I had to set the front brake cable free from the wrapping. You can see where it connects behind the bag. Now it works without any binding. Indeed, the brakes were the single biggest headache I had on this thing.

I had forgotten how well V-brakes could work, but they do require some knowledge of how to adjust them. In the case of the rear brake here, I had to move one of the pads around; it didn’t grab the rim squarely. But most people have no clue how to get them to center themselves. That little screw indicated with the circle is the arm spring tensioner. Turn it in to make arm pull back harder. Most V-brakes will tend to pull too hard to one side or the other coming from the factory, so you just increase the spring tension on the weak side and they should rest more or less in the center and not rub.

I have gotten used to the twist grip shifter. First, I had to remember that it’s the opposite of a motorcycle throttle, because you twist upward to go faster. Second, I had to learn how to keep a light grip to avoid bumps causing me to accidentally shift into another gear. Out on the roads I used 6th gear lot more than in urban riding, when 5th is most common. I still say the range and ratios are just about right.

I plan on ordering the travel bag into which one packs the bike for public transport, a pair of better pedals that pop completely out of the crank arms when you fold it down, and a large shopping bag made to mount on the pig-nose fitting. That pig-nose was something they got from a competitor, the very much more expensive Brompton folding bikes. Whatever fits on one fits the other; the pig-nose is becoming a standard fitting.

Posted in cycling, photography | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 6

Posted on September 9, 2023 by ehurst

If it is our duty to discern who is and who isn’t covenant family, then why do we breach that boundary for personal disputes?

Corinth was easily the most cosmopolitan city in Greece; sailors from the whole known world passed through there, and a broad mixture of them stayed. If there was one place in the Roman Empire where the sense of tribal identity would be difficult, it was here in Corinth. Then again, Paul had stayed longer in Corinth than almost anywhere he traveled. It was a real challenge to bring the Hebrew mindset of Christ to such a strange mixture of folks. They were slow to absorb it.

Thus, Paul confronts them on the matter of taking each other to court before pagan magistrates. Do they wish to be judged by pagan standards? Why have they not already appointed judges for petty matters within the church? Taking it outside the church is a failure before anyone can state their case. It’s better to suffer financial losses than to win on false terms that reject Christ as Lord. It is tantamount to cheating, defrauding Christ Himself.

Using the pagan court system against your brothers and sisters is making peace with the world. Paul rattles off a list of repulsive sins to highlight the issue here. If you leave all of that behind, what does it say when you then go back to it? What does it say about the work of Christ on the Cross, and the power of His Spirit living in you?

There is a sense in which no material object can be forbidden believers. A tool is a tool. If you can find a way to bless the Lord’s name with it, then don’t fret about physical objects being sacred or profane. But by the same token, any material thing can become a trap, a means to enslave you. Paul cites the example of food. Jesus Himself said that food itself could not defile you. God gave us a stomach to process food, and then food to put in it. It serves the purpose of keeping us alive in this world to serve Him, but at some point, all of this would go away, both food and stomachs.

However, sex was in a different class. Without discussing the finer points of modern medical knowledge, Paul knew from Scripture that sexual experience changed us permanently. Food passes through and out the other end, but sex affects your body forever. More to the point, it involves another soul, and changes them forever, too. It’s not just a fleshly appetite like eating; it leaves an eternal mark. One mistake is permanent.

Two bodies merged in sexual union is noted in God’s Presence. You are now one flesh in His eyes. If you dilute that by pursuing other sex partners, you have poked God in the eye. He’s not going to ignore that. At the very least, it trashes one of the single greatest divine blessings that you could ever have. This is the one form of self-abuse that can destroy everything else.

God owns you. Don’t act contemptuous of His claims on your life.

Posted in bible | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 6

Urban Journey 03

Posted on September 8, 2023 by ehurst

Oklahoma County is notorious for failing to budget in weather damage and replacement of infrastructure that was worn out long ago. It’s now a couple of months since a collection of very heavy rain storms damaged the Vickie Drive bridge over Crutcho Creek. This is a critical artery for truck traffic, but the county can’t be bothered. They brought in sufficient dirt to fill the hole, but simply used it to block traffic, dumping it across the road. Who knows when they’ll finish the job?

OKC can be slow about some things, but it has more to do with the politics of who notices, and who gets public credit. This image is the North Canadian River alongside the West River Trail. I chose Thursday to test myself, and to some degree, the new Forte bicycle by taking a 50-mile loop around the Metro. The bike did fine. It’s slower than riding a conventional bike, but it’s not much harder in terms of the physical challenge. I managed it well enough, but I was very tired and very hot before I got back home.

The West River Trail runs along the shore of Crystal Lake. This is the first year I can recall seeing homeless people camping out in the open by the lake. You can’t really see it, but they show up in the upper left of the image, out on a spit of land. They weren’t causing any trouble, but it’s a symbol of just how many there are, and their numbers are increasing significantly this year. The entire river portion of the ride saw everything from sleeping rough on the ground to really nice tents all properly set up and neatly kept camping situations. A surprising number were sleeping in or next to vehicles.

This OG&E’s Mustang Road generating plant. It’s so imposing, a jarringly huge structure in such a beautiful setting. At least the structure isn’t inherently ugly; it’s no worse than the picturesque railroad bridge, giving the view some character. This point is about as far west as the massive loop of bikeways goes. I’m just a few miles from where the North Canadian River passes through Lake Overholser. The generating plant doesn’t use water pressure; it’s gas fired and uses the lake as water supply.

It took longer than a year to build this bikeway overpass above the Northwest Expressway in OKC. Then, they kept it locked up for a few more months until the right people were ready to let it open to public passage. That came during the past two months, and I don’t think it even made much more than a blip in the local news. I took this shot after riding over it. This end is one long slope parallel to the roadway, but the other end is a jagged corkscrew because there was no place to put a long ramp.

After this point, I was getting too hot and tired to think much about taking pictures. I don’t regret it, but I’m not likely to try it again.

Posted in cycling, photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Social Expectations and Cycling

Posted on September 5, 2023 by ehurst

This was mowed just a few weeks ago. Technically, OKC should trim the margins of the sidewalk, but I’m guessing that they won’t do it until they have served the private landowner with the process of condemnation for nuisance. The whole property is overgrown like this, and until this summer, had been mowed regularly. Sooner or later, some prissy middle class dweeb is going to complain and then we’ll see it done.

This was once a cow pasture. I took lots of pictures, and the place was quite lovely. Someone decided this was perfect for development, and starting sometime back in the winter, heavy equipment has been tearing away at the original landscape to flatten it out for several acres of concrete. I’m guessing it will be a massive warehouse for something related to Tinker AFB (just a mile away), or perhaps something along the lines of an Amazon facility. Middle class marketing builds this kind of stuff and destroys natural beauty.

By no means do I hate the middle class. Whenever technology lifts beyond a certain point, the middle class will always become the dominant life form. Without them, an awful lot of stuff we like can’t happen. Even if we find their crass materialism annoying, we still get nifty stuff like this little municipal park in Midway Village community because the middle class push for it.

They are the reason cool stuff like this gets built. What we have here is the Reed Convention Center in Midwest City, attached to some kind of Marriot Hotel property. My wife’s employer has used this place a few times; it’s very nice just to sit around outside it on one of the many benches under big shady trees. Yeah, the rates are expensive for any part of this operation, but that’s why they can afford to keep a very nice park-like area open to anyone for free. And they do roust out the homeless really quickly.

Thanks to the silly pandering of the middle class, Del City has rebuilt the old trail that once ran around Eagle Lake. At some point a decade ago or so, it was washed out and quickly became forgotten under the weeds. This past spring, a construction crew came out and began working on it. There is now a concrete bikeway all the way around again. Just a few more weeks and it will all be connected and finished. This shot from the eastern shore was impossible until recently.

But I will take issue with anyone — usually prissy middle class — telling me I need to wear a helmet. On a conventional bike, there is some risk of crashing from all kinds of things, so a helmet is a good idea. Wearing one has saved me a headache a couple of times. But on a folding bike, the risk of falling is almost nil. Instead, the biggest threat is being run over by drivers who aren’t paying attention. The second biggest risk is sunburn (I’ve had stripes sunburned into my scalp from helmets). So, I wear this high-visibility hat that keeps the sun off (and a mesh that allows my head to breathe). You can just make it out in this ad hoc selfie.

Posted in photography, social sciences | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 5

Posted on September 2, 2023 by ehurst

Here we run into a very potent example of the continuity between the Old and New Covenants. Granted, what Paul talks about in this chapter is disturbingly not a sin in to western minds. But even among Gentiles of his day, Paul knew that this issue crossed boundaries well established even outside the Law of Moses.

In the background of our awareness, we know that Leviticus 18:8 prohibits a man cohabiting with his stepmother (or any other woman in his father’s harem). When God made that command at Mount Sinai, it was already a major taboo among most pagan nations, as well. It was considered utterly repulsive for a father and son to have sex with the same woman, regardless of the context. At the least, this was a grave insult to the father. Even the filthy Canaanites would do something like that only as a sacred pagan ritual, not as routine domestic behavior.

It was scandal enough to do this even in Corinth, the capital of self-indulgent hedonism in the Roman Empire. But the offending couple were members of the church! Somehow, at least a portion of church leadership were standing up to defend this, as if it were something God favored, when it was patently obvious He forbade it.

This was such a flagrant breach, such a horrifying defilement of the Body of Christ, that Paul was compelled to demand strong sanctions. This fellow and his woman must be ostracized at a minimum. Then again, that was the most extreme punishment a church body could lawfully exercise under Roman authority. Paul was firm on this; it didn’t matter if he was there in person to conduct any ceremonies. He was there in spirit, and they must agree as one body that this grave sin cannot be ignored.

Paul refers to turning their flesh over to Satan. There are whole books on the implications of this. The point is that God has appointed someone to be His Left Hand to enslave/imprison anyone who walks by the flesh. Satan can’t touch your spirit. Paul emphasizes the point that the flesh must die so that the spirit can be redeemed and rescued from this awful defilement. As long as the man still wants this woman in his bed, he is walking by the flesh, and not following Christ at all. As long as she is willing to be with this man, she cannot claim Jesus as her Savior. If their spirits were reborn, they would be repulsed by the whole idea.

Think about it: Christ Himself would denounce the two of them. He will offer no covering for such people who serve the flesh.

Then Paul refers to the church using this “acceptance” as some kind of public boast to the outsiders. Christ calls us to take up our cross, not to drag every sin we can imagine into His Presence. Referring to the symbolism of leaven, Paul warns that this kind of sin can destroy the church. We need to celebrate the Sparing (AKA Passover) again by cleaning our lives so the Lamb of God can be present.

On the other hand, it’s not as if we could avoid sinners outside the church. Paul had written to them to disassociate from church members who couldn’t be bothered to admit the sexual sins were sin, but that didn’t mean to avoid sinners who didn’t claim to be Christians. The whole point is that sinners are not family. Family might sin, and there was plenty of teaching about how to handle that, but the point here is to discern whether someone was spiritual family or not.

Posted in bible | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 5

Riding the Zizzo Forte

Posted on September 2, 2023 by ehurst

This is what it looks like when I ride the Zizzo Forte most of the time.

The truth is, I almost never fold it up. It’s small enough as is that it fits just fine in my apartment, parked in front of the bookcases where I unboxed it. Having seen myself in reflections of store fronts (that never turned out for the camera), I realize I look like a hog on a skate. It’s okay. Being a comical figure is just my style; it’s my public default.

This is the only model Zizzo makes that is heavy enough to carry me. The other models are lighter; this one has heavier tubing in the frame and gussets to make it stronger. The tires are fatter. It’s enough to carry me and some cargo. On top of that, it’s just the most fun I’ve had riding in a very long time, and I ride thousands of miles every year.

Conventional bikes had become almost a chore. Much as I love cycling, the limitations of my aging body combined with the riding posture to steal away some of the fun. The folding bike posture makes me feel like a kid again. I can’t wait to find an excuse to ride it.

It’s just possible I may reconsider whether I could feasibly do some bikepacking. I can tell you that I would need a bike trailer for that, and there are several models made just for folding bikes. Still, they are almost as expensive as the bike itself. It would be a while before I took the idea seriously. The only reason I began looking at folding bikes in the first place was because I really wanted to take one with me the next time I traveled on a bus. My knees aren’t so bad that I need a wheelchair right now, but I really do need to avoid walking too much. A folding bike hits that spot in between, taking me just about everywhere me feet once did.

I’ve noticed something where I have ridden it so far: Pedestrians feel a lot less threatened by someone riding this kind of bike. Further, people in general hold different expectations. They expect a playful, childlike behavior pattern, in part because I do look ridiculous. I don’t wear a helmet, but my old madman hat. It’s not serious business any more.

And yet it is; most of my rides are as before, seeking out good prayer chapels. I find more of them in more places than I did on a conventional bike. If I need a reason to ride, that’s it. It does me so much good. I’m not trying to sell you on getting one of these, but I can declare what it has done for me, giving me back the sheer joy of riding just to be riding.

Posted in cycling | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Urban Journey 02 (continued)

Posted on August 31, 2023 by ehurst

Continuing from yesterday: This is a view of southwestern OKC from the Portland Avenue bridge over the Oklahoma River (AKA a highly developed section of the North Canadian River where it runs through OKC).

The thing about a folding bike is the necessity of smaller wheel diameter. Mine features 20-inch wheels. While the typical high-end bearings and axles aren’t offered at that size, there is a different advantage altogether: smaller diameter wheels are far less fragile. Spokes don’t break as often, and everyone who rides folding bikes will affirm that they’ve never had a wheel go out of alignment (called “true” in bicycle technology).

OKC continues to upgrade or build new bikeways throughout the city. This one runs right along Interstate 44 as part of the Grand Boulevard Trail. They did a lot of work to clean up and widen a former sidewalk that was just a temporary answer to a rather sudden rise in recreational bicycle traffic since the 1990s. While this makes it more comfortable for conventional bicycles, and now a large number of three-wheeled recumbents, it’s just huge on a folding bike. When switching to a folding bike, riders call it “squirrely” but that’s just another word for “responsive” once you get used to it.

The engineers are giving thought to the implications of higher traffic loads for these bikeways. Here we see what was once an impossible obstacle smoothed out. Trains still use that track, unlike others in the city that have been decommissioned but not removed (the railroads are notoriously resistant to removal), so it has to work for both. The bikeway is now much better than the motor vehicle crossing. Previously I had to ride some very rough asphalt through here.

Last year’s model of the Zizzo Forte suffered a lot of complaints from users for cheap components that didn’t mesh well. This year’s model has 1×8 gears, and the front chainring is the right size. I don’t use 7th or 8th much, but I was able to ride over this steep arch in 2nd with comfort. I mostly run in either 5th or 6th, which indicates a good balance. I don’t need more gears. This is the bikeway overpass on Interstate 44, which cuts through a very old city park. The arch joins the two halves.

It’s called Woodson Park. The bikeway is supposed to run through that area, but for almost a year now it has been under reconstruction. All the pavement and facilities — rather substantial previously — were ripped out and everything is being rebuilt new. While it was like many other parks around the turn of the century as a center of gang activity, the city has done a good job of reclaiming that turf for the public. It was already pretty safe; now it’s going to be a lot nicer. Meanwhile, it’s a lot easier taking the various ad hoc detours on this bike than it was on the old one.

This is a view of the Grand Boulevard Trail in southeastern Capitol Hill area. The smaller wheels, lower center of gravity and shorter frame make this thing very easy to dodge around obstacles. On a regular bike, there were places where I was extra careful because the high center of gravity found me often rolling not exactly where I wanted to go. This bike allows me good comfort in close passage of bollards, sharp turns for badly engineered sidewalk ramps, broken pavement, etc.

I’ve always loved this view. Some years ago I surveyed Lightning Creek. It’s always been a safety issue in OKC because of the vast amount of paved surface that feeds this creek. It’s notorious for flash flooding in storms, even brief ones. This is Oliver Park, which hosts one of three major catchment basins for Lightning Creek to give floodwaters a place to go. Just beyond the foreground trees is a five acre basin about eight or ten feet deep, and as the third basin on the watercourse, it still gets nearly full during storms, to the point the streets on the far side are still underwater at times. But the OKC skyline is beautiful from this angle.

Farther along the Grand Boulevard Trail, over near the suburb of Del City, this image juxtaposes two structures that represent roughly half of Oklahoma’s whole economy: energy. If it’s not liquid petroleum, it’s electricity from natural gas. We export a lot of all three to other states. We still have active oil and gas wells in some of the oddest places, including right up next to state government offices, and even the Governor’s Mansion in OKC.

Posted in cycling, photography | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Urban Journey 02

Posted on August 30, 2023 by ehurst

I got so many good shots today that I’ll have to divide them into two posts. First up is where Interstate 40 overpass along the Eagle Lake Trail, with the North Canadian River below, all in the light of dawn. Far in the background is the First Americans Museum with all sorts of new construction. This will continue blocking the old bike route for years. Yes, it’s still under a curse. I navigate around it because the new Greenway Trail is open on the opposite river bank.

That Greenway Trail at one point runs very close to Interestate 40. This is my first long ride on the Zizzo Forte, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a whole different way to ride, and brings a different mindset for me. This little thing is much lighter and closer to the ground. It feels like I have far more control than on conventional frame bikes.

The Greenway Trail connects to the North River Trail at the Boathouse. While I didn’t get a shot of the Boathouse, this is the canal alongside the Boathouse where all kinds of watercraft are likely tied up at any given time. I’ll get the Boathouse itself on another trip; I was seeing too many attractive shots. Riding this new bike made it so much easier to notice them, and to stop and shoot. Cycling becomes the tool for something else, not something that absorbs you with itself.

This is Walker Avenue crossing the North Canadian River and the bikeway. The city did a really nice job of landscaping when they turned this area into a park. Because the frame geometry of the folding bike is heads-up, you see the world more like you would walking. Thus, while it’s not nearly so ergonomic as a conventional bicycle, it’s far more efficient than walking. It was less hassle to stop and see things. I stopped several times simply because mounting and dismounting this thing is much easier than other bikes I’ve owned.

The Wheeler Ballpark makes a good foreground for the OKC Skyline. The ballpark is seldom in use during work hours; it’s always evenings and weekends. That makes is easier for Parks and Rec to maintain it without disrupting events. There were crews all along the north bank of the OK River when I rode through, and the mowers were out around Wheeler Park at this point. The grass was fresh cut and the air was a little dusty.

Only around early to mid-morning will you find this seating stone shaded. I took a shot of the bike with the Wheeler Ferris Wheel and Wheeler Addition in the background, across on the south bank of the North Canadian River. The river was clear today and didn’t stink as much as usual, so we aren’t getting a ton of sediment right now. It’s not like the smell of stagnant water (rather like sewage) or pollution when it’s bad, but the stink from sediment is it’s own kind of thing. You’d recognize it as a natural smell, but not pleasant.

The temperature today was not yet up into the 80s. With clear skies, this sweeping view of the river and trail together caught my eye. Most days, even this early, I would expect to see the occasional rider or walker. It was oddly vacant today, all the more so being so nice outside. Keep in mind that there is the constant roar of Interstate 40 in the background, running parallel off to my right. It’s quite heavy right now, but more with passenger cars, because it’s morning rush hour. In fact, just about every major artery I encountered was pretty busy. Crossing these was pretty slow.

The homeless camps along the river were busy, too. This is a collection of dozens of “borrowed” shopping carts. It started with a couple of abandoned strollers a few years ago, but almost neatly parked along the edge of the shrubs in the grass. The mowing crews avoided them; no one’s in a hurry to clean up the mess. Since then, more and more shopping carts have shown up. I get the impression they leave them for others to use. There’s a very large collection of tents off in the trees just off camera in the background to the right. I try to avoid provoking them; most are friendly until you start aiming cameras at them.

More tomorrow.

Posted in cycling, photography | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Urban Journey 02

Zizzo Forte Unboxing

Posted on August 28, 2023 by ehurst

This is what I found outside my door this afternoon — Zizzo Forte folding bicycle. It’s supposed to be designed for heavier riders, carrying up to 300 pounds safely. I ordered it on Amazon for about $600 and it shipped from somewhere in California. This thing is popular enough that the quantity in stock was dropping over just a few hours. This will open a new chapter in my cycling.

The bike comes double boxed. The inner box has no branding or anything. I was told that it’s just in case you need a box to ship it on an airline or whatever, no one can tell what’s in it. However, it’s much easier to strip it down a little more and pack it in a bag designed for carrying, as this typically fits inside the limits for regular checked baggage. Half the reason I bought this was the likelihood I’d be traveling, and this thing is the best way to get around once you get where you are going.

There’s a lot of packing: foam, zip ties, cardboard with tape, plastic bags and some clipped on hard plastic protectors for various protruding parts. It wasn’t too annoying to remove. The only bad part was a plastic film covering the fenders, and they applied it before it was mounted on the bike. Unless you take it all apart, you can’t get the last few shreds of clear plastic off.

It wouldn’t come loose pulling upward, but once I turned it on its side, it came out quite easily. It turned into a mini-workout for me, because I’m so much larger than this thing when it’s folded up like this. On the other hand, it’s much lighter than any of the regular bicycles I’ve owned.

It took awhile to remove enough packing for the frame to unfold. There was a nifty Velcro belt that you can keep for use when you bag it up for travel. When I do travel and I’m not driving, I actually prefer to go by bus. This thing would easily fit up under the bus. I’m going to order a bag that makes it less obvious what it is.

Once I got it unfolded for the first time, it still looked like a little child’s bike. The wheels are 20″, which is becoming quite common these days, not just on folding bikes, but recumbent trikes typically run this size. Tires and tubes are easy to get all over the place.

It took maybe 20 minutes to remove all the packing materials. It was a lot of stuff to wade through.

This is pretty close to ready for riding. The main thing for me was getting the seat height just right. I really like how it sits upright; I’m getting too old for head-down riding. I’ve got arthritis in my shoulders and elbows, so I need to keep my hands up well above the seat level. The handlebars came fully extended and I left them that way. The handlebar itself also tilts easily with a lock just for that.

The tires come deflated to just 10 pounds or so. I had a relatively new floor pump for Schrader valves and it fit just fine. Once I got it all ready, I rode around a bit, stopping repeatedly to adjust the seat height, until the seat felt comfortable pedaling. Then I got on the bike and grabbed the box, dragging it around to the far side of the apartment complex where the dumpsters are. A couple of neighbors commented and laughed at the sight. I’m still a clown.

This is not for off-roading, though it can take just a little of that. It’s mostly for big heavy guys riding around town or on roads. However, YouTube is loaded with videos of people who use folding bikes for touring the whole world. This thing comes with a special mount on the front of the frame. There is a whole range of bags and racks that slip onto the fitting. I’ll worry about fully equipping it later, as the extra goodies cost a bit. At least my old saddlebags fit just fine.

In that last photo, I’ve already mounted my lock and cable, some bungee cords on the rear rack, and right in the center of the handlebar is a soft bottle carrier. I like having a water bottle up close to my hands.

Posted in cycling | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 4

Posted on August 26, 2023 by ehurst

Once again, it’s best to share here my previous commentary on this chapter.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, a mystery is mysterious, not because those who know it keep it away from prying eyes and ears, but because it can scarcely be spoken under any circumstances. The Ultimate Truth of things is ineffable, cannot be told, only indicated by human words. It is so much greater than any of us that we wisely avoid taking ourselves seriously. Those whose spirits are dead cannot grasp any part of this. Paul says the Corinthian church acts too much like they have no spirits.

A mystical faith is self-effacing, making no claim in the person of any. So it was Paul said the most important thing any man could know of him was his service in the Realm of the Spirit. The one and only thing that matters is a desire and commitment to serve. Paul had no concern whatsoever how the Corinthians or any human court might judge him. By the same token, he didn’t trust his own judgment of himself. While his conscience was clean, that was no proof of innocence. God alone judges and God alone can say whether Paul pleased Him. So it is we who walk in Christ refrain from presuming to judge anyone, because God alone will reveal such things when He is ready.

By using himself and Apollos as examples, Paul simply offered a demonstration of the principles. No one on this earth has a call from God to lord it over anyone else in Kingdom matters. The only difference between any two believers is whatever God has done in their individual lives. No one has any gift, calling, office or anointing that they earned, so no one has any reason to boast at all. The Corinthians were so full of themselves! What marvelous things they boasted! If only it was true, Paul and the other preachers could then share in the blessings.

It seems God left out the poor apostles. Instead of big titles, accolades, power and riches, they got death sentences, public ridicule, and were a laughingstock in view of heaven and earth. They did not compare well with the boasts of the Corinthians. The apostles barely survived in a very hard life, and many had to pay their own way. But they never took it personally; they accepted every abuse as an opportunity to bless. Sorrow was something they took for granted. They knew they were called to walk the Way of the Cross.

Paul wasn’t trying to make the Corinthians feel sorry for him. Rather, he was trying to warn them. Now, a child might pass through any number of teachers and tutors, but he would only ever have one father. Paul was their spiritual father, and it was only natural that they should model themselves on him. Toward this end, Paul sent Timothy, rather like their big brother that had already begun walking in Paul’s footsteps. His very presence would remind them of Paul’s teachings, the same teachings Paul consistently shared wherever he went.

The Corinthians weren’t being short-changed. Paul had the same mission to teach everywhere he went, and the Corinthian church was hardly the only one he started. Their pity-party was unjustified, and accusations that Paul had abandoned them were silly. If God allowed, Paul would return to them shortly following this letter. He was not concerned about the rowdy talk against him. People say all kinds of things having no connection to reality. What mattered was whether God worked through them. The gospel of Christ, and His Kingdom, is not wrapped up in mere words of human language, but in the power to turn men’s hearts to eternal things.

Would they be impressed if Paul showed up with a fasces, some symbol or means of exerting human authority? Or would the Corinthians want to learn the power of God through love and gentleness? That’s how the Kingdom of Heaven operates.

Posted in bible | Tagged , , | Comments Off on NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 4