I read a quote recently from Malcolm Muggeridge, that said something to the effect that since man didn't crown Christ, they cannot take His crown away. I loved that thought. It made me think of all that's going in our society today with the economy and the election coming up.
They didn’t crown Him, so they can’t take His crown away! Think – make sure that the things you have are not given to you by man, therefore they cannot be taken away by man. The Election. The Economy. These are all man-made devices that are thrown into your arms and we tend to hold them tenderly, as if they can bring us real hope, as if they would break if we dropped them, and thus our hope would be shattered. They are things of the world!!! Pray for them, so that we can have peace to advance His Kingdom (though it can obviously still be advanced in times of darkness and depression). But don't embrace them.
Your first birth is from man, so he tries to take it away from you by pulling you into the thoughts and desires of the world. But your second birth is not given to you by man. It is of the Spirit. It is from above. Therefore it cannot be touched by man. It can never be taken away by man, since he did not give it to you. It is an eternal untouchable. It's between you and God, the One who did give it to you. Embrace it, hold fast to it, live it, love it. The things of that first birth? Let them go. You know: fear, death, sin, defeat, despair, worldly governments, the economy of man . . . . let them go.
Whatever happens with the current Triple-E Virus (economy, environment, election) that is raging through Christianity, do what you can in each area under the will of God, because they do have their value, but leave the Big Picture of each one in His hands. Bury yourself in Him and advance His Kingdom. All things will pass - except what is eternal.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Married With Children
A couple of positive movements have blossomed as a result of the Great Inoculaton (see previous post). In frustration over the form over substance emphasis of the church at that time, the Pentecostal church and the Social Gospel movement have grown enormously as people have sought to make their life in Christ meaningful beyond the business of church.
Each one had a beautiful and vital gift that they brought to the church. Pentecostalism brought the experience of God as a person into our lives. It wasn't just the 'sign the card and get on with your life' mentality - it was embrace God and be intimate with Him. The Social Gospel got us out of our churches and into the streets, where we were able to feel in a very real way what Christ meant when He said that we are His body, His ambassadors, that we are The Plan. Each of these 'felt' much better - and there's nothing wrong with bringing feelings, experiences and meaning into our relationship with God.
Both of these were born out of the frustrations of those "raised Christians" - those who knew (like me) that we were called to intimately know God through Christ and that we were to be a real factor in this world. What beautiful children are experience and ministry, and I would never want to lose them.
BUT - -- - both of these groups eventually became so infatuated with their 'children' that they ended up marrying them, in a spiritual sense.
For (most) Pentecostals, experience became the defining factor in a relationship with God and in church. How you 'feel' was placed on par with the Word. If you weren't 'feeling' Him, speaking in inexpressible (and unintelligible) ways with Him, then you were falling short in your relationship with God. These feelings were more important than what God actually had to say on the subject. I hate to sound harsh, but it's true. As a result, many people became discouraged because they weren't experiencing what those around them claimed to be experiencing, and instead of relying on God's truth ("I will never leave you nor forsake you") they felt lost and forsaken because they felt lost and forsaken. God's Word trumps feelings every time - or else we would never survive the day.
The Social Gospel also made this critical error. Of course, we're to be out in the streets, and it feels good to be actually out there doing things for the poor, the homeless, the down-trodden. But the Gospel is still the good news of a changed life, not just a helping hand. However eventually the "Helping Hand" became the gospel and the Word became secondary. A cup of water became more important than a changed heart. I know - a cup of water is a key first step and Christ honors that, but it must lead to the Word. Christ healed people so that they would know He had the power to forgive. Read Luke 5:17 - 26. It doesn't even appear as if Christ is going to heal the paralyzed man - that "all" He is going to do is forgive him. He only heals to prove to the unbelievers that He can forgive. Why? Because coats and cups of water are temporary and the Word of God is eternal. And you better believe that 2000 years later that paralyzed man is much happier that he was spiritually healed than that he was physically healed.
When you become infatuated with the 'children' you end up losing your true spouse. The Word is our true Spouse. He must always be first and foremost. Every experience and every charge into the streets must be weighed against the Word, not vice-versa. Only the Truth can set you free, and when Christ sets you free, you are free indeed.
There are laws against parents marrying their children - because we know what happens if they ever procreated: UGLY.
Let's not throw out these beautiful babies (experiencing God, hitting the streets) with the bathwater. But let's not marry them either.
Each one had a beautiful and vital gift that they brought to the church. Pentecostalism brought the experience of God as a person into our lives. It wasn't just the 'sign the card and get on with your life' mentality - it was embrace God and be intimate with Him. The Social Gospel got us out of our churches and into the streets, where we were able to feel in a very real way what Christ meant when He said that we are His body, His ambassadors, that we are The Plan. Each of these 'felt' much better - and there's nothing wrong with bringing feelings, experiences and meaning into our relationship with God.
Both of these were born out of the frustrations of those "raised Christians" - those who knew (like me) that we were called to intimately know God through Christ and that we were to be a real factor in this world. What beautiful children are experience and ministry, and I would never want to lose them.
BUT - -- - both of these groups eventually became so infatuated with their 'children' that they ended up marrying them, in a spiritual sense.
For (most) Pentecostals, experience became the defining factor in a relationship with God and in church. How you 'feel' was placed on par with the Word. If you weren't 'feeling' Him, speaking in inexpressible (and unintelligible) ways with Him, then you were falling short in your relationship with God. These feelings were more important than what God actually had to say on the subject. I hate to sound harsh, but it's true. As a result, many people became discouraged because they weren't experiencing what those around them claimed to be experiencing, and instead of relying on God's truth ("I will never leave you nor forsake you") they felt lost and forsaken because they felt lost and forsaken. God's Word trumps feelings every time - or else we would never survive the day.
The Social Gospel also made this critical error. Of course, we're to be out in the streets, and it feels good to be actually out there doing things for the poor, the homeless, the down-trodden. But the Gospel is still the good news of a changed life, not just a helping hand. However eventually the "Helping Hand" became the gospel and the Word became secondary. A cup of water became more important than a changed heart. I know - a cup of water is a key first step and Christ honors that, but it must lead to the Word. Christ healed people so that they would know He had the power to forgive. Read Luke 5:17 - 26. It doesn't even appear as if Christ is going to heal the paralyzed man - that "all" He is going to do is forgive him. He only heals to prove to the unbelievers that He can forgive. Why? Because coats and cups of water are temporary and the Word of God is eternal. And you better believe that 2000 years later that paralyzed man is much happier that he was spiritually healed than that he was physically healed.
When you become infatuated with the 'children' you end up losing your true spouse. The Word is our true Spouse. He must always be first and foremost. Every experience and every charge into the streets must be weighed against the Word, not vice-versa. Only the Truth can set you free, and when Christ sets you free, you are free indeed.
There are laws against parents marrying their children - because we know what happens if they ever procreated: UGLY.
Let's not throw out these beautiful babies (experiencing God, hitting the streets) with the bathwater. But let's not marry them either.
So There Won't Be Any Misconceptions . . . .
John 3:3 "You must be born again."
I am a product of The Great Inoculation of the the 60's and 70's. This was when the "come forward and sign the card" stage of Christianity was at its peak, and conversions were counted in the millions each year. All we had to do was raise our hand (while no one else was looking, mind you - we would never want anyone to see us get saved!) and we could be counted by the pastor as having made "The Decision." Whew. That's a great load off of everyone's mind - now can we get on with the business of church?
I don't blame my parents, who are true Christians and deeply love the Lord. Having kids of my own, I know of no greater desire than to see them get under the umbrella. As a matter of fact, the other day my 5-year old daughter came running out to the back yard and yelled, "Daddy, I have Jesus in my heart!" Awesome. I just wish she knew what she was talking about.
Salvation is much deeper than raising a hand or signing a card. It's a radical intersection with the cross, the blood and the Person of Christ in a way that destroys your entire old way of life and thought and fills you with His divine presence. I guess a good way of putting it would be to say that you are born again. (Hmmm.. somebody write that down!) I know that we shrink back from that phrase because the world mocks it so much, but there really isn't a better explanation. It's not a heightening of who you are, an elevation of the old you, a missing puzzle piece to the rest of your life. It's a complete overhaul from the ground up. It's a divine eradication of the old life, not Tom 2.1 - a better version of the old Tom. It's a completely different entity altogether. It's a new conception!
But that's a hard message and even harder to follow up on because it requires working with the newly reborn who are still carrying the ugly residue of their old life. However - it's the only message we have and we must stop diluting or our churches will be littered with "misconceptions" - people who think that they have been saved when in reality they have never truly been born again. There has been no new conception or birth of the Spirit in their life and they are now just going through the motions.
I don't know all the ramifications of salvation, of what Christ has done for me and in me. But I do know it isn't accomplished by raising your hand when no one is looking and then getting on with your life. That's an inoculation, and now you're harder to reach than before, because you think you're okay.
Don't get me wrong - salvation is simple and free. It's just not simple and free! There is a complexity and a cost to it that is far beyond what many are preaching. My advice? Get into the Word, study it hard and long and deep, and what salvation really is will be revealed to you and it will blow your mind. Really - it will blow your mind and you will now have the mind of Christ. That's true salvation. Everything must go! To those who know our natural mind and where it can go when left to its own devices, this truly is good news.
I am a product of The Great Inoculation of the the 60's and 70's. This was when the "come forward and sign the card" stage of Christianity was at its peak, and conversions were counted in the millions each year. All we had to do was raise our hand (while no one else was looking, mind you - we would never want anyone to see us get saved!) and we could be counted by the pastor as having made "The Decision." Whew. That's a great load off of everyone's mind - now can we get on with the business of church?
I don't blame my parents, who are true Christians and deeply love the Lord. Having kids of my own, I know of no greater desire than to see them get under the umbrella. As a matter of fact, the other day my 5-year old daughter came running out to the back yard and yelled, "Daddy, I have Jesus in my heart!" Awesome. I just wish she knew what she was talking about.
Salvation is much deeper than raising a hand or signing a card. It's a radical intersection with the cross, the blood and the Person of Christ in a way that destroys your entire old way of life and thought and fills you with His divine presence. I guess a good way of putting it would be to say that you are born again. (Hmmm.. somebody write that down!) I know that we shrink back from that phrase because the world mocks it so much, but there really isn't a better explanation. It's not a heightening of who you are, an elevation of the old you, a missing puzzle piece to the rest of your life. It's a complete overhaul from the ground up. It's a divine eradication of the old life, not Tom 2.1 - a better version of the old Tom. It's a completely different entity altogether. It's a new conception!
But that's a hard message and even harder to follow up on because it requires working with the newly reborn who are still carrying the ugly residue of their old life. However - it's the only message we have and we must stop diluting or our churches will be littered with "misconceptions" - people who think that they have been saved when in reality they have never truly been born again. There has been no new conception or birth of the Spirit in their life and they are now just going through the motions.
I don't know all the ramifications of salvation, of what Christ has done for me and in me. But I do know it isn't accomplished by raising your hand when no one is looking and then getting on with your life. That's an inoculation, and now you're harder to reach than before, because you think you're okay.
Don't get me wrong - salvation is simple and free. It's just not simple and free! There is a complexity and a cost to it that is far beyond what many are preaching. My advice? Get into the Word, study it hard and long and deep, and what salvation really is will be revealed to you and it will blow your mind. Really - it will blow your mind and you will now have the mind of Christ. That's true salvation. Everything must go! To those who know our natural mind and where it can go when left to its own devices, this truly is good news.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Raised Christian
God is real. He is holy and loving, awesome and intimate, all-encompassing and all-indwelling. He is not a concept. He is not a method. He is not a religion. He is a person and a personality.
Being raised Christian often hinders young people from seeing this truth. Second generation Christians struggle with the "idea" of God versus the "person" of God. The idea sounds really good, but if they lack an encounter with Him, they walk away. If not in person, at least internally, going through the motions each week.
I feel that one of my main missions in life is to work with those who were "raised Christian." The ones whose parents were saved after they went through the struggles of life and can't seem to comprehend why their "Christian child" could ever doubt, ever fear, ever fall. "You have everything I wish I had at your age!" Maybe, maybe not. If you really wished you had it, you would have had it. Christ is within reach to all. It's unfair of these first generation Christians to put this burden upon their children. They need to allow those "raised Christians" to work through their questions, to fall and be lifted up, so that they truly can become "raised Christians."
I also feel that this is why so many second generation Christians seek what they call "The Second Blessing." They want an encounter, and since they feel that they're already "saved" they desire an experience to match it, like their parents had, so they seek something else beyond it. But this isn't scriptural - we have all we need upon salvation. (Ephesians 1:13,14, II Peter 2:3,4)
That's also why so many second-generation Christians start to depart from the Word of God and seek experiences, which leads to a dilution of the Word. I read blog after blog of these young people trying to manipulate the Word to match what they're feeling, applying all of their logic to argue into acceptability things that are sin. Let's be clear: There is no acceptable sin. But since this is what (and who) they are experiencing, they try to bring God and the sin to the same level. This simply cannot happen. Not because I don't want it to happen - it CAN'T happen. ("What fellowship can light have with darkness?")
What's the answer? A real encounter with Christ. This blows the flesh right out of the person. If all you're concerned about is a 'social gospel' (which every true believer should be concerned about) then you'll miss the real gospel - an invasion of Christ into your own heart. We've lost the sense of the "good news" because so many of our kids have simply been "raised Christian," - inoculated into the program, instructed in the religion - that they don't know what 'the Gospel' really means. So they scurry after experiences and into social programs that make them think they're bringing the gospel into the world, when all they're bringing is a helping hand. They are trying to create their own encounters, and in a sense, their own gospel.
Again - don't get me wrong. Every believer is empowered to be a helping hand in this world. But apart from Christ, that's all it is. With Christ - it's a healing hand, and there is a huge difference between the two. There is no true helping without a healing, and there is no true healing unless there is acknowledgment of sickness. That's why the standards cannot be adjusted to the experiences.
I fear that we're raising a generation with this mindset. However, one-by-one I've encountered some who want the Truth and they're coming, and they're coming hard. These are the ones who will be true "raised Christians," the ones who will find the true Gospel. These are the ones who will eventually become the true difference-makers in this world.
Being raised Christian often hinders young people from seeing this truth. Second generation Christians struggle with the "idea" of God versus the "person" of God. The idea sounds really good, but if they lack an encounter with Him, they walk away. If not in person, at least internally, going through the motions each week.
I feel that one of my main missions in life is to work with those who were "raised Christian." The ones whose parents were saved after they went through the struggles of life and can't seem to comprehend why their "Christian child" could ever doubt, ever fear, ever fall. "You have everything I wish I had at your age!" Maybe, maybe not. If you really wished you had it, you would have had it. Christ is within reach to all. It's unfair of these first generation Christians to put this burden upon their children. They need to allow those "raised Christians" to work through their questions, to fall and be lifted up, so that they truly can become "raised Christians."
I also feel that this is why so many second generation Christians seek what they call "The Second Blessing." They want an encounter, and since they feel that they're already "saved" they desire an experience to match it, like their parents had, so they seek something else beyond it. But this isn't scriptural - we have all we need upon salvation. (Ephesians 1:13,14, II Peter 2:3,4)
That's also why so many second-generation Christians start to depart from the Word of God and seek experiences, which leads to a dilution of the Word. I read blog after blog of these young people trying to manipulate the Word to match what they're feeling, applying all of their logic to argue into acceptability things that are sin. Let's be clear: There is no acceptable sin. But since this is what (and who) they are experiencing, they try to bring God and the sin to the same level. This simply cannot happen. Not because I don't want it to happen - it CAN'T happen. ("What fellowship can light have with darkness?")
What's the answer? A real encounter with Christ. This blows the flesh right out of the person. If all you're concerned about is a 'social gospel' (which every true believer should be concerned about) then you'll miss the real gospel - an invasion of Christ into your own heart. We've lost the sense of the "good news" because so many of our kids have simply been "raised Christian," - inoculated into the program, instructed in the religion - that they don't know what 'the Gospel' really means. So they scurry after experiences and into social programs that make them think they're bringing the gospel into the world, when all they're bringing is a helping hand. They are trying to create their own encounters, and in a sense, their own gospel.
Again - don't get me wrong. Every believer is empowered to be a helping hand in this world. But apart from Christ, that's all it is. With Christ - it's a healing hand, and there is a huge difference between the two. There is no true helping without a healing, and there is no true healing unless there is acknowledgment of sickness. That's why the standards cannot be adjusted to the experiences.
I fear that we're raising a generation with this mindset. However, one-by-one I've encountered some who want the Truth and they're coming, and they're coming hard. These are the ones who will be true "raised Christians," the ones who will find the true Gospel. These are the ones who will eventually become the true difference-makers in this world.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Looking For Loopholes
John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
I would love some loopholes. I search the NT and look for one place where I could find that those who don't believe in Christ and truly receive Him as their savior can still have eternal life, can still "come to the Father." But I can't find one. Not even close. I don't say this facetiously, I really do wish that I could find some "out" for my unsaved friends and loved ones. What a burden that would remove from me - the burden for their soul and the burden of having to confront them with this inescapable fact: No one comes to the Father except through Christ. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son does not have life. You must be born again. To all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (these are all actual verses). I simply can't find that loophole.
There are other loopholes I wish I could find. Lifestyle loopholes. I really do wish that they were out there so that other people could have the "burden" of their natural desires rubber-stamped with a Divine "Okay." But let's face it, all the manipulating of Scriptures, the long essays of rationalization, the culturizing (?) of these difficult passages are really only tap-dances around the truth: these things are clearly stated as wrong and they are clearly seen from creation itself. There are rights and there are wrongs and we can do all the Scriptural dance moves we want, but it's just our natural man trying to justify something in our own life or in the life of someone we love.
I mean, really - who wants a loved one to be miserable in desires that are unscriptural? I certainly don't - I would love to find a loophole.
Read Romans 1 - the entire chapter, not just pulling out phrases. It can't be any clearer that ALL of these sins mentioned are sins. ALL of them - not just the ones we want for ourselves or our friends. Just because we can put a human face on them doesn't suddenly make them justifiable. Harder, yes. It's always harder when you put a human face on a scriptural admonition. But - it doesn't change the fact that these things are defined by God's creation, His word and the Spirit in our heart as sin.
Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
I would love some loopholes. I search the NT and look for one place where I could find that those who don't believe in Christ and truly receive Him as their savior can still have eternal life, can still "come to the Father." But I can't find one. Not even close. I don't say this facetiously, I really do wish that I could find some "out" for my unsaved friends and loved ones. What a burden that would remove from me - the burden for their soul and the burden of having to confront them with this inescapable fact: No one comes to the Father except through Christ. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son does not have life. You must be born again. To all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (these are all actual verses). I simply can't find that loophole.
There are other loopholes I wish I could find. Lifestyle loopholes. I really do wish that they were out there so that other people could have the "burden" of their natural desires rubber-stamped with a Divine "Okay." But let's face it, all the manipulating of Scriptures, the long essays of rationalization, the culturizing (?) of these difficult passages are really only tap-dances around the truth: these things are clearly stated as wrong and they are clearly seen from creation itself. There are rights and there are wrongs and we can do all the Scriptural dance moves we want, but it's just our natural man trying to justify something in our own life or in the life of someone we love.
I mean, really - who wants a loved one to be miserable in desires that are unscriptural? I certainly don't - I would love to find a loophole.
Read Romans 1 - the entire chapter, not just pulling out phrases. It can't be any clearer that ALL of these sins mentioned are sins. ALL of them - not just the ones we want for ourselves or our friends. Just because we can put a human face on them doesn't suddenly make them justifiable. Harder, yes. It's always harder when you put a human face on a scriptural admonition. But - it doesn't change the fact that these things are defined by God's creation, His word and the Spirit in our heart as sin.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Don't Mess With THE PLAN
You are The Plan. So get your act together.
It appears from the New Testament that there was really only one thing that truly upset Christ, and that was when the vessel for the message of God's salvation was messed with or compromised. That seemed to get Him mad - real mad. Mad enough to call Pharisees "white-washed tombs" full of "dead men's bones." Mad enough to fashion a whip and overturn some tables. Mad enough to say to one of His beloved disciples: "Get behind me, Satan!" Messing with The Plan is not a good idea.
In Isaiah 49:6 He says that the Israelites will be a "light for the Gentiles" and in 57:7 He says that the Temple will be called "a house of prayer for all nations." In other words, the Israelites and the Temple were The Plan to bring God's salvation to all people. He had plucked them out of Egypt, cleaned them off, gave them His holy Law, and then placed them down in the center of the world - at the very crossroads of all the major trade routes - so that they could be a light for the Gentiles and a house of prayer for all nations. If He had simply wanted a special people for Himself, He could have moved the entire Israelite nation to some island in the Pacific. But they were to be something greater - they were The Plan to the lost.
So when Christ came and saw the compromises and the heavy burdens placed upon these lost people by the religious leaders, He took offense and cleaned it out. Then He condemned it, saying that it would no longer be The Plan, that every stone would be knocked down before that generation had passed away.
He then took The Plan to the people: dying, rising, destroying sin's power and imparting His Spirit upon all who believe. To them who received Him, He gave the right to be called a son of God. These receivers are now The Plan. (I like the phrase "receiver" better than "believer.") The light to the world is now brought through individuals to the lost and dying. We are movable Temples - in the world, bringing that very same Light to the lost that the original Temple was meant to do.
So - get your act together. Any continued dysfunction in your life is messing with The Plan. We tend to think in a very self-centered way, moaning about our inability to have enough faith, to conquer sin, to reach the deeper place with God that we desire. In the meantime, people are dying because we've kept The Plan in check by this same inability to get our lives in order under the Spirit. It's not about us - it's about them. Our dysfunction only feeds the Great Beast of Inactivity.
Our "religion" tends to feed this self-centeredness. Every focus is on making the receiver/believer comfortable, having our best life now, yet not asking (demanding!) that we put off the old clothes, put on Christ, and get into the world in the way the original Temple was meant to be in the world. So don't be surprised if Christ takes the same action upon your heart that He took in that Temple. He doesn't seem to like it when you mess with The Plan.
Again - your dysfunction is not just about you - it's about others that need you to get your act together.
It appears from the New Testament that there was really only one thing that truly upset Christ, and that was when the vessel for the message of God's salvation was messed with or compromised. That seemed to get Him mad - real mad. Mad enough to call Pharisees "white-washed tombs" full of "dead men's bones." Mad enough to fashion a whip and overturn some tables. Mad enough to say to one of His beloved disciples: "Get behind me, Satan!" Messing with The Plan is not a good idea.
In Isaiah 49:6 He says that the Israelites will be a "light for the Gentiles" and in 57:7 He says that the Temple will be called "a house of prayer for all nations." In other words, the Israelites and the Temple were The Plan to bring God's salvation to all people. He had plucked them out of Egypt, cleaned them off, gave them His holy Law, and then placed them down in the center of the world - at the very crossroads of all the major trade routes - so that they could be a light for the Gentiles and a house of prayer for all nations. If He had simply wanted a special people for Himself, He could have moved the entire Israelite nation to some island in the Pacific. But they were to be something greater - they were The Plan to the lost.
So when Christ came and saw the compromises and the heavy burdens placed upon these lost people by the religious leaders, He took offense and cleaned it out. Then He condemned it, saying that it would no longer be The Plan, that every stone would be knocked down before that generation had passed away.
He then took The Plan to the people: dying, rising, destroying sin's power and imparting His Spirit upon all who believe. To them who received Him, He gave the right to be called a son of God. These receivers are now The Plan. (I like the phrase "receiver" better than "believer.") The light to the world is now brought through individuals to the lost and dying. We are movable Temples - in the world, bringing that very same Light to the lost that the original Temple was meant to do.
So - get your act together. Any continued dysfunction in your life is messing with The Plan. We tend to think in a very self-centered way, moaning about our inability to have enough faith, to conquer sin, to reach the deeper place with God that we desire. In the meantime, people are dying because we've kept The Plan in check by this same inability to get our lives in order under the Spirit. It's not about us - it's about them. Our dysfunction only feeds the Great Beast of Inactivity.
Our "religion" tends to feed this self-centeredness. Every focus is on making the receiver/believer comfortable, having our best life now, yet not asking (demanding!) that we put off the old clothes, put on Christ, and get into the world in the way the original Temple was meant to be in the world. So don't be surprised if Christ takes the same action upon your heart that He took in that Temple. He doesn't seem to like it when you mess with The Plan.
Again - your dysfunction is not just about you - it's about others that need you to get your act together.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Big Game Fatigue
As Boston sports fan, I'm about to say something that could be construed as heretical: I'm ready for a break. You see, in Boston, every game over the past few years has been a Big Game. Stretch runs, playoffs, Yankees, Lakers, Super Bowls, World Series, NBA championships . . . . it's been seemingly endless and I'm pooped. We actually got rid of cable recently so I can't even watch them if I wanted to. I have Big Game Fatigue when it comes to sports.
Although this is an unprecedented stretch for any city, and every game has been a relatively big game sports-wise, I still somewhat blame the media. Sports have become a business, and to keep the "business" going, every game has to be an EVENT. The next game has to be the most important, can't-miss game of the year, the decade, the century! It's worn me out. I can't keep the emotions going and believe it or not, I'm not even watching the current Red Sox playoff series. (And I've been following them relentlessly my entire life.)
As a pastor, I fear that the same thing has happened in American Christianity. Since religion is now a multi-billion dollar business, pastors have to make sure that every meeting, every sermon, every get-together is an EVENT. Gotta keep the 'business' running, you know? We can't let the people lose the sense of urgency - this is the end! - so that they keep the money coming in. If you keep the people in fear, they'll keep writing checks and voting for your candidate and supporting your ministry.
This is a huge problem. How many "this is the final call" altar calls can we endure? How many "send in your seed money now or your life (and our ministry) will crumble" pleas can we handle? The church is starting to suffer from Big Game Fatigue and the cracks are beginning to appear in the foundation of the corporation. Good. I'm glad and I hope that it all comes apart. For us to be living out and accomplishing the true purpose of Christ, the Business of Church has to collapse and we have to get back to the real message. My brother is the real message - not the corporation.
I wish it would happen with sports - I wish that the curtain would be pulled back and every fan would realize that the constant drumbeat of "the next big game" is simply a corporation and media ploy to keep you tuned in, to keep you buying their product. I also wish that the curtain would be pulled back on the Corporation of Christianity that's going on in America today and the Christians would realize that they're being victimized by men simply trying to keep their "product" moving out the doors of the warehouse.
I'm going to take a deep breath and get out of the Big-Game mentality. It doesn't mean that I'm going to lose my urgency for the Kingdom, but I'm going to recognize that Christ expects us to live it out even in the monotony of daily life. Loving our brother, forgiving our enemy, reconciling the world to God through Christ - is awesome and exciting - and sometimes very, very slow work. It's not all about the "experience" but about quietly allowing Christ to do His work through us. Quietly, humbly, methodically and effectively.
I Thessalonians 4:11, 12 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
That doesn't sound like Big Game hunting, does it? A quiet life? Minding our own business? Working with our hands instead of gaining money off the business? Gaining the respect of the 'outsiders' instead of their hatred? Hmmmm.....
Here's a homework assignment for you: Read Ezekiel 34 and then tell me if it doesn't sound like today's Christian world. Then note carefully how God is going to deal with the situation.
Although this is an unprecedented stretch for any city, and every game has been a relatively big game sports-wise, I still somewhat blame the media. Sports have become a business, and to keep the "business" going, every game has to be an EVENT. The next game has to be the most important, can't-miss game of the year, the decade, the century! It's worn me out. I can't keep the emotions going and believe it or not, I'm not even watching the current Red Sox playoff series. (And I've been following them relentlessly my entire life.)
As a pastor, I fear that the same thing has happened in American Christianity. Since religion is now a multi-billion dollar business, pastors have to make sure that every meeting, every sermon, every get-together is an EVENT. Gotta keep the 'business' running, you know? We can't let the people lose the sense of urgency - this is the end! - so that they keep the money coming in. If you keep the people in fear, they'll keep writing checks and voting for your candidate and supporting your ministry.
This is a huge problem. How many "this is the final call" altar calls can we endure? How many "send in your seed money now or your life (and our ministry) will crumble" pleas can we handle? The church is starting to suffer from Big Game Fatigue and the cracks are beginning to appear in the foundation of the corporation. Good. I'm glad and I hope that it all comes apart. For us to be living out and accomplishing the true purpose of Christ, the Business of Church has to collapse and we have to get back to the real message. My brother is the real message - not the corporation.
I wish it would happen with sports - I wish that the curtain would be pulled back and every fan would realize that the constant drumbeat of "the next big game" is simply a corporation and media ploy to keep you tuned in, to keep you buying their product. I also wish that the curtain would be pulled back on the Corporation of Christianity that's going on in America today and the Christians would realize that they're being victimized by men simply trying to keep their "product" moving out the doors of the warehouse.
I'm going to take a deep breath and get out of the Big-Game mentality. It doesn't mean that I'm going to lose my urgency for the Kingdom, but I'm going to recognize that Christ expects us to live it out even in the monotony of daily life. Loving our brother, forgiving our enemy, reconciling the world to God through Christ - is awesome and exciting - and sometimes very, very slow work. It's not all about the "experience" but about quietly allowing Christ to do His work through us. Quietly, humbly, methodically and effectively.
I Thessalonians 4:11, 12 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
That doesn't sound like Big Game hunting, does it? A quiet life? Minding our own business? Working with our hands instead of gaining money off the business? Gaining the respect of the 'outsiders' instead of their hatred? Hmmmm.....
Here's a homework assignment for you: Read Ezekiel 34 and then tell me if it doesn't sound like today's Christian world. Then note carefully how God is going to deal with the situation.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Value of Ropes
There is a value in ropes. (see previous post) I use them as a parent with my kids (not literally, but sometimes . . . . ) and with the students in my class. There is a value in restraining someone from going headlong down a road that you know will lead them to a possible life-affecting disability. In that sense, "ropes" can be of tremendous short-term value.
Also, if I'm struggling with something immediate, ropes can help me while I find the deeper victory. I don't want to give the impression that rules are never any good. God Himself established "rules" in the sense that He knew for a society to function in an orderly way then certain guidelines needed to be established. Yet He also knew that the ultimate plan is for this "LAW" to be written upon our hearts.
But if someone has a bent to something destructive - alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity, pornography, destructive relational behavior - then by all means we need to 'rope' them in so that we can help them before they hurt themselves. As long as we understand that these ropes are really only "temporary restraining orders" while the heart is brought to a place of healing and change.
David was condemned as a father in I Kings 1:5,6 for NOT interfering with his son's destructive decisions, for not tying some 'ropes' around him. This allowed him to become so rebellious that he ultimately tried to unseat his own father. We do have a responsibility with those around us (and with ourselves) to use whatever temporary means possible to gain control over a potentially fatal situation.
I hope I didn't give the wrong impression in my prior post, as "freedom-seekers" tend to blast "legalists" out of the water to the point that they have swung the pendulum too far and can't see how God uses the entire process to effect change in the life of the believer.
Also, if I'm struggling with something immediate, ropes can help me while I find the deeper victory. I don't want to give the impression that rules are never any good. God Himself established "rules" in the sense that He knew for a society to function in an orderly way then certain guidelines needed to be established. Yet He also knew that the ultimate plan is for this "LAW" to be written upon our hearts.
But if someone has a bent to something destructive - alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity, pornography, destructive relational behavior - then by all means we need to 'rope' them in so that we can help them before they hurt themselves. As long as we understand that these ropes are really only "temporary restraining orders" while the heart is brought to a place of healing and change.
David was condemned as a father in I Kings 1:5,6 for NOT interfering with his son's destructive decisions, for not tying some 'ropes' around him. This allowed him to become so rebellious that he ultimately tried to unseat his own father. We do have a responsibility with those around us (and with ourselves) to use whatever temporary means possible to gain control over a potentially fatal situation.
I hope I didn't give the wrong impression in my prior post, as "freedom-seekers" tend to blast "legalists" out of the water to the point that they have swung the pendulum too far and can't see how God uses the entire process to effect change in the life of the believer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)