I was listening to my friends the other night talk about their grandmothers who were in declining health. They told us that one of these women, who all her life had been a strong Christian, was suddenly swearing like a sailor and using language that was vulgar and even racist. A comment was made that it seemed as if "her filter had been turned off."
This caused me to think about what it really means to be "saved." I have begun to develop a higher view of salvation than I have had in the past because I want to believe that it's more than simply a "filter." I want to believe that something radical happens - that you do become a "new creation" and are truly "born again." I want to believe that an actual change has taken place.
The odd thing about these types of stories, when the elderly lose their filter, is that it almost always ends up with the person becoming meaner, not nicer. They resort to using odd language, not sweet language. It's as if the "default setting" of man is extremely low, and that once the guards in our life have been taken away - this is the place we go.
Is salvation a true change or simply a strong defense system?
I think of things like pacifism, purity, kindness, serving the poor, gathering together in community, etc. Do we have to force these things upon ourselves? Do we have to convince ourselves that they are the right way then do everything within our power to live within the confines of this decision, this way of life? I would rather that I begin to naturally think this way, and that offering an enemy a hand isn't fighting every instinct in my being - it IS the instinct of my being.
Christ didn't fight Himself to offer forgiveness to His killers as He hung on the cross. It poured out of who He was. I want that.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Slumdog Savior
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."
I believe that in the opening scenes of "Slumdog Millionaire" we get one of the best pictures of Christmas. It's a pretty graphic scene, in which the boy wants to see one of his heroes, so he jumps into an ocean of human waste. As he climbs out you can barely see him through the filth, and most people watching get sick to their stomach. But that's just what Jesus did - He climbed into the mess with us, the mess that we created. He covered Himself in our waste. "The dear Christ entered in."
As I get older I become more and more amazed at what Christ did, because as I get older I become more and more frustrated with this body of flesh that I reside in. I want to get rid of it . . . . and He willingly took it upon Himself.
Not only that, but after covering Himself in human waste, He allows Himself to die in it. If that's where His story ended it would be pathetic. Valiant - but pathetic. However this is not the end - He rises . . . . clean. He blows off all the filth in the most powerful display of God's love and power in human history: the Resurrection.
He rises clean - and if we are crucified with Him we will rise clean as well and no longer be under the control of the flesh. What a beautiful picture - the God of all Creation entering into the human waste of man's own making, immersing Himself in it, dying in it, but then blowing it all off in one final act of victory.
I believe that in the opening scenes of "Slumdog Millionaire" we get one of the best pictures of Christmas. It's a pretty graphic scene, in which the boy wants to see one of his heroes, so he jumps into an ocean of human waste. As he climbs out you can barely see him through the filth, and most people watching get sick to their stomach. But that's just what Jesus did - He climbed into the mess with us, the mess that we created. He covered Himself in our waste. "The dear Christ entered in."
As I get older I become more and more amazed at what Christ did, because as I get older I become more and more frustrated with this body of flesh that I reside in. I want to get rid of it . . . . and He willingly took it upon Himself.
Not only that, but after covering Himself in human waste, He allows Himself to die in it. If that's where His story ended it would be pathetic. Valiant - but pathetic. However this is not the end - He rises . . . . clean. He blows off all the filth in the most powerful display of God's love and power in human history: the Resurrection.
He rises clean - and if we are crucified with Him we will rise clean as well and no longer be under the control of the flesh. What a beautiful picture - the God of all Creation entering into the human waste of man's own making, immersing Himself in it, dying in it, but then blowing it all off in one final act of victory.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
In Pursuit of Our Brothers
II Samuel 2:26 Abner called out to Joab: "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?"
2:27 Joab answered: "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning."
For any cycle to stop, someone has to take the final blow, the last hit. In this story in II Samuel, civil war has broken out in Israel. The men are going to fight to the death. Finally Abner has enough and confronts the obvious: until one of us simply stops, this will never end until we're all dead.
For a cycle of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, division to end, someone has to take the last hit. They have to allow the last hit to rest upon them without seeking revenge and continuing it all over again. This is obviously a difficult thing to do.
The past few days the big news story in our town has been about a case of road rage that ended with the cars pulling over, one man getting out and confronting the other driver, and then getting shot in the stomach. This is how unchecked violence will end. We kill our "brothers." Abner knew this and pleaded for it to stop.
Are you willing to bring healing to our "civil" wars by allowing the last hit to fall upon you? It screams against every natural desire, which is to avenge ourselves for even the slightest slight. If we are courageous and humble enough to do this, we can begin to end the cycles that are destroying our families.
The cross is the final resting place for revenge. That’s why it’s such a violent scene, because all of the violence of revenge comes to a screaming halt upon it. The ‘hits’ end there and the cycle is broken. Christ takes the final blow and does not retaliate. The last hit rests upon His broken and bloodied body. And by taking the final blow, He disarms Satan, who lives off violence and revenge.
This frees us and allows us to take the ‘hit’ from the brother and end the cycle of violence on earth. We do not have to return blow for blow. We can turn the other cheek and walk the second mile - and to make it even more amazing, we can do this with pure intentions: the redemption of our enemy.
I do not have to return the blow. I can become a resting place.
2:27 Joab answered: "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning."
For any cycle to stop, someone has to take the final blow, the last hit. In this story in II Samuel, civil war has broken out in Israel. The men are going to fight to the death. Finally Abner has enough and confronts the obvious: until one of us simply stops, this will never end until we're all dead.
For a cycle of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, division to end, someone has to take the last hit. They have to allow the last hit to rest upon them without seeking revenge and continuing it all over again. This is obviously a difficult thing to do.
The past few days the big news story in our town has been about a case of road rage that ended with the cars pulling over, one man getting out and confronting the other driver, and then getting shot in the stomach. This is how unchecked violence will end. We kill our "brothers." Abner knew this and pleaded for it to stop.
Are you willing to bring healing to our "civil" wars by allowing the last hit to fall upon you? It screams against every natural desire, which is to avenge ourselves for even the slightest slight. If we are courageous and humble enough to do this, we can begin to end the cycles that are destroying our families.
The cross is the final resting place for revenge. That’s why it’s such a violent scene, because all of the violence of revenge comes to a screaming halt upon it. The ‘hits’ end there and the cycle is broken. Christ takes the final blow and does not retaliate. The last hit rests upon His broken and bloodied body. And by taking the final blow, He disarms Satan, who lives off violence and revenge.
This frees us and allows us to take the ‘hit’ from the brother and end the cycle of violence on earth. We do not have to return blow for blow. We can turn the other cheek and walk the second mile - and to make it even more amazing, we can do this with pure intentions: the redemption of our enemy.
I do not have to return the blow. I can become a resting place.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Count Him Out
According to one count, the Gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogue, and 122 were with people out in the mainstream of life.
I know what you're thinking: "Get out of here!"
I'm thinking the same thing.
I know what you're thinking: "Get out of here!"
I'm thinking the same thing.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The End of Man's Way
I hate Children's Hospital. Not the people there and the wonderful work that they do, but the very fact that it must exist. I went in there the other night to visit with a boy who was in CCU and I felt a flood of all of the other visits to all my other "children" overwhelm me. Students and youth group kids. Nephews and cousins. All there for one reason - they were dying. I thought about all the times I held their hands or prayed over them, about the times I held their parents hands. I remembered the time that I came in with my young son Luke to visit one of my basketball players - a 12-year old boy - and watched as Luke threw up upon entering the room. My thoughts exactly, son.
As I walked past room after room of children lying in these beds, I asked God, "Is this really the plan? This is Your way?" I was sad. I was angry. I was confused.
Then I felt His anger return upon me. No - this is not My way. This is the end of man's way. What should I expect after years and years of decisions that were contrary to His commands? Man has systematically removed God from every sphere of life: education, science, medicine, government . . . . even religion. Did I think that the end result of this would be beautiful? Without God it's ugly and messy. Romans 1 gives the perfect picture of life spent in man's way. Three times He says that He (reluctantly) gave men over to their own desires. And how does Romans 1 end? In a cesspool. The entire chapter is a downward spiral into this, what I like to call "The Cesspool at the end of the Slide:
Romans 1: 28 - 32: "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents, they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decrees that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Children's Hospital is man's desperate (and well-intentioned) attempt to fix the most grotesque part of this cesspool: dying children. I commend these doctors and nurses. They're awesome. I just hate that they are necessary, that man has made them necessary. These children are caught up in man's way and they are dying as a result.
But . . . Christ has risen from this cesspool with healing in His wings. At our lowest point, neck deep in the feces, Christ came, right into our own filth, into the cesspool. He didn't just stand off to the side and say that He had a life-preserver - He entered in. He got neck deep with us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among men, declaring that this will be the end of man's way. He will reclaim His children and He will heal them. HE is the manifestation of God's way.
That's the true story of Christmas. The end of man's way. It makes me love my Savior even more than I thought was possible.
As I walked past room after room of children lying in these beds, I asked God, "Is this really the plan? This is Your way?" I was sad. I was angry. I was confused.
Then I felt His anger return upon me. No - this is not My way. This is the end of man's way. What should I expect after years and years of decisions that were contrary to His commands? Man has systematically removed God from every sphere of life: education, science, medicine, government . . . . even religion. Did I think that the end result of this would be beautiful? Without God it's ugly and messy. Romans 1 gives the perfect picture of life spent in man's way. Three times He says that He (reluctantly) gave men over to their own desires. And how does Romans 1 end? In a cesspool. The entire chapter is a downward spiral into this, what I like to call "The Cesspool at the end of the Slide:
Romans 1: 28 - 32: "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents, they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decrees that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
Children's Hospital is man's desperate (and well-intentioned) attempt to fix the most grotesque part of this cesspool: dying children. I commend these doctors and nurses. They're awesome. I just hate that they are necessary, that man has made them necessary. These children are caught up in man's way and they are dying as a result.
But . . . Christ has risen from this cesspool with healing in His wings. At our lowest point, neck deep in the feces, Christ came, right into our own filth, into the cesspool. He didn't just stand off to the side and say that He had a life-preserver - He entered in. He got neck deep with us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among men, declaring that this will be the end of man's way. He will reclaim His children and He will heal them. HE is the manifestation of God's way.
That's the true story of Christmas. The end of man's way. It makes me love my Savior even more than I thought was possible.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
"Accepting" Christ
Salvation - what is it? We had a wonderful experience in Bible Study last night where a man came and "accepted" Christ. But . . . . well, no buts, I'm thrilled. However . . . . . I have a high view of salvation. It's not simply praying a prayer or signing a card. It's entering into a deep relationship with the Creator of the universe. One of my favorite writers, A.W. Tozer, preached a sermon on it back in the 50's. I think it's still timely and worth a read:
TOZER:
"Now my relation to Jesus Christ is one of those few matters of life or death. To the average one of us who listen now it's taken for granted that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners: I take that for granted; I assume that, I know that's true, I don't in any wise question it. And then it's further taken for granted - and properly -- that we are saved by Christ alone without works. That, I also take for granted because it's declared there, I don't question it; I don't ask that somebody come and explain it: it's so! He did die for our sins according to the Scriptures, He did rise again. The Scripture does say that we are saved by Christ alone without works.
But now the big question is -- and right here is a hole in the bridge where millions fall through -- how do I come into saving relation to Christ? He alone saves without human merit or works - but he doesn't save everybody! Therefore there must be some connection made or some relation sustained; somehow or another I come into a relationship to Christ that saves me. Now, what is that? And that is a matter of life or death. You dare not assume anything. You must know. Not to be sure isn't to gamble with your soul. Not to be sure is to be dead! Just as you dare not cross the mighty ocean without a compass; to do so would be to die. So you dare not assume that you have the relationship unless you have; it's got to be there before you dare accept it as being there: to be wrong on this is to be lost!
Now if you were to ask the average man, the average preacher or the average person - the average Christian anywhere - "How do I come into saving relation to Jesus Christ?" the answer would be one of three. People would either tell you "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" -- that's Acts 16:31 or, they would say "Receive Christ as your Savior" -- that's John 1:12, or else they would give you this other answer. (And of course, those first two answers are true; they're true!) Or else they would give you this third answer, "Accept Christ as your personal Savior."
Now the word 'accept Christ' to the astonishment of a good many people does not occur in the Bible - it's not there. It's this 'accept Christ' doctrine that I want to talk a little bit about tonight. What is it to 'accept Christ'?
Now, I do not reflect on the words 'accept Christ' even though they're not in the Bible. It's possible to teach truth and yet not use words that are in the Bible always, because if what you say is the sum of what the Bible teaches on a subject then you're teaching truth provided the people know that that's the sum of the Bible teaching. So when you were told to accept Christ to bring us into saving relation to Him what the teacher was attempting to do is to say 'believe and receive' and 'believe' and 'receive' are Bible words though 'accept' is not a Bible word.
But accepting Christ has become the panacea all over the evangelical world and it has become fatal to millions! A whole attitude of accepting; the passive acceptance of Christ. This easy acceptance! A man will preach a tremendous sermon and then say "Now, what should you do? Accept Christ. Have you accepted Christ?" Or we go to the bedside of a dying man: "Have you accepted Christ?" And if he says he has, why, we pat his head and the next day or two we preach that he's in heaven twanging a harp. Well, now I'm awfully afraid that there are millions of people who are perishing because they are being told to accept Christ and they don't know what's meant by it.
You see, to tell a man to 'accept Christ', while it is relatively right, it yet, if not carefully explained, makes Christ to stand hat in hand waiting on my pleasure; neatly awaiting my verdict on Him. It makes Him apply to me, instead of my applying to Him. It permits me to accept Christ by an impulse of my mind or my emotions and accept Him painlessly and at no cost and no inconvenience.
Somebody suggested that the cross of Christ should not inconvenience people. Well, it is the most inconvenient thing in the world, this cross of Christ! It took a man by the name of Jesus in the height of his healthy human life and took Him out on a hillside and killed Him there - now, that's an inconvenient thing for Him! And any cross is inconvenient; it's a most inconvenient thing, this accepting Christ, if we know what we mean by it. But the accepting Christ of popular theology has no inconvenience attached to it."
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Scribblings of Man
I had a student come up to me today, frustrated with her math book. It seems that the student who used it the year before had done a lot of work in the book, and there were scribblings throughout the practice problems. She said that it wouldn't have bothered her so much if she knew that the previous student was 100% correct - all the time. She didn't know what she could trust so she couldn't trust anything. I gave her a new book.
I was talking to a man the other day who was really struggling with depression. Since I've struggled with it myself, I was able to help him a bit. I told him that one of the biggest turnarounds for me was when I took all my commentaries and devotional books and set them aside. Then I got a Bible that had no "words of man" inside and started reading. And reading. I needed to hear God's Voice. Sola Dei. Only God. One of the problems with depression is that there are too many voices speaking to you. Including your own.
I had to eliminate the scribblings of man - at least for awhile. Not because I believe fellow brothers can't help with their thoughts and interpretations, of course they can. But I was desperate, and when you're desperate you need to know the truth 100%. You can't be questioning what you can trust. Even the chapters and verses were added a thousand years after they were written - even those are the additions of well-intentioned man.
Recently I dealt with a young man who was really struggling, to the point where he felt the oppression of a personal demon. After spending time with him, sitting in his room filled with the "scribblings of man" (dream catchers, serenity rocks and other trinkets he was using to try to ease his pain) I realized what this kid needed was simply this: Pure Christ. He needed to get rid of all of these things and allow the fullness of Christ to consume him.
Strip it all away. Clear off the table. Get back to the words of Christ.
I was talking to a man the other day who was really struggling with depression. Since I've struggled with it myself, I was able to help him a bit. I told him that one of the biggest turnarounds for me was when I took all my commentaries and devotional books and set them aside. Then I got a Bible that had no "words of man" inside and started reading. And reading. I needed to hear God's Voice. Sola Dei. Only God. One of the problems with depression is that there are too many voices speaking to you. Including your own.
I had to eliminate the scribblings of man - at least for awhile. Not because I believe fellow brothers can't help with their thoughts and interpretations, of course they can. But I was desperate, and when you're desperate you need to know the truth 100%. You can't be questioning what you can trust. Even the chapters and verses were added a thousand years after they were written - even those are the additions of well-intentioned man.
Recently I dealt with a young man who was really struggling, to the point where he felt the oppression of a personal demon. After spending time with him, sitting in his room filled with the "scribblings of man" (dream catchers, serenity rocks and other trinkets he was using to try to ease his pain) I realized what this kid needed was simply this: Pure Christ. He needed to get rid of all of these things and allow the fullness of Christ to consume him.
Strip it all away. Clear off the table. Get back to the words of Christ.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
How You Close It Is How You Open It
I was out in the backyard trying to fix something with the rabbit cages and I looked at the pool (an above ground piece of garbage - don't get the wrong idea) and wanted to cry. I had been lazy at the end of summer and didn't close it well. I knew what that meant - come spring it would be a pain in the neck to open. I just walked away. I'll deal with it then.
I realized a great spiritual truth at that moment: How you close it is how you'll open it. I need to be more diligent at night, soaking myself in God and His Word, not the things of this world. When I go to bed I should have God's thoughts coursing through my mind. Scripture, blessings, His strength and power. Then His Word will protect me through the night and cover my house and family - and I will have a greater chance of opening up the next morning in the right frame of mind.
Relationships with others, job performance, our walk with God, our inner thought life, pools . . . . . they all run under the same principle: How we close it is how we'll open it.
Ephesian 4:26,27 "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
Go back to some broken relationships and close them out under the reconciliation of the blood of Christ. Do everything at your job so well that you can walk out the door with a clear conscience. Immerse yourself in God's Word at night instead of television or any other things that are merely the thoughts of the world. Get into a community that causes you to talk about God and not "stuff." Close out well.
I realized a great spiritual truth at that moment: How you close it is how you'll open it. I need to be more diligent at night, soaking myself in God and His Word, not the things of this world. When I go to bed I should have God's thoughts coursing through my mind. Scripture, blessings, His strength and power. Then His Word will protect me through the night and cover my house and family - and I will have a greater chance of opening up the next morning in the right frame of mind.
Relationships with others, job performance, our walk with God, our inner thought life, pools . . . . . they all run under the same principle: How we close it is how we'll open it.
Ephesian 4:26,27 "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
Go back to some broken relationships and close them out under the reconciliation of the blood of Christ. Do everything at your job so well that you can walk out the door with a clear conscience. Immerse yourself in God's Word at night instead of television or any other things that are merely the thoughts of the world. Get into a community that causes you to talk about God and not "stuff." Close out well.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Last Laugh
Last night at church we were singing the old favorite "Count Your Blessings." I know that to some degree this is scriptural - many of the psalms are recountings of things that God has done - so the song itself doesn't bother me. Except for some reason, I was bothered by the following:
It really struck me - I am not envious of others who are receiving wealth in this world, with the attitude: "Well later on I'll get mine!" I love what I have right now, Christ in me. I really don't want to be living through this life as if it's a great struggle but I get rewarded in the end. I don't think it's how we're meant to live through this life.
We must be convinced that this life is the best way. That this boat we're climbing (or being pulled) into is more than just salvation to an eternity with God and streets of gold, but to the best possible life now. I'm not talking the way prosperity preachers mean it, I mean that we must be convinced that the life following God, filled by His Spirit, is the best way to pilgrimage through this world. The life with the most meaning, peace, joy, purpose, fullness, fuller relationships, etc.
I get a little tired of hearing testimonies that make it sound like someone was having a blast and then they got saved. You know the ones that I mean: "I was drinking, messing around, doing what I wanted to - then I found Jesus!" You want to know what the kids hear? "I was having fun doing all the things of the world then Jesus came and put a stop to it."
Eternal life starts upon the moment of salvation, not the moment of death. Following God and being filled by His Spirit now is the best life. There is no need for thinking, "Don't worry, you can have yours now - I'll get mine later." This will change how you witness to people because you'll want what is best for them right now. It will allow you to forgive people and carry their burdens because you know that right now you have the power of Christ within you.
It's not about getting the last laugh. That thought alone means we have it all wrong. God loves these people. It's not about sticking it to them.
(by the way - "The Last Laugh" by Mark Knopfler/Van Morrison is one of the more underrated songs around. Look it up.)
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
It really struck me - I am not envious of others who are receiving wealth in this world, with the attitude: "Well later on I'll get mine!" I love what I have right now, Christ in me. I really don't want to be living through this life as if it's a great struggle but I get rewarded in the end. I don't think it's how we're meant to live through this life.
We must be convinced that this life is the best way. That this boat we're climbing (or being pulled) into is more than just salvation to an eternity with God and streets of gold, but to the best possible life now. I'm not talking the way prosperity preachers mean it, I mean that we must be convinced that the life following God, filled by His Spirit, is the best way to pilgrimage through this world. The life with the most meaning, peace, joy, purpose, fullness, fuller relationships, etc.
I get a little tired of hearing testimonies that make it sound like someone was having a blast and then they got saved. You know the ones that I mean: "I was drinking, messing around, doing what I wanted to - then I found Jesus!" You want to know what the kids hear? "I was having fun doing all the things of the world then Jesus came and put a stop to it."
Eternal life starts upon the moment of salvation, not the moment of death. Following God and being filled by His Spirit now is the best life. There is no need for thinking, "Don't worry, you can have yours now - I'll get mine later." This will change how you witness to people because you'll want what is best for them right now. It will allow you to forgive people and carry their burdens because you know that right now you have the power of Christ within you.
It's not about getting the last laugh. That thought alone means we have it all wrong. God loves these people. It's not about sticking it to them.
(by the way - "The Last Laugh" by Mark Knopfler/Van Morrison is one of the more underrated songs around. Look it up.)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Common Rain and the Church
I would like to followup on my two previous postings. In the first, I questioned to what extent the church (or "a" church) should be affected by outside forces such as an economic downturn. In the second, I addressed how individuals are most definitely affected by these (the rain falls on the just and the unjust).
I've been thinking about this and I'm not sure of the answer (regarding the church). I understand that when an economy fails or a disaster strikes - a "church" will most likely get caught up in the the current. But is that because we are structured in a way that is contrary to Scripture? Should a church fail? By fail, I mean should it collapse under budgetary concerns? What is the distinction between an individual getting caught up in the storms of life and a church getting caught up?
Again - are we structured wrong? I think we are. With huge buildings and budgets and staffs I think we expose ourselves to the ebb and flow of society and nature. We have built a system that relies on the how the world is doing. If the world is doing well, the church reflects that with bigger buildings and larger staffs. If the world is failing, we fail along with it.
I don't think "church" the way Christ defines it should be subjected to the health of the world. I think that what He taught, what He set up, what He breathes life into should be so different that if the world falls around it, it doesn't fall apart. There should be no "breath of the world" that is holding it together. How else can we be of any help when the individuals are lost in the 'current.'
I've been thinking about this and I'm not sure of the answer (regarding the church). I understand that when an economy fails or a disaster strikes - a "church" will most likely get caught up in the the current. But is that because we are structured in a way that is contrary to Scripture? Should a church fail? By fail, I mean should it collapse under budgetary concerns? What is the distinction between an individual getting caught up in the storms of life and a church getting caught up?
Again - are we structured wrong? I think we are. With huge buildings and budgets and staffs I think we expose ourselves to the ebb and flow of society and nature. We have built a system that relies on the how the world is doing. If the world is doing well, the church reflects that with bigger buildings and larger staffs. If the world is failing, we fail along with it.
I don't think "church" the way Christ defines it should be subjected to the health of the world. I think that what He taught, what He set up, what He breathes life into should be so different that if the world falls around it, it doesn't fall apart. There should be no "breath of the world" that is holding it together. How else can we be of any help when the individuals are lost in the 'current.'
Common Rain
Jesus Christ: "The rain falls on the just and the unjust"
Isaiah 5:5 "I will take away its hedge and it will be destroyed."
Question: Is there a "hedge" and if so what does it really mean to a child of God?
I think that there is one. I think that once you enter into the family of God, there is a certain place that you enter in which you can find rest and bear eternal fruit. But how does it play out in a world in which the rain falls on everyone without prejudice? Where Christians and non-Christians alike suffer and die from cancer? Where Christian and non-Christian children die of starvation? Where a drunk driver can come out of nowhere and destroy a life - Christian and non-Christian?
It's because we're all in the same "flood" of corruption. The corruption of creation which is evidenced in nature itself, where diseases cover all of mankind, where irrational acts destroy lives, where the decisions of man can destroy a nation. The accumulation of thousands of years of selfishness has covered this world in man-made mud. The entire world is corrupted, top to bottom, front to back.
At what point is the Christian and The Church immune to this? At all? If we live better lives will we avoid this? Of course not. We're all in it together. Salvation isn't being pulled out of the mess, salvation is being changed within the mess. I think where it's different is that we all suffer these things, but in an entirely different realm with outcomes measured in entirely different ways. A loved one getting cancer, a baby dying - within the hedge - is not the same as the meaningless, painful, emptiness of dust returning to dust.
In Isaiah 5 we read of God's verdict on His vineyard (Israel). Because there was no fruit He said He would remove the 'hedge' and they would be destroyed. The implication clearly being that there was a 'hedge' to begin with. I believe Christians live under this same protection, within these same walls. Without it, well - - -let's just hear David's words on it:
"If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say - if the Lord had not been on our side when the men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away." (Ps. 124)
There it is. It rains on the just and the unjust and we're all just a step away from being swept down river and drowning it. Cancer. Death. The economy. Chaos. It's all around us, Christian and non-Christian alike. But that step is the thing - either it's a step toward God and into Him, or a step away from Him and apart from Him. That step creates a huge divide. It's contrasted with these two verses:
John 15:5 "Apart from Me you can do nothing."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Isaiah 5:5 "I will take away its hedge and it will be destroyed."
Question: Is there a "hedge" and if so what does it really mean to a child of God?
I think that there is one. I think that once you enter into the family of God, there is a certain place that you enter in which you can find rest and bear eternal fruit. But how does it play out in a world in which the rain falls on everyone without prejudice? Where Christians and non-Christians alike suffer and die from cancer? Where Christian and non-Christian children die of starvation? Where a drunk driver can come out of nowhere and destroy a life - Christian and non-Christian?
It's because we're all in the same "flood" of corruption. The corruption of creation which is evidenced in nature itself, where diseases cover all of mankind, where irrational acts destroy lives, where the decisions of man can destroy a nation. The accumulation of thousands of years of selfishness has covered this world in man-made mud. The entire world is corrupted, top to bottom, front to back.
At what point is the Christian and The Church immune to this? At all? If we live better lives will we avoid this? Of course not. We're all in it together. Salvation isn't being pulled out of the mess, salvation is being changed within the mess. I think where it's different is that we all suffer these things, but in an entirely different realm with outcomes measured in entirely different ways. A loved one getting cancer, a baby dying - within the hedge - is not the same as the meaningless, painful, emptiness of dust returning to dust.
In Isaiah 5 we read of God's verdict on His vineyard (Israel). Because there was no fruit He said He would remove the 'hedge' and they would be destroyed. The implication clearly being that there was a 'hedge' to begin with. I believe Christians live under this same protection, within these same walls. Without it, well - - -let's just hear David's words on it:
"If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say - if the Lord had not been on our side when the men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away." (Ps. 124)
There it is. It rains on the just and the unjust and we're all just a step away from being swept down river and drowning it. Cancer. Death. The economy. Chaos. It's all around us, Christian and non-Christian alike. But that step is the thing - either it's a step toward God and into Him, or a step away from Him and apart from Him. That step creates a huge divide. It's contrasted with these two verses:
John 15:5 "Apart from Me you can do nothing."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Down-Sizing Church
Quick question: Should a church be structured in such a way that it is "economy-dependent"? The reason I ask is that I have had discussions with a number of people from churches in the area who were talking about the struggles of their programs. Some have had to abandon building projects and mission projects. Some are drastically cutting staff. I was talking to one lady from a huge church in Arizona that is really hurting - with a budget that is currently millions of dollars in the hole.
I feel for these people - honestly. But I also wonder to what degree churches should be at the mercy of the economy. We need to have vision and faith and this requires stepping out in programs and projects. We have done it ourselves at our church. But how can we truly fulfill the mission of helping the hurting if all we're doing is plugging our own holes? If the economy goes down, shouldn't we be there to help, not drown in it ourselves?
Is church really supposed to be like this? I can't help but think that something has gone seriously wrong and we are way off mission.
I feel for these people - honestly. But I also wonder to what degree churches should be at the mercy of the economy. We need to have vision and faith and this requires stepping out in programs and projects. We have done it ourselves at our church. But how can we truly fulfill the mission of helping the hurting if all we're doing is plugging our own holes? If the economy goes down, shouldn't we be there to help, not drown in it ourselves?
Is church really supposed to be like this? I can't help but think that something has gone seriously wrong and we are way off mission.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Define and Dismiss
I noticed this the other night at a banquet I went to with my wife. We were asked to host a table with six international students for a Thanksgiving meal. I looked around the room and discovered that there were about 25 nations represented at the various other tables. All kinds of dress, languages, customs poured through the room. Trying to process it all was a little overwhelming, so I reverted to my natural instinct of "classifying" each person within their culture and then I could deal with the magnitude of so many different variations. They were boxed in within the boundaries of my self-protective prejudices. But as I talked with the people at my table, these prejudices started to fade and I felt upset that I had been so lazy and unwilling to deal with them as individuals.
We do this all the time. We do it with the unborn - find the definition of life and then we can dismiss any that fall before it with a clear conscience. We do it with the elderly - define them as "senior citizens" and place them in boxes and dismiss them. Older people in church do it with the youth. The youth do it with the older people. We do it with people from other cultures. Defined and dismissed. Conscience cleared. I do not have to deal with you any longer.
Jesus addresses this in Matthew 5:21 - 24 when He tells us to reconcile with those around us. Reconciliation is more than just saying you're sorry. It's all based on how you see the person you're dealing with. It's a lot easier to leave relationships unreconciled if we can simply dismiss that person in our mind as someone beneath us. He uses the terms "Raca" and "Fool" to make this point clear.
"Raca" is an Aramaic term implying "empty-headed." Name-calling was highly insulting in Jewish culture. You were given a name in accordance with who you were, and to strip that away and give a different name was extremely demeaning.
"You Fool!" is similar to the Greek word "more" which gives us the word "moron." The implication here was more than just a cursory insult - you were making some long-lasting comment on who that person was. You were defining them. When you strip away the dignity of your brother, your fellow man, it's a lot easier to live in a state of hatred and enmity. We can easily rationalize not having to reconcile with someone who we have just destroyed with a label, who we have just rendered unworthy of reconciliation. Again: define and dismiss.
Before we can truly reconcile, we must be able and willing to see them as brothers, not enemies. Only the love of Christ and the eyesight of God can do this for us. Jesus never dismissed anyone - He held His arms open for all to come. He allowed them to dismiss themselves, which is something completely different. I pray that we will start a reconciliation between cultures and generations that will show that the Spirit is really at work within our lives.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Three Years of Best Days
Psalm 84 "Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere."
Do we really believe this? Is one day, one moment in the presence of God, worth three years of our best days? Think of a great day for you. A financial breakthrough. Romance - the best date ever. A vacation day that without planning became a day to remember. A sports achievement or victory. The day your baby first smiled at you (and you knew it wasn't just gas).
One day in His presence blows ALL of that away.
Do I really believe that? Is one moment with God really better than a thousand of those moments? I think I do believe it. I think that those glimpses He gives us break through our spirit and are so transcendent and beyond explanation that they render any earthly experience almost meaningless in comparison. But these moments also make our earthly experiences even more meaningful.
The problem is that we are so stuck in the world that we miss this. We must be convinced that it is the best way. That this boat we're climbing (or being pulled) into is more than just salvation to an eternity with God, but to the best possible life now. I'm not talking the way prosperity preachers mean it, I mean that we must be convinced that the life following God, filled by His Spirit, is the best way to pilgrimage through this world.
I get a little tired of hearing testimonies that make it sound like someone was having a blast and then they got saved. You know the ones that I mean: "I was drinking, messing around, doing what I wanted to - then I found Jesus!" You know what the kids hear when people say this? "I was having a fun doing all the things of the world then Jesus came and put an end to it. Now I'm a Christian"
Three years of my best worldly days can't compare with a moment in His presence. I truly believe that and seek that moment with all of my heart. That matter is now settled and it changes how I approach every moment here on earth. I can redeem these moments instead of enduring them.
"One thing I ask for, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life . . ." Psalm 27:4
"Earth has nothing I desire besides You." Psalm 73:25
Do we really believe this? Is one day, one moment in the presence of God, worth three years of our best days? Think of a great day for you. A financial breakthrough. Romance - the best date ever. A vacation day that without planning became a day to remember. A sports achievement or victory. The day your baby first smiled at you (and you knew it wasn't just gas).
One day in His presence blows ALL of that away.
Do I really believe that? Is one moment with God really better than a thousand of those moments? I think I do believe it. I think that those glimpses He gives us break through our spirit and are so transcendent and beyond explanation that they render any earthly experience almost meaningless in comparison. But these moments also make our earthly experiences even more meaningful.
The problem is that we are so stuck in the world that we miss this. We must be convinced that it is the best way. That this boat we're climbing (or being pulled) into is more than just salvation to an eternity with God, but to the best possible life now. I'm not talking the way prosperity preachers mean it, I mean that we must be convinced that the life following God, filled by His Spirit, is the best way to pilgrimage through this world.
I get a little tired of hearing testimonies that make it sound like someone was having a blast and then they got saved. You know the ones that I mean: "I was drinking, messing around, doing what I wanted to - then I found Jesus!" You know what the kids hear when people say this? "I was having a fun doing all the things of the world then Jesus came and put an end to it. Now I'm a Christian"
Three years of my best worldly days can't compare with a moment in His presence. I truly believe that and seek that moment with all of my heart. That matter is now settled and it changes how I approach every moment here on earth. I can redeem these moments instead of enduring them.
"One thing I ask for, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life . . ." Psalm 27:4
"Earth has nothing I desire besides You." Psalm 73:25
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Things That Make You Go Hymn. . . . . .
More rambling church thoughts as I prepare for a Music Commission meeting tonight and try to avoid the "Worship Wars":
Psalm 144 says to sing a new song on the ten-stringed lyre. Seriously, how far off the worship track would that throw some people that I know. Bang a few cymbals while you're at it, as the psalm says.
I'm always challenged by the phrase "a new song." When you stand up to give you testimony, is there something fresh that the Lord has spoken to you or is it a recounting of something that happened a month, a year, or ten years ago? I experienced this the other night at church. While preaching about the presence of God, I told a story of an experience I had with Him - that happened 7 years ago!! This made me stop and think: Where are my new experiences?
When someone says, "to make a long story short" I say in my head, "Too late!"
What if you're good at something you don't really like doing? I remember when an All-Pro football player retired at an early age and all the critics blasted him. His response? "I don't like playing." Their response, "But you're good at it!" I sometimes feel that way about __________________. But I press on because people say I'm good at it. Why?
I was watching a football game the other day when my wise-guy son kept leaning his head in front of me, blocking my view. I started to get mad, when I realized that this 7-year old was of greater value to me than 11 muscleheads that I've never met. I shut off the game and went out and played in the backyard with him. (Actually . . . . DVR'd the game - I'm not that self-sacrificing).
Speaking of Josh, he was really sick the other day. I went up to his room and asked him if he wanted something to drink. In a quiet voice, he said, "Yes, please." I realized that sickness knocks all the wise-guy out of a person. It's helpful to understand this concept when you're witnessing. When people are hurting, their arrogance goes out the window. They allow you to serve them, which is a huge step in leading them to Christ.
I have officially anointed myself as "The World's Worst Pastor" when it comes to the worship problem. I simply don't care. Really - I don't care. You could rejoice in silence, with Gregorian chants, easy listening or rap songs and I'd think, "Good for you." Again - I DON'T CARE.
Once, when I had to let an employee go, he referred to me as a "meathead." He called the person who took his job a "vulture." We've debated it ever since. Which is worse? A meathead means you're inherently inept. A vulture means you have bad intentions. Years later, we're still trying to figure out who got the worst insult. I believe he did, but he's a bad person. I'm just stupid.
In I Samuel 26 Saul once again tells David that "he's sorry." But David does not cross the valley to see him. He sends his servant. When I read this, I ask the question, "At what point do we entrust ourselves to someone who hurt us?" Even after repeated repentance, Saul has not changed and David knows it. He will not be hurt again. But the true goal of forgiveness is reconciliation, as God did with us. He crossed the valley. I don't know the answer to my question. Like I said above - I'm just rambling. But it's an important one to figure out.
In I Kings 19, when Elijah is depressed, God doesn't do anything at first but feed him. Twice. Think about that the next time you encounter someone in depression. Don't you dare say, "Snap out of it."
I've been listening to the new Derek Webb cd, "Stockholm Syndrome." What a great title - when the captives start identifying with their captors. It's a little different than his other cds, which I love. I consider him to be somewhat a prophet to the church and I would love to find out how we can get him to Boston.
The following three jokes always work:
1. "Did you hear about the corduroy pillows?" "No? I'm surprised, they're making headlines."
2. Knock Knock
Who's there?
I'm a stinking pileup . . . . . . .
3. What do you call a dog with no legs? Anything you want, he's not coming.
Enough fooling around - it's time to get to my Worship Commission meeting and talk about how worship needs to be defined and manipulated and dissected and discussed and programmed and adapted to EVERY SINGLE PERSON sitting in the church . . . . .
Sorry - thanks for letting me vent.
Psalm 144 says to sing a new song on the ten-stringed lyre. Seriously, how far off the worship track would that throw some people that I know. Bang a few cymbals while you're at it, as the psalm says.
I'm always challenged by the phrase "a new song." When you stand up to give you testimony, is there something fresh that the Lord has spoken to you or is it a recounting of something that happened a month, a year, or ten years ago? I experienced this the other night at church. While preaching about the presence of God, I told a story of an experience I had with Him - that happened 7 years ago!! This made me stop and think: Where are my new experiences?
When someone says, "to make a long story short" I say in my head, "Too late!"
What if you're good at something you don't really like doing? I remember when an All-Pro football player retired at an early age and all the critics blasted him. His response? "I don't like playing." Their response, "But you're good at it!" I sometimes feel that way about __________________. But I press on because people say I'm good at it. Why?
I was watching a football game the other day when my wise-guy son kept leaning his head in front of me, blocking my view. I started to get mad, when I realized that this 7-year old was of greater value to me than 11 muscleheads that I've never met. I shut off the game and went out and played in the backyard with him. (Actually . . . . DVR'd the game - I'm not that self-sacrificing).
Speaking of Josh, he was really sick the other day. I went up to his room and asked him if he wanted something to drink. In a quiet voice, he said, "Yes, please." I realized that sickness knocks all the wise-guy out of a person. It's helpful to understand this concept when you're witnessing. When people are hurting, their arrogance goes out the window. They allow you to serve them, which is a huge step in leading them to Christ.
I have officially anointed myself as "The World's Worst Pastor" when it comes to the worship problem. I simply don't care. Really - I don't care. You could rejoice in silence, with Gregorian chants, easy listening or rap songs and I'd think, "Good for you." Again - I DON'T CARE.
Once, when I had to let an employee go, he referred to me as a "meathead." He called the person who took his job a "vulture." We've debated it ever since. Which is worse? A meathead means you're inherently inept. A vulture means you have bad intentions. Years later, we're still trying to figure out who got the worst insult. I believe he did, but he's a bad person. I'm just stupid.
In I Samuel 26 Saul once again tells David that "he's sorry." But David does not cross the valley to see him. He sends his servant. When I read this, I ask the question, "At what point do we entrust ourselves to someone who hurt us?" Even after repeated repentance, Saul has not changed and David knows it. He will not be hurt again. But the true goal of forgiveness is reconciliation, as God did with us. He crossed the valley. I don't know the answer to my question. Like I said above - I'm just rambling. But it's an important one to figure out.
In I Kings 19, when Elijah is depressed, God doesn't do anything at first but feed him. Twice. Think about that the next time you encounter someone in depression. Don't you dare say, "Snap out of it."
I've been listening to the new Derek Webb cd, "Stockholm Syndrome." What a great title - when the captives start identifying with their captors. It's a little different than his other cds, which I love. I consider him to be somewhat a prophet to the church and I would love to find out how we can get him to Boston.
The following three jokes always work:
1. "Did you hear about the corduroy pillows?" "No? I'm surprised, they're making headlines."
2. Knock Knock
Who's there?
I'm a stinking pileup . . . . . . .
3. What do you call a dog with no legs? Anything you want, he's not coming.
Enough fooling around - it's time to get to my Worship Commission meeting and talk about how worship needs to be defined and manipulated and dissected and discussed and programmed and adapted to EVERY SINGLE PERSON sitting in the church . . . . .
Sorry - thanks for letting me vent.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Delusion of the Semi-Detached Christian Life
For those of you who read this, I apologize for the barrage of postings. But a few things have happened fast and furious this morning - so here is the story:
I have been praying for a deeper walk. A walk that is more rooted in reality than what I experience in myself or witness in others. The verses I wrote on in my last two posts have been coursing through me. Especially Hebrews 12:4. "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Jeremiah 8 shows me the need for a broken heart, a broken church.
So I prayed this morning. Harder than usual. And while I sat in the back as my Calculus class took a test, God spoke into my heart. I literally shook while He moved within me. I wrote as he said:
Your problem is that everything is motion to you, nothing is real. You don't love them (I have pictures of my children on my desk) - you love the thought of them. You love the thought of everything. It is time for a reality check - time to step out of the fog. All these pictures are moments in time, a time you are allowing to pass without true engagement. You have to solidify the vague sense of sin that you live under so you can truly offer it up. Up to this point, you have only offered up the concept of sin in your heart. You must offer the concrete - the flesh of your old nature, not just the thought of it.
If that doesn't make sense to you, I'm sorry. I understand exactly what He is saying. Ideas and thoughts will not turn me into a new creation that is living with power and authority. The Holy Spirit is a person and must enter into me as Christ entered into the world. Physically - as a person, not a concept. I know what God meant when He said that sin is just a "thought" to me. My selfish ambition, my lust, my competitive spirit, my coveting of the things of the world - these are real things and I let them pass day by day, bemoaning the thought of them but not crucifying the reality of them.
I need to place them on the altar as real things and allow them to be crucified with my flesh. Otherwise my life will continue to drift by as I try to capture moments in time - a time that is passing without any real effect on my life. That is why the authority of Christ is not evident in my life, that real change is not happening, that lives around me are not being redeemed. I have been living a life of minimal engagement. I have been walking under the delusion of the semi-detached Christian life- the one that goes through the motions without ever bringing true redemption into any area of their life.
God does not co-habitate. He is real. My sin is real. They will not co-exist. It's time to give Him everything or walk away.
I have been praying for a deeper walk. A walk that is more rooted in reality than what I experience in myself or witness in others. The verses I wrote on in my last two posts have been coursing through me. Especially Hebrews 12:4. "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Jeremiah 8 shows me the need for a broken heart, a broken church.
So I prayed this morning. Harder than usual. And while I sat in the back as my Calculus class took a test, God spoke into my heart. I literally shook while He moved within me. I wrote as he said:
Your problem is that everything is motion to you, nothing is real. You don't love them (I have pictures of my children on my desk) - you love the thought of them. You love the thought of everything. It is time for a reality check - time to step out of the fog. All these pictures are moments in time, a time you are allowing to pass without true engagement. You have to solidify the vague sense of sin that you live under so you can truly offer it up. Up to this point, you have only offered up the concept of sin in your heart. You must offer the concrete - the flesh of your old nature, not just the thought of it.
If that doesn't make sense to you, I'm sorry. I understand exactly what He is saying. Ideas and thoughts will not turn me into a new creation that is living with power and authority. The Holy Spirit is a person and must enter into me as Christ entered into the world. Physically - as a person, not a concept. I know what God meant when He said that sin is just a "thought" to me. My selfish ambition, my lust, my competitive spirit, my coveting of the things of the world - these are real things and I let them pass day by day, bemoaning the thought of them but not crucifying the reality of them.
I need to place them on the altar as real things and allow them to be crucified with my flesh. Otherwise my life will continue to drift by as I try to capture moments in time - a time that is passing without any real effect on my life. That is why the authority of Christ is not evident in my life, that real change is not happening, that lives around me are not being redeemed. I have been living a life of minimal engagement. I have been walking under the delusion of the semi-detached Christian life- the one that goes through the motions without ever bringing true redemption into any area of their life.
God does not co-habitate. He is real. My sin is real. They will not co-exist. It's time to give Him everything or walk away.
Jeremiah 8: The Blushing Bride
Jeremiah 8. God's broken heart spilled out. We are so foolish.
"When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course, like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But My people do not know the requirements of the Lord. How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the Law of the Lord," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain, prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush."
The Puritans used to talk about what they called "The gift of tears." I know what they mean, tears that have not been manufactured simply because we know that we're supposed to feel bad. These are the real tears - the tears of a broken heart. You know when you have them, because you can't stop them even if you wanted to.
Sometimes I worry about the church - not only do we not have these tears, but we don't even know how to blush at the wrongs in our midst, in our hearts. We feel bad, but only because we think we're supposed to feel bad. I was praying through the Lord's Prayer the other morning and I was "trying" to repent when I got to the part that said, "Forgive us our sins." I even identified them specifically. You would think that when you voice a particular fault, it would be accompanied by an appropriately broken heart. But in my spirit, I felt as if I was merely reciting a list - cold and manufactured. I prayed for the "gift of tears" but they did not come.
I feel terrible reading Jeremiah 8. But I want to feel worse.
"When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course, like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But My people do not know the requirements of the Lord. How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the Law of the Lord," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain, prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush."
The Puritans used to talk about what they called "The gift of tears." I know what they mean, tears that have not been manufactured simply because we know that we're supposed to feel bad. These are the real tears - the tears of a broken heart. You know when you have them, because you can't stop them even if you wanted to.
Sometimes I worry about the church - not only do we not have these tears, but we don't even know how to blush at the wrongs in our midst, in our hearts. We feel bad, but only because we think we're supposed to feel bad. I was praying through the Lord's Prayer the other morning and I was "trying" to repent when I got to the part that said, "Forgive us our sins." I even identified them specifically. You would think that when you voice a particular fault, it would be accompanied by an appropriately broken heart. But in my spirit, I felt as if I was merely reciting a list - cold and manufactured. I prayed for the "gift of tears" but they did not come.
I feel terrible reading Jeremiah 8. But I want to feel worse.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Point of Blood
Hebrews 12:4 "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood."
I have to admit it - I complain to God and cry out for victory but I haven't pushed myself to the point of blood. I see this problem all around me, people like myself saying that we want holiness, that we want more of God, yet we continue to stumble in our mind and in our walk and enter into our Bible Studies saying: "I blew it again!" while everyone pats us on the back and tells us it's going to be okay.
Why don't we admit it and save everyone the pain: We really don't want IT as bad as we say we do. If we did, we would chase harder after Him. We would cast off the things that hinder instead of allowing them to cling to us. We would fast and read and get by ourselves, praying these things down. We would draw a line in the sand on the mountaintop, like Elijah, and not come down until we've won the victory. "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled" is not an empty promise.
When I pray the Lord's Prayer, I am very careful in each part. Especially, "Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil." In this request I am asking God to take me away from the things that I am drawn to. But I like the things I am drawn to. So if I want victory over them, I must be drained of this "like", and that takes a struggle to the point of shedding blood. The blood of my fleshly nature must be drained out of me. Leviticus 17:11 - "The life of the creature is in the blood." I also think that "The like of the creature is in the blood."
This blood must be replaced by the healing blood of Jesus - a new life with new likes. The victory comes when the desires have changed. But my fleshly nature will never change its desires (see Galatians 5:16 - 18). So - - - - in my struggle against sin, I must shed the blood of my old nature, and this takes more work than most of us are willing to put in.
I have to admit it - I complain to God and cry out for victory but I haven't pushed myself to the point of blood. I see this problem all around me, people like myself saying that we want holiness, that we want more of God, yet we continue to stumble in our mind and in our walk and enter into our Bible Studies saying: "I blew it again!" while everyone pats us on the back and tells us it's going to be okay.
Why don't we admit it and save everyone the pain: We really don't want IT as bad as we say we do. If we did, we would chase harder after Him. We would cast off the things that hinder instead of allowing them to cling to us. We would fast and read and get by ourselves, praying these things down. We would draw a line in the sand on the mountaintop, like Elijah, and not come down until we've won the victory. "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled" is not an empty promise.
When I pray the Lord's Prayer, I am very careful in each part. Especially, "Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil." In this request I am asking God to take me away from the things that I am drawn to. But I like the things I am drawn to. So if I want victory over them, I must be drained of this "like", and that takes a struggle to the point of shedding blood. The blood of my fleshly nature must be drained out of me. Leviticus 17:11 - "The life of the creature is in the blood." I also think that "The like of the creature is in the blood."
This blood must be replaced by the healing blood of Jesus - a new life with new likes. The victory comes when the desires have changed. But my fleshly nature will never change its desires (see Galatians 5:16 - 18). So - - - - in my struggle against sin, I must shed the blood of my old nature, and this takes more work than most of us are willing to put in.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Bending Our Ears to THE VOICE
We all have natural bents. Some toward lust. Some toward violence. Some toward self-gratification. (actually - ALL toward self-gratification). There is a battle raging within us. In Galatians 5:16 we read that the Spirit and the flesh are at WAR with each other. This explains why some non-Christians can seem at such peace. It takes two to battle, and they are so consumed by their own fleshly nature that a battle doesn't exist!
The Christian has a war in his soul because upon salvation he is sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14) and now has two conflicting entities within him. Of course there is going to be war, and what Christian could honestly claim that they don't feel the battle within their heart?
David and Saul are classic examples of this. Both had a bent to violence. All men do. In I Samuel 24 David sees Saul "relieving himself" and is overcome by a natural desire to kill him. Or at least humiliate him. But he listens to the Voice and feels stricken that he even had the thought. He repents and lets God go to work. In I Samuel 25 Nabal insults David and he responds again with an intense desire to take matters into his own hands and seek vengeance. It's difficult to overcome this bent. But Abigail intercedes and he once again listens to the Voice and pulls back his hand. He has a change of heart.
Saul has the same bent as David. He uses all of his best resources to hunt down his rival with the intention of killing him. Several times he hears the Voice - and he repents for a moment, but then continues on his way. He has heard the Voice, has a temporary change of heart, but then continues on with his natural inclination.
What is the difference between these two men? They both have the same natural bent to self-justification. We all have it. A bent to violently taking matters into our own hands. The difference is a willingness to listen when God speaks and then to act upon it. To allow His Spirit to truly change our minds and to remove our hand from the neck of our enemy and let God move in His way.
How is this battle won?
II Corinthians 10:5 "Taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
It is won in the mind. It is won in our quiet times with God. David meditated upon God and His Word and so was able to not only hear the Voice, but to respond with a change of heart. The battle is won before it is ever waged.
Do you take every thought and make it captive to Christ? Or do you make Christ captive to your thoughts and make Him obedient to them? We have a tendency to lean in a direction and try to force Christ into that direction with us. Saul did this. Read his story and note how many times he misunderstood every piece of information as a sign that God was with him. God was not with him. He had left him. But Saul was leaning in a direction and continually made God obedient to his own personal thoughts and agendas. How often do we see individuals and churches do this.
Step back and listen. Feel which way the Wind is really blowing. Go that way. Lean hard into the direction God is going.
Jeremiah 6:16 "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
The Christian has a war in his soul because upon salvation he is sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14) and now has two conflicting entities within him. Of course there is going to be war, and what Christian could honestly claim that they don't feel the battle within their heart?
David and Saul are classic examples of this. Both had a bent to violence. All men do. In I Samuel 24 David sees Saul "relieving himself" and is overcome by a natural desire to kill him. Or at least humiliate him. But he listens to the Voice and feels stricken that he even had the thought. He repents and lets God go to work. In I Samuel 25 Nabal insults David and he responds again with an intense desire to take matters into his own hands and seek vengeance. It's difficult to overcome this bent. But Abigail intercedes and he once again listens to the Voice and pulls back his hand. He has a change of heart.
Saul has the same bent as David. He uses all of his best resources to hunt down his rival with the intention of killing him. Several times he hears the Voice - and he repents for a moment, but then continues on his way. He has heard the Voice, has a temporary change of heart, but then continues on with his natural inclination.
What is the difference between these two men? They both have the same natural bent to self-justification. We all have it. A bent to violently taking matters into our own hands. The difference is a willingness to listen when God speaks and then to act upon it. To allow His Spirit to truly change our minds and to remove our hand from the neck of our enemy and let God move in His way.
How is this battle won?
II Corinthians 10:5 "Taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
It is won in the mind. It is won in our quiet times with God. David meditated upon God and His Word and so was able to not only hear the Voice, but to respond with a change of heart. The battle is won before it is ever waged.
Do you take every thought and make it captive to Christ? Or do you make Christ captive to your thoughts and make Him obedient to them? We have a tendency to lean in a direction and try to force Christ into that direction with us. Saul did this. Read his story and note how many times he misunderstood every piece of information as a sign that God was with him. God was not with him. He had left him. But Saul was leaning in a direction and continually made God obedient to his own personal thoughts and agendas. How often do we see individuals and churches do this.
Step back and listen. Feel which way the Wind is really blowing. Go that way. Lean hard into the direction God is going.
Jeremiah 6:16 "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
Swords
I Samuel 25: 13 "David said, 'Put on your swords!"
John 18:11 "Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I knot drink the cup the Father has given Me?"
I'm still reading the Intercession of Abigail in I Samuel 25, learning more each time. I can't get away from it. She falls prostate to the ground before David to save a) a man she despises (Nabal) and b) the conscience of the future king. She doesn't want David to have blood on his hands.
But that was David's first response. When he was insulted by Nabal, he told his men to "put on your swords" and he was going to avenge his honor. He was going to take matters into his own hands and bloody them as he seeks revenge. Abigail is truly a Christ-like figure, bringing the king and the coward together. She understands that violence is not God's way. It never has been.
We see this scene repeated in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter wants to avenge the insults hurled upon Jesus. But like Abigail, Jesus tells Peter to put down the sword. This will not be the way.
We need to be willing to listen to this Voice of Intercession. Will we avenge ourselves - seek our own violent self-justification or will we leave it all in God's hands and accept His way. The way of peace? This is more important than it sounds. God's way is the only way that brings true healing. The way of violence brings temporary relief but in the process hangs a "staggering burden" upon ourselves. There are many who live under this. They don't forgive. They don't release people. They seek their own justification.
If we will step back, as David did, and listen to the Voice, we will allow room for God to go to work. And His work is the only eternal work.
If there is something you are holding against someone - let it go. You do not have to carry the "staggering burden" of being the judge, jury and executioner. Love freely. Forgive without strings. Release without expectations. Increase your heart by removing yourself, and then God can truly enlarge His kingdom.
John 18:11 "Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I knot drink the cup the Father has given Me?"
I'm still reading the Intercession of Abigail in I Samuel 25, learning more each time. I can't get away from it. She falls prostate to the ground before David to save a) a man she despises (Nabal) and b) the conscience of the future king. She doesn't want David to have blood on his hands.
But that was David's first response. When he was insulted by Nabal, he told his men to "put on your swords" and he was going to avenge his honor. He was going to take matters into his own hands and bloody them as he seeks revenge. Abigail is truly a Christ-like figure, bringing the king and the coward together. She understands that violence is not God's way. It never has been.
We see this scene repeated in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter wants to avenge the insults hurled upon Jesus. But like Abigail, Jesus tells Peter to put down the sword. This will not be the way.
We need to be willing to listen to this Voice of Intercession. Will we avenge ourselves - seek our own violent self-justification or will we leave it all in God's hands and accept His way. The way of peace? This is more important than it sounds. God's way is the only way that brings true healing. The way of violence brings temporary relief but in the process hangs a "staggering burden" upon ourselves. There are many who live under this. They don't forgive. They don't release people. They seek their own justification.
If we will step back, as David did, and listen to the Voice, we will allow room for God to go to work. And His work is the only eternal work.
If there is something you are holding against someone - let it go. You do not have to carry the "staggering burden" of being the judge, jury and executioner. Love freely. Forgive without strings. Release without expectations. Increase your heart by removing yourself, and then God can truly enlarge His kingdom.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Re-membering Community Part IV - The Point of Holiness
God pulled the Israelites out of the darkness of the world, cleaned them up, set them apart - then put them right back in. They had one purpose - and it wasn't to be a "special" people. It was to be a light in the darkness to draw the others to God.
Exodus 19:5 "Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant,. then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
Don't misunderstand the "treasured possession." I believe what God is telling the Israelites is that they will be a treasure in the sense that they will be His vessel to bring salvation to the entire world. (Is. 49:6) The point of their holiness is so that they will be effective priests, an entire nation of men and women who stand between God and man. Their holiness was for others, not themselves. The Law was given to them as a means of cleansing and revelation. Cleansing for themselves as a revelation to the world. It was not a Godly means to a personal end - which is how they ended up applying it.
The concept of holiness is often taught on an individual level, where we desire to become separate unto God through prayer, fasting and other disciplines of an inner life. We think of monks and priests and monasteries and quiet nights chanting to our self. But that's not what it it's all about - it's about being separated by God, unto Himself, so that we can then become useful as intercessors for others. The purpose of a holy priesthood is to bring others to Christ. The disciplines are important - but as a means of cleansing us for His use, not our self-satisfaction.
Dwell on this passage for a moment:
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friend, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." (I Peter 2: 9 - 12)
Why were we called out? To bring others out of the same darkness we were in. We cut ourselves way too much slack in the things we tolerate in our lives, because we're only thinking of our own personal holiness. "I can't believe that I did that again!" We're not thinking of how this affects the testimony of God through us to the lost, only of how it makes us feel bad.
The quest for personal holiness is important, but as a means to an end. It is not the end in and of itself. Other people are the end. If I am so self-centered that I think even my own holiness is only about me, then I am a useless vessel in the house of God. Good only unto myself. And that, quite simply, is not good enough. It's why Jesus declared the Temple invalid and said that He would take it from there. Using a new temple - us.
(Read II Timothy 2:20 - 22)
Exodus 19:5 "Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant,. then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
Don't misunderstand the "treasured possession." I believe what God is telling the Israelites is that they will be a treasure in the sense that they will be His vessel to bring salvation to the entire world. (Is. 49:6) The point of their holiness is so that they will be effective priests, an entire nation of men and women who stand between God and man. Their holiness was for others, not themselves. The Law was given to them as a means of cleansing and revelation. Cleansing for themselves as a revelation to the world. It was not a Godly means to a personal end - which is how they ended up applying it.
The concept of holiness is often taught on an individual level, where we desire to become separate unto God through prayer, fasting and other disciplines of an inner life. We think of monks and priests and monasteries and quiet nights chanting to our self. But that's not what it it's all about - it's about being separated by God, unto Himself, so that we can then become useful as intercessors for others. The purpose of a holy priesthood is to bring others to Christ. The disciplines are important - but as a means of cleansing us for His use, not our self-satisfaction.
Dwell on this passage for a moment:
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friend, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." (I Peter 2: 9 - 12)
Why were we called out? To bring others out of the same darkness we were in. We cut ourselves way too much slack in the things we tolerate in our lives, because we're only thinking of our own personal holiness. "I can't believe that I did that again!" We're not thinking of how this affects the testimony of God through us to the lost, only of how it makes us feel bad.
The quest for personal holiness is important, but as a means to an end. It is not the end in and of itself. Other people are the end. If I am so self-centered that I think even my own holiness is only about me, then I am a useless vessel in the house of God. Good only unto myself. And that, quite simply, is not good enough. It's why Jesus declared the Temple invalid and said that He would take it from there. Using a new temple - us.
(Read II Timothy 2:20 - 22)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Staggering Burden
I've been preaching through Saul's chase of David and here are a couple of quick things I've been learning:
I Samuel 23:1 "When David was told, "look the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors," he inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?"
When we are under the oppression of a Saul in our life, it is tempting to curl up in a cave and wait for the storm to pass. David still had the heart of an intercessor, the heart of a king. While on the run, he felt for the hurting, for those under attack. Don't lose your heart for the weak when you are under personal attack.
I Samuel 24:2 "So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats."
As Israel was suffering the effects of Philistine oppression, he took a large force, the best of the best, and chased after David. Beware of using your best resources to chase your personal agendas while the kingdom falls apart around you.
I Samuel 25:30,31 When the Lord has done for my master every good thing He promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself."
This is the passage when Abigail comes to David and intercedes on behalf of her husband Nabal, trying to convince him not to bring his violent wrath upon her family. In her plea, she speaks deep wisdom, the wisdom that we often attribute to the New Testament way of peace and non-violence. She speaks as Christ would speak, removing our hand from striking our enemies and allowing God to move in His way. Her words hit hard - she talks of the "staggering burden" of violence and taking vengeance into our own hands. She is the ultimate intercessor - a Christ-like figure. And she's an Old Testament woman! The way of God is peace, it always has been. When we pursue violent means to bring self-justification, we place "staggering burdens" upon ourselves. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus relieving us of this and placing it on Himself.
I Samuel 23:1 "When David was told, "look the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors," he inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?"
When we are under the oppression of a Saul in our life, it is tempting to curl up in a cave and wait for the storm to pass. David still had the heart of an intercessor, the heart of a king. While on the run, he felt for the hurting, for those under attack. Don't lose your heart for the weak when you are under personal attack.
I Samuel 24:2 "So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats."
As Israel was suffering the effects of Philistine oppression, he took a large force, the best of the best, and chased after David. Beware of using your best resources to chase your personal agendas while the kingdom falls apart around you.
I Samuel 25:30,31 When the Lord has done for my master every good thing He promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself."
This is the passage when Abigail comes to David and intercedes on behalf of her husband Nabal, trying to convince him not to bring his violent wrath upon her family. In her plea, she speaks deep wisdom, the wisdom that we often attribute to the New Testament way of peace and non-violence. She speaks as Christ would speak, removing our hand from striking our enemies and allowing God to move in His way. Her words hit hard - she talks of the "staggering burden" of violence and taking vengeance into our own hands. She is the ultimate intercessor - a Christ-like figure. And she's an Old Testament woman! The way of God is peace, it always has been. When we pursue violent means to bring self-justification, we place "staggering burdens" upon ourselves. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus relieving us of this and placing it on Himself.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A Certain Choice
I Samuel 23: 7 "Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod." David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will." Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will."
So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.”
I know that's a lot to read, but this passage underscores a point that I think is more important than we realize. Where does our decision-making fit in with the sovereignty of God?
In this passage, we read that David is on the verge of being surrounded by Saul and his men, with the distinct possibility that the men of Keilah will turn him over to Saul. As he inquires of the Lord, David founds out that these things will happen. They are certain to happen. God knows the future and He knows that this will be the result if David stays in Keilah.
So David makes the decision to leave, and these things do not happen. God has laid out a certain end to specific decisions. In His absolute sovereignty He knows the result. So David does something different. He moves away from the absolute certainty of the consequences of staying. If he had stayed he would have been devoured. For sure. So he decided to leave.
There it is in a nutshell: We always have a certain choice.
I believe in the sovereignty of God. I have staked my life upon it. If I thought that He didn't know the end from the beginning, that He wasn't the Alpha and the Omega, then why would I put everything I treasure into His hands? I'm not going to entrust my life and the life of my family upon the whims of a Divine Roulette Wheel.
David had the same belief. So he listened and acted accordingly. Set before us in this passage is the perfect picture of sovereignty and free will in action. He lays out what will happen and lets us decide upon that information. Information we can base our entire life upon. Choices based on certainty. Can there be a better plan than that?
So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.”
I know that's a lot to read, but this passage underscores a point that I think is more important than we realize. Where does our decision-making fit in with the sovereignty of God?
In this passage, we read that David is on the verge of being surrounded by Saul and his men, with the distinct possibility that the men of Keilah will turn him over to Saul. As he inquires of the Lord, David founds out that these things will happen. They are certain to happen. God knows the future and He knows that this will be the result if David stays in Keilah.
So David makes the decision to leave, and these things do not happen. God has laid out a certain end to specific decisions. In His absolute sovereignty He knows the result. So David does something different. He moves away from the absolute certainty of the consequences of staying. If he had stayed he would have been devoured. For sure. So he decided to leave.
There it is in a nutshell: We always have a certain choice.
I believe in the sovereignty of God. I have staked my life upon it. If I thought that He didn't know the end from the beginning, that He wasn't the Alpha and the Omega, then why would I put everything I treasure into His hands? I'm not going to entrust my life and the life of my family upon the whims of a Divine Roulette Wheel.
David had the same belief. So he listened and acted accordingly. Set before us in this passage is the perfect picture of sovereignty and free will in action. He lays out what will happen and lets us decide upon that information. Information we can base our entire life upon. Choices based on certainty. Can there be a better plan than that?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
My Goodness
I just read an article saying that an atheist organization is going to start putting billboards up around
To me, it’s not about creating “good people” or being “productive members of society.” That’s not what drives me as a Christian. What I see is that we live in a society that is not good, that creation is groaning and that we are currently living under the weight of thousands of years of bad decisions, decisions made apart from God. We live under the weight of these as individuals in our old nature, and as a culture under a fallen nature.
I live as Christian because I believe that individually I need to be redeemed. My goodness is not the point. My productivity in this fallen culture is not the point. The fact of the matter is that in the beginning God called His creation “good” and since then it has fallen into a very not-good place. My call is to be an agent of redemption, not a proclaimer of my own goodness, as these billboards try to do. Who in the world can make that stunning claim? “I am good!”
I think that Atheists and Christians alike can see that things are not good right now. How can you live in world where there is constant war and famine and proclaim it good? How can you live in country that averages five (5!) child abuse–related deaths a day and proclaim it good? I live in a town that has at least one heroin overdose a week – I can’t stand up and make some broad claim of goodness. If we can’t feel this problem - taste it, smell it, see it - then we’ve purposely closed our eyes and shut down our senses.
That's why Christ came - to bring healing and redemption to a world that has gone bad. I can quote all the verses about the foolishness of the atheist, but that would be pointless. The atheist doesn't accept the Word. What isn't pointless is the obvious fact that things are not right. Our claims of 'goodness' are only relative claims, made against the lives of other people. I haven't been redeemed so that I can stand up and declare "My goodness." I've been redeemed so I can bring the goodness of God to a fallen world.
The question is - am I proclaiming my own righteousness or am I an ambassador of the righteousness of God? If the resources of the church are not used on both levels, personal and creation redemption, then we've proceeded to produce the most hypocritical waste of money in the history of the world.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Re-membering Church - Part III - Now Matters
Psalm 19 "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul . . . making wise the simple . . . giving joy to the heart . . . giving light to the eyes . . . ."
Acts 13:36 "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep."
I never cease to be amazed at David's feelings about the Law. He absolutely loves it. He doesn't endure it, he embraces it. When I look at it, I see restrictions. When David looks at it, he sees light and life. He sees God personified, and a means to serve Him and draw near to Him. We know now what "God personified" really is all about - the Word actually becoming flesh and pitching His tent among us. David didn't experience this, but that didn't stop him from experiencing God in a full way and serving God's purpose to the generation he was in.
God is capable of being fully immersed in whatever "light" your generation is working under, and making you effective in that light. In Galatians 2 and 3 Paul talks about the Law as being set aside, having served its purpose, which was to bring us to Christ. He talks about "Christ in us" as the the fulfillment of the Law. He calls this a better thing.
But that doesn't diminish David's moment, and the beautiful light of a future in heaven will not diminish today's moment for you. If we want to experience God, we have enough right here and right now to do that. We can write psalms today that to a future generation in heaven may seem as confusing as David's meditations on the Law. But that doesn't matter. Now matters. This generation matters.
The reason I write this in a "Re-membering Church" post is that many churches spend too much time hoping for a strike from God that will pull them to a higher level, and then they will move out in service. I also know of some who simply talk about enduring this life until we "all get to heaven." That's not good enough, and it's why we have a disconnect with today's generation. They understand that now matters and want to see it matter in any church they go to. If all we sing is "We're Marching to Zion" then we'll see them march out the door. (by the way - I like that hymn but that can't be our sole focus)
We have enough for now. Actually, we have more than enough. We have more than David did and he served God's purpose in his own generation. We can offer our generation a now that matters.
Acts 13:36 "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep."
I never cease to be amazed at David's feelings about the Law. He absolutely loves it. He doesn't endure it, he embraces it. When I look at it, I see restrictions. When David looks at it, he sees light and life. He sees God personified, and a means to serve Him and draw near to Him. We know now what "God personified" really is all about - the Word actually becoming flesh and pitching His tent among us. David didn't experience this, but that didn't stop him from experiencing God in a full way and serving God's purpose to the generation he was in.
God is capable of being fully immersed in whatever "light" your generation is working under, and making you effective in that light. In Galatians 2 and 3 Paul talks about the Law as being set aside, having served its purpose, which was to bring us to Christ. He talks about "Christ in us" as the the fulfillment of the Law. He calls this a better thing.
But that doesn't diminish David's moment, and the beautiful light of a future in heaven will not diminish today's moment for you. If we want to experience God, we have enough right here and right now to do that. We can write psalms today that to a future generation in heaven may seem as confusing as David's meditations on the Law. But that doesn't matter. Now matters. This generation matters.
The reason I write this in a "Re-membering Church" post is that many churches spend too much time hoping for a strike from God that will pull them to a higher level, and then they will move out in service. I also know of some who simply talk about enduring this life until we "all get to heaven." That's not good enough, and it's why we have a disconnect with today's generation. They understand that now matters and want to see it matter in any church they go to. If all we sing is "We're Marching to Zion" then we'll see them march out the door. (by the way - I like that hymn but that can't be our sole focus)
We have enough for now. Actually, we have more than enough. We have more than David did and he served God's purpose in his own generation. We can offer our generation a now that matters.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Re-membering Church Part II - Holy Invasion
If the church matters, which I believe it does, then how do we proceed? Where do we draw the line? The church is to be holy, yet invade the world with the Gospel. Christ did this when He became flesh and dwelt among us. Yet He retained His holiness. So here is another thought:
Jeremiah 10:2 "Do not learn the ways of the nations."
Exodus 23:13 "Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips."
I think we are heading in the wrong direction. It's taken me awhile to figure this out, but God has been patiently relentless, pounding it into my heart as He allows me to work through it. He is getting me to a place of holy separation.
Our church culture is, in the name of evangelism, embracing and assimilating into the culture of the world. I have piggy-backed onto this movement for many years - hey, who doesn't want to save the lost - and I think I'm wrong. I can feel in my own walk that I'm wrong, as I struggle with the effects of this working through my own spiritual life. Simply put - I am not of this world anymore, and when I get into it, it gets into me, and I feel completely out of sorts as a Christian. No good to anyone, including myself. Jeremiah 10:2 states, we are not to be learning their 'ways.' Their way of life - their 'gods' - should not even be on our lips. Ephesians 5:12 says that it is 'shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret' - so why would we ever tolerate it, never mind enter into it?
When you learn their ways, you quickly enter into their means, their intentions - and ultimately into their true heart. This is an ugly place where we really should not be dwelling. We think separation causes us to lose our ability to testify in this world. Wrong. Assimilation causes us to lose our ability to testify.
I know that this is an unpopular thought in the new church movements. Believe me, I've bought into the impact by assimilation mindset in the past and the fruit has tasted awful. I've seen two negative consequences:
1. My mind, being saturated with these worldly things under the guise of more effective evangelism, has become a stagnant pool. I know, emerging proponents will say that this is my fault and they may be correct - but it is what it is.
2. The 'salvations' have been very shallow and program/people-dependent. As long as you're being like them, they'll listen - but they leave upon the first sign of anything that's intolerant or goes against their own feelings or core beliefs. This is because they haven't abandoned anything to reach for holiness, they've had their way of life catered to.
I do not say this lightly, because I am desperate for the lost to be saved. I say this after years of study and personal experience - but mostly I say this after feeling the pressure from God to allow Him to fully separate me from this world - so that I can be a better witness of the Truth. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not saying separate from the world and focus solely on your own personal holiness. I'm saying that if we strive for personal holiness, we will have a true picture of God to offer to the world - not simply a neutered version of Him.
Jeremiah 10:2 "Do not learn the ways of the nations."
Exodus 23:13 "Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips."
I think we are heading in the wrong direction. It's taken me awhile to figure this out, but God has been patiently relentless, pounding it into my heart as He allows me to work through it. He is getting me to a place of holy separation.
Our church culture is, in the name of evangelism, embracing and assimilating into the culture of the world. I have piggy-backed onto this movement for many years - hey, who doesn't want to save the lost - and I think I'm wrong. I can feel in my own walk that I'm wrong, as I struggle with the effects of this working through my own spiritual life. Simply put - I am not of this world anymore, and when I get into it, it gets into me, and I feel completely out of sorts as a Christian. No good to anyone, including myself. Jeremiah 10:2 states, we are not to be learning their 'ways.' Their way of life - their 'gods' - should not even be on our lips. Ephesians 5:12 says that it is 'shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret' - so why would we ever tolerate it, never mind enter into it?
When you learn their ways, you quickly enter into their means, their intentions - and ultimately into their true heart. This is an ugly place where we really should not be dwelling. We think separation causes us to lose our ability to testify in this world. Wrong. Assimilation causes us to lose our ability to testify.
I know that this is an unpopular thought in the new church movements. Believe me, I've bought into the impact by assimilation mindset in the past and the fruit has tasted awful. I've seen two negative consequences:
1. My mind, being saturated with these worldly things under the guise of more effective evangelism, has become a stagnant pool. I know, emerging proponents will say that this is my fault and they may be correct - but it is what it is.
2. The 'salvations' have been very shallow and program/people-dependent. As long as you're being like them, they'll listen - but they leave upon the first sign of anything that's intolerant or goes against their own feelings or core beliefs. This is because they haven't abandoned anything to reach for holiness, they've had their way of life catered to.
I do not say this lightly, because I am desperate for the lost to be saved. I say this after years of study and personal experience - but mostly I say this after feeling the pressure from God to allow Him to fully separate me from this world - so that I can be a better witness of the Truth. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not saying separate from the world and focus solely on your own personal holiness. I'm saying that if we strive for personal holiness, we will have a true picture of God to offer to the world - not simply a neutered version of Him.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Re-membering Community Part I - Church Matters
I am in the process of implementing a sermon series called "Remembering Community" at my church. I have been in conversation with many people, mostly young adults, who are questioning the purpose of church in their lives. Not God. Church. I realize that the older generation (myself included) has not put across the best picture of what church is all about. In our portrayal of church, there has been a lack of true fellowship among the body and true effectiveness in the world - two things that I believe the current generation is seeking. They need to know why they should bother, otherwise - they're gone.
I strongly believe in the need for a local church, a community of believers within each specific section of the world. If we lose this, if this generation splinters off into mere cell groups, then we've lost what I believe is the Christ-established form of invasion - - - Invasion by Community.
Paul's life in Acts was geared toward establishing these communities, and his letters are geared to maintaining them, making sure that they don't splinter or fall away - blended into the world or lost in false doctrine. So much of the New Testament is focused on the local church that it has to be of utmost importance to kingdom building. Church matters.
So I know that I have to fight for it as well. Not just for the small, local body of believers that I pastor. That would be disingenuous, as if I were merely intent on preserving my livelihood. I'm not interested in personal kingdom building. I fight for it because it's the best way to bring the Gospel to the world.
I believe that's why God placed "Remembering Community" on my heart. The purpose is two-fold:
1. To remember why community is so important and understand that we can't let "church" fade away into new movements. I want to teach the need for the local body, the church. For Sunday morning services. For weekly Bible studies. For "fun times." Anything that builds up the community.
2. To literally "remember" Community - the church I pastor. To have a complete re-commitment to this particular local body as an extension of the kingdom at large. To re-member every member, not so that we can claim more numbers, but so that each person can understand what being a part of a church community really means. It's not just showing up on Sunday mornings. It's getting together throughout the week. It's getting into the world and being the ambassador for Christ that we are called to be.
If membership is going to exist in a church, then it should mean something. I believe that it does, because I believe that the Plan is invasion by community. Jesus built up a small body of disciples that ate together and struggled together. After he left they huddled together. Ultimately they advanced the kingdom together. Community matters.
The next few posts will be the aspects of this. For example, my next post is "Keep It Clean" - why it so important to keep the vessel (individuals and churches) free from the stain of the world. If there is no distinction, then there is no clear call to the world.
I strongly believe in the need for a local church, a community of believers within each specific section of the world. If we lose this, if this generation splinters off into mere cell groups, then we've lost what I believe is the Christ-established form of invasion - - - Invasion by Community.
Paul's life in Acts was geared toward establishing these communities, and his letters are geared to maintaining them, making sure that they don't splinter or fall away - blended into the world or lost in false doctrine. So much of the New Testament is focused on the local church that it has to be of utmost importance to kingdom building. Church matters.
So I know that I have to fight for it as well. Not just for the small, local body of believers that I pastor. That would be disingenuous, as if I were merely intent on preserving my livelihood. I'm not interested in personal kingdom building. I fight for it because it's the best way to bring the Gospel to the world.
I believe that's why God placed "Remembering Community" on my heart. The purpose is two-fold:
1. To remember why community is so important and understand that we can't let "church" fade away into new movements. I want to teach the need for the local body, the church. For Sunday morning services. For weekly Bible studies. For "fun times." Anything that builds up the community.
2. To literally "remember" Community - the church I pastor. To have a complete re-commitment to this particular local body as an extension of the kingdom at large. To re-member every member, not so that we can claim more numbers, but so that each person can understand what being a part of a church community really means. It's not just showing up on Sunday mornings. It's getting together throughout the week. It's getting into the world and being the ambassador for Christ that we are called to be.
If membership is going to exist in a church, then it should mean something. I believe that it does, because I believe that the Plan is invasion by community. Jesus built up a small body of disciples that ate together and struggled together. After he left they huddled together. Ultimately they advanced the kingdom together. Community matters.
The next few posts will be the aspects of this. For example, my next post is "Keep It Clean" - why it so important to keep the vessel (individuals and churches) free from the stain of the world. If there is no distinction, then there is no clear call to the world.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Could I Have Just a Moment?
I Samuel 19:20 "But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied."
I Samuel 19:23 "But the Spirit of God came even upon him (Saul) and he walk walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth."
So let me get this straight: Saul, who is so full of himself that he can't even see straight at this point, so full of rage that he wants to kill someone who has just delivered him, is overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit? As he goes to finish the job that his men can't seem to do (kill David) he gets a dose of God that knocks him to his knees in prophetic ecstasy?
And I can't even get a taste at all this week, not even a sniff? Even though with everything within me, I am chasing after a moment like that?
I realize that I am a slave to my senses. God knows that as well. Is He trying to break me of that addiction? Is that one of the reasons that fasting exists - to break me of the need to have every itch scratched immediately?
Increase my faith, because I need a touch and You don't always give out those touches.
I Samuel 19:23 "But the Spirit of God came even upon him (Saul) and he walk walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth."
So let me get this straight: Saul, who is so full of himself that he can't even see straight at this point, so full of rage that he wants to kill someone who has just delivered him, is overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit? As he goes to finish the job that his men can't seem to do (kill David) he gets a dose of God that knocks him to his knees in prophetic ecstasy?
And I can't even get a taste at all this week, not even a sniff? Even though with everything within me, I am chasing after a moment like that?
I realize that I am a slave to my senses. God knows that as well. Is He trying to break me of that addiction? Is that one of the reasons that fasting exists - to break me of the need to have every itch scratched immediately?
Increase my faith, because I need a touch and You don't always give out those touches.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Riding The Thin Line
Last night I took my 7-year old son Joshua to his first Sox game at Fenway. The look in his eyes when I told him that I had got him tickets was worth everything. When I told him we were taking the subway into the game, he got even more excited.
So . . . .we're riding the T last night and he's talking and taking it all in and having the time of his life. I can literally feel his joy. As we passed a stop in the middle of town, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I can make the best night of his life the worst, by stepping out the door of the subway car just before it closes, leaving him alone. I don't know why this thought came to me, I would never, ever do that to anyone, but for some reason I realized the tenuousness in life between absolute joy and abject horror - and it's a very thin line.
For Josh, the thin line was simple: my presence. As long as I was there, even in the middle of the chaos of a crowded subway car, it was the best night of his life. If I suddenly disappeared, it would immediately turn into the absolute worst moment he'd ever experience. My presence was the difference.
While thinking about this I almost started to cry for him, for what he would feel if that did happen. I would do anything to protect and stay with him, to keep him in his joy, to let him rest secure. I wrapped my arm around him, without saying anything, just to give him a physical reminder that I was there. He looked up at me and smiled . . . . All is well.
I thought of God - how He loves us and promises to never leave and forsake us. How He desires to wrap Himself around us, if we would only let Him. I thought of how horrific my life would be if He suddenly stepped away just before a door closed, leaving me alone in this chaos. My feeling for keeping Josh close must be exactly how He feels about us, knowing what our life is like without Him.
I thought of His feelings for the people of this world, His children. Just as I wanted to cry at even the thought of Josh going through a terrifying moment without me, He must feel the same about His children that reject Him. He knows what they will ultimately experience as a result of this rejection. If I felt a pang of sorrow over what Josh would possibly go through without me, imagine what He feel knowing what they will definitely go through without Him. Jesus was a 'man of sorrows' and that has to be a part of it.
Hell is the absence of God. Heaven is His abiding presence. I got a little glimpse of that through my son's eyes last night.
And to top it all off, Big Papi hit a home run.
So . . . .we're riding the T last night and he's talking and taking it all in and having the time of his life. I can literally feel his joy. As we passed a stop in the middle of town, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I can make the best night of his life the worst, by stepping out the door of the subway car just before it closes, leaving him alone. I don't know why this thought came to me, I would never, ever do that to anyone, but for some reason I realized the tenuousness in life between absolute joy and abject horror - and it's a very thin line.
For Josh, the thin line was simple: my presence. As long as I was there, even in the middle of the chaos of a crowded subway car, it was the best night of his life. If I suddenly disappeared, it would immediately turn into the absolute worst moment he'd ever experience. My presence was the difference.
While thinking about this I almost started to cry for him, for what he would feel if that did happen. I would do anything to protect and stay with him, to keep him in his joy, to let him rest secure. I wrapped my arm around him, without saying anything, just to give him a physical reminder that I was there. He looked up at me and smiled . . . . All is well.
I thought of God - how He loves us and promises to never leave and forsake us. How He desires to wrap Himself around us, if we would only let Him. I thought of how horrific my life would be if He suddenly stepped away just before a door closed, leaving me alone in this chaos. My feeling for keeping Josh close must be exactly how He feels about us, knowing what our life is like without Him.
I thought of His feelings for the people of this world, His children. Just as I wanted to cry at even the thought of Josh going through a terrifying moment without me, He must feel the same about His children that reject Him. He knows what they will ultimately experience as a result of this rejection. If I felt a pang of sorrow over what Josh would possibly go through without me, imagine what He feel knowing what they will definitely go through without Him. Jesus was a 'man of sorrows' and that has to be a part of it.
Hell is the absence of God. Heaven is His abiding presence. I got a little glimpse of that through my son's eyes last night.
And to top it all off, Big Papi hit a home run.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Immediate Test
So - do I really believe what I ended my last post with? That I simply wanted to be a "drink offering" and didn't care if I received any glory or blessing as long as the work went forward. The work of healing?
Well, God didn't take long to put that thought to the test and I FAILED.
I met someone who I had been counseling through some bad times in their life. They had been on the brink of complete destruction so it there were many nights of phone calls and meetings. I met with this person through these dark times and then I saw them the other day and it was evident that a healing had taken place. Their countenance had changed, they were testifying to God's power and it was awesome.
But I failed the test when they explained how it happened: This person went for a couple of days to another ministry and something clicked inside of them and God moved them out of the darkness and into the light. I felt a pang in my heart - I had spent countless hours and now they were giving this other ministry glory for helping them through - in one moment of light. Of course, they were thankful for the time I had been with them, but still . . . why couldn't it have been through me that this breakthrough occurred?
And so - I failed the test. The blessing of the "work" isn't the only outcome I desire, the blessing of the "worker" is still embedded in my heart. I see it clearly, I just can't overcome it. Yet.
Jesus said first remove the log from your own eye - and I am on a quest to know how. (A minor detail that He happened to leave out of the Sermon.) Sanctification is one tough process.
Well, God didn't take long to put that thought to the test and I FAILED.
I met someone who I had been counseling through some bad times in their life. They had been on the brink of complete destruction so it there were many nights of phone calls and meetings. I met with this person through these dark times and then I saw them the other day and it was evident that a healing had taken place. Their countenance had changed, they were testifying to God's power and it was awesome.
But I failed the test when they explained how it happened: This person went for a couple of days to another ministry and something clicked inside of them and God moved them out of the darkness and into the light. I felt a pang in my heart - I had spent countless hours and now they were giving this other ministry glory for helping them through - in one moment of light. Of course, they were thankful for the time I had been with them, but still . . . why couldn't it have been through me that this breakthrough occurred?
And so - I failed the test. The blessing of the "work" isn't the only outcome I desire, the blessing of the "worker" is still embedded in my heart. I see it clearly, I just can't overcome it. Yet.
Jesus said first remove the log from your own eye - and I am on a quest to know how. (A minor detail that He happened to leave out of the Sermon.) Sanctification is one tough process.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Blessing of the Work, Not the Worker
James 1: 22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
When we are living out our faith by helping others we often have underlying motives that betray us. We want to be blessed in who we are. But this passage in James says something else - it says we will be blessed in what we do. That's a big difference. The action we are performing - feeding the poor, counseling a brother or sister, visiting the sick - that will be blessed.
If we truly want to be an effective ambassador of Christ in this world, if we truly want to see people healed, then this is exactly what we want the promise to be. That the work will be blessed, not the workers. It goes against every popular teaching. It goes against the desires of my flesh. It cuts across the nerve center of my natural man. I want to be lifted up in my self-sacrificial ministry. I want to receive the praise of man.
Jesus states in John 5:41 - 44: "I do not accept praise from men, but I know you, I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not accept Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"
Do you see what Jesus is saying? He is saying that when we are seeking the praise of man, we do not have the love of God in our hearts, we have the love man! We will accept words from men and we will accept their praise, but we do not seek out the praise of God. Jesus says that in this case . . . . . we don't really believe. So, just to get this straight, when we are seeking the praise and acceptance of man, we don't really believe, and we don't have the love of God. In a moment of honesty, I would have to admit that this is one of my biggest hurdles. I want the praise of man. I want their acceptance. I have to be broken of this for any fruitful ministry to take place in my life.
My goal for this year is to be a true Drink Offering. The drink offering was poured on the sacrifice and burned into it, never to be seen again. The only thing that was seen was The Sacrifice. We become part of the aroma, that's all. But that's good enough for me, because II Corinthians 2:15 tells us that the aroma of Christ brings healing and life to those who are seeking Him. So what if no one ever notices me . . . . the work will be blessed.
I want the work to be blessed. I want to see people healed, lives changed, the lost come to Christ, the poor fed and clothed, the church united, relationships mended, forgiveness poured out, . . . I want to see THAT happen. I don't want or need to be lifted up in the process. I don't need to be blessed for who I am. When I'm walking in the Spirit, I want to see the work prosper and God be praised.
When we are living out our faith by helping others we often have underlying motives that betray us. We want to be blessed in who we are. But this passage in James says something else - it says we will be blessed in what we do. That's a big difference. The action we are performing - feeding the poor, counseling a brother or sister, visiting the sick - that will be blessed.
If we truly want to be an effective ambassador of Christ in this world, if we truly want to see people healed, then this is exactly what we want the promise to be. That the work will be blessed, not the workers. It goes against every popular teaching. It goes against the desires of my flesh. It cuts across the nerve center of my natural man. I want to be lifted up in my self-sacrificial ministry. I want to receive the praise of man.
Jesus states in John 5:41 - 44: "I do not accept praise from men, but I know you, I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not accept Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"
Do you see what Jesus is saying? He is saying that when we are seeking the praise of man, we do not have the love of God in our hearts, we have the love man! We will accept words from men and we will accept their praise, but we do not seek out the praise of God. Jesus says that in this case . . . . . we don't really believe. So, just to get this straight, when we are seeking the praise and acceptance of man, we don't really believe, and we don't have the love of God. In a moment of honesty, I would have to admit that this is one of my biggest hurdles. I want the praise of man. I want their acceptance. I have to be broken of this for any fruitful ministry to take place in my life.
My goal for this year is to be a true Drink Offering. The drink offering was poured on the sacrifice and burned into it, never to be seen again. The only thing that was seen was The Sacrifice. We become part of the aroma, that's all. But that's good enough for me, because II Corinthians 2:15 tells us that the aroma of Christ brings healing and life to those who are seeking Him. So what if no one ever notices me . . . . the work will be blessed.
I want the work to be blessed. I want to see people healed, lives changed, the lost come to Christ, the poor fed and clothed, the church united, relationships mended, forgiveness poured out, . . . I want to see THAT happen. I don't want or need to be lifted up in the process. I don't need to be blessed for who I am. When I'm walking in the Spirit, I want to see the work prosper and God be praised.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A Very Becoming Savior
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."
When we were lost, God became and He came. Not in the Spirit, but in the flesh. While dead in our sins, counted as enemies, He became one of us, and He came. He wasn't in some semi-detached spiritual form shouting out holy counsel, He became fully human and He came.
This is the true Gospel: God 'pitched His tent among us,' lived with us, ate with us, cried with us, rejoiced with us, lifted our heads, healed our eyes, opened our ears, cured our diseases, brought us out of darkness, walked side by side with us, taught us, gave us water when we were thirsty and food when we were hungry. He touched us, and He let us touch Him. He was here with us in every human way.
According to the prosperity gospel, all people have to do is give more, pray more, be closer to God and all will be well. Why should anyone go among the hurting? Just give them this message, preferably over the radio or television, and move on. Other churches are preaching the Word every Sunday, but are never making this Word "flesh" and dwelling among the lost.
This is not the Gospel. The Gospel is that God dwelt among men and then saved them. When we step away from the poor, for whatever reason, we are eliminating the humanity of Christ, and without His humanity there is no Gospel. He took our sins and our pain away as both God and man. It was through a combination of His love and strength that we were saved. Through His love He identified Himself with us and took our sin upon Himself - the true Intercessor. Through His strength He took on the full weight and darkness of this sin and then destroyed it completely upon the Cross, shattering its hold on us - the true Savior.
When we deny our brothers food and water, when we deny them their humanity, we deny the true Gospel which takes on their humanity and delivers them from the darkness. When they cry out . . . . we come to them. We don't shout out holy counsel from white-washed palaces. We physically enter into their world and touch them, hold them, feed them, cry with them, laugh with them and love them.
When we cried out, God became flesh and He dwelt among us. We can do no less for our fellow man. That's the true Gospel.
When we were lost, God became and He came. Not in the Spirit, but in the flesh. While dead in our sins, counted as enemies, He became one of us, and He came. He wasn't in some semi-detached spiritual form shouting out holy counsel, He became fully human and He came.
This is the true Gospel: God 'pitched His tent among us,' lived with us, ate with us, cried with us, rejoiced with us, lifted our heads, healed our eyes, opened our ears, cured our diseases, brought us out of darkness, walked side by side with us, taught us, gave us water when we were thirsty and food when we were hungry. He touched us, and He let us touch Him. He was here with us in every human way.
According to the prosperity gospel, all people have to do is give more, pray more, be closer to God and all will be well. Why should anyone go among the hurting? Just give them this message, preferably over the radio or television, and move on. Other churches are preaching the Word every Sunday, but are never making this Word "flesh" and dwelling among the lost.
This is not the Gospel. The Gospel is that God dwelt among men and then saved them. When we step away from the poor, for whatever reason, we are eliminating the humanity of Christ, and without His humanity there is no Gospel. He took our sins and our pain away as both God and man. It was through a combination of His love and strength that we were saved. Through His love He identified Himself with us and took our sin upon Himself - the true Intercessor. Through His strength He took on the full weight and darkness of this sin and then destroyed it completely upon the Cross, shattering its hold on us - the true Savior.
When we deny our brothers food and water, when we deny them their humanity, we deny the true Gospel which takes on their humanity and delivers them from the darkness. When they cry out . . . . we come to them. We don't shout out holy counsel from white-washed palaces. We physically enter into their world and touch them, hold them, feed them, cry with them, laugh with them and love them.
When we cried out, God became flesh and He dwelt among us. We can do no less for our fellow man. That's the true Gospel.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Lost in the Translation
I was talking to a friend of mine who is a Bible translator in Central America and she told me that they have only translated the New Testament to this point (and she has been there over 20 years). I looked into this further and found that this is pretty much the case across the world. If you had to translate a part of the Bible as quickly as possible with maximum effectiveness, of course you would focus on the NT.
However, they are finding out that the Old Testament is more than just a luxury - these cultures are begging for the whole story, for a number of reasons:
1. They feel that they've picked up the story in the middle. Why the need for a Messiah? Where does He fit into the Big Picture? What about the beginning? Where are the frames of reference for all that is happening? If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, the final Sacrifice, what does that even mean? There is so much missing if you just pick it up in the Gospels.
2. Many of these cultures have a great understanding of the OT culture. They get why the genealogies are so important. They understand the Law better because their societies are similar in how they function. Even the agricultural concepts are more familiar to them than to us. The OT makes sense to them.
3. They miss the incredible stories of faith. Read David and Goliath like you're reading it for the first time. Or Joseph, Elijah, Daniel, Nehemiah. . . . . these are people who believed that God would actually move and act in wonderful ways. Because they're so familiar to us they can lose their emotional impact. Imagine reading the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan and taking down Jericho for the first time. You would think anything was possible with God. (What an amazing thought!) The verses and doctrine of the NT come to life with the stories of the OT.
Read the whole Bible and be thankful that you can.
However, they are finding out that the Old Testament is more than just a luxury - these cultures are begging for the whole story, for a number of reasons:
1. They feel that they've picked up the story in the middle. Why the need for a Messiah? Where does He fit into the Big Picture? What about the beginning? Where are the frames of reference for all that is happening? If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, the final Sacrifice, what does that even mean? There is so much missing if you just pick it up in the Gospels.
2. Many of these cultures have a great understanding of the OT culture. They get why the genealogies are so important. They understand the Law better because their societies are similar in how they function. Even the agricultural concepts are more familiar to them than to us. The OT makes sense to them.
3. They miss the incredible stories of faith. Read David and Goliath like you're reading it for the first time. Or Joseph, Elijah, Daniel, Nehemiah. . . . . these are people who believed that God would actually move and act in wonderful ways. Because they're so familiar to us they can lose their emotional impact. Imagine reading the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan and taking down Jericho for the first time. You would think anything was possible with God. (What an amazing thought!) The verses and doctrine of the NT come to life with the stories of the OT.
Read the whole Bible and be thankful that you can.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Terminal Disease or Taking Leave of our Senses
I just finished reading an article about a local private school that has emptied out its library of all books and now is completely on-line. It now has roomfuls of empty shelves, with everybody sitting at their own terminals.
I don't know about this - I feel like an old man even saying that I don't like it but . . . . . I don't like it. There's something about a book - holding it, feeling it. Even the smell of an old book brings back feelings of prior readings and places in my life. I know this sounds contradictory as I sit at a computer and type a blog, but if this is where we're heading, I can't help but feel a deep sense of loss.
There is something to be said about engaging in a full sensory experience - even with a book. When I hold my Bible, I feel everything involved in it. I feel passages I've read that have moved me. I see things I've written in the margins that marked struggles and victories in my life. I even have food-stained finger-prints of that day. And some pages, when studied closely, look like they've been gripped tightly, as if at that point in my life I was getting my heart ripped out by God. I think we're supposed to be like that, that's the way we're wired. We're meant to hold, taste, smell and touch. It's how we remember. It engages us, and years later, on subsequent readings, re-engages us.
I envy in some ways the Old Testament worship experience, where they could smell, hear, feel and ultimately taste their offerings to the Lord. It was all around them and they were fully immersed in it. We weren't meant to lose that when the sacrificial system was replaced by The Sacrifice. Communion, serving, singing, eating together, praying together, Bible studies . . . it's all meant to be a part of the normal community of believers. Our daily life together.
But now we have a "terminal disease" - each one of us worshiping on-line, reading and listening to our favorite pastors and teachers, never coming together and eating and talking. The community has fragmented and we're losing our senses. We've perfected the H1N1 Fistbump, having gone from a holy kiss to a hug to a handshake to a fistbump to a head nod. What's next, a computerized message of the events of our day? We even think that somehow, one hour a week in church will bring us some kind of connectedness.
I think the pendulum is going to swing back. It may even be happening now. We are wired for a sensory experience, and the churches that start to engage each other and get deep into the heart of the world will be the ones that will draw people in. The ones that create true communities that meet more than on Sunday mornings will find seekers knocking on their doors asking to get in.
I don't know about this - I feel like an old man even saying that I don't like it but . . . . . I don't like it. There's something about a book - holding it, feeling it. Even the smell of an old book brings back feelings of prior readings and places in my life. I know this sounds contradictory as I sit at a computer and type a blog, but if this is where we're heading, I can't help but feel a deep sense of loss.
There is something to be said about engaging in a full sensory experience - even with a book. When I hold my Bible, I feel everything involved in it. I feel passages I've read that have moved me. I see things I've written in the margins that marked struggles and victories in my life. I even have food-stained finger-prints of that day. And some pages, when studied closely, look like they've been gripped tightly, as if at that point in my life I was getting my heart ripped out by God. I think we're supposed to be like that, that's the way we're wired. We're meant to hold, taste, smell and touch. It's how we remember. It engages us, and years later, on subsequent readings, re-engages us.
I envy in some ways the Old Testament worship experience, where they could smell, hear, feel and ultimately taste their offerings to the Lord. It was all around them and they were fully immersed in it. We weren't meant to lose that when the sacrificial system was replaced by The Sacrifice. Communion, serving, singing, eating together, praying together, Bible studies . . . it's all meant to be a part of the normal community of believers. Our daily life together.
But now we have a "terminal disease" - each one of us worshiping on-line, reading and listening to our favorite pastors and teachers, never coming together and eating and talking. The community has fragmented and we're losing our senses. We've perfected the H1N1 Fistbump, having gone from a holy kiss to a hug to a handshake to a fistbump to a head nod. What's next, a computerized message of the events of our day? We even think that somehow, one hour a week in church will bring us some kind of connectedness.
I think the pendulum is going to swing back. It may even be happening now. We are wired for a sensory experience, and the churches that start to engage each other and get deep into the heart of the world will be the ones that will draw people in. The ones that create true communities that meet more than on Sunday mornings will find seekers knocking on their doors asking to get in.
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