In 1536, in the hamlet of Vilvoorde, William Tyndale was tied to a stake, strangled to death, then burned and consumed in fire. This all done by the Church of England on demand from the King himself. What was his crime? Tyndale had one life-consuming passion; to see the Bible translated into English so that the ordinary person could read and study it for himself. By 1526 he had accomplished the translation of the New Testament and secretly began to distribute several thousand copies across Europe and England. Why secretly? Because the Church Authorities had made it illegal to own the English bible. Anyone found with one would risk execution. Bibles found among the people were publicly burned. Did you catch that.......the Church was burning the Bible to keep it out of the hands of it's congregation.
Why did the Church of England feel so strongly against it's common members having a readable copy of the Word of God? The reasons given were many; the Church claimed that without training, people would not be able to interpret the Word, that ordinary people were too burdened with worldly business to understand scripture correctly, the people could not be trusted with it, how do they prevent heresy, by what authority do they study and interpret God's Word, they must be accountable to higher church authorities. There was a great wall dividing the clergy and the laity that must not be broached. The duties of the laity were simple; faithfully come to worship, faithfully give to the church, faithfully listen to and obey the higher authorities within the church.
Many could argue what was the main reason for the success of the Great Reformation, for there were many. The teachings and theology of men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and others would forever change the landscape of the Christian Church. Yet the Word of God makes it clear to us that no great work for Christ and the Kingdom is ever done without the Holy Spirit, and the distribution of God's Holy Word into the hands of the common people was the impetus for that great work.
Now let's fast forward several hundred years to today. A shift with the potential impact of the Reformation is occuring in the Western Church today. And this time it is occuring as the Church.......instead of the Bible........is being put into the hands of ordinary people. It comes by many, varied names; "Simple Church, House Church, Organic Church", but they all involve the same features. Common, ordinary people meeting together in small enclaves to study God's Word, rediscover the work and power of the Holy Spirit, make disciples, and to follow Christ by making real his command to deny self an everyday reality.
What is interesting to me is the response of many (thankfully not all) of the traditional, legacy Churches to this movement within it's laity. Listen to some of what is being said: How can untrained and unqualified people run churches? Only trained clergymen should hold leadership positions in the church. Ordinary people are too burdened with worldly business to prepare the work of a church, prepare sermons, let alone be trained in hermeneutics. How will they prevent heresy? On what basis do they claim authority to act as a church? Who are they accountable to? How can ordinary people administer the sacraments? Is it just me, or does any of this sound hauntingly familiar?
All of the great reformations and revivals began at the bottom and worked its way up, never the other way around. If revival is to sweep across this country, it will not begin at any organized traditional level and work its way down through the ranks, but will begin with common, ordinary people empowered by the Holy Spirit dedicated to Christ in selfless obedience to his calling. Just as the Bible in the heart language of the people empowered the ordinary belever in Tyndale's day, Simple Church today allows ordinary men and women to "be the church" rather than just "go to church."
(exerpts included from "The Rabbit and the Elephant", by Tony & Felicity Dale, George Barna.)
A place of Honest searching, reflection and conversation.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Religious Boredom
(The following is an exerpt from A.W. Tozer's book, Man:The Dwelling Place of God. Thoughtful words, controversial no doubt, but that which make for sincere soul-searching and honest conversation.............comments are welcomed.)
That there is something gravely wrong with Evangelical Christianity today is not likely to be denied by any serious-minded person acquainted with the facts. Just what is wrong is not so easy to determine.
In examining the situation myself, I find nature and reason in conflict within me, for I tend by temperament to want to settle everything with a sweep of the pen. But reason advises caution; nothing is that simple, and we must be careful to distinguish cause from effect. As every doctor knows there is a wide difference between the disease and the symptoms; and every Christian knows that there is a big difference between cause and effect in the sphere of religion.
At the root of our spiritual trouble lies a number of causes and these causes have effects, but which is cause and which is effect is not always known. I suspect that many things currently under attack by our evangelists and pastors are not the causes of our troubles but the effects of causes that lie deeper. We treat the symptoms and wonder why the patient does not get well. Or, to change the figure, we lay down a heavy fire against nothing more substantial than the cloud of dust raised by marching enemy troups long gone by.
One mark of the low state of affairs among us is religious boredom. Whether this is a thing in itself or merely a symptom of the thing, I do not know for sure, though I suspect that it is the latter. And that it is found to some degree almost everywhere among Christians is too evident to be denied.
Boredom is, of course, a state of mind resulting from trying to maintain an interest in something that holds no trace of interest for us (the boss's jokes, say, or that lecture on the care and nurture of dahlias to which we went because we could not resist the enthusiastic urging of a friend). No one is bored by what he can in good conscience walk away from. Boredom comes when a man must try to hear with relish what for want of relish he hardly hears at all.
By this definition there is certainly much boredom in religion these days. The businessman on a Sunday morning whose mind is on golf can scarcely disguise his lack of interest in the sermon he is compelled to hear. The housewife who is unacquainted with the learned theological or philosophical jargon of the speaker; the young couple who feel a tingle of love for each other but who neither love nor know the One about whom the choir is singing--these cannot escape the low-grade mental pain we call boredom while they struggle to keep attention focused upon the service. All are too courteous to admit to others that they are bored and possibly too timid to admit it even to themselves, but I believe that a bit of candid confession would do us all good.
When Moses tarried on the mount, Israel became bored with the faith that sees the invisible and clamored for a God they could see and touch. And they displayed a great deal more enthusiasm for the golden calf than they did over the Lord God of Abraham. Later they tired of Manna and complained against the monotony of their diet. On their petulant insistence they finally got flesh to eat, and that to their own ondoing.
Those Christians who belong to the evangelical wing of the Church (which I firmly believe is the only one that even approximates New Testament Christianity) have over the last half-century shown an increasing impatience with things invisible and eternal and have demanded and got a host of visible and temporal to satisfy their fleshly appetites. Without biblical authority, or any other right under the sun, carnal religious leaders have introduced a host of attractions that serve no purpose except to provide entertainment for the retarded saints.
It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God's professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy in the form of religious movies, games and refreshments.
This has influenced the whole pattern of church life, and even brought into being a new type of church architecture, designed to house the Golden Calf. So we have the strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed and heterodoxy in practice. The striped candy technique has been so fully integrated into our present religious thinking that it is simply taken for granted. Its victims never dream that it is not a part of the teachings of Christ and His apostles.
Any objection to the carryings on of our present golden-calf Christianity is met wit the triumphant reply, "But we are winning them!" And winning them to what? To true discipleship? To seperation from the world? To cross-carrying? To self-deniel? To crucifixion of the flesh? To hard discipline? To Love of God? To total commitment to Christ? Of course the answer to all these questions is no.
We are paying a frightful price for our religious boredom. And that at the moment of the world's mortal peril.
That there is something gravely wrong with Evangelical Christianity today is not likely to be denied by any serious-minded person acquainted with the facts. Just what is wrong is not so easy to determine.
In examining the situation myself, I find nature and reason in conflict within me, for I tend by temperament to want to settle everything with a sweep of the pen. But reason advises caution; nothing is that simple, and we must be careful to distinguish cause from effect. As every doctor knows there is a wide difference between the disease and the symptoms; and every Christian knows that there is a big difference between cause and effect in the sphere of religion.
At the root of our spiritual trouble lies a number of causes and these causes have effects, but which is cause and which is effect is not always known. I suspect that many things currently under attack by our evangelists and pastors are not the causes of our troubles but the effects of causes that lie deeper. We treat the symptoms and wonder why the patient does not get well. Or, to change the figure, we lay down a heavy fire against nothing more substantial than the cloud of dust raised by marching enemy troups long gone by.
One mark of the low state of affairs among us is religious boredom. Whether this is a thing in itself or merely a symptom of the thing, I do not know for sure, though I suspect that it is the latter. And that it is found to some degree almost everywhere among Christians is too evident to be denied.
Boredom is, of course, a state of mind resulting from trying to maintain an interest in something that holds no trace of interest for us (the boss's jokes, say, or that lecture on the care and nurture of dahlias to which we went because we could not resist the enthusiastic urging of a friend). No one is bored by what he can in good conscience walk away from. Boredom comes when a man must try to hear with relish what for want of relish he hardly hears at all.
By this definition there is certainly much boredom in religion these days. The businessman on a Sunday morning whose mind is on golf can scarcely disguise his lack of interest in the sermon he is compelled to hear. The housewife who is unacquainted with the learned theological or philosophical jargon of the speaker; the young couple who feel a tingle of love for each other but who neither love nor know the One about whom the choir is singing--these cannot escape the low-grade mental pain we call boredom while they struggle to keep attention focused upon the service. All are too courteous to admit to others that they are bored and possibly too timid to admit it even to themselves, but I believe that a bit of candid confession would do us all good.
When Moses tarried on the mount, Israel became bored with the faith that sees the invisible and clamored for a God they could see and touch. And they displayed a great deal more enthusiasm for the golden calf than they did over the Lord God of Abraham. Later they tired of Manna and complained against the monotony of their diet. On their petulant insistence they finally got flesh to eat, and that to their own ondoing.
Those Christians who belong to the evangelical wing of the Church (which I firmly believe is the only one that even approximates New Testament Christianity) have over the last half-century shown an increasing impatience with things invisible and eternal and have demanded and got a host of visible and temporal to satisfy their fleshly appetites. Without biblical authority, or any other right under the sun, carnal religious leaders have introduced a host of attractions that serve no purpose except to provide entertainment for the retarded saints.
It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God's professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy in the form of religious movies, games and refreshments.
This has influenced the whole pattern of church life, and even brought into being a new type of church architecture, designed to house the Golden Calf. So we have the strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed and heterodoxy in practice. The striped candy technique has been so fully integrated into our present religious thinking that it is simply taken for granted. Its victims never dream that it is not a part of the teachings of Christ and His apostles.
Any objection to the carryings on of our present golden-calf Christianity is met wit the triumphant reply, "But we are winning them!" And winning them to what? To true discipleship? To seperation from the world? To cross-carrying? To self-deniel? To crucifixion of the flesh? To hard discipline? To Love of God? To total commitment to Christ? Of course the answer to all these questions is no.
We are paying a frightful price for our religious boredom. And that at the moment of the world's mortal peril.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
K & W
No.........not the cafeteria. Although having a visual picture of an amazing spread of a vast variety of foods and delicacies, may not be totally out of place when discussing Knowledge and Wisdom. For the past week, I have been searching the scriptures and meditating on God's word relating to this subject and now wish to share some of what the Lord has opened my eyes to.
When I blog, my normal tendancy is to just write, with very little thought put towards the organization of those thoughts. You could tell, huh? Anyway, I am finding that the depth of this particular subject is so great and so diverse that I am compelled to be abnormally more organized with my words. So where does an outline on the subject of Knowledge and Wisdom begin? How about the beginning.........
I. The Beginning of Knowledge and Wisdom:
(Proverbs 1:7 ) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
(Psalm 111:10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
(Proverbs 2:1-5) My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Ever wonder why it starts there..............The Fear of the Lord? Why not the Love of the Lord? Wouldn't that sound better, more user friendly? The Love of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge and Wisdom? The point being made here I believe is this: Godly Knowledge and Wisdom begins with the understanding of our place before an Almighty God. Understanding exactly what that "place" is requires an intimate relational knowledge of God. Not knowing about God.......but knowing Him personally and intimately. The more we see God, the more we know Him, the more we see our inadaquecy, sin, and utter dependance on him. True Godly Knowledge and Wisdom must, must, must be void of any human pride. This idea is completely opposite of the human inclinations towards knowledge and wisdom. For most people, just hearing these words together immediately stirs up prideful thoughts and passions, and in relation to worldly knowledge and wisdom, that's a normal, if not appropriate reaction. Not so with Godly Knowledge and Wisdom.
As David's life was coming to an end, we see him preparing God's people and particularly his own son, Solomon. He was passing on to them the Knowledge and Wisdom that God had blessed him with. Now remember.......this is King David talking here, Israel's greatest King, warrior, conqueror, leader.....truly a man who deserves to be listened to and acknowledged for his knowledge and wisdom. As you read his words from I Chronicles 29, look for any signs of Human Pride;
When I blog, my normal tendancy is to just write, with very little thought put towards the organization of those thoughts. You could tell, huh? Anyway, I am finding that the depth of this particular subject is so great and so diverse that I am compelled to be abnormally more organized with my words. So where does an outline on the subject of Knowledge and Wisdom begin? How about the beginning.........
I. The Beginning of Knowledge and Wisdom:
(Proverbs 1:7 ) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
(Psalm 111:10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
(Proverbs 2:1-5) My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Ever wonder why it starts there..............The Fear of the Lord? Why not the Love of the Lord? Wouldn't that sound better, more user friendly? The Love of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge and Wisdom? The point being made here I believe is this: Godly Knowledge and Wisdom begins with the understanding of our place before an Almighty God. Understanding exactly what that "place" is requires an intimate relational knowledge of God. Not knowing about God.......but knowing Him personally and intimately. The more we see God, the more we know Him, the more we see our inadaquecy, sin, and utter dependance on him. True Godly Knowledge and Wisdom must, must, must be void of any human pride. This idea is completely opposite of the human inclinations towards knowledge and wisdom. For most people, just hearing these words together immediately stirs up prideful thoughts and passions, and in relation to worldly knowledge and wisdom, that's a normal, if not appropriate reaction. Not so with Godly Knowledge and Wisdom.
As David's life was coming to an end, we see him preparing God's people and particularly his own son, Solomon. He was passing on to them the Knowledge and Wisdom that God had blessed him with. Now remember.......this is King David talking here, Israel's greatest King, warrior, conqueror, leader.....truly a man who deserves to be listened to and acknowledged for his knowledge and wisdom. As you read his words from I Chronicles 29, look for any signs of Human Pride;
"Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision."
Knowing your place before God, ("the fear of the Lord") is beautifully represented here in David's words. Godly Knowledge and Wisdom begins with just this same attitude of heart.
Our outline will continue tomorrow with the Source of Knowledge and Wisdom, and a perfect example of the Trinity at work in our lives.
Monday, August 8, 2011
How to Kill A Spiritual Revival 101
Though the devil will do his diligence to stir up the open enemies of religion, yet he knows what is for his interest so well, that, in a time of revival of religion, his main strength shall be tried with the friends of it; and he will chiefly exert himself in his attempts to mislead them. One truly zealous person, in the time of such an event, that seems to have a great hand in the affair, and draws the eyes of many upon him, may do more (through Satan’s being too subtle for him) to hinder the work, than a hundred great, and strong, and open opposers. In the time of the great work of Christ, his hands, with which he works, are often wounded in the house of his friends, and his work hindered chiefly by them: so that if any one inquires, as in “What are those wounds in thine hands?” He may answer, “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”
It is a mistake I have observed in some, by which they have been greatly exposed to their wounding, that they think they are in no danger of going astray, or being misled by the devil, because they are near to God; and so have no jealous eye upon themselves, and neglect vigilance and circumspection, as needless in their case. They say, they do not think that God will leave them to dishonour him, and wound religion as long as they keep near to him. And I believe so too, as long as they keep near to God, so as to maintain a universal and diligent watch, and care to do their duty, avoid sin and snares with diffidence in themselves, and humble dependence and prayerfulness. But not merely because they are receiving blessed communications from God, in refreshing views of him; if at the same time they let down their watch, and are not jealous over their own hearts, by reason of its remaining blindness and corruption, and a subtle adversary.—It is a grand error for persons to think they are out of danger from the devil, and a corrupt, deceitful heart, even in their highest flights, and most raised frames of spiritual joy. For persons, in such a confidence, to cease to be jealous of themselves, and to neglect watchfulness and care, is a presumption by which I have known many woefully ensnared. However highly we may be favoured with divine discoveries and comforts, yet, as long as we are in the world, we are in the enemies country; and therefore that direction of Christ to his disciples is never out of date in this world, Luke xxi. 36. “Watch and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, and to stand before the Son of man.” It was not out of date with the disciples to whom it was given, after they came to be full of the Holy Ghost, and out of their bellies flowed rivers of living water, by that great effusion upon them that began on the day of Pentecost. And though god stands ready to protect his people, especially those that are near to him; yet he expects of all great care and labour, and that we should put on the whole armour of God, that we may stand in the evil day. To whatever spiritual privileges we are raised, we have no warrant to expect protection in any other way; for God has appointed this whole life, to be all as a race or a battle; the state of rest, wherein we shall be so out of danger as to have no need of watching and fighting, is reserved for another world.
The first and the worst cause of errors that prevail in such a state of things is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of religion. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment. This is the main handle by which the devil has hold of religious persons, and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God. —This cause of error is the main spring, or at least the main support, of all the rest. Till this disease is cured, medicines are in vain applied to heal other diseases. It is by this that the mind defends itself in other errors and guards itself against light, by which it might be corrected and reclaimed. The spiritually proud man is full of light already; he does not need instruction, and is ready to despise the offer of it. But, if this disease be healed, other things are easily rectified. The humble person is like a little child, he easily receives instruction; he is jealous over himself, sensible how liable he is to go astray, and therefore, if it be suggested to him that he does so, he is ready most narrowly and impartially to inquire. Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil’s reach as humility, and so prepares the mind for true divine light without darkness, and so clears the eye to look on things as they truly are; Ps. xxv. 9. “The meek will he guide in judgment. And the meek will he teach his way.” Therefore we should fight, neither with small not with great, but with the king of Israel. Our first care should be to rectify the heart, and pull the beam out of our eye, and then we shall see clearly.
(exerpts from "Thoughts on The Revival," Jonathan Edwards,
It is a mistake I have observed in some, by which they have been greatly exposed to their wounding, that they think they are in no danger of going astray, or being misled by the devil, because they are near to God; and so have no jealous eye upon themselves, and neglect vigilance and circumspection, as needless in their case. They say, they do not think that God will leave them to dishonour him, and wound religion as long as they keep near to him. And I believe so too, as long as they keep near to God, so as to maintain a universal and diligent watch, and care to do their duty, avoid sin and snares with diffidence in themselves, and humble dependence and prayerfulness. But not merely because they are receiving blessed communications from God, in refreshing views of him; if at the same time they let down their watch, and are not jealous over their own hearts, by reason of its remaining blindness and corruption, and a subtle adversary.—It is a grand error for persons to think they are out of danger from the devil, and a corrupt, deceitful heart, even in their highest flights, and most raised frames of spiritual joy. For persons, in such a confidence, to cease to be jealous of themselves, and to neglect watchfulness and care, is a presumption by which I have known many woefully ensnared. However highly we may be favoured with divine discoveries and comforts, yet, as long as we are in the world, we are in the enemies country; and therefore that direction of Christ to his disciples is never out of date in this world, Luke xxi. 36. “Watch and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, and to stand before the Son of man.” It was not out of date with the disciples to whom it was given, after they came to be full of the Holy Ghost, and out of their bellies flowed rivers of living water, by that great effusion upon them that began on the day of Pentecost. And though god stands ready to protect his people, especially those that are near to him; yet he expects of all great care and labour, and that we should put on the whole armour of God, that we may stand in the evil day. To whatever spiritual privileges we are raised, we have no warrant to expect protection in any other way; for God has appointed this whole life, to be all as a race or a battle; the state of rest, wherein we shall be so out of danger as to have no need of watching and fighting, is reserved for another world.
The first and the worst cause of errors that prevail in such a state of things is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of religion. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment. This is the main handle by which the devil has hold of religious persons, and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God. —This cause of error is the main spring, or at least the main support, of all the rest. Till this disease is cured, medicines are in vain applied to heal other diseases. It is by this that the mind defends itself in other errors and guards itself against light, by which it might be corrected and reclaimed. The spiritually proud man is full of light already; he does not need instruction, and is ready to despise the offer of it. But, if this disease be healed, other things are easily rectified. The humble person is like a little child, he easily receives instruction; he is jealous over himself, sensible how liable he is to go astray, and therefore, if it be suggested to him that he does so, he is ready most narrowly and impartially to inquire. Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil’s reach as humility, and so prepares the mind for true divine light without darkness, and so clears the eye to look on things as they truly are; Ps. xxv. 9. “The meek will he guide in judgment. And the meek will he teach his way.” Therefore we should fight, neither with small not with great, but with the king of Israel. Our first care should be to rectify the heart, and pull the beam out of our eye, and then we shall see clearly.
(exerpts from "Thoughts on The Revival," Jonathan Edwards,
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Age, Wisdom and other sundry items......
"The older I get................the more clearly I remember things that never happened."
Mark Twain
I remember my Dad would always sing the same old tune on every one of his birthdays with this silly grin on his face; "another year older and deeper in debt." I pray that as I age another year, that I can sing the same song with a smile on my face, but not because of the debt that my Dad sang of, but the one that Paul spoke of in Romans 1:
"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written , The just shall liveby faith."
Mark Twain
I remember my Dad would always sing the same old tune on every one of his birthdays with this silly grin on his face; "another year older and deeper in debt." I pray that as I age another year, that I can sing the same song with a smile on my face, but not because of the debt that my Dad sang of, but the one that Paul spoke of in Romans 1:
"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written , The just shall liveby faith."
Friday, August 5, 2011
Am I a pessimist..........or a realist?
Eeyore..............I'm an Eeyore. I took this cute little personality test from the Winnie the Pooh site and it said I had the personality of Eeyore. That really didn't come as much of a surprise to me, nor to those who know me. I have always tended to be quite synical and pessimistic by nature, although I prefer to claim it as being rationally realistic. So as I share with you my reflections on God's Word, maybe you can help me decide whether I am being a realist........or if I am being too much of an Eeyore.
Remember these lines from the movie Ghost? Sam says: "Molly, you're in danger girl." And Oda Mae interrupts and says: "You can't just blurt it out like that! And quit moving around, because you're starting to make me dizzy. I'll just tell her in my own way." Then after a pause, Oda Mae says to Molly; "Molly girl,...........You're in Danger."
For some reason, these words came to mind as I was reading the first three chapters of the book of Revelation. John is writing to the Church, the Body of Christ, particularly to the seven churches of the province of Asia. Nearly 30 years have passed since the time of Paul, and we now see strong, vibrant, established churches. John is commissioned by Christ to write a letter to the Church to "testify to everything he sees, that is, the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. To write what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later." Verse three says; " Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written, because the time is near." Now quite clearly this verse offers a great promise, a promise of blessing. But I can't help but also sense in these words great urgency......almost as if John is saying, those who do not "read, hear and take to heart" these words are in serious trouble.
So Revelation begins with this intro, this prologue. Then, before we get to the great Revelation of Christ, those things that are to come, the seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, the return of Christ, the Great White Throne Judgement and the New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem............John takes two chapters (2 & 3) to address the churches directly with the words of Christ. Now this is where I may need a bit of help with my Eeyore problem. Because, although I recognize in these letters words of encouragement and even commendation to the churches, I can't help but come away with hearing...............well, to use Oda Mae's words; "Church,........ you're in danger girl."
Four times in these chapters, the church is told to "Repent." They are warned of a number of things; they are in danger of false teachings, idolatry, and sexual immorality. They are told that they have "fallen from the heights they were once at", that they have "forgottten their first love." They are warned that they are "lukewarm, rich, complacent, and blind" and about to be spit out by Christ himself. They are told that they think they are alive.......but they are really Dead, and warned to "Wake up........remember what you have recieved and heard, obey it, and repent." This all is coupled with the fact that this is not the only place we hear such harsh words against the Church. In the prophetic words of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Malachi, and others..............we read the same harsh, in your face warnings from God about the spiritual condition of His people. Yet, it seems to me that very little of this message, this need for repentance and return to Christ, is coming out of many pulpits today. We seem to hear more of an; "I'm ok.......you're Ok" message. I heard a pastor once say that the main problem of the Church today is not their spiritual shortcomings..............but their failure to see their spiritual shortcomings. Comfort and complacency has a terrible blinding affect. It's almost as if Satan has decided that his best attack on the church is not direct persecution, but to simply allow us to believe that everything is ok.
So help me out here..............am I being too much of a pessimist...........or is this all very Real?
Remember these lines from the movie Ghost? Sam says: "Molly, you're in danger girl." And Oda Mae interrupts and says: "You can't just blurt it out like that! And quit moving around, because you're starting to make me dizzy. I'll just tell her in my own way." Then after a pause, Oda Mae says to Molly; "Molly girl,...........You're in Danger."
For some reason, these words came to mind as I was reading the first three chapters of the book of Revelation. John is writing to the Church, the Body of Christ, particularly to the seven churches of the province of Asia. Nearly 30 years have passed since the time of Paul, and we now see strong, vibrant, established churches. John is commissioned by Christ to write a letter to the Church to "testify to everything he sees, that is, the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. To write what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later." Verse three says; " Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written, because the time is near." Now quite clearly this verse offers a great promise, a promise of blessing. But I can't help but also sense in these words great urgency......almost as if John is saying, those who do not "read, hear and take to heart" these words are in serious trouble.
So Revelation begins with this intro, this prologue. Then, before we get to the great Revelation of Christ, those things that are to come, the seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, the return of Christ, the Great White Throne Judgement and the New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem............John takes two chapters (2 & 3) to address the churches directly with the words of Christ. Now this is where I may need a bit of help with my Eeyore problem. Because, although I recognize in these letters words of encouragement and even commendation to the churches, I can't help but come away with hearing...............well, to use Oda Mae's words; "Church,........ you're in danger girl."
Four times in these chapters, the church is told to "Repent." They are warned of a number of things; they are in danger of false teachings, idolatry, and sexual immorality. They are told that they have "fallen from the heights they were once at", that they have "forgottten their first love." They are warned that they are "lukewarm, rich, complacent, and blind" and about to be spit out by Christ himself. They are told that they think they are alive.......but they are really Dead, and warned to "Wake up........remember what you have recieved and heard, obey it, and repent." This all is coupled with the fact that this is not the only place we hear such harsh words against the Church. In the prophetic words of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Malachi, and others..............we read the same harsh, in your face warnings from God about the spiritual condition of His people. Yet, it seems to me that very little of this message, this need for repentance and return to Christ, is coming out of many pulpits today. We seem to hear more of an; "I'm ok.......you're Ok" message. I heard a pastor once say that the main problem of the Church today is not their spiritual shortcomings..............but their failure to see their spiritual shortcomings. Comfort and complacency has a terrible blinding affect. It's almost as if Satan has decided that his best attack on the church is not direct persecution, but to simply allow us to believe that everything is ok.
So help me out here..............am I being too much of a pessimist...........or is this all very Real?
"The Critical Call" (Luke 9:23)
Imagine several large black limosines pulling up outside your place of business one afternoon. A number of large, intimidating figures file out of the vehicles and move as a group over to where you are working. As they get closer to you, you see that there is one central figure that they surround, that they seem to be bringing to you.......and then you recognize and realize who this is. It is Him..........the one and only President of the United States. (now when I use this analogy, I always like to picture my favorite President, mine has always been Mr. Reagan) The security guards seperate allowing the President to walk right up to you. He offers his handshake and shockingly calls you by your first name. Then he puts his arm around you warmly and walks you off away from every one else to privately chat. Alone now he looks you in the eyes and says, "I need you." He goes on; "I need you to drop what you're doing here and come with me. There is a critical job of national importance that I want you to undertake for me."
Now if you were to go, and I imagine that many of us would, it would not be because of any frustration with our current place of employment. Nor would we respond positively because of some mid-life crisis or need for excitement in our lives. Nor would it be, as we climb into the limosine, that we are going because of this "job of critical national importance." At this point, we don't even know what the job entails. Bottom line is this.....the ultimate reason we would go is because of WHO is making the request. It's the President, how do you refuse the President. And He wants YOU.....heck, he called you be your first name.
There would be little, if any concern, over the social repurcussions of your decision. I doubt you would sit there and worry over who will pay the bills at home, or who will take care of my family. You would automatically have a sense of security about all those things again stemming from who this is. You needn't think twice about how everything will work out because of the confidence you have in the person making the call.
Doesn't it seem strange to you at all, that when the Lord of this Universe, the creator of all things, the Great I Am, asks the same of us.........namely, to drop what we're doing and follow Him, we don't have this same confidence. Why is it when Christ says follow me, our focus tends not to be on the Person making the call, but on our loss of security? Could it be that our image of who Christ is, our knowledge of Him, and most imortantly our relationship with Him, is somehow flawed and inadequate?
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Now if you were to go, and I imagine that many of us would, it would not be because of any frustration with our current place of employment. Nor would we respond positively because of some mid-life crisis or need for excitement in our lives. Nor would it be, as we climb into the limosine, that we are going because of this "job of critical national importance." At this point, we don't even know what the job entails. Bottom line is this.....the ultimate reason we would go is because of WHO is making the request. It's the President, how do you refuse the President. And He wants YOU.....heck, he called you be your first name.
There would be little, if any concern, over the social repurcussions of your decision. I doubt you would sit there and worry over who will pay the bills at home, or who will take care of my family. You would automatically have a sense of security about all those things again stemming from who this is. You needn't think twice about how everything will work out because of the confidence you have in the person making the call.
Doesn't it seem strange to you at all, that when the Lord of this Universe, the creator of all things, the Great I Am, asks the same of us.........namely, to drop what we're doing and follow Him, we don't have this same confidence. Why is it when Christ says follow me, our focus tends not to be on the Person making the call, but on our loss of security? Could it be that our image of who Christ is, our knowledge of Him, and most imortantly our relationship with Him, is somehow flawed and inadequate?
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
A Double-Edged Sword
The double-edged sword, or straight sword is referenced many times in the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament. It was indeed a weapon of choice, known for its ability to cut you severely from more than one direction, but mostly for it's piercing ability. With a pointed end and sharp sides, you could easily thrust it deep into the enemies body.
But as we know, the scriptures also use this weapon in a spiritual sense. The most familiar to us is in describing the power of the Word of the Lord to cut and pierce ones heart. This refernce is found in a number of places both Old and New Testament. Yet the bible uses this sword to also describe the damaging affects of a certain sin in Proverbs chapter 5. The sin of sexual immorality, or adultery.
I was listening just the other day to a sermon by John Piper, one of my favorite authors and pastors. A man of God that I admire for his love of Christ and his unwavering desire to preach the word of God clearly and without compromise. I can't remember the topic of this particular sermon because something he said during it captured my attention and has stayed with me since. He was mentioning the fact that he had no T.V. in his house and was embarrassingly unfamiliar with the things that people discuss everyday that originate from televison programs. But then he something like this, "I dont watch T.V. because of all the crap on it. I am not even able to watch a commercial without having impure, immoral sexual thoughts."
Now I must admit that my very first thought when he said this was comforting to me. I thought that; "Gee, I must not be in quite as bad a shape as I thought I was." When my first thought should have been, "Gee, We are ALL in worse shape than I thought we were." As I read the scriptures, it is clear to me that the two sins that trouble, and potentially destroy men the most are the sins of Pride, and of Sexual Immorality.
It's interesting to me that I wasnt looking for scripture this morning related to sexual sin, in fact I was studying the topic of wisdom. I have been following a train of thought that began with God's Words, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." And this morning, I started be searching the scriptures for passages about wisdom. I started in Proverbs, where else? The first four chapters of the book are all about wisdom. Solomon sums up a great discourse on wisdom with these words at the end of chapter 4; "20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. " Then Solomon moves right into Chapter 5 and warns us of the double-edged nature of sexual sins. I don't think it just coincidence, that the first warning of something that will drag us off course from wisdom would be this particular sin.
I have had the priviledge this past year to do a lot of discipling work with other men. One of the things I love best about the work, is the honesty that comes between Christian brothers, the openess and accountability. Men are very willing in this type of environment to talk openly about struggles with sin. Pride is often discussed. Anger, selfishness, money issues.........they all jump right out. But it is rare that you get many open discussions about lust, and impure desires. And in a world that bombards men with lustful pictures and words everywhere we turn, I can't imagine that its not having a destructive affect on many, if not most of us.
Men, read Proverbs Chapter 5. Take to heart the serious warnings about the subtle, but very dangerous affect of sexual sin. It truly is a double-edged sword.
But as we know, the scriptures also use this weapon in a spiritual sense. The most familiar to us is in describing the power of the Word of the Lord to cut and pierce ones heart. This refernce is found in a number of places both Old and New Testament. Yet the bible uses this sword to also describe the damaging affects of a certain sin in Proverbs chapter 5. The sin of sexual immorality, or adultery.
I was listening just the other day to a sermon by John Piper, one of my favorite authors and pastors. A man of God that I admire for his love of Christ and his unwavering desire to preach the word of God clearly and without compromise. I can't remember the topic of this particular sermon because something he said during it captured my attention and has stayed with me since. He was mentioning the fact that he had no T.V. in his house and was embarrassingly unfamiliar with the things that people discuss everyday that originate from televison programs. But then he something like this, "I dont watch T.V. because of all the crap on it. I am not even able to watch a commercial without having impure, immoral sexual thoughts."
Now I must admit that my very first thought when he said this was comforting to me. I thought that; "Gee, I must not be in quite as bad a shape as I thought I was." When my first thought should have been, "Gee, We are ALL in worse shape than I thought we were." As I read the scriptures, it is clear to me that the two sins that trouble, and potentially destroy men the most are the sins of Pride, and of Sexual Immorality.
It's interesting to me that I wasnt looking for scripture this morning related to sexual sin, in fact I was studying the topic of wisdom. I have been following a train of thought that began with God's Words, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." And this morning, I started be searching the scriptures for passages about wisdom. I started in Proverbs, where else? The first four chapters of the book are all about wisdom. Solomon sums up a great discourse on wisdom with these words at the end of chapter 4; "20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. " Then Solomon moves right into Chapter 5 and warns us of the double-edged nature of sexual sins. I don't think it just coincidence, that the first warning of something that will drag us off course from wisdom would be this particular sin.
I have had the priviledge this past year to do a lot of discipling work with other men. One of the things I love best about the work, is the honesty that comes between Christian brothers, the openess and accountability. Men are very willing in this type of environment to talk openly about struggles with sin. Pride is often discussed. Anger, selfishness, money issues.........they all jump right out. But it is rare that you get many open discussions about lust, and impure desires. And in a world that bombards men with lustful pictures and words everywhere we turn, I can't imagine that its not having a destructive affect on many, if not most of us.
Men, read Proverbs Chapter 5. Take to heart the serious warnings about the subtle, but very dangerous affect of sexual sin. It truly is a double-edged sword.
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