God Loves Adam Lambert

(Subtitled "God Loves Lady Ga Ga" etc., etc.)

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Adam Lambert is a 27 year old Jewish man. He is openly gay and came to some notoriety in the television show “American Idol”. Anyone who has heard him recognizes the amazing vocal talent he has, and he is über theatrical. My mother was an off Broadway actress and a stand up comedian (so now you know where I came from!) so I do appreciate the arts and the theatre. I play the piano, trumpet, and the guitar and I write and sing and have been the worship leader as well as pastor over the years.

I want to go back about 15 years and offer some perspective in the form of confession. I used to preach aggressively against homosexuality as well as homosexuals. Back then I still voted and was deceived into believing America was somehow a “Christian” nation. I also bought into the political game and I misguidedly thought legislation had some spiritual benefit. I, of course, voted the straight Republican party line (Am I speaking to some others as well?). Against my better judgment I was shamed into voting in 2000 for George Bush, and that will remain the last time I ever vote.

But back to the issue of homosexuality. The Bible is very clear as well as God’s physiological design. The practice of homosexuality is sin. But let us climb down from our moral perch and look at the issue through the lens of redemption and also the lens of the pharisaical American church. First let us consider how hypocritical the church is about the issue of sin. Our churches and pulpits are filled with practicing sinners. Oh yes, the only difference is that some sins have been elevated to trump card status while others are excused and many times not even recognized as sin.

It is impossible to participate in the American political and economic system without being an active player in sin. The entire system is constructed upon humanism, even to the point of worshiping past and present leaders and heroes. We as believers should not disparage people but neither should we exalt them. All men have feet of clay, and many of our so called “heroes” were men that had significant moral issues and some were not even believing followers of Jesus Christ. Let us compare today with another time in history.

When God’s people were carried away into Babylon they quickly assimilated into Chaldean culture. They were only there for seventy years and yet they had made friends, created business opportunities, and even had been elevated into governmental positions. And when God called them back to Jerusalem a precious few were willing to leave their new found lives of pleasure and comfort. When a small segment left to repair Jerusalem it also became evident that the Jews in Babylon had forsaken even the feasts and the reading of God’s Word. They had become Babylonians with a Jewish ethnicity.

Here we are today, living in modern day Babylon. And not only have we assimilated into the hedonistic culture of pleasure, wealth, and decadence, we have constructed a fairy tale that suggests that America was and should be a Christian nation. The words Jesus Christ appear nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, and the early signers were a mixed multitude. In some ways we are worse than the Babylonian Jews. And we boldly profess a solid belief that the Bible is God’s Word and is to be obeyed without question. And yet just a cursory reading of the Sermon on the Mount, the words breathed our directly from the Savior’s mouth, reveals our poor excuse for obedience.

It is significantly easier to not be gay when you have no struggle than it is to not save up money for yourselves in direct violation of Christ’s words. The pews are filled to the brim with professing believers who have unforgiveness in their hearts while others march right in to worship God while holding on to a spirit of judgmentalism. Many believers boldly confess that their worship service is divinely approved, and their style of music honors God. Others play secular music that has a decidedly anti-christian message in an attempt to draw sinners.

What percentage of believers spent more time preparing their bodies for church than their spirits? How many believers walk right into the gathering without even meeting with God that morning? Several years ago I set out for 8 weeks to listen closely to all the little conversations that took place at church. I heard sports, cars, family, sickness, politics, money, vacations, children, and everything else you can imagine. In 8 weeks I did not hear one conversation about Jesus in any form. None. And that was at a church that averaged 3000 in morning worship. Doesn’t that relegate the worship service as a performance and the members as spectators?

Are you beginning to see the hypocrisy that should remove any moral legs upon which to stand and judge others? I will not even mention the enormous mortgage payments that many churches have which include vast amounts of interest that the lending institutions use to lend to some of the same institutions we castigate. The way churches use money and build buildings is a convoluted mess that reveals a decidedly Babylonian mindset. Can I again use my own hypocrisy as an example so you do not think I have a higher vantage point.

Just last week my oldest son was in the enclosed patio cleaning our pool and he came in and shared these thoughts. My pool takes 15,000 gallons of water and needs at least $100.00 a month for maintenance. Think about that! How many Africans are desperate for water to drink and yet I have a tub of thousands of gallons, not for drinking or bathing, but for recreation. And to put a cherry on it, my health precludes me from using it. See, these types of things and more go on without any notice of their hedonism to say nothing of the many commands in the New Testament. And all this is because we have separated the church into geographical, cultural, and economic categories and with that we have become numb to our own lifestyle sins.

So tell me, follower of Jesus, which platform do you stand upon when you cull out certain sins and batter them publicly and claim you are imitating the Lord Jesus? The present western ecclesiastical construct is a monster of compromise and hedonism. We splash in pools or play basketball in million dollar church buildings and yet brothers and sisters are in dire need of common necessaries and wants. And do you think God places his children in different rooms and allows some to starve and die with sickness while he blesses others with comparative opulence? What kind of a God would do that?

Believe it or not we are all blind to the depth of our lifestyle hypocrisies since we were born in Babylon and we only know the church as it is. This man, Adam Lambert, apparently was on television and mimed some sexually explicit actions along with kissing another man. I will admit I cannot even watch such things, however how many believers will attend some movie theatres this very week who offer such things for your entertainment, as long as you pay for it? And the television is filled with sexual content and simulated sexual actions, some of which are acted by professing Christians whose testimony is sought throughout the country. The same believers who would castigate Lambert’s actions have sat and watched heterosexual entertaining similitudes. It is all so hypocritical.

But let us move on to the issue of the gospel of redemption. We are great and bold proclaimers of the gospel when it is comes to parading our orthodoxy, but when that redemption comes in contact with various unacceptable sins we rush to project our judgment and thereby accentuating our moral superiority. We have compassion to our unsaved uncle who is a heterosexual hedonist, but we recoil at the Adam Lamberts of this world who operate in a genre of sin of which we have defined as a transgression ghetto. The redemption of Christ’s gospel is the sacrifice given freely for just such sins.

When we organize sins and sinners we do despite to the gospel of grace. Jesus didn’t just reach out to such sinners, He took their sins upon Himself. He became sin for every sinner and should that not be our example? Instead of displaying self righteous outrage, we should run to such sinners with the love of Jesus Christ and the offer of eternal life. We have improved upon the model of Phariseeism shown to us in the Scriptures, because we now claim the Messiah aggress with us. We operate post-cross and yet we refuse to look deeply upon that bloody and ripped frame and see its implications. The Adam Lamberts of this world are not in need of condemnation; they are in dire need of redemption.

In the final words of Jesus, just before He left this world, He instructed us to be witnesses of Him and preach the gospel to every creature. Nowhere did He command us to search out people’s sins and hoist them upon the gallows of our self righteous judgment. Our calling is not sin, our calling is the gospel. It may seem like news to us, but God loves those who we do not love, and He offers salvation to all those whose demonstrative sin is repugnant to us and provides a platform for moral outrage and superiority. Bad news alert: Without the grace of God you and I are no better than Adam Lambert.

How dare we treat the gospel of grace like a military chow line, dumping portions out to whom we like. We have despised the word grace and turned it into a theological term but stripped it of a powerful and daring manifestation in the real world. And those who are partakers of God’s grace, but turn around and create a textbook of moral issues designed to both damn certain sinners and re-establish their own moral credentials, are perhaps the greater moral miscreants.

Every once in a while a sinner does or says something that is outrageous. And the religious crowd drags that sinner before the church and says, “We have caught this sinner in the very act of sin – stone him!” The church has two choices. We can verbally stone that sinners and receive the accolades of others and the self serving satisfaction of “taking a stand”. Or instead of taking a stand we can take a knee, and we can intercede for that person’s soul and exhibit the outward expressions of God’s love that would authenticate the cross we portend to preach.

The more vile the sin – the more glorious the redemption; at least from our perspective.

God loves Adam Lambert and so should we.

What should really surprise you is that God loves you.

Christ's Redemptive Love

If you do not love the vilest and most demonstrative sinner among us, then what you call love is not Christ's at all.

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2009

Radical Redemption

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Redemption is extreme and radical. In 1987 a baby named Jessica fell into a back yard well and got stuck. Immediately a community organized to extricate her, and 58 hours later she was rescued with very minor injuries. The event was made into a television movie and made international news.

But every time a sinner is rescued from eternal punishment and death, why don’t we make more of it? Could it indicate we believe it more on a doctrinal basis rather than a tangible reality? But if we actually process what redemption is in quality, quantity, and eternally, it is profoundly more radical than anything else on earth. Sadly, though, we have become experts in fruit testing and amateur fruit bearers.

Sinners repulse us, and yet they are the redemptive targets of the Spirit we claim lives within us. What a paradox, the Holy Spirit seeks the redemption of sinners and yet many Christians castigate and demean lost sinners, the same sinners the Spirit inside them seeks for Jesus’ sake. Let me investigate another aspect of redemption.

A man buys a lottery ticket and wins 30 million dollars. He puts the money in the bank and until his death years later his lifestyle doesn’t change. In fact he is unrecognizable in the midst of society. He has just experienced a radical change in his financial status and yet with no tangible residual effects. But Jesus says “forsake all”. What??

A sinner believes on Jesus as his Lord and Savior. And after that eternity changing experience his life is no different than the Mormon down the street, or the conservative good guy, or even the affable humanitarian. The radical nature of his redemption doesn’t seem to translate into a radical lifestyle. He still borrows money; he still overeats; he still judges others; he still saves up lots of money; and he generally lives the quintessential western experience.

And we love to read the inspirational stories of the persecution of early believers and their God honoring stories of faithfulness and martyrdom. But the inspiration dissipates quickly without any residual effects. We are blind to our calling in this generation. We may not be called to be eaten by lions, but we are being called to a passion to live and love like Jesus Christ. Our lives should be conspicuous by their material temperance, kingdom focus, and a remarkable projection of Jesus and His attributes. To be known for what we are against is a self righteous construct that countermands the cross of Christ itself.

Jesus will one day be the Judge of all creation, however in this age we are followers of the Redeemer. We should be radical in our projection of Him. We should have a fire of redemptive love burning in our bosoms for all sinners. Do we passionately love Rosie O’Donnell? President Obama? Madonna? Barney Frank? The vilest gay sinner? If these people repulse you then you are void of Jesus and His cross. Do you suspect that you were any better before God’s grace found you?

But instead of being radically redemptive, we are interested in protecting our moral perspectives. That is not radical; that is safe self righteousness. How many believers today are accused of consorting with known sinners? Which orthodox pastors are being attacked because they fellowship with notorious and repulsive sinners who are even targets of religious castigation? Think of what would be said of a famous “orthodox” preacher if he was having dinner from time to time with Rosie O’Donnell, Marilyn Manson, or Madonna? He would be roundly roasted as a compromiser. Jesus would not be considered “orthodox” in this morally elitist evangelical climate.

Jesus said if He would be lifted up He would draw sinners to Himself. And even while quoting that we run from sinners, raining verbal stones down upon them. Why have we constructed a religious system that is diametrically opposed to the gospel itself? And instead of walking a life that resists the culture and is radically apolitical, in favor of the physical and spiritual needs of people, we have assimilated into a western society that rewards power, wealth, and superiority in many different genres. In short, we have become a segment of western culture that is mostly a curiosity, an irritant, or even just another political seat at the overall table. In reality, based upon what we believe and Who we follow, we should be a demonstrative revelation of Jesus Christ through a combination of the shared gospel and the power of an idiosyncratic lifestyle that is remarkably different than the cultural norm. By definition – radically redemptive.

Are we radical? Are we redemptive? Who are we, really?

What would you consider radical among our culture?

The Sin

that God's Grace Cannot Reach

In words that are both true and yet disturbingly shallow, God’s grace is defined as God giving us what we could never earn and will never deserve. That definition is actually a verbal doorway that leads to an infinite expanse of expressed love by the Creator to His creation. God’s grace has become a truth that is attacked by many projectiles, all of which have their roots in legalism. And legalism is just manifested self righteousness.
So much of the church has taken God’s grace and burdened it with a set of rules that must be followed to warrant or at least substantiate the presence of God’s grace in a person’s life. Grace is an ethereal truth that is both rugged and stalwart but yet delicate and exquisite. Its very essence can withstand the vilest of sins and yet shrinks at the slightest hint of good deeds. Grace is so unlike us that we can barely embrace it without some addition, some refinement, or some minor assistance.
Grace can cover all of our sins, past, present, and future. It scope is timeless as well as comprehensive. It strips us of our insatiable need for significance and role, and it disarms our oft presentations of exculpatory evidence on our own behalf. Good deeds are irrelevant and bad deeds are never entered into evidence. In a world of competition and comparison, grace has forever leveled the ground beneath all human feet. There are no laws that govern this grace regardless how many men attempt to create. Justice runs from grace; love rides upon its wings; condemnation melts from the heat of grace; mercy introduces grace; and punishment is swallowed up in the fathomless ocean of grace.
If you don’t see God’s grace as “too good to be true” then you do not understand it; it is too good but it is true. And if you ascend to the millionth level of grace and believe you’ve reached its zenith, then look around, your journey lies further than your mind can apprehend or even appreciate. God’s grace, covered in blood, is the only door to eternal life. It cannot be purchased; it is only given. Those who deserve it cannot have it and only those who are unworthy can receive it. Grace searches out those who can offer nothing, and grace circumvents those whose religious hands are full.
Give your mind a rest and send in your heart. God’s grace seeks sin, and finds its mission in the presence of any sin or sins. Our sins conspired to kill us, but grace burst through and served death with an eviction notice of life and life eternal. Please do not pull out your purse and attempt any pitiful remuneration. Grace is offended by any payment other than that which has already been paid. The price for this grace was way beyond our pay scale, and in fact our wages only added to its extravagant cost.
But there is one, and only one, sin that grace cannot reach. It is not homosexuality and it is not adultery. It is not murder and it is not rape. It is not child molestation and it is not greed. The only sin that can avoid God’s grace is the sin of unbelief. And it is within this sacred truth that grace is uncovered in all its breathtaking majesty along with its profound pragmatism. Exactly what am I saying, here? Am I suggesting that God’s eternal and unmerited favor can be gained simply by faith? Is grace activated personally and eternally just through an act of faith?
I realize that our carnal minds are drawn to religious ceremonies and acts of human compassion in an effort to at least be included as ancillary in the awarding of God’s grace. Of course we do not demand top billing and we give God the glory due His name, but surely God must appreciate our attempts, however feeble, to please Him and gain His favor. But friends, not only does God not appreciate them, but He rejects them. Our good deeds, whether viewed individually or collectively, can never penetrate the aura of God’s grace.
Receive it by faith or reject it by works, God’s grace can never be earned. Every sinner who has experienced the life changing grace of Almighty God entered into that grace by faith and by faith alone. As difficult as it is to believe God loves us, when we realize that He offers His redemptive grace freely by faith we are overwhelmed. And this knowledge sometimes leads men to infiltrate the gospel with human additions, sometimes slight and sometimes colossal. Since we are so selfish, it can be so easy to reach out and help God in our redemption. But without faith, God cannot be pleased.
The sin of unbelief takes many forms. Most forms of unbelief do not shout “I don’t believe!” No, most forms of unbelief are much more subtle than that, and many times unbelief hides within professions of faith and belief. And in full disclosure, all of us have areas of unbelief in our hearts and lives. But the sin of unbelief as it pertains to Jesus Christ and His gospel stands alone as the one, unmovable bulwark that thwarts the effectiveness of God’s grace. God is willing and ready to apply His grace to any and all sinners who accept it by faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.
This has many implications as we consider the evangelical landscape. There are times where I believe that most evangelicals are not born again, and then there are times where I see God’s grace as expansive, but that knowledge is His alone. What I do know is that faith in Jesus Christ is the exclusive path to eternal life and that is not something that ever should be challenged or altered, as well as something that no one should take lightly. It is a life and death issue. So when you hear someone mix works with saving faith you can most assuredly reject it and reject that messenger.
Suggesting that any works, regardless of how righteous and humanitarian, can lead to eternal life is a bold faced lie and possibly the single greatest deception of all time. There is only one sin that God’s grace cannot reach.

Unbelief.

Crucified with Christ?

No one desires a cross. No one. We all want affirmation and recognition. We pursue security and life. We all need affection and friendship. But no one wants a cross. Of course we love the cross upon which our wonderful Savior died for us. We all love and appreciate that cross. But no one wants a cross for themselves. No one.
But the cross is what we are called to. A sinner realizes he is lost. The Spirit illuminates to him just Who Jesus is, and that sinner believes that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to eternal life. The sinner is born again and his life and eternity is changed forever. That sinner is now a child of Almighty God. God is his Savior, his protector, his sustainer, his provider, and his everything. So the rest of this believer’s life on earth will be strewn with material blessings, fame and recognition, and all the accolades this world has to offer. Right?
Like every believer, this one is called to a cross. The cross of Jesus is the foundation of his faith, but there is another cross to which this believer is called. This is the cross where he is called to die to himself. This cross will not be easy or pleasant; this cross will prove to be painful and rewarding. We, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, are called to die to ourselves, which is a spiritual cross. Our thoughts, our desires, our perspectives, and our lives must all die upon this cross. The task is daunting, but the reward is pleasing our Master.

I wrote about it here.
Convenience and a culturally formed cross is not at all what this cross is to be. This cross will strip us all of any pride and will open us up to ridicule and shame, even though this same cross will not allow us to respond with anything but forgiveness. And any persecution will not come because we are outspoken and belligerent, and it will not be because we are fierce and argumentative. This cross prohibits that kind of fleshly projection. And if we are to die to ourselves it will not come quickly and without much pain; the pain which accompanies this cross is both for the glory of God and for the sake of sinners…exactly like the cross of Jesus.
If this western culture is so unlike Christ and is in fact against almost everything Jesus lived and taught, then why are we not so different than our surroundings? The answer is embarrassingly obvious. The many caricatures of Jesus that believers have created are to serve their own misguided agendas and not the Scriptural template which is much more radical and extreme. And just a reading of Matthew chapters 5 thru 7 present a challenge which has been softened through the years in order to make it fit into our established lifestyles.
But the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount are nothing less than editorial facets of the cross which we are commanded to bear and die upon. You would think that a group of people who sacrificed themselves and their wills in such a hedonist culture would be a remarkable light in the midst of such darkness. But yet the church that numbers itself in the millions in this country are no more than an undistinguished segment of this western culture. And the most notice we get from the world is when some preacher is asked to be on one of many television talk shows, usually to give another perspective on gay rights or abortion. The glorious cross of Jesus Christ has been relegated to one of many voices about social and moral issues.
But looming large is this question: Do we believe that every sinner that dies spends a conscious eternity in one of two places? And if so, do we believe that only those in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with Him? And do our lives mirror our lips when we say, “Yes, I believe that.”? And if we believe that we will spend a glorious eternity with the Lord of all Lords, then why does this world mean so much to us? Why do we return evil for evil because our reputations have been sullied? And why do we attack lost sinners when we say we know they are headed for damnation and they need to read some living epistles that speak of Christ and redemption?
Lofty words, lofty thoughts, and lofty truths. Most of what should be obvious in the New Testament has been repacked for the western consumption and causes little if any spiritual expenditure. Living the Christian life has become easy and mundane, and even the most hedonistic, debt ridden congregation is charitably called “evangelical”. Jesus had no place upon which to lay His head and yet we have ornate edifices that we pay for with borrowed money from institutions that use our money to lend to all sorts of evil enterprises.
See, just a cursory examination brings up all sorts of uncomfortable places that are obviously incongruous with Biblical teachings unless we redefine those teachings all the while professing we espouse the literal interpretation of Scripture. And yet there are many Scriptures we absolutely do not believe regardless of how passionate our protestations to the contrary. Here are just a few verse that make nice plaques but are not even targets for which to strive anymore:

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Now how in God’s dear name can we bring those truths out of abstract belief into living faiths?

There is only one way and that way is the cross. We must die to ourselves and become alive to Christ. Taking up our cross involves a daily death to our desires and a daily reaffirmation and modeling of God’s truth. And if indeed we die to ourselves, who is it that lives on?

Gal.2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

How different would our lives be if that truth was demonstrably observable in our lives? What aspects of our mundane and nondescript western lives would be radically different if we actually were crucified with Christ and Christ Himself was living through us? So often we have taken a verse like this and made them pitiful and powerless by diluting them so deeply that they are just convenient life helps and not the dynamic exhibitions of the Christ? Some teach that a verse like this means that we should not respond when a car cuts us off.
How tragic and how pathetic are those watered down teachings. Of course we should not respond in those situations, however there are many unbelievers who exhibit such patience. To be crucified with Jesus Christ goes far beyond situational ethics and response readjustment. And using that scenario, we are supposed to relinquish our rights, and when we truly embrace that issue we are exempt from offense. And we are called to immediately forgive that driver, love him, let him move ahead of us, and pray for him as well. And that is just one small example.
To walk in the desolate place with the life of Christ being our life force we can see everyone through the prism of divine love and the divine will that none should perish. What are my rights and feelings when compared with the eternal destination of others? The plight of others should be my motivation, especially when I am fully aware of my eternal standing by God’s grace. And in those circumstances, where should we find our “self worth”?

Gal.6:14 - But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

When we stand before the Nail Scarred One in God’s throne room will we draw anything from this world? Spurgeon once observed that when we see the Risen Christ “We will think ourselves a thousand fools for ever having any affection for the things of this world”. With what can the world tempt a man who glories in the cross of Jesus Christ? If that cross is what energizes his life, and if that cross is his boast, the glitter and glamour of this world has no power over him. He is willing to be demeaned; he is willing to be maligned; he willing to be lied about; and he is willing to suffer any and all indignities for the sake of the One whose cross is his glory! Nothing compares with this cross, and in fact, all personal sufferings because of this cross are just incandescent opportunities to illuminate that same cross!

The world believes that life comes by avoiding death, while in the Spirit the truth is just the opposite.

Matt.10:37-39 - He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Losing your life for Christ’s sake is finding it again. How many of us are still experiencing a treadmill life experience that is hardly different than the good man next door who isn’t the least bit interested in Jesus Christ? And Jesus teaches that our love for Him should make our affection for our family appear as hate. That, my friends, is a vicious indictment of the modern western church. We have thousands upon thousands of teachings, videos, books, and conferences on how to love our spouses, but how many conferences are there on how to love Jesus?
We are exhorted to have three hour “date nights” with our earthly spouses but how many three hour prayer dates do we have with Jesus? How many three hour Bible dates do we have? Whose love do we work at more? And yet Christ Himself stated emphatically that if we love the things of this world more than we do Him we are not worthy of Him. And given that last statement in those verses, how many believers are living lost lives? Now here again is a verse that must mean something:

Lk.14:33 - So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Ok, you can breathe again. Since Jesus asks us to give to the poor we can safely assume he doesn’t mean for us to sell all that we have and never accumulate anything else. Whew! What a relief! But that verse must mean something. I have heard preachers say that “You can have anything as long as it doesn’t have you.” Almost inevitably the more you get the more it gets you. In a practical sense this verse would probably exhort us to live way below our means and allow the rest to forward God’s kingdom and the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we already should know that we should consider ourselves as unprofitable servants and just grateful slave/sons to the One who showers us with His redemptive grace.
In the end, there is precious little teaching of the crucified life, and much of the teaching is very guarded and reserved and lacks the powerful challenge of the Spirit. The salt has turned to sand, the light has been extinguished, the hill has become a valley, and what should be profoundly conspicuous has quietly taken an insignificant place in a culture of darkness. We need a massive revival of the cross, both His and ours. Print all the literature you can, and build all the building you can, and organize all the political movements you can, and write all the books you can, and write all the blog posts like this one you can, but if we do not return to the resurrected life of Jesus Christ via our own death on the cross we will continue on the unassuming path on which we now walk. And we will continue to project a fraudulent and counterfeit manifestation of Christ and His kingdom, and we His contented imposters.

Lk.14:27 - And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Rich Poverty of the Spirit

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The kingdom of darkness deals in violence, power, and even war. It is in their genes, and given enough time, they are predisposed to violence. Of course the darkness has categories for violence as well, defined as just and unjust wars. It is difficult to think in non-violent terms since we have been educated from birth to accept violence as a necessary evil that can provide an overall benefit sometimes. And to the natural man, one who lives, breathes, and makes his decisions solely based upon the observable logic of this world, it is true.

But we are commanded to be clothed in humility and poor in spirit. And how can we manifest such teachings in a world that applauds aggression and self elevation? And how can we be sure we are elevating our Master and not ourselves? Think about the implication of Jesus and His teachings called the “Sermon on the Mount”. Augustine viewed the Sermon on the Mount as the standard for the Christian life. Bonhoffer’s book “The Cost of Discipleship” was based upon the Sermon on the Mount, and even Gandhi was impacted by its profound message. The Russian premier Nikita Krushchev once remarked, “I’ll tell you what the difference between Christians and me is, and that is if you slap me on the face, I’ll hit you back so hard your head will fall off.” Even he knew the teachings of Jesus.

But it seems the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount have been discarded today and replaced by attitudes and behavior more in line with these modern cultural surroundings. Humility, meekness, and poverty of the spirit are more associated with Buddhist monks than followers of Jesus. Could it be possible that we have let authentic revelations of Christian living and Jesus Himself slip away, and now we are mirroring the world with little more than a thin veneer of Christian language?

So many desire to be John the Baptist today and do not seem interested in examining the life and teachings of Jesus. John the Baptist and others have fulfilled their mission and calling, but we are called to a selfless life free from the trappings of convenience, politics, and most of all self. That latter fellow is who troubles me most. The average believer is quick to respond to criticism; set to pounce upon weakness; and generally prepared to protect his personal space, to say nothing of seeking things about which he can attack. In these latter days, a sect of western Christianity has found spiritual satisfaction through outward strength rather than inward power.

And I have recently begun a new inventory of who I am, who I should be, and who He desires me to be. This type of personal investigation is lengthy and deep, and it requires more honesty that I believe is possible. In order to find a like that reflects the glory of the Son of Man, we must come to the end of ourselves. Can you really start fresh; breaking the hardened clay of tradition and accepted practice and allowing the Potter to remake the mold first and then the pot itself? I do not speak of some minor readjustment or a spiritual “spring cleaning”. This will take much time, many setbacks, and it will require a relentlessness that can rebound after excruciating mortal blows to the mind, the heart, and the self image.

And in full disclosure, I have no idea about which I speak; so I may be able to encourage and exhort, but I am no guide – just a fellow seeker who sees himself in the mirror and precious little of Him. I have way too much pride and self righteousness, and I think way too highly of myself and way too scarcely about others. In other words, I have been saved since 1975 and the usual testimony aspects of my life have been changed. Drugs, swearing, promiscuity, and a host of other things fit nicely into my overall testimony. But almost 35 years later, I feel I have too often relied on that initial, and glorious change, but at the expense of an impassioned pursuit of actually manifesting Him who I profess to know and follow.

And at the core of this spiritual malfunction is the fact that I am beginning to understand how inaccurate my “Jesus template” has been, even though I have been sincere. The startling and unnerving revelation in my spirit is that I must uncover the authentic Scriptural portrait of Jesus. Without preconceived ideas and without using any man or woman as a substitute example, I must completely investigate the genuine Christ, wholly removed and separate from a caricature formed by culture or religion. Please do not think that I am suggesting something complex and difficult, but I am suggesting something deep and valuable and something that is worth more than we can comprehend.

Matt.13:45-46 - Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

The story should be gripping. This man sold all that he had and bought one pearl whose value was above all that he had. Of course our Lord speaks of Himself and His gospel, and against that wonderful teaching where do we stand? When we preach that passage and everyone says “Amen!” to the glory of Christ, do we even consider the inherent lesson in that story? The story not only exalts the Pearl of great price, but is also lifts up the sacrifice by that merchant that is in keeping with the value of that Pearl.

So how is it we as believers get to applaud the Lord Jesus and escape the sacrifice? Why can we teach the greatness of His treasure without exhibiting the greatness of our sacrifice? Like a mother who is proud of her newborn son and shows him off to her family and friends; but she refuses to get up during the night, and she refuses to change him, and she refuses to sacrifice anything in order to care for this newborn. Does she really appreciate the worth of her son, or is her excitement misplaced and self centered?

What do we as western believers actually sacrifice for this Pearl of great price? Most of us live solidly where we can afford it and with some accompanying debt. Our lifestyles are mirrors of the unbelievers among which we live, and most would not even sacrifice questionable entertainment. And do we respond with the same defensive aggression that should identify those who have no hope? Do we speak demeaning and disparaging words against anyone who falls short; anyone from the President all the way to the most pitiful strip club dancer? Do we realize that without the grace of God we no better than the poor sinners of whom we speak evil? Are our words a healing salve or the weapons of death? Do we represent a sacrifice that vividly manifests this Pearl of great price or are our lives so unremarkable that the world considers us no more than a political perspective, which dishonors His Name and exposes us as frauds?

It is time that we readjust our compass and set a course of humble graciousness that shines a brighter light amidst a generation that violently seeks its own pleasures. Why do millions of believers walk with discontentment and unfulfillment beating in their hearts? The church has become a shill for this culture and our mission has been high jacked by the desires of our own flesh. And with homes in which to live and food that we can eat and clothes upon our backs…still we seek for more, all while lip synching that Christ is our all in all.

Until we become poor in spirit we will never become rich in Him.

Gal.6:3 - For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

The Glory of the Risen Christ

Death. The enemy. The last and monumental enemy. Death. We all know what it means to breathe your last breath and expire. Most of us have seen a lifeless corpse. But death is much more than the cessation of biological life; death is a transport into another realm of existence and indeed of consciousness. Death is a powerful enemy that stalks every person that has ever lived. Death visits the baby born who takes only one tiny breath; death invades the mother’s womb, sometimes by providence and sometimes by wicked hands of men. Death calls upon the good and the bad; it beckons the saint and criminal alike. Mankind has always feared and attempted to avoid death. Medals are given to some who willingly die to save others, but that does not dissuade death from harvesting our heroes. Death respects no one.

The unknown journey is only a small part of why men fear death. There is an unsettling feeling within us that speaks not only to the uncertainty of death’s journey, but there is a tangible sense of impending judgment. Regardless of how many works of compassion that we do, we cannot wash our hands of death and its courtroom. The greatest compilation of works of philanthropy cannot block death from calling without hesitation or deference to any and all human works of kindness and mercy. Death is has no soul, no conscience. Death continues to draw its assignment and power from sin, and driven by that power death is never weary or distracted.

And so the human race wobbles precariously on the edge of death, separated only by a precious few days and nights. Marking time by experience and determined to forget about death by exalting the now, mankind continues the lemming march toward eternity. Death oversees the cattle drive and ensures there are no strays so that all will be at the final round-up. Death begins at life and awaits the fruit of Adam’s sin, through which all must pay that debt. Death is not just an enemy…it is THE enemy.

And so death marches on challenged only by temporary postponement through diet and carefulness. But no one had confronted it head on, to say nothing of escaping it directly. Everyone who lives is everyone who dies. None have escaped death and none will. But one night in early fall a baby was born to one of death’s coming victims. No one really knew and no one was really watching. There was nothing special about the birth and there seemed to be nothing special about this newborn. In fact, he was not even afforded the luxury of a room, instead he was born in an animal stable. Filthy and filled with the odor of animals, this baby was laid in a wooden structure where animals ate their food. Who would lay their newborn in a dog’s dish? Even the poorest among us find better accommodations for our babies than that which animals use.

It did not take death long before it recognized that this child was a challenge to its kingdom of darkness, and only a few years later death enlisted some of its soldiers to accomplish early in this child what most wait years to experience…death. Under the guidance of the Great Shepherd, this child escaped the clutches of death even while many died instead. Life had a plan. The Christ has arrived. Quietly and to a peasant woman, but He has arrived nonetheless. The world will never be the same, even though the world remains blind and dying.

Incarnate Life grows up in the likeness of humankind. In a colossal paradox this Life is headed for death, and seemingly in the likeness of the death that has visited all sinners. A place that has been chosen before the stars were formed awaits His arrival and death prepares for its ultimate harvest. He will not be spared, and in fact, His death will be published for all to see and none to question. He will die openly and before a host of witnesses. And yet this Christ speaks glimpses of His death, letting those with ears to know He has already embraced His coming demise.

What is this narrative? Why does this man follow a path that He knows will lead to His death? Ordinary men would flee, and human logic would circumvent this event. But behold, He rides into Jerusalem upon a donkey amidst the praises of sinners and into the face of the death plot against Him. The angels must shake their heads in disbelief and Gabriel himself, who heralded His arrival, must be profoundly confused. “Hosanna!” will soon be “Crucify!’. Death awaits it next victim just outside the city walls.

As preparation for His death He is beaten and bloodied. The soldiers mock and berate Him, and He is punched squarely in the face while wearing a blindfold. It is not enough they will kill Him, He must suffer both pain and indignity. There are thorns and there are whips, and His beard is plucked from His face. The scene is drenched in blood and ripped flesh. And the entire preparation culminates with the Christ carrying His own implement of death to the hill where death will fulfill its mission. Finally, the Christ is nailed both feet and hands to a Roman cross and lifted up in a diabolical benediction.

It is only a matter of time and suffering now. Death has begun the final chapter. He struggles, He moans, he gasps, and He lowers His head and dies. He is dead. Another passing hope is gone; another fleeting promise has been lost. Christ is dead, and with Him all the dreams of victory. Three days of silence. But the incubated glory is alive and well and ready to rise like an eternal phoenix. It’s business as usual on earth but it’s business eternal in the Spirit.

On the first day of the week life visits death in a borrowed tomb. The Christ does not just stir, He rises with the glory that is His alone, and with life in His bosom, He discards the tomb and returns it to its owner. But where is death? Where is that deadly sting? Why has death hidden itself?

We use the word “glory” as if we know what it means and as if we have seen it. But in truth we are infinitely more expert at death than we are glory. The enemy called “death” has been defeated by a Person whose name is Life. Who can digest what it took to defeat death? The depth of the evil of death cannot be fully realized on this side of the veil, and perhaps God Himself is only capable of knowing the eternal ramifications of death. But one thing we do know; Jesus, the Son of the Living God, has defeated death and has claimed the victory for all eternity. He now offers that victory to whosoever will believe.

Ps.24:7- 10 - Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.

This passage is usually interpreted as prophetic since when did the Lord of Glory leave His eternal dwelling place? This surely can refer to Christ and His ascension and His victorious return to the Father and the throne room of the Trinity. Christ has risen and Christ has triumphed! The entire expanse of heaven bows before the glory of this nail scarred Redeemer! Halleluiah! The brilliance of His matchless glory brightens all of heaven, and the knowledge of His victory and the great cost blankets all creation. He is risen from the dead; the first fruits of all who will follow through the path He has made.

His magnificence demands lavish praise and all creatures bow in wondrous worship. Only He could have defeated death, and He did it voluntarily and with great sacrifice. The angels still are bewildered after watching the Creator of the universe suffer at the hands of His creation, but there can be no denying the majesty that rests upon Him. We as graced sinners can only wonder, and in reality throughout eternity our wonder, our amazement, and our worship will never be tempered by time and familiarity. Every moment that we are granted another infinitesimal piece of knowledge about our Lord will intensify our grateful worship before Him. Wave after wave of bowing, rejoicing, dancing, and praising saints fill all of heaven with their adoration.

The Word made flesh whose name is Jesus the Christ has risen from the dead and reigns triumphant; let His Name be praised forevermore!!