You would think that already affluent Christians would rejoice when human government was attempting to reach out to everyone with health care. You would think that even though it is in the natural, those who live in the supernatural would be happy that people who have no healthcare would now be able to get it. You would think that even though it may cost believers some of their tax money they would still see an attempt to reach the poor as an agreeable thing. You would think that even though believers may have some issues with the affordable healthcare act, they would never complain openly before a lost and dying world. You would think that when so much tax money was spent on the weapons of war that followers of Jesus would see it as a good thing when some of it was being used to heal. You would think that since God has been so generous to us that we could never seem to be so petty as to refuse a morsel to others who do not have as much as do we. You would think that even though believers know that only Jesus can save a soul, that humanitarian efforts, even when imperfect and politically motivated, are better than doing nothing.
You would think that, wouldn’t you, but you would be very wrong.
Not your Saturday night special. This gun is what Texas congressman Louis Gohmert suggested every principal or teacher carry in public schools HERE. One of his quotes was he wishes to God the prinicipal had an M-4 in her office. Great discussion so far. And by the way, every single person must go though a metal detector in order to enter the halls of congress. Why? Because congressmen are precious to us and we spare no expense. You fill in the blanks.
Who can explain music and what it does to the soul? I guess you could say it is some forms of vibrations if you were nothing but a scientist, but even scientists like their own brand of music. Even people who cannot song a lick or play any kind of instrument love certain kinds of music. Some music brings us back to former days and some music allows our hearts to dream. Old girlfriends, loved ones now passed, days abroad, school days, and other seasons are sometimes brought back to us through music.
Some music lifts the heart while some brings melancholy. We can remember words to Beatle songs fifty years ago and yet we forget our neighbors name. Why? Because music can also attach itself to things and with that we can remember. It is most amazing. Music can bring out evil in people, as well as “soothe the savage beast”. Music is a gift from God indeed. Of course it is sometimes used for carnal and even evil purposes, but the entity we call music has a higher and loftier purpose. With the words of the Spirit contained in some melody music can be a spiritual conduit wherein God can reach the heart. How many of us have been comforted, challenged, healed, enlightened, broken, and even led to repentance through a song? Or even some wordless music.
My mother was a musician and I have always loved music. From piano and trumpet lessons as a child, to being in the high school marching and dance band, and then enjoying all kinds of music after high school. Even experiencing some low level bands in which I sang. Music is a part of me. But then I met Jesus.
Something changed within me. Yes I can still sing almost every Beatles song, and yes I still remember and can sing along with groups like Jethro Tull, the Moody Blues, Elton John, and a long list of others. But after I came to faith in Christ God took what I knew and expanded and refined it, and I found a new energy to revisit my piano. I began to appreciate and be ministered to by gospel music and praise and worship music. In the early days Evie Tornquist was a headliner so you can see I go back to when man discovered fire.
Not long after I became a believer I fell into a legalist camp and they convinced me that only a small set of music parameters are acceptable to God. We were proud that we sung holy songs and did not participate in these “contemporary” elements. Can you imagine the hypocritical irony of being self righteous about worship? Wow. But later little by little I was released from that kind of bondage, even though I still have my personal preferences as well as some things about which I disagree. But here is one thing I have learned over the years.
There was a time where I could not worship or enjoy spiritual music if I disagreed with the singer’s theology or even what I perceived to be their lifestyle. Those things in context are important, but I have found that even people about which I have problems can write beautiful songs of praise and worship. And although I still may not embrace the singer, I can worship God through their music. I realize we must avoid making music and end all and be found worshiping music and not worshiping God. And we must always guard our hearts in that.
All of us have found ourselves singing a song in church while our mind and hearts stray. Who among us can say we have never looked around at people or even the worship leader when our minds should be fully stayed upon Christ? “Prone to wander Lord I feel it” makes Robinson a prophet. Our flesh wants to streamline worship and multitask while we sing. But as I have said, I can weed out thoughts about the writer or singer and I can allow my heart to worship. It is freedom in the Spirit.
When songs have words the lyrics are important to me. If the words are shallow and meaningless then I cannot enjoy it even if the melody is enchanting. There are many songs that are spiritual in nature which draw my heart to meditate upon Christ, but there are only a handful of songs which break me and wound my carnal man. Those songs are used of the Spirit to bring me to a place of His presence and a place of worship. But we must all be careful not to love the music as an idol and thereby sacrifice the presence of the Redeemer. There is nothing wrong with a key change or a greater amplification as long as it does not inadvertently take the place of the Spirit.
You see, man’s highest calling is worship. Fallen man worships all kinds of things, and most often himself. We can use so many artificial accoutrements that we have created an atmosphere for excitement or even sentimentality but not for worship. But I have also found that even in those overdone environments there are some humble saints who truly are worshiping God. I have seen mature saints mouthing a hymn while looking around as if they were window shopping, and I have seen newborn saints worshiping Christ in sincerity even though the service is a kind of theatrical production. It is a fine line.
But even though we can discern some fleshly worship services that attempt to drive and manipulate people, we must never be prideful about our own expressions of worship. God sees the heart, and even though some forms of music may seem to appeal to the flesh, God never really addresses music style and forms. But all of us must prepare our hearts to allow music to block out the sounds of this world and captivate our hearts in the glory of the Crucified and Risen Christ. If we could worship Him for a million years He would deserve a million more. And, in fact, we will worship Him forever in the glory of eternity. It remains to be seen just how music will play a part in that, but to be sure, it will be all about Him.
According to statistics over one year old in open official documents, there have been at least 168 children killed by drone attacks in Pakistan. Sixty-nine children were killed in one particular drone attack. Let us remember, though, drones don’t kill children, people do.
As is their want, the moralistic, patriotic voices rise to the occasion. Instead of having a common sense conversation on gun control, or better yet a sharing of the importance of eternity, Mike Huckabee pontificates about kicking God out of the schools linked to HERE. If allowing a perfunctory prayer led by many unbelievers passes as "allowing" God in schools, then I would agree. As one who heard Bible readings as well as prayer in public schools when I was young, it is worthless if not counterproductive. I remember a very mean third grade teacher reading passages of Scripture and leading in a stilted prayer. I hardly think that passes as allowing God in schools. In fact, before we "allow" Him in schools, we might want to invite Him back in our churches. Note: As per the Constitution the Koran would have to be read as well, and prayers would have to be of the deist variety lest they stray from the pluralistic construct of those founding fathers. Jesus, who IS God, was not allowed anywhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. That may be a good place to start.
Will there ever come a time where professing believers quit lifting up the Dagons of morality and nationalism and suggest that they are God? The shooter’s mother was somewhat of a doomsdayer type, but was also a law abiding citizen who owned several firearms and who taught her children how to fire them. The shooter was sometimes home schooled. Don’t those kind of credentials represent those of Huckabee?
As I said, I grew up in public school classrooms where God “was still allowed in”. We listened as the teacher read the Bible, primarily from the Psalms or Proverbs, We bowed our heads and listened to the same, stale prayers. And I never heard one single peep about Jesus emanate from the lips of any of my teachers.
So that is his idea of God being allowed in the classroom? Which God does He know? Until I was almost 22 years old I had never heard the phrase “born again”. What does that tell you? That says that in many people’s view the war is having some symbolic relics practiced in the classroom representing God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Back in those days we practiced morality and tradition. No Spirit, no presence, and no spiritual reality. Just dead, dry religion. But people demand we return to those days.
How about looking into the mirror, Mr. Huckabee? How about all the political rhetoric you and people like you practice? How about you supporting a Mormon, or do you thing God lives in Salt Lake City any deeper than He does in the public schools? Like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson suggesting 9/11 was because of the gays and abortion, now Huckabee suggests that God is offended when we removed some religious rituals from the school system. God wasn’t offended when the founding fathers refused to include the name of Jesus in their original documents? Is Huckabee suggesting that God was angry and used this event to show His displeasure with the public schools? Or was he saying that if these kindergarteners would have prayed in their classroom God would have protected them? His views are both nonsense and disturbing.
The horror of Friday was because of sin. The Scriptures tell us that wickedness will increase in the last days. Of course the current gun laws are insane, but at the root of it all is sin. Go ahead, blame the godless liberals. Perhaps this kid was gay. That would be an additional target for those on the mountain called Hubris located in the land of the religious right. God in the schools? How about God in our lives? Collect all the manger scenes, all the plaques inscribed with the Ten Commandments, all the public prayers, all the Christmas pageants, all the reclaim America gatherings, all the generic genuflects to God, all the conservative talk shows, all the liberal talk shows, and most of what goes on Sunday mornings, collect it all and you have little more than some religious tokens with the same power as Santa Claus.
But if we can shoehorn God back into the classroom violence would cease. I hold out a hope that some believers are more spiritual than that. I hope.
Many Americans will spend trillions of dollars and thousands of lives to go overseas just to invade a country that may or may not have the capability to theoretically cause us concern. Just the hint that our way of life may take a hit results in moving mountains.
But that same American is unwilling to risk his recreational pursuit if it means restricting the use and ownership of firearms. Even if you could prove it would save lives, just like alcohol, that sacrifice is far too painful to make. Certain aspects of his earthly freedom are more important than preventing deaths, even the death of children. He will even suggest that expanding the use and ownership of firearms is the answer to the problem.
Yes, there are times where democracy is insane.
A man suddenly feels something constricting around his neck. He looks down and sees a hangman's noose beginning to tighten around his neck. It continues to constrict and he starts to choke. He looks up to see where the rope is tied and he sees that it is draped over a large tree limb and both ends are headed downward. One end of the rope is the noose itself, but he is horrified to see the other end is in his own hands.
Yes, he is hanging himself. So he has a choice, release the rope and live, or keep pulling on the rope and die. He chooses to keep pulling.
Welcome to many aspects of democracy.
The United States government spends billions of dollars to make sure people do not sell food that would make people sick, or who would sell cars that are unsafe, or who would dispense drugs that are unsafe, and they even make the food industry provide labels that inform the public of their unhealthy ingredients. The government feels it has a responsibility to protect the public. But that same government will acquiesce to lobbyists and vote continually against any substantive regulation concerning gun ownership.
The principle is clear. Democracy is fueled by greed.
I do not know why God awakened me in the middle of the night and delivered this to my spirit.
His name was Mel. He was a long distance truck driver and he looked every bit that part. However since Jesus came into his life he was one of the sweetest men I have ever known. He and his sweet wife, Nancy, were made for each other. They both were always faithful to Jesus and labored in whatever capacity the body needed them. They were the kind of couple pastors wish they could clone. To be honest they were the type of believers we pastors wish we were many, many times. There, I have broken our “sacred code”.
One day Mel felt ill, and after a few days he and Nancy went to the doctor's. After many tests and after Mel grew worse it was diagnosed that Mel had a serious blood disease. The church body was devastated. We prayed and we anointed Mel and we prayed and we wept. And we prayed. But God in His infinite wisdom was not healing our dear brother. Nancy tried to be strong but the situation began to take its toll on her. Again, we prayed, we wept. I weep now as I write. I suggest any true shepherd weeps many times, sometimes in self pity (there, another code broken) but many times over his sheep.
Mel became a little better, and as these things sometimes play out, the hospital sent him home where Nancy joyfully became his loving servant. But after a few weeks it became obvious that Mel was getting worse. Dramatically worse. Now all you self righteous people who surmise to know some formula for healing may stop reading because you have yet to understand what it means to surrender completely to our Master while begging Him for something, and yet the Spirit is speaking “No…”, lovingly and gently. If you believe that there is some incantation that can always deliver unto us what we desire and sometimes what we think we deserve, then you will never experience the care of the Shepherd as you climb up into His lap and cling without a complete understanding. It is most mysterious.
One day as I went by to see Mel and Nancy he was so sick he could barely move. Now I was not only the pastor, but I was the worship leader as well. I led as I played the piano and God had given my scores of worship songs. There were several favorites, but Mel called me closer to his bed and whispered “Could you make me a tape of the song “We’ve Overcome”? My vistit was toward the end of the week, and as I left their home I hugged Nancy and I told her to be by her phone during the morning hours on Sunday.
On that Sunday we had taken an extension telephone cord and placed an office phone on a small table in the middle of the sanctuary. We praised God for many minutes, and then I informed the congregation we were going to call Mel. After expressing our love for Mel, we began to sing “We’ve Overcome” while the phone was on full speaker. I doubt there was a dry eye in our midst, and later Nancy told me they held each other and wept while praising God. Mel went to be with Jesus not many days after that. I miss my friend, but not as others who have no hope. Here are the words to that song.
Adam had forsaken God when Eve believed a lie,
The earth was cursed and so were we,
Our souls condemned to die.
The fig leaf aprons could not hide the awful sin and shame,
From now on every person born must share in Adam’s blame.
But in the midst of hopelessness came One who took our stead,
The glorious King of Glory died,
Redeeming blood was shed. We’ve overcome by the blood of the Lamb
We’re safely in, our Father’s hand.
We’re marching on to possess the Promised Land,
We’ve overcome by the blood of the Lamb. But now the perilous times are here, all righteousness is shunned,
And wickedness consumes the earth,
God’s judgment soon must come.
But in the midst of all this lives,
The Bride of God’s own Son,
We’ve washed our linens in His blood,
And now we’ve over come!
We’ve overcome by the blood of the Lamb We’re safely in, our Father’s hand. We’re marching on to possess the Promised Land, We’ve overcome by the blood of the Lamb.
If I could speak to my friend and brother he would tell me that, yes, there are people who I knew who were there with Jesus. But since I knew how Mel loved Jesus and wept sometimes while worshiping His Savior, I believe he would caution me. He might tell me that although those people are there, and all the Bible people we have read about are also there, I would be consumed with Jesus when I got there. He might tell me that His brilliance and the weight of His incandescent glory blanketed the blood washed throngs. Yes, Mel would be captured by the Lion and the Lamb. And finally I could here my dear brother say to me,
“Brother Rick, everyone here has overcome by the blood of the Lamb!”
I am broken and undone this morning by God’s Spirit pulling back the veil ever so slightly and allowing me to see just a little more of the One who overcame by His precious blood and shared it with me. And throughout eternity it will become completely evident that our place of worship in eternity has been purchased for us. We have not earned it and we do not deserve one moment in His presence much less all of eternity. We will know as we are known. And if we are allowed some sort of knowledge of who we were, and as we gaze with perfect eyes at the prefect Lamb, forever we will fall before Him. Yes, we’ve overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Selah.
Lk.1:46 - My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Mary...A little insignificant peasant girl from the loins of David and from the loins of Judah, from which the Lion will spring. Just being faithful in her walk with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and not expecting anything special. Humble and obedient and obscure, but Jehovah had been watching. Jehovah had been guiding. Jehovah had chosen...her. The human ark of the New Covenant Lamb.
Mary...Before Jesus was born, before the shepherds worshipped, before the wise men brought gifts, before Simeon blessed Him, before Anna prophesied, before John the Baptist identified Him, before the Roman soldier knew who He was, before all of those and other declarations of who Jesus was, Mary identifies Him as "God my Savior" while He was still in her womb.
Mary...God borrows Mary's virgin womb with the unspeakable blessing of Himself. Not "a" miracle but "THE" miracle. The divine seed of God and the human egg of Mary combine to give life to the sinless "seed of the woman" as first prophesied in Genesis. Mary was obviously a Godly and Spiritual young woman and even though she must have been incredibly unsettled by the chain of events, she humbles herself and praises her Lord. God must have granted her a wonderful and unique covering of His grace that He had planned before He made the worlds.
Mary...The rumors, the embarrassment, the wonder, the pondering, all must bow as her soul magnifies the Lord. Just an angelic visitation must have been an amazing event, but when she as a 14, 15, or maybe 16 year old young virgin is told that she will be pregnant, she immediately asks "how can this be?". Pregnant? She truthfully confesses, with a quiet, trembling voice, that she has never been with a man and Gabriel confirms that as true. You see, not just "an" angel but the arch-angel Gabriel. Imagine the splendor, the brilliance, the beauty, and the aroma of heaven that must have been experienced by Mary in the presence of Gabriel.
Mary...Now, as she has been told she will be pregnant, Gabriel informs her that the baby will be a boy and His name shall be called Jesus(Joshua-"Jehovah saves"). Gabriel says that He will be called "the Son of the Highest". After she asks how, Gabriel tells her it is the Holy Spirit that will perform this miracle, and as Gabriel leaves he calls her baby the "Son of God". Wow. Mary has just had a one-of-a kind church service created just for her. With Gabriel the preacher, God prophesies to Mary about His will for her life and she surrenders. As she metaphorically comes down the aisle she bows at the altar and says,"be it unto me according to thy Word".
Mary...Just a righteous girl, chosen by Jehovah, invaded by God's Spirit, kept by God's grace, blessed among women, the earthly mother of God. Mary will be with Jesus throughout His life. She is with Him in Jerusalem at 12 years of age; she is with Him at His first miracle at Cana; She follows Him during His ministry; she is there as He stands before Pilate; she watches Him carry His own cross; she stands at the foot of the cross and watches her son be murdered, crucified; she is there as he is taken to a borrowed tomb. Beside the natural horror of seeing your son murdered, what must Mary have thought Spiritually. Did she think it was over and the Romans had killed the Messiah?
Mary...It is significant that when Jesus is resurrected we find no accounts of Mary being there. The risen Christ is now stripped of all earthly ties and Jesus tells His disciples to go tell the brethren. No mention of Mary. The sword that Simeon had prophesied about has pierced her heart, and she is now just a disciple of Jesus. The maternal miracle is now over, but a new one is on the horizon.
Mary...The Day of Pentecost. The disciples are praying in the upper room and God feels it necessary to mention that Mary was among them. The last mention of Mary. She has fulfilled the mission God gave her and she is now a follower of Jesus. A humble, broken, Spirit-filled follower. And one day she dies, and as she enters the presence of Jesus she bows with the other saints and worships the King of Kings. That's right. This is not a mother-son reunion. She received a breathtaking reward for her earthly faithfulness, and she places it at the feet of, in her own words, "God my Savior". God broke the alabaster box of Mary's life, spilled it out on His Son, and the aroma of her humble faithfulness will last forever.
Should we be concerned if same sex marriage is the law of the land? The children of Darfur are not concerned. The unborn are not concerned. The women in Afghanistan are not concerned. The men on death row are not concerned. The millions with HIV in Africa are not concerned. The drug addicts are not concerned. Those starving in North Korea are not concerned. The millions of African orphans are not concerned.
OK, about what should we be concerned? The utter lethargy in the evangelical church. And that, my friends, has always been legal.
But at the core of this obsession with what the kingdom of darkness believes can be found in nationalism and its Siamese twin patriotism. We as believers are called to be invested in the kingdom of darkness on only one level - we called to care for their souls. We have never been called to be upset over their rules and regulations. We have never been called to join hands with some of the more conservative elements of their kingdom in order to change their rules. We are called to walk among them with wisdom.
Col.4: 5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
What wisdom does Paul mean? And what does he mean about redeeming the time? It’s obvious Paul speaks about their eternal souls. You cannot be passionate about reaching the lost and also about changing the culture. You see, reaching their souls for Christ is serving Christ, while changing the culture benefits you. And you cannot serve two masters. The wisdom that God gives us is always redemptive and never self serving. Which bothers you more, if gay couples marry legally or if gay couples are lost in eternity? The answer to that question will ultimately determine where your prayers and energies are spent.
But the reason believers fight for legalities concerning morality is because they want to preserve a way of life they have constructed in their minds. You don’t see protests and talk shows and sermons expressing emotional angst over divorce. Why” Because it is accepted and practiced within the church save a few disingenuous doctrinal words. But if and when the Supreme Court makes gay marriage legal, the evangelical community will act as if the sky is falling. And many big mouth know-it-all preachers will claim that the first natural disaster following that decision will come from God. It is all too predictable.
Believers do not weep at night over the souls of men, but they will find much energy and speak volumes about the so called cultural decline. And of course that decline is fabricated upon a founding fathers fairy tale. I can only wonder how anyone who reads and believes God’s Word can actually contend that certain time periods were less fallen than others. Are we suggesting that law abiding citizens who do not know Christ are more pleasing in God’s sight? And are we also suggesting that God so loves a certain way of life here on earth that he is willing to help sinners to kill each other to protect it? When gay marriage is made legal, nothing will change.
Gay people will still be gay; divorce and adultery will still roam church halls; church mortgage payments will still have to be paid; conservatives and liberals will still hate each other; believers will still constantly complain about a myriad of things; and the church will place it dry-eyed head upon the pillow at night and dream about finding a great coupon to eat out this weekend where they can share their consternation about gay marriage.
Note of interest: The only reason I am not gay is because I am not.
The moment the church becomes fascinated with all kinds of earthly issues is the moment it looses its fascination with Christ. It is impossible to be consumed with Christ and His redemptive mission while grabbing hold of the ebbs and flows of fallen man and his attempts to create paradise. What is gay marriage compared with an eternity without Christ? Why would we expend our energies attempt to muscle sinners into a more acceptable lifestyle instead of sacrificing ourselves to reach them with the message that can transform them forever. Present the glories of Christ and leave the fallen moral scraps for those whose eyes cannot look upward.
Do you wish to protect the sanctity of marriage?
Seek and cultivate and sacrifice yourself to not only protect, but to expand your marriage to Christ. And that, my friends, will transform everything else.
"My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence…
To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." Read the New Testament. Go ahead, just read it. Now if it is all metaphors and poetic devices and erudite imagery, then it ranks with the Brothers Grimm. If it is spirit lifting imagery that when taken in earthly context is very pragmatic and reasonable, then it is a wonderful self help book that contains beneficial advice for living. And if so, then Jesus is a wise teacher with all kinds of deep perspectives and many creative ways to communicate them. So if all that is true then the New Testament is an exceptional treatise on living and the path to fulfillment in this life. And many today, whether with or without intention, have treated it as such.
But there is another view of the New Testament. If those twenty-seven letters are indeed a communication from the Creator which deal with the invisible realities of the kingdom of God, then that changes everything or at least it should. If those words are spirit, as Jesus taught, and if the truths are eternal and not just confined to a temporal understanding, then the entire perspective must be eternal and the affects upon our earthly lives must be dramatic when believed. And given that premise, followers of Jesus and His teachings must understand and process everything altogether differently than those who do not know or follow Christ.
But there are legions of teachers today who have taken sections of God’s Word and used them in a completely temporal setting and have removed any hint of the eternal. The existence of a place called heaven is usually all that remains of the invisible glory of the eternal expanse of God’s kingdom, and that can be gained by muttering a few repeated words. Even God’s unspeakable dwelling place has been relegated to a human caricature and assigned a “place” mentality in the same way we think of Saturn or Mars. Not much about heaven is talked about today, much less pondered, because in this pragmatic culture you either are going there or you are not. The particulars or the implications are a waste of precious temporal time that must be used for temporal desires.
If taken at face value, the teachings and truths set forth by Jesus are irrational in a temporal setting. They are literally absurd when juxtaposed against any earthly culture. In order to practice them they must be restructured, redefined, and given a much more accommodating practicality in order for those who claim to believe them to live lives friendly and unremarkable within any fallen culture. Since the Industrial Revolution the western culture has become a hedonistic factory which subtly imprisons people and forces them to live their lives according to the dictates and mores of the culture by the sheer strength of the culture itself. Like zombies we all march to the norm and accepted and only question it when it presents some personal inconvenience, or worse yet, some personal financial decrease.
And the church in the west has adopted the invisible cultural rudders and continues to set sail right along side those who do not profess Jesus, with the only difference being a few doctrinal words. And in order to make ourselves feel spiritual or somewhat different, we have our statements of faith. But should not our lives be our statements of faith? When did creeds replace living epistles? Creeds became our witness when it became evident that many of the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament as a whole were incompatible with the practices of the culture. So in order for us to embrace the culture, save for a very few moral issues we treat as talismans, we had to modify those teachings. And after a few modifications, eventually we eviscerated the eternity out of His teachings and made them little more than earthly guidelines and a few moral squabbles.
But if we take the words of Christ literally we cannot help but see their nature is from another world. The totality of His teachings, interlocked together as one, are so dramatically at odds with any earthly culture that to embrace them and live them out must always make that life extraordinary and even miraculous within that same culture. Imagine walking in a cave one mile beneath the surface of the earth where no light is present. Then imagine lighting a match. That match will become a beacon merely because it is the only light available in that circumstance. So when we live in a culture of profound darkness, how should we as the light of Jesus appear? But instead the church loves the darkness, especially when it presents itself as innocuous or more cleverly the divine will. This western culture provides entertainment, recreation, social mores, spiritual practices, and many and varied avenues of prosperity, all of which are fallen and of no value to a believer. And yet the church loves them all, only sometimes avoiding the most obvious sinful practices. But even adultery and divorce and addictions and the love of money are practiced extensively and even approved by the church.
But all that is irrational screeching if the teachings of Jesus are not meant to be believed and practiced in all their glory. And that is exactly how the western church sees words like these. In fact, that is how I would have seen them as well only a few decades ago. We love to say that we must always teach God’s Word in context. Well, there is an element of truth in that, but many times we have kept the teachings of Christ captured in their original context and refused to apply them to this present context. And in essence they become historical events rather than eternal truths meant to be revealed in all situations and contexts.
But how do you tell a man who feels better than he has ever felt that he is sick? When everyone is experiencing such success and fulfillment, how do you inform them that they are doing something wrong? You sound like some killjoy who hates seeing people being happy. I mean the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental right is it not? Isn’t that the way of Jesus? Is the overarching theme of His teachings the happiness of man discovered through a utilitarian practice of the faith? And when people are accumulating material things, and when they are leaving their children a more prosperous culture than what they had, and when their children have been the beneficiaries of a better education, how could that not indicate the blessings of God?
Who discusses eternity except in some constricted and doctrinal form in some sermons? Who walks with a sense of eternity and a passion to be an instrument for God’s eternal plan? For every word that is spoken about eternity there are a thousand that are spoken about politics. For ever word about denying self there are a thousand complaints.
If you step back and assess the situation you must come to the conclusion that the church as a whole no longer believes God’s Word and no longer follows Jesus, the stale statements of faith notwithstanding. Did those words make contact with your inner man? It should be an earth shattering ( and I do mean earth shattering) indictment to us all. And even if you come to even a partial agreement with that conclusion, the task of personally unraveling man’s teachings and replacing them with the teachings of Jesus in your own life is a monumental task that only God’s Spirit is equipped to accomplish. Painful, yes. Sacrificial, yes. Humbling, yes. Startling, yes. Disturbing, yes.
And the task that is set before you will naturally result in some lost fellowships, and some uncomfortable introspections, and a long process requiring much patience. You will have to become reacquainted with Jesus even though you once believed you had already embraced Him fully. The temptation to judge others will be ever present and powerful. And the deeper you go in Christ, and the more the Spirit helps you to make spiritual alterations in your life, the stronger that temptation becomes. In fact you must battle that temptation until you see the Redeemer. Sometimes you will be successful and other times not.
Imagine a man going through a forest and looking for a particular house. Suddenly he comes upon an opening in the forest, and there is the house he was looking for. There are many people living there who had made the same expedition as he. They wave to him and call him over. He happily goes to be with them and he finds the house delightful and affirming. He is in ecstasy. He makes many friends and many people keep coming. The leaders among the people inform the people that this house is where the Owner of the forest told them to wait because he has a much greater house prepared for them. And these leaders have written instructions from the Owner of the forest which they say proves what they say. But while they wait they can enjoy this house. All of them find great fellowship among each other.
So I ask you, how can anyone tell these people that they are waiting at the wrong house? Regardless of what you say or how you passionately speak to them, you cannot change their minds. Only the Owner of the forest Himself can come and show them their error and change their minds. In fact, you were once happily in that house and only when the Owner came and showed you and empowered you were you able to leave.
There only two instruments that God can use to help awaken a sleeping and carnal church. Prayer, and a bold and humble change in some of our lives. Both are spiritual labors that are easily abandoned when we reach the first level. We are so easily distracted and we are prone to chase all kinds of earthly battles and therein leave the eternal cause of Jesus Christ. And when we do that we leave Christ. And that is the ultimate defeat even if on earth we win some meaningless moral or political battle. The journey which sees Jesus as He is and follows in His teaching footsteps is not rational. It can never make sense to a blind and fallen world.
But this is the real battle today. Is Jesus rational to a fallen world? Is he so rational and so compatible with the ways of this world that unsaved people can practice a form of Christianity and believe it is Jesus? And even more disturbing, can evangelicals who say they believe the Bible doctrinally, and who can teach Jesus doctrinally, and who have an ecclesiastical structure, can we be so deceived that can live a life far from Christ and not even know it? Yes, the modern church has presented a rational Jesus whose teachings are basically guidelines for human success and a somewhat higher moral code.
Do not be fooled. We all have much ground to retake for Christ in our own lives. But the western church does not follow the teachings of Jesus. It now presents a contrived distortion that when compared to the pristine version is nothing but a toxic mutation. Corrupted and contaminated, when practiced over time it becomes the standard while the true standard has long since been discarded. Jesus and His teachings are so rational now and so benign that they no longer represent truth at all.
If our faith seems somewhat rational to dead people than we have nothing but a saltless religion only preserved by the culture itself.
The Supreme Court will now visit the issue of gay marriage. And if they uphold the decision by some states, and if they make gay marriage legally recognized across the nation, democracy will have worked. How can some believers not see that a representative republic, which is a form of democracy, has never been of God? Just who do these men and women represent? For the most part they represent people who do not know Christ. Is that what Christ desires?
And even if all unsaved people were pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, and conservative in all their moral and economic views would that satisfy the Spirit? All that would do is appease believers and probably lesson any evangelistic fervor which is diminutive as it stands now anyway. When will the church quit chasing morals and economics? Even some of the most mature and Biblically knowledgeable believers have been swept away with this ghost of Christmas past, present and future called nationalism. Democracy has become an idol, America is a golden calf, and the founding fathers have been made into a fairy tale.
And now democracy is working with open efficiency. President Obama has been reelected. Abortion is still legal. Gay marriage will become the law of the land. And all of this is because the majority rules! Don’t you feel the love? Please, don’t you see that sweet and bitter water cannot come from the same well? Nationalism and democracy are bitter wells that sometimes deceive us into thinking they operate along side God’s eternal kingdom. They do not. The systems of man are always in opposition to the kingdom of God even if sometimes they accidently align themselves with a handful of issues with the church. Like a pedophile using candy to lure his victims so do these systems lure people by using morality. And this candy now is being fed to us by cults? Look at the wrapper on this candy. It says “Forget about who Jesus is as Savior and Lord just help us establish some morality around here”. What?? We are supposed to ignore the Lordship of Jesus for a moment while we join hands with His enemies in order to pass some laws? What kind of Lordship is that, unless Jesus considers America more important than following Him, or more suspicious yet, He considers loving and following America the same thing as loving and following Him.
And let me ask us all this question: How did abortion become legal and how has gay marriage become legal? Is it because believers did not vote in great numbers, or is it because believers did vote in great numbers? Confused? You should be. By actively and passionately supporting an antichrist system believers have empowered it. Yes, the church has given life to what is against God And unwittingly we have been made pawns in this fallen system.
I remember watching a program which had an unusual ending. A man has a dream that his wife has been killed by crossing in front of a train. The dream is so vivid that he even recognizes the very railroad crossing in his dream. Suddenly the man awakes in a sweat, and he hears the sound of his wife starting her car so she can head toward work. The man rushes downstairs to stop her but he sees her pull away in the dark. He frantically hops into his own car and speeds down the street in order to warn her. He is driving fast and reckless.
Now his wife sees his headlights coming rapidly toward her in the distance. She begins to accelerate but the headlights still are gaining ground. After a couple of minutes the husband is right behind his wife and he is leaning on his horn in order for her to pull over. But the wife is so scared she drives even faster and faster in order to get away from this maniac, she believes. It is dark and she does not realize that it is her husband. Now she is so frightened she begins to take chances on the road and as she approached the railroad crossing she fails to see the oncoming train. Pressing down on the accelerator she and the train reach the intersection simultaneously. Jamming on his brakes the man watches as his wife is killed instantly.
Do you see the tragic irony here? The man himself was the catalyst for his wife’s death and he was the self fulfilling prophetic agent in his dream. And do you see the irony here as well? When we as believers participate and support a fallen system, we unwittingly help to empower the very system we claim is veering away from God. But we ourselves have become part of the overall process that we claim fights against God. In attempting to stop it, we have empowered and emboldened it. And when we witness that same system embracing things that are unbiblical and against the commands of God we are shocked and dismayed, and yet our hands have been on the same wheel. We have given credibility to the system and we have mistakenly believed that system could ever be a part of God’s kingdom. And because of that deception we have made it stronger. And because the kingdom of darkness heard the voices of believers calling for people to vote, they too became excited about getting out the vote. And because they are and always will be in the majority, and because democracy is all they have, they came to its defense and won the day! And they will continue to win the day within that system.
But brothers and sisters, we are not of this world and we are not of that system. This is not “our” country, we belong to another. This is not our system, we belong to God’s kingdom exclusively. The wide gate will always have a numerical advantage over the narrow gate. The entire worldly mess is what God is calling us out from and not into. But please do not think that calling believers out from this system is my crusade, or for that matter God’s either. The embracing and participation in antichrist systems is a stumbling block to a deeper and more spiritual walk with Christ. But it has been my experience that when a believer is loosed from such a stumbling block that more often than not his spiritual life is rejuvenated. And that is the ultimate goal.
The kingdom of God has never been a democracy and it never will. To submit to the will of the people is against everything we know about the Scriptures and about then Lordship of Christ. But when you participate in that system you are saying you desire to be a part of the will of the people, which in and of itself is against God. In these days even the will of the church is utterly flawed to say nothing of the will of the mixed multitude. These kinds of systems have no credibility with God and they should elicit none form us. For what fellowship has light with darkness. The great problem is that the church does not see democracy and allegiance to a nation as wrong. In fact, many see them as divine.
So when you see the fallen systems of man go through all kinds of democratic gyrations while attempting to find the fair and equitable answers that best represent the Constitution and/ or the will of the people, remember this: It is all a hollow exercise that in no way represents the kingdom of God even if they happen to stumble upon the right moral answer. In fact, the evil one has used the right moral answers to deceive millions of professing believers. Satan enjoys all the benefits of a democratic system just as he enjoys the benefits of totalitarianism. He just changes his robe to fit the circumstance. In this nation Satan comes dressed as an angel of democracy when in fact he is the enemy of our souls.
Are we as followers of Jesus supposed to process His words through the prism of where we live and what we know, or is His ministry and calling universal and unalterably applicable to the entire world? This is not some philosophical question. The answer to this question changes the meaning of discipleship and takes what generally is considered Christianity and stretches it to the expansiveness of the entire world. It alters the definition of accountability, compassion, generosity, responsibility, and the overarching gospel commission. If, in fact, every follower of Jesus, regardless of the parochial nature of his life and specific ministry, is called to the four corners of the world then the core meaning of Christianity must be dramatically enlarged in theory and in practice.
There were times when it was impossible to minister to people across long distances, but today it is well within our reach even though we ourselves cannot go. Over the years since television poor people from all over the world have been used to raise funds for unscrupulous ministries that make wicked men and women wealthy. But even though that should repulse us, the poor people pictured in those videos are real and are in need of real gospel ministry. There are billions of people around the world who are silently sounding the Macedonian call.
There is a rule of thumb as it concerns the ministry of the Word and Biblical truth. If it cannot be preached in Washington D.C. as well as in Darfur then it is not absolute truth. If what you preach can only mean something in America, then it is false and a man made concoction. So if you preach prosperity to prosperous Americans, but you could never preach that to a woman in Darfur with a dying child at her breast, then it is a lie. You see, the Word should be relevant in the palace as well as in the street. The prince and the pauper should hear the same message of truth.
So if our locale influences the Word then it ceases to be the Word. But in today’s western culture everything must bow to our way of life, our way of thinking, and our way of doing things. And in that context we have taken the Word of God and rounded off the rough edges and shined it up and made it presentable to a fallen culture. Careful we have been not to eliminate some of the more familiar words that catch our doctrinal eyes, but what is believed and preached is no longer God’s Word. That is if God’s Word is universal and we are part of the universal church and not just an outpost with our own by-laws and mores. If the entire Bride of Christ is under the authority of “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all,“ then we must walk under that calling and with our eyes opened to the entire world.
So if this faith is comprehensive and without geographical boundaries then it presents all sorts of conflictions when we compare it to what is purported to be Christianity here. Just a token missionary effort cannot absolve us from this colossal responsibility. Just some short term mission projects cannot provide fig leaves for the nakedness of our embarrassing faith. Living our entire lives for ourselves with a minor evangelical exception is a pitiful excuse for so great a faith. Look out upon the fields and see what God has called us to. Not just the neighborhood in which we live, as important as that is in God’s eyes, but look to the horizons and imagine a sea of humanity adrift in darkness and in need of the nail scarred hands of redemption. That, my friends, is what calls us from within and without.
But look what we have done as we scurry to raise funds for our magnificent ecclesiastical edifices filled with cold air, warm air, and the most modern sound systems. And see millions upon millions of professing believers sit and take it all in, returning to their narcissistic lives, only to revisit that same redundant blessing experience the next week. The church cannot even keep marriages together much less reach the world. Our youth are spiritually lethargic and supremely interested in the same things as are their parents - what benefits them most - education, success, money, sex, entertainment, and a generally pleasant life filled with all kinds of hedonistic toys. Wow, did I just say that?
But can we enjoy such an existence while millions perish? When so many have no food or water, can we enjoy a life of abundance and waste and still claim to be followers of the Redeemer? That is some spiritual deception, unless God showers material blessings of some and withholds them for others. Or more accurately, God’s will has been for believers to be consumed with the welfare of others and live very modest lives in order to share whatever material “blessings” are placed under their care. But that concept has long since been discarded and made way for a new and much more comfortable lifestyle that can hold onto this world with one hand and with the other hand pass out a few scraps which elicit no sacrifice and do not deny ourselves anything.
The question remains. Are the followers of Jesus called to a world wide vision, or are we supposed to be preoccupied, entangled, and generally formed by our immediate surroundings? Can we live in a constricted view of the faith and still legitimately claim to be followers of Jesus and His redemptive vision? I suggest that for far too long the western church has acquiesced to the culture and even formed our ecclesiastical structure accordingly. And there is a wide variance of excitement and commitment between building programs here and missions afar. You see, we see and appreciate and make use of the tangible here, but we receive no accommodations when we give to help the needy which live beyond our borders. We are much more responsive to that which meets our needs than anything we cannot see or enjoy the benefits thereof.
But if we are to admit to a universal calling which places great and glorious responsibilities on us all, then we are going to have to begin a routine of sacrifice which most would consider somewhat extraordinary. But what should we consider extravagant or extreme when it comes to sacrificing for our Lord? And even if we should begin afresh today, would there not be a great many back payments? We have lived such easy and careless spiritual lives that only generate concern with temporal issues. It is time we see the faith for what it is and not for what we have made it.
Jesus calls us to a far greater mission than that which is in driving distance. In fact His ministry covers ground that is out of this world. But let me finally couch it in practical terms. When we know that millions suffer around the world, and are literally dying because of starvation, thirst, and exposure, should that enter into all financial decisions we make here? And when some of those are brothers and sisters in Christ, should that be a concern as well? Those question are never asked in the context of American Christianity. A few food pantries a few special offerings and a few week long mission trips seem to provide a conscience salve. Now if our faith is only local, then those questions are immaterial. But if our faith cannot be restricted to geographical and cultural boundaries, then we must reexamine how we live and how we express our faith through how we show our concern and care for those around the world. This a vital analysis of the Christian faith when it lives in a hedonistic culture. Are we careful not to allow our culture to be the measuring stick as to how we live? Are we compelled by the Spirit to assess everything we do according to God’s Word and in the light of what most benefits the church world wide and the great commission?
Is our faith inexorably and immovably connected to the world, or can we live completely within our cultural dictates and remain subjugated to what is true in our own parochial setting? Let me illustrate:
There was almost 5 billion dollars spent on the 2012 election. There will be almost 500 billion dollars spent on "Christmas" in 2012. In one year almost 9 million people, half of which are children, will die of starvation around the world.
Now that is just one example of what is happening across the globe while our circumstances seem so out of touch. So as believers and followers of Jesus and His way, can we ignore those facts or be resigned to how things are, or must we process that kind of reality and adjust our lives accordingly? Does what is happening in other parts of the world impact our lives and our response to Christ, or are we granted some kind of geographical dispensation because we live and experience a much different set of circumstances? I contend that is untrue and unbiblical.
Phil.4: 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. II Cor.11: 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
These verses clearly reveal a common giving pattern wherein churches were concerned over the ministry of the gospel that was completely out of their own location. But James goes further.
Jam.2: 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Jesus had a heart for the poor, and even while the early church was coming to grips with salvation by faith alone and the inclusion of Gentile sinners in the gospel, they often mentioned the poor. But perhaps the greatest teaching on unconditional generosity and humanitarian passion is the parable of the Good Samaritan. Not only was that man in great need of help, but he had been passed over by the “orthodox” folk of his day. And in a stunning and shocking way to both disarm and alarm His listeners, Jesus makes the central figure a Samaritan. The Samaritans were considered mongrels and a mixed breed of Jews and Gentiles and they were generally avoided and looked down upon. But here is this Samaritan showing the compassion that Jesus calls us to.
Are we called to meet needs of people we do not even know? Are we called to be inconvenienced in meeting needs? Are we called to be aware of needs around the world and to go to some lengths to help? And are we called to sacrifice and lead lives of modesty in order to free up funds for the needy and the spread of the gospel? Many churches have mission conferences and they call for pledges for missions during the next year. Sometimes they even set giving goals. But what does that tell you? That speaks loudly to the fact that American believers do not normally give as they should, and that they respond to methods and fund raising techniques more than they do the leading of the Spirit year round.
The church which lives in America must lift up her eyes and revolutionize her thinking. If we actually believe there is an eternity and that sinners spend eternity in either one of two places, and if we really believe we have been given eternal life already, then how should that impact they way we think and subsequently live? And if others do not have that life, should that dramatically impact the way we live and think?
If the answer is no then go ahead, resume general swim.
Who can grasp the fullness of eternity? Who can know its expanse and its glory? Who among us smiles with knowing confidence when someone says that God has always existed and had no beginning? It is the mystery of all mysteries. God is a spirit, but what human words can even define the word “spirit”? Our God is high above all that we are even capable of imagining, and one day all who have been washed by the Lamb’s blood will see Him as he is. Go ahead, feel those goosebumps.
But God knew that man in his fallen condition could never find God since man will always have an ingredient of narcissism and human wisdom. So God uses Noah. Then God uses Abram. Then God calls Moses and protects him from dangerous circumstances and even uses Pharaoh’s court to educate His servant. And then Moses presents His law with all kinds of profound ways to bring mankind to a place of need and understanding concerning redemption. For thousands of years God’s people practiced His laws which included days and months and years and feasts and many types of symbols.
But then came Bethlehem. This was never meant to be a feast. This was the culmination of hundreds of prophetic utterances and this day was the end of the law of Moses and the beginning of an unfathomable miracle that would lead to, of all things, a human sacrifice. But further still, it would be the sacrifice of THE divine Being. Only a few decades ago men believed that our galaxy was the entire universe and it contained a few million stars. Soon they saw many billions of stars. Then Edwin Hubble discovered more galaxies. Today men know that there are hundreds of billions of galaxies with each one containing hundreds of billions of stars.
Today human intellects imagine a great architect, a powerful force, that created and oversees the universe. They envision a colossal celestial mind that throbs with knowledge and power. While that may be true and even understated, what the mind of man misses is the greatest expression of the Creator even known to mankind. Quietly step over animal droppings and the crackle of straw, ignore the stench of cattle, peek over a wooden trough, and look into a tiny human face.
You have just seen God. There is no other. Yes, Bethlehem became the place where God actually revealed His face. This was God coming in the likeness of sinful flesh. Mystery of mysteries and glory of all glories. It soars above all reason. It goes way beyond philosophy. The reality of God is beyond us, but to think that He who created everything stepped into a human body is unimaginable. The Incarnation is a doctrine of the church which elicits sentimentality once a year, but it is the revelation of all that had been foretold and all that would be accomplished.
Who but the fallen ingenuity of man could take the Incarnation when God came in the likeness of human flesh and turn it into a merchandise extravaganza? Who could use and abuse such an event and make it little more than a “season” or some religious sentimentality? God comes to rescue mankind and we create a self serving “holiday” that is not only warned against in the New Testament, but we place it months after the event actually happened as this study illuminates. (It has been brought to my attention that the writer of the link I provided belongs to an aberrant theological community. I do not endorse that, only his research as it pertains to Christmas.) This, as in past Decembers, will provide much fanfare, much warmth, much eating, much buying, much family get togethers, but will once again treat His coming as an aside and completely miss the holiness and the sacred redemptive essence of that God-child.
Yes, the western church has managed to desecrate that holy visitation and turn it into an “observance”. And billions of dollars emanating from evangelical pockets will be spent on each other, and much of it on fluff and worthless hedonistic toys. This is the stuff which boggles the mind, and when your eyes have been opened you eventually become horrified at the entire spectacle. And many who read this post will consider me a raging maniac who has taken a wonderful time of the year and attempted to suck out all the joy. Yes, to many, I am the Grinch.
But this event many call “Christmas” is so much more than seasonal colors and manger scenes and trees. God gives His only begotten Son and yet man creates a self serving holiday that is so tepid, so compromised, and so diluted that even the heathen enjoy its benefits. But Bethlehem’s event will never be Christmas. Christmas is a man made observance which wallows in hedonism and all kinds of hollow sentimentality. When I was a boy my family would open our gifts on Christmas Eve and the go to the midnight service at the Lutheran church. It was one of two times my father went to church. It was centered around music and gifts and smells and the general spirit of the season. Oh yes, Jesus was mentioned and the obligatory story in Luke was read. What an unscriptural farce.
And what does Santa and Mommy and Daddy ask the little child? “And what do you want for Christmas?” What an incredible training toward hedonism and narcissism. My father was German and rarely showed any emotions. He was the only child born to a 39 year old mother. He grew up never really having any emotional training and although he was a good man, he had no sensitivity. I can remember a room full of Christmas presents with only one small one for my mother. And even though I was only eight I can still remember feeling sad because my mother gave everything she had. You see, the materialism was paramount.
The entire spectacle has burgeoned into a full blown hedonistic festival which lines the pockets of store owners while retaining just enough Jesus to make it a religious holiday. But let us not be deceived. We are not celebrating the birth of Jesus which most likely occurred around the Feast of Tabernacles or the Day of Atonement. And even if we were to move the day to a more Scriptural time if it were practiced as it is today it would still be akin to dancing around a golden calf. It does not mean that some people do not love Jesus or are not saved. But what it does reveal is a disregard for Scriptural truth regardless of how we claim to be “Bible believers”.
The Book of Galatians was written to correct the church about attempting to mesh law with grace. Paul goes into great detail about the superior nature of the New Covenant and how God had used the Mosaic Law to point us to this new and surpassing covenant. In the 4th chapter Paul explicitly says that Hagar, representing the law, shall not be heir with Sarah, representing the grace found in Christ. And yet some still desire to incorporate certain parts of the law while still clinging to grace. But Paul refutes that entire concept and in some cities his life was in jeopardy for that very teaching.
Gal.4: 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
And what shall we make of these inspired words? Shall we just ignore them and do what we desire to do anyway? Should we just confine them to a law vs. grace metaphor and acknowledge the grace of Christ but still observe the things Paul warns against? This is just another example of how far we have strayed from the Scriptures even though we claim they are God’s very Words. And our flesh, when confronted with things like this, screams out in much discomfort. What will happen if we do not observe Christmas? It almost seems like an impossibility.
This kind of outward structure is as strong as being confronted with the carnality and spiritually damaging essence of politics and nationalism. People might believe we have gone mad. And what about the children? You see, the discussion itself does not center on what God’s says but on the repercussions we might face. Again. I judge no one's standing before God as it pertains to their personal redemption. The Lord knows those who are His. But how can we expect to be renewed and progress mightily in our spiritual journey if we are unwilling to examine our hearts and address things about which the Scriptures teach? Is a greater and deeper relationship worthy of some sacrificial and even painful inward spiritual business?
Every year I write about Christmas and almost every year some have their eyes opened. However every year I warn all of us against being self righteous. It has been my experience that anytime God has graciously called my out of some unscriptural ways or called me into a deeper intimacy with Him my flesh strongly urges me to feel superior. This is not something that happens now and then, but even when I write about these things I still must do spiritual battles lest I be lifted up in my own eyes. And so my fellow followers of Jesus, I do not exhort you from the fort called “Arrived”. Far from it. In fact, to whom much is revealed much is required.
And just what was the first step for me concerning Christmas? Well after I became aware of the inaccurate date, and after I had read Galatians again and again, the next Christmas I walked through December with my ears and eyes opened. And I was extremely shocked at just how secular most of it was. Many of the songs were about the season or Santa Claus or the gifts or the tree. But what shocked me even further was how the church went to great lengths to mesh the secular with the spiritual. And those who professed to believe in and follow Jesus spent their money on Christmas with the same vigor as did the unbelievers. And as I became a fly on the wall I hardly heard anyone speak of Jesus. I heard believers speak of traveling, or speak of family times, or speak of crowds, or speak of traffic, or speak of the Christmas pageant, or speak of house lights, but I could not believe how little Jesus was mentioned. We were comfortable speaking about Christmas but not about Christ.
That was when I repented of my own blindness. I would never celebrate Christmas again, but I would embrace the Incarnation all through the year. Yes, I have grandchildren. Yes, I have three children. Two of my children still observe Christmas, and I give my daughter some money to get the kids something. So as you can see I am far from perfect. But I just cannot celebrate that which is now dead to me. I no longer need days and times. I no longer need holidays. I no longer need shadows. I no longer need seasons. I only need Christ, and I need all my energy and sacrifice seeking Him. Christ has nothing to do with Christmas. Perhaps this year the Spirit will gently tap you on the shoulder of your heart. And if He does it will not be easy.
But I am not alone. Let me share with you a quote from someone about whom you may have a greater consideration.
"We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not
believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first,
because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said
or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural
warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Savior; and,
consequently, its observance is a superstition, and not because of divine
authority." Who said that? Charles Hadden Spurgeon. But God will more than fill whatever space is left vacant because you no longer embrace the event men call Christmas. In some ways our hearts are mangers, and Paul says,
Gal.4: 19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
In some ways the day you believed on Jesus your heart became Bethlehem, and now the Spirit desires your heart to be Calvary. And one glorious day you will be raised in the full likenees of the Risen Christ! But it all began at Bethlehem.
I Cor.10: 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Phil.2: 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
I have fellowshipped with people from many different parts of Africa. I have been with Haitians and people from Central and South America. I have also met with people from China. The one thing I think they seem to have in common that makes them quite different than people who live in America is that they do not seem to complain, or at least on the same scale as do Americans. It is quite unique, especially considering some of them would have a lot to complain about. They seem genuinely thankful for small things.
But here in America complaining, or as the Scriptures say it “murmuring”, is almost an art form. Americans complain about almost anything. I remember a few years ago when one of the administrators of a “discernment” blog was ranting about the gay agenda and she made reference to the inconvenience she had suffered because she had to wait in a traffic jam because the gays were holding a parade. Can you imagine such a thing? Instead of sitting in her car and praying she was irritated because she had to wait, and then she used that inconvenience as another way in which gays adversely affect her western lifestyle.
In fact this same woman, a professing believer, was not treated well in some department store as she was checking out. So she called the manager and told her all about the seemingly bad attitude the checkout girl had. This believer threatened to take her business elsewhere if she had to put up with such treatment. You see, it’s the American way. Jesus would not have put up with bad treatment either.
But if you listen, and not very carefully, you will hear believers complain about a wide range if issues. Let’s face it, it has become a redundant element in our attitudes and speech, and so much so that we do it without any real though. It has become a natural expression from our heart. In Bible school one night I was fellowshipping with some friends in the dorm and we were getting a little loud. The student down the hall opened the door and yelled, “You cotton’ picken’ turkeys be quite - I’m trying to have devotion!!” I hope you can see the paradoxical nature of his statement along with his approach.
We complain about gas prices.
We complain about noise.
We complain about our cars.
We complain about grocery prices.
We complain about our health. We complain about our jobs.
We complain about liberals.
We complain about the government.
We complain about the heat.
We complain about the cold.
We complain about the rain. We complain about the lack of rain.
We complain about the President.
We complain about having to go to the store.
We complain about the poor.
We complain about taxes.
We complain about unbelievers.
We complain about restaurant service.
We complain about moral decline.
We complain about medicine.
We complain about teenagers.
We complain about our clothes.
We complain about our spouses.
We complain about congress.
We complain about our lives in general.
We complain about our teeth.
We complain about our backs.
We complain about having to wait.
We complain about the referees and umpires.
And on and on and on it goes. We live and participate in a culture of complaining. We expect to have certain things, and we expect to be treated in a certain way, and when they do not meet our expectations we complain about it. And when we practice complaining our hearts begin to change and our flesh begins to rule our minds. While we complain about entitlements and those who we believe think they are entitled, we ourselves exhibit the spirit of entitlement. We deserve better and when we get any less our lips rush to communicate our displeasure.
But just think about the greater picture, even in the natural. When I was young and we complained about having to eat certain foods, our mothers would say “Little boys and girls in China are starving”. Of course that meant as little to us then as it does to us as adults now. All truth is local and if it does not affect us directly then it does not move us. As an elderly woman who has been a believer for over 50 years said to me when asked about the inconceivable conditions in Darfur, “We don’t live there”. Although her statement is more stark and less buffered than most, it still exemplifies how most believers think and act. But think about it in the natural. How can we complain when there really are children who will die this day of starvation and dehydration? I mean what kind of self absorbed hypocrites are we when we complain while living in abundance while even brothers and sisters in Christ suffer greatly and even live with their lives in great danger? Is it not repulsive to you?
But it is habitual and addictive, and we have learned it from the heathen. We have learned it from a capitalist culture that has embraced a hedonistic lifestyle and demands a certain level of consideration and demonstrably reacts to almost any inconvenience. It is almost second nature to complain. I can remember when the drive-thru lanes at fast food places were first introduced. It was so wonderful when you didn’t even have to get out of your car in order to stuff yourself with all kinds of non-nutritious food! But here we are 40 years later and if you are sitting in your nice, air conditioned vehicle, listing to your amazing stereo, and the car in front of you takes too long to order or too long at the food window we get an anxiety attack. And heaven forbid if we get to the food window and we get the dreaded “Please pull up over there and we will bring your food to you.” That deserves a level of complaining that borders on going berserk!
We have bought into the system and now the system owns us. We can complain on the way to church and on the way home from church and even while we sit in church. Wow, we have become experts at complaining. Here we are claiming to have eternal life and yet we act like the Princess and the Pea. The littlest inconvenience elicits some form of complaint. In fact, many believers listen faithfully to all kinds of talk shows that are dedicated to complaining. Hour after hour and day after day they feed their listeners a steady diet of complaints about people and policies. And believers absorb such things and naturally live a life of complaining. And we call that following Jesus?
It is no unlike our Master. It is antithetical to the call of a disciple. It is so carnal and self centered. It is an open expression of fallenness and far from being an expression of Christ. Complaining presents a falsehood in the eyes of the lost. Here is a metaphor.
Suppose a man wins a billion dollar lottery. He gathers his family and they get into the car to drive to the capital of that state to claim their winnings. The excitement is palpable. But after a couple of hours he pulls into a gas station and while the car is being filled with gas he reaches into his pocket for the five dollar bill he knew he had. He wants to go inside and get a drink. But to his surprise his pocket is empty. Now he was sure he put five dollars in there, so he begins to look around to see if it dropped out.
The man becomes so agitated that he begins to exert great effort to search the inside of his car looking for that five dollars. He begins to accuse his family of taking it, and he screams at everyone to help him find it. He tells his oldest son to help him take out the car seats so he can look under them completely. It becomes a spectacle. He yells and complains about how people touch his things and do not respect his privacy. A woman exits the convenience store and asks the wife what her husband is doing. She explains to her about the five dollar bill. The woman cannot believe someone would act that way over a five dollar bill. The woman asks the wife,
“Where are you headed?”
“Oh, we won the billion dollar lottery and we are on our way to collect”.
Now I ask you, not only does that make the man’s actions even more bizarre, but will that woman even believe that they have won the lottery? Based upon the man’s actions the woman may conclude the whole family is unbalanced, but I doubt she will be convinced they are now billionaires. And when we claim to have been given eternal life with Christ and yet complain about things in this world, what do you think the unbelievers think? They surely are not convinced we even believe what we say. And they have every right to think that. Now all our complaining is an open practice of disobedience to Scripture and the life that projects the light of Jesus Christ. But, sadly, that no longer matters to the church.
I challenge you personally. See if you can go one month without complaining about anything or anyone. I suggest you begin with one day. Hint: If you do not praise God and worship Christ throughout the month, you will fail.
Phil.4: 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Additional communications to me may be e-mailed to spcrick@msn.com. Any negative e-mails will be deleted without response, however sincere questions will be answered. I seek edification and deeper knowledge of Christ and His truth not a destructive and meaningless religious chatter. May God's Spirit open all of our hearts to Him.
I am an ordained Baptist minister but more importantly I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was saved in 1975 watching Billy Graham on television after having lived a wicked and Christless life. I graduated with a three year degree from Trinity Bible College in Dunedin, Florida. I have three children, two grandsons, and one granddaughter. I not only see the obvious falling away of the present day church, but I humbly acknowledge that we all are in desperate need of a massive revival. I hope this blog ministers to you, and may Jesus Himself receive all the preeminence!
spcrick@msn.com
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