Shadows or Christ?

SHADOWS OR CHRIST?

Heb.10: 1 - For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things…

Those would keep the law are keeping a shadow. The Living Christ is now who we love and obey, not words of stone. That word shadow could be called a “foreshadow”. But let us first establish what is meant by the ”law”. It is commonly used to refer to the law of Moses given on My. Sinai. Condensed down many people use the Ten Commandments as a substitute for the entire law, but it still refers to some of the law given to Moses by God. The Scriptures sometimes use the phrase “the law of the Lord” to mean God’s Word in general, however we are dealing specifically with the law of Moses here.

A young boy is enlisted to call out “The King is coming!” Although he is a peasant and not well groomed he performs his duty faithfully. He stands in the middle of the town square and calls out continually “The King is coming!” And then finally an entourage appears with much pomp and circumstance and then behold…the King himself appears in regal robes. Look at the crowd. Their eyes are fixated upon the King. Do they glance at the king and at the young boy as well? No. Does the young boy continue to call out “The King is coming”? No. The young boy has fulfilled his duty and he is no longer needed.

Years ago there was a game called “Mouse Trap”. It consisted of many components which were designed to help direct a steel ball along a path that would eventually release a cage that would capture that mouse. Along the way there was a trap door. And when the steel ball landed upon that trap door it gave way and the ball fell down upon another feature that would help move the ball along to its final destiny. And at the end the mouse was captured.

But should we reset that trap door? No, the mouse has been captured and that trap door has fulfilled its purpose. It is no longer needed. And the strength of that trap door was that it accomplished its design by showing its weakness and giving way to the steel ball. Yes, its weakness was its designed strength.

Heb.7: ¹⁵ And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

¹⁶ Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
¹⁷ For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
¹⁸ For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
¹⁹ For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

The law has fulfilled its intended design and purpose. It guided God’s people by types and shadows and symbols into the knowledge of sin and also the knowledge of forgiveness through a blood offering. But when the substance arrives; when the final revelation comes upon the scene; when the complete offering is made; when the incarnate Word is born; when the King arrives, then the law is no longer needed for now we have a Father and a Brother and we are chastened through them and not a legal citation written in stone.

I obeyed my earthly father because I respected and loved him and not because of some penal code. And we obey the Lord Jesus because we love Him and not because of the law of Moses. This New Covenant has nothing to do with Mt. Sinai, but it has everything to do with Mt. Calvary. I am afraid there is so much material to cover than I will not be able to put it all in one post. It is amazing that after two thousand years of church history we are still attempting to incorporate the law with grace. The law is poison to grace. And Paul makes it clear that while we are not under any law it does not give us license to sin. But please, let us not besmirch the unspeakable gift of grace with some tortured amalgam of the law and grace.

But let us take a look more closely at the order of Melchisedec. The writer of Hebrews informs us that Jesus was not after the order of Aaron which would come under the law. He even calls that part of the law a “carnal commandment”. He suggests that the law of Moses appealed to the flesh but the New Covenant seeks the Spirit. You see, many people who parade the law have a problem with self righteousness. But let us unclothe the emperor here. No one can keep the law. No one. In the 15^th chapter of Acts even James must admit that. And when the apostles gathered in Jerusalem to discuss whether the Gentiles should obey the law Peter stood up and spoke.

Acts 15: 7- And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
⁸ And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
⁹ And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
¹⁰ Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Here it is. It is by grace we are saved, and it is by grace we are sanctified as well. We do not commit adultery because we love Jesus and walk in the Spirit but not because of the Ten Commandments. There are many more of the commandments of Jesus than just ten. And even if some of the New Testament moral teachings replicate those of the law of Moses they still are in the Spirit and not in tablets of stone. But why did the Spirit make it clear that Jesus was made a priest after the order of Melchesidec? Because the New Covenant ushered in a brand new way that was completely different than the Old Testament law. This New Covenant in which we live and move and have our being is not just some updated and improved version of the law. No, this is a better covenant with better promises and with God Himself as the Author, Finisher, and our High Priest.

Rom.8: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
⁵ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Carnally minded? What did the writer of Hebrews call the law? The carnal commandment. It has fulfilled its purpose and it is now to be “done away with”. The law was the ministry of death while grace is life. Go ahead and meditate on these verses for the next post.

Rom.7:  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

² For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
³ So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
⁴ Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
⁵ For when e were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
⁶ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

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The Prosperity Movement

THE SCRIPTURAL TENSION

which gave birth to the

PROSPERITY MOVEMENT

The Industrial Revolution gave rise to individual prosperity which was not known among the common people. It was quite a phenomenon whose effects are seen openly today especially among the industrialized communities. Even the relatively poor have cars and television and enjoy forms of entertainment. The television and billboards show all kinds of material things which create a thirst in the average person. And most of them are within his economic reach especially through leveraging debt. And so the far flung communities rose in their economic standing and began to prosper.

Most children can be financially better off than their parents and certainly their grandparents. Of course it is difficult to gain a full perspective because although this has happened within decades it still is assimilated slowly. Some of us can remember only having one television and one telephone and even one car. Those days seem like ancient history. This culture of getting more and more and striving for status and economic prosperity has swallowed whole the entire western civilization. Every election is now based largely upon who people think can provide a climate conducive to their prosperity. The moral issues are of little consequence anymore.

And embedded within these communities are evangelical churches of all stripes and sizes. And while the culture was being assimilated into a hedonist mindset, and while prosperity became the obvious goal, the believers began to experience some of the same prosperity as did their unbelieving neighbors. The water level was rising and all personal boats rose with it. And there came a point when believers would have to address the blatant inconsistencies with what Scripture taught and what they were experiencing as well as enjoying. Believers by the millions were adopting the cultural mindset and by definition they were leaving the teachings of the New Testament.

And so there grew a tension which had to be resolved. The two belief systems were incompatible at their face. But the western believers were not only reticent to give up their prosperity, but they were downright indignant. Much of the church refused to even see, much less address, such spiritual infidelity especially because little was being heard from the pulpit. And even if a preacher began to speak out against the culture of prosperity there was always scores of other churches within driving distance. And many faithful preachers became frustrated and acquiesced in order to keep the members they had and draw new ones. Even churches which spoke out against the peddlers of prosperity were significantly compromised in their own practices and lifestyles. Yes, they enjoyed their own prosperity while parading their orthodox credentials.

Now most evangelical churches who claim to be against the so called “prosperity message” practice a distinct form of the same even if they do not teach it. When a family experiences some financial prosperity it is almost universally deemed a blessing from God throughout all of evangelicalism. Persecution bad – prosperity good. Bigger church buildings good – outdated church buildings bad. And on and on it goes. Even the preachers were suddenly living large within the culture and enjoying the benefits of having a membership which was prospering and could afford to give them significant salary packages. The entire church structure became more and more like a business and its practices became a reflection of the fallen culture. But everyone was happy and content.

But since there was a tension between what the Scriptures teach and what believers began to espouse something must be done. Something had to change and, of course, it was the Scriptures which had to change to accommodate the flood of prosperity and hedonism. And so by way of a clever twisting of the Scriptures through well coifed men and women there arose a teaching which is generally referred to as the prosperity gospel or message. Using an amazing set of distortions this message began to appeal to millions. Through juxtaposing the Abrahamic Covenant upon the New Testament the diabolical message was applauded by the evangelical masses and allowed for open hedonism to run rampant within the church.

You see, even the prosperity panhandlers had to reinvent the Scriptures because they knew that if interpreted on their face it presents an unshakeable problem for that kind of message. In short the Scriptures teach the exact opposite. So little by little carnal men deconstructed the Scriptures and created a false amalgam that seemed to open the door for lust, greed, and the pursuit of material gain. And professing believers by the millions loved it.

And so the tension was relieved through a doctrinal sleight of hand and believers were free to submerge into the culture and enjoy all the earthly benefits of a life of hedonism and pleasure through all the culture taught and had to offer. And men like Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, and others became obscenely wealthy by not only teachings a message of divine prosperity, but by pounding home that the avenue to this prosperity was giving. And of course this giving was to go the “God’s prophets”. It seems like such an easy scheme to debunk, especially in the light of obvious Scriptural teachings. But the lusts of men are incredibly strong and when nourished by all kinds of promises that lust becomes a monster.

People would give to get God to save their loved ones and to secure new homes and cars and to bless all sorts of business ventures and many other things. This doctrinal golden goose continues to lay all kinds of eggs for false teachers. Under normal circumstances people would be wise to what is happening, but when you leave the Scriptures and follow your lusts then spiritual blindness sets in and you go deeper and deeper into deception.

But let us not kid ourselves. Even orthodox churches practice a form of prosperity even while denouncing the men I have mentioned. Do not assume that we ourselves are not tempted and at times led by our own lusts. And sometimes our doctrinal stand against the prosperity message becomes camouflage for our own spiritual compromises. Yes, the culture takes no time off and its allurement is strong and relentless.

Watch and pray with a broken and contrite heart.

Jesus and the Old Testament

RECONCILING THE OLD TESTAMENT

REVELATION OF GOD

and

THE REVELATION OF THE GOD JESUS

 

If you believe that the narratives contained in the Old Testament Scriptures are valid and at least generally accurate than you are faced with a problem. How do you reconcile the teachings and life of Jesus who was God in the flesh with those violent revelations of God in the Old Testament? It is common place for many today to create some sort of amalgam in which you can claim to follow Jesus and yet incorporate certain violent aspects of the Old Testament narratives. This is not only problematic but it takes license where there is none. And it is the essence of spiritual hubris to build your own God with a smorgasbord of Scriptures with which you pick and choose what you like without embracing the superior and foundational teachings of Jesus Himself.

If Jesus is not the complete and all encompassing revelation of God then He becomes just another lego block in your theology. The Old Testament continues to be used of the Spirit to reveal Christ without demanding answers to the question of divine violence. “You have heard it said…but I say” must provide for us a template and a prism through which we understand the fullness of God. But what about the violence depicted in the Old Testament? That is a mystery and I myself embrace Oscar Hammerstein’s statement,

“Who can explain it, who can tell you why?

Fools give you answers, wise men never try”.

But even without a complete explanation we still must bow to the final and complete revelation contained in the teachings and the Person of Jesus the Christ. I suggest that if there are not some mysteries associated with understanding God then that is not the authentic God. How could God do some of the things the Old Testament Scriptures record and then culminate with the profoundly nonviolent teachings of the God called Jesus? I do not know, but I do know what Jesus taught and lived. And I am bound to follow Jesus and to understand the very nature of God through that incarnate prism. Yes, I do not know some things, perhaps many things.

But when segments of the visible church make Jesus into something that goes against what He taught then we not only have a problem but we have another Jesus constructed for the satisfaction of man. Usually the “sometimes violent” Jesus has a connection to democracy, freedom, and the American way. The “just war” Jesus is a product of patriotism and not of His own teachings. And professing believers will reach back into the Old Testament and sculpt a Jesus which commits all kinds of violent acts usually associated with protecting a certain nation and most notably the one called America.

More recently in some men’s theology God will destroy towns and kill people with tornados and hurricanes in response to something associated with the gay thing. In their twisted sense of moral umbrage God seems to allow rampant adultery and divorce, abortions by the millions, and false teachers and heretics who deny Christ altogether. But when it comes to the gay issue God takes violent and murderous action. This is another distortion and is spiritual idiocy as well as being completely untethered to the New Testament. It makes God a moral marionette of man rather than actively pursuing the redemption of sinners both gay and straight. But the formula is the same. They construct a mixture of the different revelations of God which in effect compromises, dilutes, and even obscures the revelation of Jesus, which is not only the clearest, but is the perfect revelation of the Creator.

But this is no minor issue. This goes to the very heart of who Jesus is, who God is, and what Christianity is. And if we get this wrong we get it all wrong. If we mix the Old Testament narratives with the character of Jesus then we have grossly misunderstood His teachings and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. In fact, anyone with a fourth grade reading capacity can see that the teachings of Jesus seem incompatible with the violence depicted in the Old Testament. Why do they seem incompatible? Because they are. So we are left with no choice. We must follow Jesus and openly admit that the atrocities committed by God in the Old Testament are a mystery and may have served His purposes, however we are now living in a “better” covenant with “better” promises and with a “better” sacrifice.

Take heart, my fellow travelers in the Spirit. We are not called to unravel all the mysteries that belong to the Godhead. The kind of reconciliation which addresses the two distinct revelations of the same God are not given to us and are safely tucked away in God’s own mind. But we are to cling to Christ alone and His teachings. But nowhere in Scripture are we to strive to enjoin the two covenants and the two revelations in order to manipulate an excuse for violence and other bad behaviors. You cannot kill your enemy and love him at the same time. You cannot do good to him while bombing him as well. You see, it is not only incongruous, but it is spiritual insanity.

Even if we assumed that God still acted today with violence we can see just how indiscriminate His actions are. He allows all kinds of sin and debauchery and when He sends earthquakes and tornados He often kills many innocent lives. But can’t you see just how foolish such a scenario is? Just a reading of the gospels reveals a far different God than the one so many have constructed.

Heb.1: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

In the end the New Testament was not just an appendage to the Old Testament. It is the final revelation of who God is and what He has done and what He is like. We are not called to draw a straight line between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. We are called to worship Christ and follow His teachings. The rest may be one day known, but then again, we may never fully understand everything. And standing before the Risen Christ I doubt we will really care.

Crooks

CROOKS

 

Which crook said this:

“In this life all that counts...in the bank large amounts.”

 

A. Joel Osteen

B. Oral Roberts

C. Kenneth Copeland

D. Fagan from Oliver

 

Answer: They all said it and they are all crooks.

When the Culture Says "Treat!"

WHEN THE CULTURE SAYS

“TREAT!”

Rom.12: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

One of the most difficult but crucial aspects of being a devoted follower of Jesus is the challenge to wash away almost everything you have been told or taught by the culture in which you live. Even those things that are espoused by the culture that seem to be in agreement with Biblical truth are Trojan Horses designed to bring in falsehoods and even damnable heresies.

I have two dogs and I am one of those embarrassingly open dog lovers. And when I say “Treat!” both dogs come running and will consume anything I feed them. They have come to trust my voice and that word, and even though I have wrapped medicine inside lunch meat they still will eat whatever I hand them. If I fed them poison they would still eat it because they have learned to trust me and the word “treat”. They have nothing to fear because I would never do any harm to my pets.

But such a claim cannot be said for the fallen culture which surrounds us and openly and subtly demands and imprisons all its subjects. We have forgotten that the culture is fallen in thought, word, and deed. It is profoundly working against the purposes of Christ and His kingdom even if sometimes it seems as if it is in agreement with some issues. But when the church, which should have Jesus as the only Lord, begins to trust the culture in some ways it begins to slip into trusting it in all ways. And when the culture says “Treat!” the church comes for that which the culture offers. The problem is that even when the culture says “Do not lie” it still is part of a grand scheme to deceived the people and defraud the Savior. How does that operate?

First you must suggest some morals which seem Biblical, and then you begin to elicit some level of trust and even fondness from those who should know better. A child molester offers real candy while attempting to achieve his sinister motives. In chess it is called a “gambit” as you allow a piece to be captured so you can leverage a better position which can ultimately provide a path to victory. And so it is with that fallen culture which provides a clandestine forum for the evil one to achieve his sinister goals. The devil has had centuries to hone his deceptive skills and he knows how to manipulate the human race. He does use open evil but his forte is using a mixture of good and evil while emphasizing the good and hiding the evil.

And although the culture does not use the word “treat” it does have words and phrases that accomplish the same things. These are some of those words:

Democracy

Founding fathers

The Constitution

Conservative

Freedom

Patriotism

Judeo-Christian ethic

And when believers embrace these treats they embrace evil that seeks to undermine the Word of God and the kingdom of Jesus. Once you receive from the hand of the fallen you cannot just receive that which seems to please God. No, you receive everything connected with the kingdom of darkness. You may not see it or understand it, but this process has emasculated the church and has formed a powerless collection of religious hedonists. And all this has come about even while the church believes it is standing for truth. That kind of deception is very sophisticated.

When the church pays attention to the ebbs and flows of the culture and does battle with carnal weapons it compromises on a grand scale. Eventually what you have is an amalgam of religion and culture and that cannot be considered the faith that follows Jesus. To be sure the culture will give treats with moral positions and fairy tales about the Christian formation of America. And inside those narratives lives a clandestine power which continues to lead the visible church deeper and deeper into the abyss of apostasy. And yet it feels so good to be morally righteous and faithfully patriotic and enjoying the fruits of a decadent culture which thrives on money and self pleasure. And here is the church calling that which is completely against the teachings of Jesus the “blessings of God”. And how can this happen?

It happens by the transitive process. If you receive a genuine piece of truth from the fallen culture it gains some level of trust in your mind. Would you buy a book from Charles Manson even if everything he wrote was moral? Why not? Is it because his fallen nature is more open and pronounced than is that of the culture? And even if much of the culture is openly against Christ morally, you still can soothe your conscience by suggesting we can return to the former days when we embraced the “Judeo-Christian ethic”. There is no such thing. It is a man made concept which joins the morals of the Old Testament with the morals of Jesus. And even assuming that for a moment it is obvious this nation or any other has never been moral at all. It is all an imaginary tale.

The process of deception moves from unwise to compromise all the way to out and out idolatry. And the ingenuous evil is that that same church incorporates the dictates and mores of the culture right into its beliefs and practices and with the deftness of a magician it crafts a divine relationship with the church and the culture. And yet it remains a diabolical illusion. And the illusion becomes reality in the minds and hearts of professing believers. The congregation now lives and breathes and participates in a fallen culture with no struggle to resist, much less to undergo a constant transformation of the mind.

And when the conservative wing of the fallen culture is pro-life or pro-traditional marriage and yells “Treat!” the church comes and embraces that brief and hollow morsel. And so grows the relationship that legitimatizes the fallen and poisons the Bride. It is oh so tragic. The deception has such deep roots that even suggesting a comprehensive spiritual reevaluation many times places you as a radical and a trouble maker. The ecclesiastical princess is quite comfortable and vehemently resists any entrance of the slightest pea under her pleasure stuffed mattress.  

But make no mistake, the culture is an enemy of Christ. Liberal, conservative, and all the rest is a scam and appeals to the fleshly desires of men. Capitalism and war and democracy and the entire landscape have no place inside the kingdom of Christ our Lord. Is it that cut and dry, you ask. What fellowship has light with darkness? Can a room be light and dark at the same time? But that is exactly what the western church is attempting to suggest. We have lost the concept of how completely fallen is this present world. Can a rotting corpse be good for food? Can arsenic be used to prepare a healthy meal?

Is this the way of Jesus? Let a follower of Christ have one vote and let a Satan worshiper have one vote. Is that God’s way? That is democracy at its core. Win by organizing, money, propaganda, and joining forces with whoever is on your temporal side. The whole world lies in the wicked one. Can the Lord Christ and Satan join hands? If that is the way of Jesus then the gospels are a lie. But it gets the competitive juices flowing and it makes us feel so moral. Humility? Meekness? Those are for wimps. Hatred is now boldness. Pride is now patriotic. Having way more than you need is now showers of blessings. The church now grows through strategies. And professing believers are willing to die for the flag but not willing to deny themselves for Christ.

But perk up your ears and listen closely. The world will still call out “Treat!” almost every single day. If Jesus wants you to feed from that fallen hand then go ahead. But I suggest that is not Jesus at all.

I Jn.2: ¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The Servant Conduit has become the Served Master

THE SERVANT CONDUIT

has become

THE SERVED MASTER

In God’s redemptive plan He uses people to spread His gospel and eternal Word. And inside that plan He would call men to be shepherds to His flock. The Spirit would call a man, equip him, and ordain him to be the conduit through which God would minister and feed His people. We call them pastors or preachers and they were to be used of God to minister God’s Holy Word and to draw people to a closer relationship to Christ Jesus.

There were many challenges to men like that. They would have to immerse themselves in God’s Word and in prayer, they would have to draw very close to Christ themselves, they would have to give their lives for the sheep, and they would have to be extremely careful about being idolized themselves by people. God will not share His glory with another and these men were to be conduits of His light and not generate their own carnal light.

If these preachers and shepherds walked in the power of the Spirit they would have to walk in unusual and profound humility as well. They would have to deny themselves and lift up Jesus. And when the Industrial Revolution came they would be put to a very difficult test. Would preachers allow themselves and their name to become a “brand” and be used as advertisement in  order to generate book sales, conference attendance, church membership, and greater and greater recognition throughout the culture? In essence would these men allow the hedonistic culture to use them in the same way it uses rock stars, Hollywood actors, television people, sports figures, and politicians?

And now in so many cases these men, and now women, not only allow themselves to be marketed like some new cereal, but they even embrace the promotion and work with the advertisement campaigns. Yes, they love the applause of men. Those who were to be servants are now served. Those who were to be conduits are now masters. Those who were to spread His message now spread their own and at a sizeable cost to others and at a sizeable gain to themselves. It is a monstrous exhibition that betrays the very fabric of God’s Word as well as completely misrepresents the Christ Himself. The present ecclesiastical construct exists within the power of the culture and it bears carnal fruit.

Gone is self denial. Gone is personal sacrifice. Gone is being clothed with humility. Gone is any vestige of the teachings of Jesus. Gone and rejected are the words of the Baptist who said, “He must increase but I must decrease”. It is impossible to completely reveal the spiritual treachery that now exists and is practiced in the ecclesiastical construct in the west. It has no relationship to Jesus or His teachings. And those who have certain titles not only perpetuate this fraud, but they continue to expand and build upon it. And year by year the entire spectacle grew into a more repulsive monster until what is generally referred to as the church is little more than a collection of people who are comfortable and contented and who receive the self affirmation they desire every Sunday.

And in the midst of it all are the preachers. Now most of the local preachers have no notoriety outside their parochial ministry, but many if not most follow and adhere to some well known preachers. Yes, they are a part of the hedonistic and capitalistic culture which has placed a stranglehold upon the church. Set up a national conference, advertise with some famous preacher’s names and some famous music people, and make it sound like you will not want to miss it, and you will have the desired results. And the result will be a great attendance, much excitement, thousands of dollars spent on all kinds of things, and all the speakers and singers being well recompensed. It resembles a rock concert.

We now have quite a number of famous preachers and their famous subordinates and many of them have established their own brand complete with logos and mantras. And this phenomenon is not limited to the liberal wing of evangelicalism. The orthodox crowd has their heroes as well and many of them are literal millionaires. And the unspoken and spoken suggestion is that they speak and teach things that you need and can only get through them. And with all the books and CDs and conferences and speaking engagements and radio and television you would think that the spiritual condition of people might be soaring, right? You would be wrong.

In fact you can take a faithful and committed member from an orthodox church, and take one from a Roman Catholic church, and take one from a Pentecostal church, and take one from a non-denominational church, and take one from Rick Warren’s church or Joel Osteen’s church or many others, and you may be surprised to find that the overwhelming distinguishing factor is what they say they believe. Their lives and how they live them are almost without any dramatic difference. They borrow money. They drive cars with many accoutrements. They enjoy certain forms of entertainment. They have compartmentalized prayer times. They support their preferred political figures. They pledge allegiance to America.

Now either there is something wrong with that or there isn’t. How can a group of people strongly condemn others whose teachings and practices are unbiblical, but when their lives are compared they are really not that much different if at all? Can the faith be so heavily weighted toward what we say we believe until what we do and live is optional? Can we live a western, capitalist, and hedonistic lifestyle and yet use our doctrinal statements to insulate us from having to answer to the New Testament for how we live? We have the structure we want and we have the personality we want and we have the affirmation we want and we have the teachings we want and we have the Jesus we want and with all that we do not want to rock the boat since it seems to be floating downstream just fine.

The entire American public is consumed with a celebrity preoccupation. The newspapers have a gossip and entertainment section. The television has entertainment and gossip programs. People follow the latest scandal of some Hollywood or sports figure, and when a baby is born to so called British royalty people are mesmerized. And much of the church is just as interested. The entire spectacle is a spiritual scandal in and of itself. But that is the evangelical world in which we now live. Special speakers, special music, special teachers, special conferences, special activities, but all this with a surprisingly little amount of special surrender to Christ.

And on and on it continues as the western version of “Christianity” continues to spiral into a full blown exhibition of capitalist hedonism. And conducting this carnal orchestra are those who are supposed to be the leaders by teaching and exemplifying the Lord Jesus. It’s a three ring circus but it attracts millions to its show.

Really don’t mind if you sit this one out

My words are but a whisper your deafness a shout…

Christianity is Jesus

CHRISTIANITY IS JESUS

I do not pretend to be the protector of the Holy Grail. In fact, I do not pretend to be anything. But to summarize what has been a great and thought provoking series about “What is Christianity” I believe it can and should be defined by one word. That word is “Jesus”. Yes, Christianity is Jesus. The true and living and Risen Jesus. I realize that many people and denominations have made their own Jesus by giving Him traits which He does not have or removing some that He surely does. And true to form man has constructed a religion from what should be a pursuit to follow and love Jesus.

I am not attempting to be coy or nebulous. But if Christianity is not Jesus in every facet then it is not Christianity. I have used the word “system” and it is surely not a system. It is a deep and profound relationship between a Redeemer and His redeemed; between a Master and His servants; between a God and His children; between a Lord and His subjects. And although I use some metaphors and similes this relationship goes much deeper than human words can adequately describe. Anyone who has been redeemed and come to know and experience the life giving glory of the Redeemer is often hard pressed to express in words the essence of this amazing relationship.

Have you ever wept during a time of worship or even while listening to an inspiring testimony from another believer? And have others wondered why you are crying or overwhelmed by emotion? And if that other person does not know Jesus what can you actually communicate to him that can allow him to enter into the sacred presence only the redeemed can know? You see, the word “Christianity” seems to strip what we have in Jesus of its rightful glory just because it has been created to define a religious sect. What we have in Jesus is a living, breathing, and powerful mystery which continues to unravel itself within our hearts and lives. Even the Apostle Paul who saw the glory of the Risen Christ said “That I may know Him…”. Doctrine may be helpful but unless it aids us in knowing Jesus than it is no better than some Biblical Dewey Decimal system.  

Men love their doctrines. They love their local churches. They love their denominations. But those only dilute their love for Jesus. Jesus must have all the preeminence in everything. Think about that. If we knew who Jesus is in all His fullness and if we gave Him the preeminence in every area of our lives would not the world begin to see Him and not us? That would bring such glory to our Blessed Redeemer! But somewhere along the line the church has become distracted and even derailed. Instead of being known for Jesus we are known for our moral convictions or our denomination or our pastor or our doctrinal persuasions or our buildings or a host of other things. If we are not known for Jesus than we are frauds.

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.

Oh the treasure that can be found in that one statement! We are not living our lives for Him; we are living His life for Him! That is not a play on words but that is the difference between being a follower of Jesus and being a part of Christianity. There is a world, and I do mean a world, of difference between the two. We must reckon ourselves dead and we as new creations are alive in Him. That is Christianity according to the New Testament. Everything else is little more than some religious system which uses the name of Jesus without the power of Jesus. And without His power that is no Jesus at all.

Rev.2: ⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

There it is. Unless we have a soul searching return to Jesus with an abundance of repentance than we will continue to be a part of the broader landscape called Christianity but we will be walking a path of our own and not His. Jesus must be our life not just our orthodoxy.

What is Christianity?

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

 

Is Christianity a being system or a belief system? Or are those two descriptions locked in a symbiotic relationship? Or better still are they Siamese twins? Or are they the very same in God’s eyes?

What is Christianity?

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

Is Christianity a set of doctrinal beliefs? Is it a lifestyle based upon a set of truths? Is it the path to heaven? Or is it a path which begins on earth and ultimately leads to heaven? Granted, the word “Christianity” is a label used for all kinds of religious expressions which include Jesus. It is a colloquialism. But I use it in this setting to refer to the genuine faith of the Scriptures. What really is the Christian faith?

Matt.16: ²⁴ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The modern church does not preach an eternal message anymore. Millions sit in padded pews with their eternal souls at risk and they leave feeling good about themselves and what they have heard. But Jesus warned us about neglecting our eternal souls. In fact He told us that gaining the entire world but losing our souls is no fair trade. This is no melodrama. This is no hyperbole.

We walk in the temporal. We think in the temporal. We find contentment in the temporal. We dream in the temporal. We strive in the temporal. We see in the temporal. We feel in the temporal. We live in the temporal. We understand in the temporal. And yet eternity will one day swallow up all that is temporal and all that is left will be eternal. And where will that leave you?

Pause for just a moment and think about eternity. There is nothing so serious. There is nothing of greater importance. It is impossible to fully comprehend even the concept of eternity. But what if you died and awoke in eternity and found you had lost everything? It wasn't that you had lost some things, but you had lost everything including your eternal soul. It is that which summoned Jesus to earth. It was your and my eternal souls which led Him to the cross.

But hey, let’s keep up the party here while the whole world slowly suffers and dies. That is why Jesus had us born here anyway. But is it not evident that the church has lost all sense of eternity? Almost without exception everything the western church does is centered upon this life and everything temporal. But is the faith called Christianity an eternal faith which lives out that eternity within the temporal, or is it just concerned with the temporal or just with the eternal? What is the relationship between the eternal and the temporal as it pertains to the faith in doctrine and practice?

Are not these the questions that should consume the church? Why are not these the real question that should be our journey and which should define us? And yet the overwhelming majority of local churches, denominations, and believers in general are comfortable in whatever mode they are now in as they live out their faith and beliefs. Once a doctrinal flag has been planted it seems as if the church considers its journey all but done. No more mystery, no more painful evaluations, no more repentance, no more brokenness. Is that all there is?

We cannot have an honest or accurate pursuit of authentic Christianity without an absolute reference point. Without that all opinions become the North Star and most of them are different. So the Scriptures must always be the guiding and illuminating light of truth. That includes the gospels, the epistles, and the narratives, as well as the template of the life of Jesus. And to take all of that and to condense it down to a small page on a church brochure or bulletin is at best disingenuous and at most deceiving. I realize that there are core doctrinal truths which are the foundation for our belief system, however when we make them a condensed version of our faith, and when they seem to exclude scores of other important truths, it makes all statements of faith very incomplete and misleading. It just may be that no written statement of faith can adequately represent the faith called Christianity. Yes, the greatest incandescent commentary of the Christian faith is a living, breathing follower of Jesus whose statement of faith is not confined to ink and paper, but allows deeds to manifest Jesus and His teachings. In reality His statement of faith is the entire Bible and His life is an unmistakable treatise on apologetics.

But the lines seem to have been drawn. While some venues of Christianity are unconcerned with doctrine, others have theirs as a standard bearer. And therein lies the enigma. Just what is Christianity and how is it recognized and lived out? If a person has a Biblically orthodox doctrine but is a haughty and mean kind of person is that Christianity? Or if a person is generous and warm but has a seriously flawed doctrine does that still pass as Christianity? Is Christianity something to be studied or is it something to live? With all the different religious streams and all the denominations which is the genuine Christian path?

Think about this. Most if not all the denominations find their distinctiveness in some facet of their doctrinal beliefs. Whether it is mode of baptism or gifts of the Spirit or eschatology or election or something else, they all have formed their own ecclesiastical group because of something they say they believe differently than do many others. Which denomination was formed because they loved more deeply or expressed humility more openly than do others? Which group formed because of some outward expression of Christ’s teachings? I think the closest would be the Salvation Army but even they have allowed serious compromise to creep in over the years.

Now with all those doctrinal issues we probably could decide which one was more of the Spirit simply by watching and examining the lives of those who were in each group. I mean if one particular denomination or group actually espoused the correct doctrine then it would have to reveal itself without question in the lives of its people. Their lives would be so much brighter and so much saltier and manifest so much of Jesus that it would be easy to see, right? But, sadly, that is not the case. There really is no one group that stands out with that kind of undeniable distinction.

That means that regardless of what you say you believe and what kind of impressive statement of faith you have does not represent Christianity if it is the exclusive core of your definition of the faith. Remember Christianity is not a science test or a test on Biblical vocabulary. Christianity is not just a questionnaire. And Christianity is also not just a set of humanitarian works. And this is the foundation of my post. The post Industrial Revolution church has never had a real and probing and even uncomfortable discussion, much less a pursuit, about finding and embracing the essence of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

A very subtle but diabolical event has taken place. The church has been so comfortable with labels and monikers that slowly those labels have come to define us rather than our lives. And when that happens, the faith outlined in Scripture gives way to the prevailing ecclesiastical winds dictated by denominations, traditions, and the fallen culture in which churches and believers live. In short the church becomes shaped by things other than Scripture even though many of them claim that Scripture is their foundation. And the “Do” parts of Scripture like love, mercy, humility, benevolence, self denial and others are significantly outflanked by the “Believe” parts of Scripture like the Trinity, the virgin birth, heaven and hell, justification by faith and others. So your doctrine buys you a membership card and how you live out the teachings of Jesus are optional and those classes can be audited. It’s like being a member of the swim team and yet you don’t have to swim just be able to explain how.

But just what is authentic Christianity according to God’s Word?

What is Christianity?

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

(This will be the first in a series)

Is Christianity a set of doctrinal beliefs? Is it a lifestyle based upon a set of truths? Is it the path to heaven? Or is it a path which begins on earth and ultimately leads to heaven? Granted, the word “Christianity” is a label used for all kinds of religious expressions which include Jesus. It is a colloquialism. But I use it in this setting to refer to the genuine faith of the Scriptures. What really is the Christian faith?

Matt.16: ²⁴ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Lies

LIES

Lies are so much easier to believe. They are alluring and appeal to our desires and lusts. But they are still lies. They cannot be anything else.

 

Rick Frueh

A.D. 2013

Glory and Treasure

GLORY AND TREASURE

Rom.8:18 - ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Col.1: ²⁶ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Here are some limited insights into what the word glory actually means and how it is used in the Scriptures:

splendor, brightness of the moon, sun, stars

magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace

majesty, a thing belonging to God

the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity

a thing belonging to Christ

the kingly majesty of the Messiah

the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty

of the angels

as apparent in their exterior brightness

a most glorious condition, most exalted state

of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth

the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Savior's return from heaven

When I used the word “limited” I meant it. As you can see the word glory is used to accentuate something great and powerful and beautiful. It is used for the stars and for the mountains and even for the wonder of life itself. But when the word is attached in any way to God it takes on an entire new depth and scope. And from our vantage point and understanding it has a very special meaning when it is applied to Christ Jesus. Who really can know it in all its fullness?

To understand or comprehend the absolute glory of the Risen Christ is only afforded to us in part in this present life. However even that part is breathtaking and life altering. We can throw around the words majesty and brightness and excellency and exalted and still we come up way short in our attempt to reveal or visualize the glory of Jesus. The glory of God exists in a reality completely detached from our own time and space. And even though God can and does visit us with glimpses through the illumination of the Spirit, we still remain ever the paupers when it comes to fully apprehending the glory of the Lamb of God.

The Book of the Revelation supplies us with some future imagery but human words are cloudy conduits when it comes to heavenly things. And when it pertains to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah those words really only whet our spiritual appetites. They can do no more. In fact, what actually captures our spirits and changes our lives is the surpassing knowledge of Christ accompanying with the knowledge we have only a small revelation of that glory. Think about it. We have been moved to tears and brokenness just because of our profoundly limited understanding of the glory of the Redeemer. And none of us have as yet laid eyes and minds upon the Risen Christ in all His glory and splendor. It is like taking a 200 piece concert orchestra and only letting one violin play and still be overwhelmed by its symphonic majesty and even recognizing that the other 199 pieces have yet to play. This is the power of God’s eternal glory even when given and understood in a very small way. Beyond words…completely beyond words.

But if we are to attempt to fully understand the length and breadth of Christ’s redemption we must proceed further. You see, this glory has been hidden in every true believer. This glory is embedded in the Person of Christ Himself and He now lives and resides within His people. How can we explain such a thing? I realize we have our precious doctrines which so often are used to quench any further pursuit and to prove our Scriptural orthodoxy, but if we choose to be satisfied with that we lose any chance at finding the eternal treasure this side of heaven. The clearer and deeper we see the Person of Jesus the more we allow the rays of His glory to enter into our souls. This is no spiritual game. In fact, this should be the lifelong pursuit of every true disciple of Jesus.

But the Apostle Paul tells us through the Spirit that this glory, this Christ, will one day be revealed in every true follower of Jesus Christ. Can you even pretend to imagine such a thing? I mean we have never deserved heaven, but now not only are we ushered into the dwelling place of Christ but He Himself will be revealed in us. How can I even know that? How can I understand that? What words or doctrines can really bring that into a reality in my being? It would have been glorious if Christ had redeemed us but kept His distance so as not to identify with us too closely. I could completely understand that. But to redeem us and then to come and live within us is far beyond my ability to understand and make any earthly sense of so great a salvation.

Oh the majesty of such a reality! Oh the eternal splendor of such a redemption! Oh what a Savior indeed!  That God would allow us to walk with His glory cannot be known. The Scriptures reveal that God is a spirit. Alright then, tell me just what is a spirit? Go ahead and mumble some ethereal words that make us look intelligent but all you have done is show yourself a fool. In these temporal bodies with our compromised minds all we have is what has been given to us through Scripture. And since God is a spirit we humans have no way yet to understand even the eternal DNA ( if you will) of the eternal being we call “God” which is the Anglo-Saxon word for “good”. Do you see? Even the word “God” is human.

So if we cannot even define a spirit, and if we use our own human words for Jehovah, then how are we supposed to comprehend the glory of His Being? We do not even have a comprehensive understanding of the word “glory” to say nothing of the glory which radiates from His eternal Being. But that should just spur us on to pursue and uncover and enter into the treasures contained in His Eternal Person. Meditate upon this: God is not a man and yet He came in the likeness of a man. And even that has provided for us some sphere of reference which accommodates our understandings but must still be seen as wholly insufficient.

So here we are consumed with ourselves and with an ecclesiastical construct which ministers to us and not our Lord and with that we are content and satisfied. Who really pursues Him anymore in this fast paced culture with all its daily worries and cares and the constraints of time largely absorbed into our temporal pursuits? Who has taken two months and fasted and prayed and for two short months has eschewed television or entertainment or going out to eat and immersed himself in prayer and the Word in every spare moment? Just two months? And yet we expect to understand the glory of our Risen Redeemer? Or worse yet we do not really care if we see His glory or not because we await heaven. Who then are we really following?

The Industrial Revolution brought about colossal changes in our culture. And with great leaps and bounds our time has been swallowed up in earthly pursuits and caring for the material things we already have or we desire to have. Any lengthy and deep times in prayer and fastings are now relegated to church history books and stories of revivals in days gone by. And oh what we have missed by being part of the cultural pursuits and not part of the pursuit that seeks Him with our whole hearts. The church has fed us its doctrines and has ensnared us with its activities and visions of growth and buildings and in so doing it has robbed the body of the eternal treasures hidden but available in Christ.

Col.2: ² That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

³ In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

II Cor.4: ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

And there it is! The treasures of Christ which is Christ Jesus Himself dwells within us! Have we been digging to uncover this mystery and to let is shine forth to those who know not our Blessed Redeemer? Have we been thirsty for the water of this unfathomable glory within us? Do we actually believe in eternal life anymore or is it just another doctrine of the church? How can a person claim to believe in eternal life and yet spend so little time with Christ and so much time with the temporal? And the generation that will come after us will surely use our example to spiral further downward into the abyss of this fallen world.

The glorious treasure of Christ Jesus which is deep without a bottom has given way to the pursuit of earthly success and delicacies. The church house is dark throughout the week and the homes burn with the fire of television. The professing people of God no longer hunger and thirst after the righteousness that can only be found in Christ Jesus our Lord. In fact we have taken a few moral issues, stripped them from Christ, and made them our god.

 

But like someone who has inherited millions but instead of claiming his inheritance he is searching for pennies in the crevices of his couch, so are we as we run after that which cannot satisfy or be sustained at the expense of eternal treasure. What a sad and humiliating spectacle! The church now seeks everything but Jesus and now feasts at the table of God's enemies. The name of Jesus is now used to comport our Christianity but the disciplines of spiritual pursuit cannot be found. Ten minutes in a devotional book makes us feel better and with that we go about our more important business.

But there is hope! There is that Blessed Hope! We need not depend upon a church. We surely must not depend upon any country. We have this treasure in our earthly vessel and the Spirit beckons us to Come and dine!” Can you hear His call and His invitation? Let us awaken to the Spirit and cast off the bondwoman of this present culture and be set free. Perhaps the Lord Jesus will come tomorrow, but we still have today to seek and pursue and love Him with all of our hearts. I do not present some form of legalism which sets a timer to our prayers and devotions. But what I do present is a broken and contrite heart which cannot be made whole without a daily encounter with the Living and Reigning Christ. Let His glory shine in and through us, and let us take after Him as a chick takes after its mother.

The glory of God…the treasure of God…all of it awaits those who truly deny self and seek Him with their whole hearts. You will have to sacrifice some earthly success or recognition, however that which you will apprehend will surpass anything this world could ever hope to offer. In fact all the sufferings or the blessings of this present world cannot compare with the glory and treasure that can only be found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Selah.