The Deceived - Part II

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

I may not be deceived about salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ, but if there is self righteousness in me about that then I am deceived as well. Deception is a spirit and is not confined to roam among the Rob Bell’s and Brian McLaren’s of the religious world. It wanders with ambition and design. It seeks victims. And deception does not introduce itself before entering, in fact, it fabricates its identity and plays the friend. If this spirit cannot leverage an outright denial of Christ and His gospel, it aids in constructing a denial of the same with compromise and ingenious doctrinal manipulation that seems to be compassionate and even Biblically profound, but in reality strays away from that same gospel. That can and does end up in heresy and eventually apostasy.
But there are those of us who have not only not strayed from the simple gospel of Jesus Christ, but we have seen and identified the teachings of some who have become false teachers. This is necessary, of course, but do not believe that we are free from deception simply because we see deception’s stronghold in others. And just because we are not deceived about the gospel does not mean we are immune to deception in a host of other areas including, and most significantly, thinking and living as Jesus Christ. And within the “orthodox” community there is an unspoken understanding that assumes that if you believe the true gospel then you are not deceived or at least your deception is commonplace and not noteworthy and serious. This is a grievous error in thinking and in practice, and it is a hindrance to the gospel we believe and a blemish on the Person and character of Jesus Christ.
And many times the orthodox community, especially those who become obsessed, if not enchanted, with searching out and exposing error, have no stomach and little energy to search for error in their own lives. They consider their own “shortcomings” as par for the course and they merrily dispense with them through routine “repentance” and redundant acknowledgment before God. And that is one of the residual dangers of seeking out the deception in others and having that become your dominant purpose and your constant drone. Your sin does not look so horrid when you spend your time reviewing, investigating, and uncovering the sin of Charles Manson. The same is true when we are preoccupied with the doctrinal error of others and become blind, or at least ambivalent and contented with your own sin. And the passion that you have to find the sin and error in others seems very measured and lethargic when it comes to your own sin and areas of deception.
Many times this scenario emerges because the orthodox community has compartmentalized error, become complacent about their own life’s revelation of Christ, and believes it knows much more than it actually does. It is a heart problem that that has become a willing host to a parasite that feeds on self righteousness but gives off a fragrance of doctrinal soundness. Make no mistake, it is entirely possible, and demonstrated regularly, to be fully orthodox on systematic theology and fully unrecognizable as a believer. Now there is a paradox, brethren. And it is that paradox that confounds the sinner and even pushes some saints to seek men like Bell and McLaren since they have become disenchanted with mainstream evangelicalism and the toxicity displayed by many in the orthodox community. Some false teachers and heretics exhibit remarkable humility and charm which is used by the spirit of deception to lure the unsuspecting and the disillusioned.
But to pitch your spiritual tent within the self satisfying campgrounds of the errors of others is spiritual death. And to be clear: We in the western orthodox community are deeply deceived in many, many areas and in fact have changed the template of what it means to live for Christ so drastically that we are a significant stumbling block to the gospel itself, and like the Pharisees we block the door to the kingdom with our unremarkable and self absorbed lifestyles. But we remain contented with that situation because we hold up the scalps of false teachers and heretics as our trophies, and we are galvanized by who we are against rather than taking a deep and uncomfortable look into how far we ourselves are from a living representation of Jesus Christ that should be far more glorious than receiving an “A” on our doctrinal thesis or the “Discerner of the Year“ award. In short, we are deceived.
I truly believe that if the church took one entire year and sought the face of God and beseeched the Spirit to filet our hearts and illuminate our souls we just might see a spiritual landscape that lies substantially desolate. If for a while we turned our attention and energies into investigating our own sin and shortcomings, and our own spiritual straw men we use to supposedly represent Christlikeness, we might see a revival. Did it ever occur to us that one main reason that heresy and false teachers have sprung up so aggressively is that we have lost our saltiness and vigor, and that we have strayed from Biblical Christianity while clinging to doctrinal orthodoxy?
Deception is a wild ride and overcoming it requires much prayer, both personal and corporate. And with the situation as it stands, why are the church houses dark during the week? Why do the orthodox folk file in on Sundays with their well worn Bibles and versed in what they should believe and yet with dry eyes and cold hearts? And most believers spend more time washing their bodies on Sunday morning then they do washing their souls. Do believers rise early at least on Sunday mornings in order to spend an hour in intimate prayer and heart preparation before they go to a corporate worship service? Have they fasted some time during the month? Have they gone out of their way to witness to a lost person? Have they prayed for an hour the past week for missionaries? Have they wept with compassion over the plight of the poor and the lost? And yet these are the people who claim they are not deceived.
Is being unloving considered heresy? Is being self righteous a form of heresy? Is prayerlessness heresy? Is caustic and personal attack language considered heresy? Is hedonism heresy? Oh my brethren, let us draw back and examine ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith. And after, by God’s grace we have found an assurance in our hearts about belonging to Christ, let us examine ourselves to see whether we are living the faith.

Whatever is unlike Christ is heresy and reveals a definite deception in all of us.

Being Christ

If you are willing to communicate the gospel by words to an illegal Mexican, but you refuse to feed, clothe, and help him because he is illegal, then you, my friend, are living as an American and not a Believer. There are many more Christians whose lifestyles are American rather than Christian. It will cost you little to minister to those who need help. You will be accused of being liberal; you will be accused of breaking the law; you will be accused of being unpatriotic; you will be accused of sinning against God; you will be accused of sedition; and you will be accused of disobeying the Scriptures.
In the end though those accusations should mean nothing to us. Christ Himself was accused of these things and it cost Him His life. Perhaps, if we lived as did He, it would cost us ours as well.

The Deceived

And if the deceived are being discerned by the deceived then they both have fallen into a ditch.

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2010

War

Almost all wars have at their core a “national interest”. Rarely, if ever, will a nation go to war against their own national interest. The war believers are called to is very different. It is a war against the rulers of darkness, and this war is fought in the Spirit and not with carnal weapons. Paul shows us our armor which is Christ Himself and His gifts and callings. Our sword is God's Word. Our war is in the interest of Christ and His gospel. Let us fight the good fight.

The World and the Church

The further the world spirals downward into darkness and godlessness the brighter and more remarkable the church should appear. Picture a large ship sailing across the horizon from the left to the right. The people aboard this ship are having a large and loud party including much violence and immorality. This is the world. There is a rope stretched from the boat’s aft (rear) and attached to a small dingy with a few people. This represents the church and the distance from the world that the church maintains. As the large ship continues going further toward hell and wickedness, the church follows while maintaining basically the same distance.

But as both vessels travel from left to right on the horizon, the dingy continues to occupy the same place in the world that the larger ship occupied just a few days before. And even though the church claims to be detached from the larger vessel they are following close in its wake and living in the world's historical path. So basically the church is the world as it was yesterday.

Even more tragic is that many who are partying on the large vessel claim to be passengers in the dingy. And those who are gathered in the aft (rear) part of the dingy so they can be farther away from the world feel self righteous about their seperation from both the world and the others on the dingy.

God is calling out humble seafarers who are humble and broken vessels of the Most High God and whose sails are filled only with Christ and the power of His grace. It is not that we are in the dingy that is our glory. It is that we are in Christ and that by grace alone.

Our Only Hope

Once we were without God and without hope. God is the exclusive source of eternal hope and without Him all is vanity and hopelessness. Men commit suicide when they believe they have no hope. And the world places their hearts on all kinds of false hopes that lend some temporary satisfaction, pleasure, and purpose. I was once like that. You were once like that. But when we came to know and believe in Jesus we found authentic and everlasting hope. Only another believer can truly comprehend the experience called hope that comes with being born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter 5 that our hope makes our love for God expansive in our hearts and provides for us a boldness that is generated by this hope. Christ in us, the hope of glory. Many times this hope brings forth emotions that are truly unspeakable. What human words can completely capture the experience a sinner has when the God of the Universe and the Redeemer of all mankind comes to take up residence in his very being?
And even though we have been grafted into the divine family through Christ, and even though we are a new creation in Jesus Christ, we are still sinners who live, move, and have our being in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and not in the power of our own works regardless of how pious. Anyone who has walked with Christ for any length of time knows how easy it is to lose your joy and the reality of Christ’s presence in your life. And yet God cannot deny Himself and is so faithful to each of us, and even in the face of disobedience or even just spiritual coldness He refreshes and restores us to Himself, and sometimes with a greater spiritual depth that speaks volumes about His grace which can never be earned.
I cannot express to you how much I love the Lord Jesus and how much grace He has afforded me. If God would remove His grace over my life for one second I would be consumed. And if you gathered any and all my works of righteousness over these past 35 years, and if you multiplied them by one million, I still could never stand before His Majesty based upon that spiritual résumé. We all are in utter need of His matchless grace and all our works of righteousness reflect that grace and not our skill and energy. God’s grace has given us hope that cannot fade away, and in fact, that hope grows with each passing moment as it nears its complete fulfillment.
The coming of the Lord draws nigh. Behold, the Bridegroom comes! We must not be like those who slumber and take no notice of the signs of this generation. I do not know what day or what hour the Savior might come, but even a blind man can see that the world is being tossed to and fro and that the words of Jesus, spoken for our understanding, are being fulfilled daily. And although the days are evil and the signs are ominous, they speak of hope for those who look for and love His appearing. The events that echo the words of Jesus cannot be stopped or assuaged by human ingenuity or even fleshly talk of peace. Like a speeding train they are barreling down through history and with a destination that begins with a shout!
And with that shout hope is realized. It is not Jesus who lies. It is us. It is not Jesus who breaks His promises. It is us. It is not Jesus who is unfaithful. It is us. It is not Jesus who gets distracted. It is us. What shall we say, what can we say, when we stand before the Risen Christ and the Fountain of all Grace!? God will have provided for us new bodies for surely these temples of flesh would melt before Him. And what will be our experience when we exist completely in eternal hope and not only realize that we have inherited eternal life but that our gaze will always be transfixed upon the Lamb that was slain…for us!? And in the midst of such unimaginable wonder, we also will have spiritual temples that are capable of worship and praise without ceasing.
This is our hope; this is our life. Let us cherish this hope and never settle for a portion of pottage that the world offers. Hold fast to that which you have learned and known. Do not waver and do not surrender. Jesus is coming and the hope of the church will be exalted for the entire universe to behold. It seems like a fairytale and some religious mythology, but in reality there is more surety in the return of Jesus than there is in you and I drawing our next breath. Our hope is in the Lord and not in man.
Two men looked at the wooden planked bridge that crossed over the deep gorge. The fire was approaching and they knew that was the only way to escape. One man confidently strolled onto the bridge hoping for the safety of the other side. The other man tested each step, halted a few times, and walked nervously on that same bridge. Which man made it across? Both. Why? Because their journey relied entirely upon the strength and integrity of the bridge and not the skill or confidence of their own legs.

Looking for that Blessed Hope

and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Growing in the Faith

But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

The Liabilities of

Discernment Obsession

A phenomenon which has grown over the last several decades is what is called the “discernment ministry”. With the advent of the internet, along with the accessibility of sophisticated personal computers, this type of Christian ministry has become very prevalent. There are many different and varied approaches and tones in this genre with some being restricted to doctrinal issues while others include gossip and still others are embroiled in the political arena. Some are reasonable while others are caustic; some use harsh words while still others are measured in their verbiage. It has become a spectacle to say the least.
I understand the motivation for such ministries, however I have never seen such a ministry calling in the New Testament. Some use the “watchman” metaphor and make the correlation to such a ministry. But that is a stretch at best. We all are called to some level of discernment when it comes to matters of truth, however we must show humility, restraint, and we must avoid being obsessed and consumed with discernment. Just a perusal of the many online discernment blogs will reveal a fixation on heretics from all stripes which far outdistances and even eclipses any fixation of Christ Himself. Over and over the same issues and the same men are dealt with ad infinitum until it becomes apparent that the writer spends an inordinate amount of time scouring for error. He or she has become preoccupied and many times has embraced a narcissistic view of being an anointed defender of truth. And to be fair, many times what they say is altogether accurate.
Now the political and nationalistic aspects of these ministries is carnal and spiritually void. And the gossip elements that report the latest Ted Haggard or Myley Cyrus debacle are carnal and self righteous. But what I would like to address is much more nuanced and actually alters a person’s spiritual makeup substantially. And it is at this intersect that the subtleties become counter productive to the life of a believing follower of Jesus the Christ. If the eye is whole then the entire body is whole; but if the eye is compromised, then the body (life) follows. Increasingly many believers have cultivated an eye for error rather than an eye for Jesus, and many now view truth, including the truth that is Jesus, in the doctrinal abstract. What this produces in a believer is manifold.

1. It is a clandestine form of self righteousness.

When an obsession about others and their distortion of the truth becomes a motivating force in a believer’s life one of the results is an obvious lack of self examination. In fact, an adherence to doctrinal truth is usually counted as being a faithful follower of Christ. That systematic theology litmus test becomes the standard for the depth of one’s discipleship and God’s approval. And this kind of perspective becomes pronounced when those who espouse it form cliques and fellowships, both organized and informal, and treat each other with overt deference mostly on the basis of common enemies. Even such important doctrinal issues such as baptismal regeneration or transubstantiation are overlooked when they have common targets.
And the personal failures and shortcomings of discernment people are usually only acknowledged in a doctrinal mantra fashion that concedes personal sinfulness in a dispassionate regurgitation, but they become much more passionate and demonstrative when dealing with the sins and shortcomings of others. Repentance is dealt with as a regeneration necessity and in the chronology of the born again experience. While they call a broad swath of men and women to repentance, they themselves limit their repentance to the common frailties of believers and not significant when juxtaposed against the sins of so many others. That is blatant self righteousness and stagnates spiritual growth regardless of one’s doctrinal purity.
We are all horrid sinners who even after receiving Christ continue to fall short openly and in secret; willingly and by nature. And even though men like Rob Bell and Brian McClaren dismantle redemptive truth, we are no less sinners then are they. If this is not acknowledged and even uncomfortably embraced, then we are no better than the publicans. And without that confession, especially within the sacred confines of a prayer closet, then we are destined to be very shallow in our dealings with our own life while being disproportionately energetic about dealing with the lives of others. And when we are teachers, then we influence others to think along the same lines and cultivate a heart of self righteousness but defining it as standing for truth.

2. It is an addiction.

I speak from experience. Once you become preoccupied with researching and uncovering error, heresy, or moral failures it becomes an addiction. You cannot get enough and any blog or book that uncovers new and startling information concerning doctrinal compromise or outright heresy feeds your soul and becomes great topics in the evangelical realm and even at the next Sunday gathering. Stand and listen to what believers discuss at church. They speak of football, car repairs, the latest heretic, upcoming conferences, children, work, vacations, Obama, and a steady stream of the commonplace. And if they even happen to mention the name “Jesus” it is almost always in the doctrinal abstract. If you find someone speaking of Jesus in a personal and intimate way, and if you find someone quietly praising and worshiping the Risen Christ alone, remember that as an anomaly.
In addition to scouring the internet to find the latest sensational heresy and/or heretic, many discernment bloggers invite and receive e-mail reports from a host of readers who effervescently provide details of some startling doctrinal compromise or personal failure. And some even subscribe to secular news updates in order to have real time information about such things, including many carnal and secular talk show hosts. This is nothing more than gossip and has no redemptive value whatsoever. But this is an addictive fascination that continues to detour those who embrace it away from the Living Savior and His gospel, except as it is revealed in systematic theology.
You cannot be addicted to Jesus without truth. But you can be addicted to truth without being addicted to Jesus.

3. It is unreceptive.

When you are the corrector you often become unreceptive to correction. When your “calling” is predominately to correct others then it becomes difficult to receive correction yourself. While you are loudly expressing outrage you often become deaf to the still, small voice that is saying, “Thou art the man.” Do a search of the discernment blogs and you will be hard pressed to find posts that correct other discernment blogs, to say nothing of self correction. In fact, every once in a while some discernment blog offers a correction to the institute of discernment blogs in general and there is a hue and cry of objection. Even when a discernment blog uses a secular news report as their source and it turns out to be false, they blame the news source and take little if any responsibility themselves.

4. It is impersonal.

Dealing with truth in the abstract is a delicate matter and one that always needs some ancillary garnish that makes the discussion personal and spiritually intimate or you run the risk of teaching Jesus like you might teach algebra. To win the approval of God it takes more than just winning the doctrinal debate. It takes more than just proving your doctrinal orthodoxy and providing your systematic theology as proof of your authentic and passionate pilgrimage to believe in and be like Jesus. There is a time to confront error, especially redemptive error. But God is not impressed with regurgitating that which should be obvious and our reasonable service.
But when you distill truth primarily into discussions, then you, however unintentially, minimize the life manifestations of that same truth. Truths such as the Trinity, the virgin birth, and the reliability of Scripture are easily defended by words. Truths such as love, mercy, and humility require much more than just words and quoting verses.

5. It diminishes the Person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is more than a collection of Scriptural truths. And although the Scriptures provide for us the bedrock of our faith, Jesus transcends what we now know about Him without ever abrogating the Scriptural revelations about Him. The Person of Jesus is most effectively “defended” by most effectively manifesting Him through a humble and living prism that strives to avoid any subjective refractions. Jesus is not just the tree upon which truth can be hung as ornaments. He is truth. Period. And that truth is a living Person who has chosen to live within every believer in an eternal mystery. And what we say we believe is belied by how we live it.
If, in truth, the Creator dwells within us in all His fullness, then why are we so unremarkable in the epicenter of darkness? And what many of the discernment ministries have done is change the subject. The subject is not that Rob Bell is changing the gospel, although that seems to be true. But the more personal and parochial question is how can we as believers, supposedly orthodox, live with such little power and sacrifice? How can we read the life of Jesus and be so proud and arrogant and still claim to believe the Scriptures? How can we see God’s heart upon the cross and be so critical and uncaring toward sinners?
And with all the protestations about being orthodox, and with all the tantrums about liberals and emergents, and with all the neatly arraigned doctrines of the faith, are we believing in truth or are we believing in Jesus? And if we say both then why doesn’t our practice seem to mirror the revelations of Christ in the gospels? It surely seems like we have reinvented our own Jesus who is orthodox in His theology, born of a virgin, died on the cross and resurrected bodily, but who lives in stark contrast to the Jesus who walked the earth for three years.

Theology without practice diminishes the Person of Christ.

Moral Causes

Moral causes, especially when taken up by believers, are nothing more than unredemptive energy spent to fix society through legislation, information, and democracy. There are elements of self righteousness woven through all such endeavors which misrepresent the gospel as cleaning the cup’s outside first with fleshly adherence to a morality that, which without Christ, leads to eternal death.
The gospel is not a spiritual scolding. It is wonderful news to a lost and dying race of sinners. And at the center of this message is Jesus. God is born as a man, dies as a substitute and a forgiving sacrifice, and resurrects from the dead. So often we have been divided into two over generalized groups. One side castigates sinners for being sinners and believes that is appropriate gospel garnish. The other side leaves the cross completely absent from their gospel because they believe it to be much too archaic and without relevance in this post modern mindset.
What sermon would be a looking glass into what the Spirit desires to preach to sinners? In the 2nd chapter of Acts we find a Spirit filled Peter delivering the very first evangelistic message after the resurrection. And just what was the theme of His message? Jesus - anointed, crucified, and resurrected! Not one mention of sin at all and yet their hearts were convicted and convinced concerning that person named Jesus. Where was the law of Moses in his gospel? Gone! Where was the careful exposition to convince them that they were sinners? It is not there. The Spirit Himself has been commissioned to convince men of sin, and when we pounce upon sinners, or even feel it necessary to deal extensively with sinners about their particular sin and sins, we abrogate His divine ministry.
On the other side of the coin some of you who believe that men like Rob Bell, Brian McClaren and Doug Paggit are just using a different and more intellectual approach, read Peter’s message which is permeated with teachings and references about one thing - the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus must be lifted up, and when men attempt to downplay and even erase Jesus and His death and resurrection from their teachings then they are misguided at best and heretics at worst. And please let me be perfectly clear about something. Some of my Calvinist/Reformed/Doctrines of Grace brethren use the law mixed in with the gospel and suppose it is necessary. I disagree, but I still consider them true brethren in Christ. With men like Bell and others I have no such confidence either way. Only God knows.
But this post is written to address the meaningless and often counter productive moral causes that many believers, either individually or en masse, take up and present themselves as advocates for such causes rather than believing followers of Jesus. This genre is actually a form of humanism and seeks to make man and society better by moral alignment. Fighting with the same carnal weapons that unbelievers use, they become embroiled in a war which is not Christ’s and cannot be won until He comes back to win it. Believers line up to object to strip clubs opening, and yet they have never prayed for, wept over, or gone into the highways to compel these girls to come to Jesus. That is not redemptive Christianity; that is moralism.
Believers spend millions to address the horror called abortion. Abortion is indeed murder, but the answer is us being Jesus and spreading His gospel and not spending time, energy, and money to overturn legislation. Some of these crisis pregnancy centers do a wonderful work that both cares for the mother’s situation as well as care for that mother’s soul. They are heroes in my eyes.
But the absolute worst cause that has become popular in these modern times is political and it deals with money. Many believers object to President Obama and other progressives because they are worried about the eradication of their wealth. Listen to the conservative talk shows and their battle cry centers on issues of personal wealth. Some of them even have as sponsors companies that sell gold, suggesting that is the best way to “protect your personal wealth”. And many of these men are supported and quoted by professing believers in Jesus Christ. Just which Jesus would be aligned with such hedonistic self righteousness?
We all have our opinions and feelings about things and issues, but dealing with morality and certain sins are meant as part of a journey of discipleship and are to be dealt with among believers and not part of a force feed ministry to the lost. And while we have been busy pointing out the sins in the world and the political arena, sin has become rampant within the church itself. While we trumpet “traditional marriage” divorce is raging in the church. Even the term “traditional marriage” leaves out the gospel, or even the Scriptures, and suggests that the reason for it is because we have always done it like that. And like screaming at a dead man we have come to believe that dead and lost sinners can change simply because we inform them or because we make them. What a twisted mess that mirrors nothing of the gospel.
But let us turn to our exclusive cause, the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ by lifting up Jesus Himself. We have no alternate “cause” than that of Jesus Himself. And the ministry of reconciliation that comes with preaching and living the gospel of Christ cannot, and must not, be diluted with subordinate causes that detour the hearts of the lost to things that cannot save. Look at the cross and with that we see the one and only cause we call redemption. Jesus did not die to make the world more moral, that is an impossibility. He died to reconcile sinners to God through the redemption that is only found in His blood. Abortion, homosexuality, and all the other issues have their place in teaching the church, but to the world we must lift up Jesus Christ and He must have all the preeminence. The gospel is not the tree trunk from which other branches grow as side issues that minister to the dark world. The gospel is the entire tree from which life can only come, and inventing pet issues and battling with the lost over issues that they cannot possibly understand just puts more nails into their coffins.
The dead man does not need his tie straightened, no, he needs a transfusion of life that places a new heart within his dead chest and see it beat a life giving flow of blood once more to all his extremities. Of course these causes make us feel righteous and valiant, and true as they may be, they are still detours and stumbling blocks to the grace of our Lord Jesus. The world doesn’t need to be pro-life, and in fact they never will be. And if the entire world became pro-life all at once it would not alter the eternal destiny of one single sinner. Only Jesus can change a sinner into a child of the living God, and that change has nothing to do with changing your view on any issue except for the issue of who is Jesus.
Jesus did not come to make people change their morality, that is residual to His mission. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. In fact, sometimes the good, at the expense of the best and needed, can lead to death. Imagine a medical doctor whose training, expertise, and calling is in heart transplant, and yet he seems preoccupied with selling mosquito repellent. And when we propagate issues and morality we have, however unintentionally, left the gospel of redemption and entered the gospel of condemnation. And the New Testament tells us that the ministry of condemnation is death. Brothers and sisters, lift up those hands, lips, and hearts and let them exclusively lift up the Lord Jesus and His offer of eternal life by faith in His finished work. That is our one and only cause.

Living

Some men live by words; some men live by principles; some men live by national allegiance; some men live for themselves; some men live for women; and some men just live. But believers in Jesus must not only live for Him, He must live for them.

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2010

Communion

In April of 1975 I went across the street to a liquor store and purchased a small bottle of wine for $1.00. It contained approximately 6 ounces of red wine in a round, little bottle. I also had a few salt less soup crackers which I had placed in an empty watch case. I then proceeded to scale the front of Garret Mountain and reached the summit in about ten minutes. I sat down on that clear night and gazed at the Manhattan skyline outlined against the starlit sky. I prepared to observe my first communion after I had been born again in March of that same year.
I had taken many communions before, including my first communion after I was confirmed into the Lutheran church. But all those past observances were nothing more than a religious snack. I do not believe there is anything special about the bread or wine, and they are just emblems that represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Eating them does not provide anyone with more grace or favor with God. They are purely symbolic.
However, I do believe that the observance itself provides a seeking and contrite believer with an opportunity for deep fellowship and worship before the Risen Christ. You see, the spiritual element in the Lord’s Supper is not in the bread and wine; the spiritual essence can only be experienced in the heart of a partaking believer. This communion should never be a perfunctory observance which occurs the first Sunday of the month, and is accomplished with the necessary haste so as not to interfere with the regular “service” items, and doesn’t extend the length of that service to such a degree that the “worshipers” are inconvenienced.
This communion must be observed with the commensurate sacredness that reveals the depth of its spiritual nature as well as the reality of the presence of Christ and His Spirit. How often have I been in a communion service where the ushers are well organized, and after a few brief minutes the communion is over and the preacher begins to rattle off some message about finances or morality or even about finding your life’s purpose? And the spirit and subject of that message is so disjointed from that communion observance so as to relegate the Lord’s Supper as having no more importance than the announcements. And Christ Himself is dishonored when His Supper is nothing more than an equal part of a believer’s gathering.
The early church observed communion every Sunday and sometimes more. Why then do we not continue such a practice? It is purely cultural and our services must now bow to the dictates of convenience and the restraints of times. Americans are not given to protracted services, and each service must be well planned, well carried out, and with an acceptable target time for its end. We spend much time preparing the body for church, and when “church” is over we look to satisfy that same body with food, relaxation, and more entertainment. It is a religious cycle that has imprisoned the church and stripped her of God’s power and the reality of the Risen Christ.
And to a large extent we have lost what it mean to receive communion and experience the repentance, the grace, and the worship that accompanies that glorious gift to the church. But it is in concert with almost everything else the church does and does not do. Do we live with the observable behavior that screams the return of Jesus Christ? Do we handle money as if we were God’s sacred conduit and refuse to collect it for our own pleasure? Is prayer the hallmark of the Christian community including weekly gatherings dedicated to nothing but seeking God and interceding in passionate prayer? And with all those indictments it would follow that the Lord’s Supper would be reduced to a nice fit in a once as month church service.

But I exhort you to reignite such a sacred and glorious meeting with Christ, even if it means observing it yourself and allowing whatever time it takes to meet God in a new and fresh way.

The Sovereignty of God

The sovereignty of God is expansive. It knows no parameters and it knows no levels. It is everlasting and constant, and it does not have to reach everywhere since it is already there. There is no escaping it or even competing with it. God’s sovereignty permeates the entire universe from the largest quasar to the smallest atomic particle. Like the fish that swim and live beneath the ocean depths, so do all things material, invisible, or energy exist beneath the sovereignty of God. And from the moment a human egg is fertilized it awakens to life embedded in the ocean of God’s sovereignty. And when the aged lungs breathe their last, they expire underneath that same sovereignty. The course was run completely within the sovereignty of God.
The fish can only swim, and indeed only live, underneath the ocean. And even though they are affected by streams and currents, storms and waves, the Creator still allows those fish some latitude with the direction of their swim. They have a brain that is geared to function as a guide to food, safety, and knowledge of things that they were never taught. And every man, operating with the limitless sovereignty of God, has been given a free will that is never in competition with God’s sovereignty and is never a threat to the integrity of that same sovereignty. And such is the capability, mystery, and the surpassing glory of God’s sovereignty. No human act can abrogate God’s sovereignty even though many human acts are against the divine template. They still are seated at the table of His sovereignty.
“Why would a good God” allow all these unspeakable acts of horror and violence? And therein lies the mystery, at least from this side of eternity. All we know about God, and especially all we know of God through the Lord Jesus, leads us to faith in all we do not understand, which is far greater than we are prone to admit. And although things are said and done that are antichrist and at conflict with the nature and will of God, we still believe God is in complete control. His sovereignty has never been in danger or its limits stretched. And given the monstrosity of man’s rebellion and the grisliness of his sin, we still must believe what we cannot see or understand; namely, that God’s sovereignty is intact and still in full force. The better question is "Why would a good God want us?"
But God cannot deny Himself. And if God is the direct author of all sin, from the rape of an infant to the torture of an elderly woman, then His sovereignty is nothing more than a platform for all kinds of acts that are in direct violation of His teachings to His own creation. The world would be like a garage where a deranged serial killer captures his victims and delights in their fear, pain, and death. And even a basic understanding of the unfathomable evil that lives and ravages the human race must at least draw us to the conclusion that God’s sovereignty has allowed man to operate with a God given level of freedom. But if God derives pleasure from sin, and if He is the orchestrator of that sin, then His nature is not love, good, and holy. And that scenario would render Him a demented puppeteer, not unlike a child pulling the wings off of flies.
And God has seen, and knew afore time, that man would use his freedom to get himself into an eternal mess from which he can never extricate himself. The Creator came down as one of us and has colored the ocean red and beckoned all fish to breathe in this life giving blood. It is not God’s nature to take on a miniscule project; He has offered salvation to all sinners. But as it is we have a role to play and an ocean to swim completely within the depths of God’s sovereignty. For if God orchestrates everything, and if man has no will of His own, then God seems to be an unfit overseer of this world. The entire universe is a colossal mess and is only getting worse, yet God derives pleasure from watching as the inevitable continuing to unravel?
God’s sovereignty is not at odds and inconsistent with the free will of man. And if indeed God is wholly and completely responsible for the entire history of creation with no substantive participation from the choice of sinners, the He must take responsibility for it all. The history of mankind is nothing to put on one’s resume and claim competency in ruling and reigning. Unless you factor in the free will of man, God is left with an incredible failure of His own doing, and as understood in some corners, clings to the miniscule few He has chosen to save as His glory. Oh no, dear ones, man is responsible for all of this mess. And the glory of God is redemption, paid for on that cross, and offered to every single sinner. And the fact that only a mere handful will find eternal life cannot be attributed to the myopic redemptive will of God, no, mankind will have to bear that burden as well.

And in the end, when all is revealed, we will worship Him with the eternal knowledge that

“He does all things well!”

Preach the Gospel

If you believe that God directly places each government in power, then you must believe that America was formed in open rebellion to the God ordained government of King George. And you also must believe that President Obama is in God's will. (See how ridiculous and duplicitous it is when the church attempts to ascribe divine will to politics?)

Patriotism is a forum for self righteousness, divisiveness, and in some cases racism. It is antithetical to the call of Christ.

Preach the gospel and leave the politics and nationalism to those who know not Christ.

Long Live Our Sacred Germany!

Es lebe unser heiliges Deutschland!

On July 21, 1944 at about 1:00 A.M., a Nazi firing squad lifted their rifles, and lit by the headlights of cars, they executed their human target. Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg fell dead, having been executed for his major part in a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. But it is his last recorded words that should be a learning experience for us as believing followers of Jesus Christ.
Just before he was shot he shouted "Es lebe unser heiliges Deutschland!", which means in English “Long live our sacred Germany!”. When we as believers inspect and assess such a statement we must be moved with grief for such allegiance. But that patriotism is definitely in line with the cultures and upbringing in many, if not most, countries. The rich and embellished histories of countries are carefully spoon fed to the children at the youngest of ages and then strengthened with ceremony, pledges, flags, and nationalistic music. It is this kind of misguided teaching that has led to many unfortunate historical episodes and wars, not the least of which was the rise of the National Socialist Party in Nazi Germany. But this is to be expected in the world and it will continue until Christ comes again.
But what has been most unfortunate and even deadly is the way American evangelicalism has bought into such teachings, and even given an unashamed allegiance to the country in which they were born. This year July 4th will fall upon a Sunday, and on the day which is supposed to be for the celebration of the resurrection and the worship of the Risen Christ, many American churches will observe a “patriotic” service complete with nationalistic songs, the celebration of this nation, and even overtures of allegiance and love. All of which is nothing more than overt idolatry and sacrilege within the gathering that must always be exclusively His.
I do not hate America; I hate idolatry. And lest you get the impression that my hands are clean let me reveal this to you. I once led the songs and I once was filled with emotion in patriotic services and I once pledged allegiance to the flag. So I do not judge anyone, but I must judge the actions that continue to take place within the church. It is this “Long live sacred America” view that has drained the church of her God given power and made us nothing more than patriots that happen to be religious. And this nation is no better or no worse than any other; they all are fallen. Political freedom has become an idol as well, and democracy is worshiped. We would do well to remember than when Christ comes to reign again on earth He will not set up a democracy.
Listen to the talk show hosts as they warn us about losing the lifestyle we once knew and how our freedoms are being taken away from us. That may be true for the unregenerate, but for the redeemed this nation cannot take anything away from us at all. Our freedom is in Christ, our joy is in Christ, our salvation is in Christ, and our very lives are in Christ. And when the world brings darkness it only presents an opportunity to shine the glorious light of Jesus and His gospel. When our reactions mirror those of the lost then we have left Christ.
And so I ask you, on this Sunday, to open your heart to the Spirit and see how God actually feels about all this national revelry. Jesus must be Lord, and if that does not become conspicuous and remarkable within any culture and nation, then He is only Lord in words and not the heart. It is past time that the church come out from among them and be different. Not in moral self righteousness, but in humble power that lifts up the Christ in word and deed. Until then we can continue with our religious and national amalgam and feel good about ourselves.

The Light of Death

Many white professing Christians say that President Obama is destroying America. Many white professing Christians said the same thing about President Lincoln. During all the politics and nationalism Jesus has been moved from the heart to the head. Like a doctor who instead of giving his dying patient the heart transplant he so desperately needs, the doctor loudly chastens his patient about the wrinkles in his hospital gown.

Protecting and defending a nation has never been our calling. Proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ is our exclusive calling. We have seen the results when we attempt to do both. Instead of the glorious light of Jesus Christ shining through the church, we now reflect a light which shines forth as red, white, and blue.

That light is eternal death.

An Impossible Vision

Years ago it might have been very difficult to imagine that one day a man would be paid almost a billion dollars to talk, or that same man would brag that he leaves every light in his mansion on all night, or that he would be working on his fourth wife, or that he would pay an openly and militant gay man 1 million dollars to sing at his wedding, or that he would blaspheme the name of God on his radio show, or that his show would contain endless self righteous statements of braggadocio, or that the consuming content of his radio show is attacking, complaining, and incessantly lifting up an economic view as a divine idol. It would have been very difficult to imagine such a scenario.

What would have been impossible to imagine is that someone could endorse such a man and still claim to be a believing follower of Jesus Christ.

Donating to God's Enemies

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

The church borrows much more than those thirty pieces of silver from the spirits of antichrist today. How many pieces of silver in the form of usury, coming directly from the local Christian assemblies, are used for causes in direct conflict with the gospel of Jesus Christ? It is amazing how easily we can abrogate the clear teachings of Scripture when those teachings stand in the way of something we believe to be good. Many things we believe to be good and right are actually hindrances to the gospel. The practices of any culture must never be allowed to supersede Biblical teachings and slowly eradicate the remarkable essence of the church.
When the church has to borrow funds from the antichrist banking system and pays its loans back with substantial interest it openly shows the world that our God cannot provide and that we are willing to support causes that we are against in order to build meeting places. Banks use interest to make loans to abortion clinics, planned parenthood, bars, strip clubs, and all kinds of other enterprises that preachers preach against with their lips but lead their congregations to support with their wallets. Our hypocrisy is astounding and like Samson we do not even realize it.

Constantine has become the George Washington of the modern church construct.

Christianity

Christianity is not just a person who believes a set of truths alone; it is a life lived remarkably in light of those same truths. Believing and living those truths are symbiotic and are equally essential for authenticity.



Rick Frueh A.D. 2010

The Place of Experience (s)

in a Believer’s Life

Nothing supersedes the revelation of Scripture, and any experience must expand, compliment, and illuminate the Christ revealed in Scripture without adding, subtracting, or changing that foundational revelation. As Dickens said, “This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of what I will share”. Sometimes, in a genuine concern over truth departures and cult like teachings, many believers become afraid and suspicious of experiences as a believer and a passionate seeker of Christ in all His fullness. There are many and varied spurious and heretical teachings that claim to have emanated from personal experiences with the Spirit of God that are obvious counterfeits that lead away from the Risen Christ and usually elevate some man or woman. We all can be vigilant concerning such things.
But we must not eschew the notion of deeper encounters and life changing experiences with the Christ of God through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. The enemy has been successful in immobilizing the body of Christ in the west and alluring us with the sirens of morality, nationalism, and cold systematic theology and doctrine. I have met believers who espouse the same theology and one will be a cold and rigid person who clings to his theology as his standard, and the other is a humble and pliable soul who weeps easily, prays with brokenness and passion, and who seeks a deeper experience with Christ that both strips him of worldly affections and allows him a sacred glimpse into the mystery of the Incarnate bloodshed. And as I have said, both believe basically the same theology.
So what do we make of any experiences with Jesus? Many of God's Names are nouns of experience - Deliverer, Healer, Savior. Let us examine a few Biblical examples of how God used experiences to illuminate His people into a fuller revelation of Himself as well as create a greater and more urgent thirst for more of Himself. God almost incessantly reminds the children of Israel that He delivered them through the Red Sea from the hand of the Egyptian oppressors. In fact, God calls Himself the Deliverer and uses that name prophetically when He refers to the coming Messiah. And deliverance is both a doctrine and an experience. I have personally experienced the delivering power of Christ, and still beseech Him to deliver me more and more from me.
Peter reiterates his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration and was careful to place the written Word as primary and as “more sure”. But the Spirit directed that experience to be initially recorded as well as remembered by Peter in his second epistle. Many are the experiences recorded in the Book of Acts, and many were instrumental in bringing sinners to Christ and believers to repentance. And the Apostle Paul himself acknowledges the many experiences he has been graced with concerning revelations of the Christ and even of heaven itself, but the same God who gave him such wonderful mysteries also gave him a thorn in order to keep him from being puffed up or self righteous. Experiences of the Spirit, when received in brokenness, humility, and gracious thanksgiving should crucify us more fully and resurrect the Risen Christ within and through us. “That I might decrease and He might increase.”
These experiences are more often than not void of any visible manifestations or miracles. And most will be birthed in the closet of prayer or an extended season of worship or an elongated meditation of the Word itself. And if we take our sacred experiences and attempt to force them upon others or even share them in such a way as to exalt ourselves and our relationship with God, then we are operating in the flesh and not the Spirit. And experiences vary in depth and occurrence. Personally I have had scores of genuine experiences with God that I would consider extraordinary, but I have had only six or seven in 35 years that I would say were life changing. And none of my encounters ever drew me away from the Scriptures, and in fact, I came away with an insatiable appetite to learn and know more of Him through those same Scriptures. Along with a personal alteration, both inwardly and outwardly, I was allowed a fresh breath of the Spirit. And most times I was changed and challenged in ways I could not have foreseen. Sounds mystical? It is.
And Paul states this desire which is an immeasurably profound statement that goes far beyond being acquainted with all the organized theology and original language familiarities.

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Oh my. Oh my. This is the apostle that met face to face with the glorified Christ and learned at His feet. This was the apostle that was led to Christ by Christ Himself. Paul was given the whole gospel and commissioned to witness of Christ to the entire world as well as the embryonic church. And Paul was given revelation upon revelation and experience upon experience that stood apart from all the other disciples. And Paul was awarded the glory of martyrdom for his majestic Savior. And still Paul hungers to know Christ more. The word “know” in that verse is the same Greek word used in Matt.1:18 that said that Joseph “knew not” his wife until Jesus had been born. Think on that! Paul wishes to know Christ is such a depth that it approaches an intimacy known by a husband and wife. And we have heard such teachings many times over the years, but please tell me how we can move into such wonders without an experience?
Must we memorize Strong’s Concordance? Or become conversant with Koine Greek? Or any and all systematic theologies? Or even memorize the New Testament itself?! We cannot know Christ without the Scriptures, but knowing the Scriptures does not always mean a proportionate knowledge of Christ. Studying the Scriptures just to uncover more truth that substantiates the truth you already know is nothing but using the Word to defend yourself. But searching the Scriptures, along with agonizing internally about knowing more of Jesus personally, and allowing the Spirit to circumcise your heart, bring you a glorious revelation of the Christ, and then painfully and marvelously crucify you into more of His image, is an unspeakable glory. Discipleship goes beyond does and don’ts.
We cannot be transfigured into His image if we are ignorant about just what His image looks like. Do we weep over the lost and the prodigal? Is our prayer life such that people ask us to teach them to pray? Are our affections so set above that others must ask us about our hope? Are His daily mercies experiential or doctrinal knowledge? And are we even a little unnerved and embarrassed that we have so little power, fruit, and as many experiences with Christ as do our lost neighbors? Do we desire revival?

Here is the revival we desperately need.

An Appropriate Repost

I rarely repost any of my writings, but I believe this is both poignant and helpful in our present discussions and meditations.

To Know His Sufferings

A blog friend and brother posted this and commented how God was judging America.

I do not believe God deals with nations anymore as He did in the Old Testament. The word nations is ethnos and it refers to people. America is not being "judged". Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. Judgment will come later as individuals stand before God at the White Throne.
I do not judge the motives of these men, but when you bring recording equipment in preparation for documenting your persecution you are sensationalizing your activity. I read no pathos for those lost Muslims, and when we bemoan some supposed judgment of God on this nation we miss entirely the redemptive motivation of God in these gospel days. And since when does persecution, if it be so, mean God’s judgment?
Peter rejoiced in his persecution, as did Paul and the others. Even Stephen asked for forgiveness for his murderers. They did not spend time outlining how unfair Rome was to believers. The obsession with this nation continues to distract us from our calling and ministry, and in fact lead us away from Christ. When we see sinners as eternally lost and in desperate need of Christ and not in any ethnic or national context we will have moved closer to the heart of God.
Let us pry our hearts away from any allegiance or even affection for anything on this earth, especially a secular and fallen governmental construct within whose jurisdiction God's providence has placed us. We are here to be salt, light, and a city on a hill, not to be a part of a self elevating view of a nation which not only considers itself better than all the rest, the devil has deceived the church into believing it used to be and still might be Christian.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Let us pray for Muslims everywhere and that God would soften our hearts concerning the most violent and hateful among them. The Lord is extending His nail scarred hands toward them just as He did toward us. Being a believing follower of Jesus does not unravel in predictable ways. We should not be concerned with ourselves, and if we are to be arrested for doing good then let us sing as did Paul and Silas. It was the heart of rejoicing that led the jailer to Jesus, not some debate on what rights Paul was being denied.
I don’t deserve to be arrested; I deserve to die and be separated from God eternally. I have no rights of my own since I am both a slave and a son to the King of the Universe. And that King looked down when He was being crucified and asked that they be forgiven since they did not really know what they were doing. And such are these precious, precious Muslim people. We continue to be manipulated into looking differently at Muslims than we do at others, and yet they are in dire need of redemption.
Will we allow harsh words, threats of violence, or even death dissuade us from sharing redemption with these sinners? Were it not for grace we would all still be the enemies of God, but as it stands we have been received into His family and made righteous in His sight. We must be living sacrifices that think nothing of our rights or comfort; we must be about our Father’s business. And any persecution we might endure should bring rejoicing in our hearts and a deeper call for prayer for our persecutors.
In the June edition of the magazine “The Voice of the Martyrs” there is a story of a Muslim terrorist who actually murdered believers. He had been trained as a terrorist, and he actually secretly entered an evangelical church in order to infiltrate them in order to do violence to its members. He went forward and disingenuously announced his faith in Jesus and was even baptized. His mission went better than he had ever expected and month after month he gained more information, and his acting was so convincing he was asked to help minister to the youth. But the believers showed him so much love and kindness it began to move his heart. He began to fall in love with these people although he fought it. One day a guest preacher came and preached from the text, “How long will you halt between two opinions?”. This man went forward in genuine conviction and brokenness and admitted publicly that he was a fraud. He made his profession of faith and was gloriously saved. He is now sought after by Muslim extremists, and in fact his son has been killed by terrorists.
But he loves the Muslim people, and he cannot but share the grace he has found in Jesus Christ. The entire account is not to bring notoriety or sympathy for him and his family, but it was written to let us all know that God can reach these Muslims, even the most violent among them. And it also should chasten our behavior to be more loving, more forgiving, and more redemptive. This isn’t about us regardless of what we might endure for Him. This is all about declaring His sufferings and His resurrection in a humble and loving boldness that refuses to complain about our situation. We are to live for Him in any situation. And in the west we are so used to living in convenience that the slightest persecution brings forth umbrage and outrage.
David Wilkerson was called to New York City (Where I am from) to bring the gospel to the gangs. The leader of the most violent Latin gang was named Nicki Cruz. In one confrontation Nicki told David that if he spoke about Jesus one more time he would cut him to pieces with the knife he was wielding. David replied that he had no doubt that Nicki could do that, but that if he did then every piece of his body would still say, “I love you, Nicki”. Nicki Cruz eventually became a believer and is now a minister of the gospel. (You can read his account in a book called, “The Sword and the Switchblade”)
Elizabeth Elliot’s husband was murdered by the very people he was attempting to reach for Jesus. Bitterness and outrage? Never! Elizabeth became broken for the souls of her husband’s killers and many of them came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Brothers and sisters, let us release the offenses of the lost and proceed with grace and love into the darkness and without expecting anything but the honor of suffering for His sake. Jesus Himself told us that many would hate us, but He also set an example of loving sacrifice in the face of spiteful treatment. The Amish who had lost several little girls at the hands of a deranged murderer attended his funeral and refused to speak evil of him. They helped his widow as well.
Are we not crucified with Him? Are we not dead to ourselves and alive to Him? How can a dead man complain? And when the pallbearers accidentally drop the corpse, does the corpse sit up and express outrage? And if the preacher says something harsh about us, does that same corpse defend himself? And when that corpse is refused burial at a certain cemetery, does he reiterate his democratic rights? Our life is not here; we are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God. There is nothing like serving Jesus in all circumstances…nothing. It is to my shame that more people are not drawn to him by me and that I do not suffer more persecution from sinners. But by God’s grace and truth this is not my life, it is His. And I have not rights but to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. As a former God hater I can honestly say I would have welcomed a good battle with religious people, but what would have disarmed me would be an uncommon love and humility that was much more difficult to attack.

I have said all this to beg, yes beg, us all to turn our eyes toward Jesus and look full in His wonderful face and let the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

The Essence of Redemption

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

And if God does not extend redemption to His enemies, then He Himself does not follow His own teachings. The word “enemies” should always emanate from someone else and not believing followers of Jesus Christ. Some consider us as their enemy, but we must always approach them redemptively. Redemption must be our heart’s passion and motivation, and nothing must constrict or dilute that redemptive passion. God has loved the world and Jesus suffered for the sins of the entire human race. And armed with the grace of that gospel message we must extend an uncommon and dangerous love to the vilest of sinners…just as our Master has done.

To those who commit the horror of abortion we must extend redemption.
To those who live lives of immorality we must extend redemption.
To those who desire to fly planes into buildings we must extend redemption.
To those who worship Satan we must extend redemption.
To those who abuse and are abused we must extend redemption.
To those who enter America illegally we must extend redemption.
To those who are in cults we must extend redemption.
To those who wish to legislate immorality we must extend redemption.
To everyone who seeks to humiliate us, and take advantage of us, and misrepresent us, and point out our failures, and blaspheme our Savior, and restrict our freedoms, and mock our beliefs and lives, to all these and more we must extend redemption. Why? Besides the legions of teachings from our Master’s lips, let us never forget that redemption was extended to you and me…a most vile and unworthy sinner. That kind of unspeakable and immeasurable grace demands a life that is lived within that same redemptive framework
A life which is a theological conduit that channels a powerful and luminescent expression of a Person and not just a set of rules and doctrines. This redemption does not return power for power as the world measures power. This Redemption, and in fact this Redeemer, accepts the lashes upon our backs, and receives the pummels from violent hands, and even allows the spit of wicked mouths to drench our believing faces, and rejoices in all of it without revenge. Persecution is an honor and an opportunity to more fully reveal a humility and selflessness that cannot but draw curiosity from those who have placed themselves as our enemies.
The world understands the battle for rights and even differing perspectives on morality. What they can not understand, and what they still have not seen lately, is a throng of people willing to lose in order to attract an audience that sees us en masse point to Jesus Himself. You think that winning is passing legislation, or combating evolution, or in a struggle to make darkness accept traditional marriage? Your eyes are pointed in the wrong direction. You wish to see genuine victory?
Turn your eyes to capture a bloody corpse nailed to a wooden stake just outside the gates of Jerusalem and within that event you will not only find eternal victory, but you have now seen the only template for the lives of those who believe in this wondrous mystery. Redemption can only be found in death, this death, and redemption can only be shared by death…ours.

The Stockholm Syndrome

The western church has been caught in a spiritual Stockholm syndrome.

Rick Frueh A.D. 2010

What Has Democracy Taught the Church?

It has taught us to join with unbelievers
It has taught us to crusade for moral causes above the gospel
It has taught us to murmur and complain and call it speaking out
It has taught us to protect our wealth
It has taught us to elevate certain men
It has taught us to despise the lost
It has taught us that change can come through the weight of human effort
It has taught us that we have power aside from Christ
It has taught us that carnal men, dead and alive, are heroes
It has taught us that women can leave their home and children for elected office
It has taught us that more money is always the goal
It has taught us that the gospel is just a compartment in our western lives
It has taught us to believe liars
It has taught us that war is a way to spread democracy and a Christian option as well
It has taught us to be nationally self righteous
It has taught us that the Tower of Babble is still possible

And in summation, democracy has taught the church to leave Christ and embrace Babylon and exonerating ourselves by suggesting we can and should change Babylon by a combination of politics and religion. We do not need to reassess our priorities and thought processes; we need to repent fully and come out from among them and be separate. Until then the church will continue to be saltless, lightless, and powerless in a dark culture. Unless you believe mere words and espousing certain theologies constitutes salt, light, and power. The early church had much more salt, light, and power than they did an intricate theology. And their King was Jesus not a more conservative Caesar.

It cost them their lives…a fate from which this church has nothing to fear.

The Fallen Systems of Men

Liberalism and conservatism are both man made descriptions of related systems. One suggests that a fallen government can solve man’s problems while the other suggests that fallen man has the capacity within himself to solve his own problems. Both are humanistic attempts to achieve a better life on earth which usually centers around material prosperity and the pursuit of human happiness through the things of this world.
They are both lies and antichrist. There is only one life and that is found exclusively in and through Jesus Christ. And that life is neither dependent upon or nurtured by conservative or liberal philosophies. The life of Jesus Christ in a believer rises or falls solely upon the commitment of that believer to die to himself and live his life completely to Jesus Christ. It is not affected at all by what government or what cultural philosophy happens to surround him, and in fact, the worse the spiritual darkness the brighter the life of Christ shines through him.
And when the Christian community actively seeks one government or philosophy, believing that one or the other will help or hinder the promotion of spiritual growth, it inevitably leads to a diluting of that life of Jesus Christ by enjoining it to an earthly system. And it is altogether possible that the government or philosophy that seems more inclined to provide a climate that is more hospitable to Christianity is actually much more insidious and destructive to authentic spirituality because so many believe that system aids them in living a productive Christian life. Hence, the classic definition of deception.
And those who tout democracy as the greatest system on earth and even one of which God approves, seem to complain the loudest when the fruits of that system elevate people of whom they do not approve. And when we complain about who governs us we reveal a clandestine element of humanism, to say nothing of disobeying the same Scriptures we claim to believe. It suggests that we would be much better if someone else was in power, when in fact we have no king but Jesus and we have no kingdom but the kingdom of God.

I have no country but God’s; I have no constitution but the Bible; I have no flag but His banner; I have no citizenship but heaven’s; and I have no King but Jesus.

God help me to live up to what I believe.

There are no crown-bearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.

C. H. Spurgeon

The Vessels of Redemption

When a lost sinner is drawn to Jesus he senses something unexplainable taking place within his heart and spirit. This happens in all kinds of ways and in all kinds of sinners. The one constant is that all are sinners and Jesus is the only Savior. But the fear of death mingled with the uncertainty of purpose lurks within every lost sinner. Blindness is the great equalizer, and regardless of the comparative depth of sin all sinners are blind until they receive the ability to see spiritually by God’s grace through the Lord Jesus. Thus the term “born again” explains what happens when a sinner is born into the kingdom of God.
And when this sinner now is a child of God, and when he now realizes just who Jesus is, then and only then can he worship Him who is now both Lord and Elder Brother. The mystery of such truth is profound, however we are allowed glimpses and unfolding revelations that are sometimes experienced by others and sometimes deeply personal. And along with the knowledge of Him and His redemption, God allows for some times of refreshing as well as moments and seasons of humbling glory that for moment, or a day, or a period of time lift the veil and allow us to see Him more clearly than our usual comprehension permits.
It is in those times that we are disarmed and brought low and high simultaneously. To enter into the presence of Jesus in a way that is extraordinary during a time of worship, or a time of penetrating prayer, or even listening to a song of praise changes us. We, by God’s grace, exhale more death and inhale more life. There is no drug or vicarious experience that can compare with touching the hem of His garment by faith through the amazing power of the Spirit. It may lead to tears, it may lead to joy, it may lead to repentance, and it may lead to celebration but when we meet the Risen Christ in reality we cannot treat it as just another episode in life’s mundane journey. If you can file it among all the rest then you have not really touched and been touched by Him.
It seems so mystical and esoteric, does it not? It surely is and anyone who has entered into the “Holy of Holies” as it were identifies with my description. These moments do come as an aside, and they are not an everyday or even every Sunday occurrence. They come to those who earnestly and sacrificially seek Him and His manifested presence. I do not speak of the wild, weird, and often contrived events by some of our denominational friends. Often times these times are so personal they cannot be revealed and are beyond verbal communication. But know this: regardless of how far you have gone with Jesus there is so much more. Not so you can be entertained or even amazed, but so you and I can continue to be changed from glory to glory.
Is your testimony relying heavily on what God has done in your life during the first year or two after you were saved? Where is the freshness of what God is doing in your life right now? Has the changing ceased with the rescue from addictions and habits, or is Christ’s refining fire burning new avenues of love and grace and witness in the life you now live? Are we breathlessly running to tell others of His resurrection or has it become a church doctrine alone? Do others observe that we have “been with Jesus” or are we identified by what we are against and what we say we believe?
The emergent church has asked some important questions but has come up with the wrong answers. The answer for the church is a revival of Jesus Himself. Doctrine is important, but when it replaces a vibrant and unmistakable manifestation of the life and spirit of Jesus being lived out in each and every believer, then doctrine has replaced a living faith with a library of written confessions that far outdistance their living revelations. And should not a living expression of Jesus be more and more luminescent as the darkness of culture grows ever so more deep? As it is we have been assimilated in so many ways and are unremarkable amidst so many who live and breathe unreceptive darkness.
Oh that men would see the radiant goodness of God in our lives, and in fact be drawn to us simply by the power of a sacrificial life that reflects the Risen Christ. The Philippian jailer saw the hope that made imprisoned men sing praises to God and he was moved to ask of the hope that was in them. How often do we complain about circumstances today and broadcast the sins of the unregenerate instead of praising God for this great opportunity to shine His redemptive light? This life we live and this time and place in which we have been born is a providential act of the Creator and when we complain about the sin of others we do despite to the unmerited grace that we received.
To know and serve the Savior is the ultimate life, and to increase His knowledge can only be done by reflecting His life and spreading His Word. It is a calling and privilege that no sinner ever deserved nor has the ability in himself to accomplish. Praise to His matchless Name who by the sickle of the cross has harvested a worthless crop and made it into a company of saints who will reflect His glory forever. And in the end it will all be about Jesus and His glory. In the center of heaven stands a Lamb, as it had been slain, and we will all with heavenly voices sing His praise forevermore. It all seems like some fairytale, and like some dream, but the reality will far surpass any and all imaginations. It has not even entered our finite minds what God has prepared for us.
And so, this that we call redemption, is a sacred trust that goes far beyond what we can ever imagine. Holding it high it shines like the heavens against the blackest night. But bring it down among those who desperately need it and it gets messy. It seeks out those who we would not seek, and it clings to some of the most undesirable among us. It finds the whore and passes by the elder. It finds a voice through an illiterate Sudanese mother and holds its tongue when the self righteous speak. It bows down to an eight year old and yet remains hidden to a genius. Redemption rests in straw and rejects the bed of down and extravagance. And what are to make of this? Redemption reaches out through the lips of Spurgeon and Wesley alike. Finney and Whitefield. MacArthur and Graham.
Oh the glory of God’s redemption! Would that men who claim its reward and are claimed of it as well would so illuminate its glory that sinners would run to us. And if our lives would manifest such redemption as we claim in our theology, well, who could withstand such convicting and drawing power? We would either gain a seeking audience or we would be put to death. To blend would be impossible. Jesus told us that lifting up Him would draw men to Him everywhere. And so why are men not drawn to Him today? Why does it take extravagant evangelistic programs and catchy sermon series and organized outreaches to draw sinners that live among us to show some interest in the gathering we call “church”? Why do men neither run to us or from us?

Could it be that we are living our lives and not His? To suggest that there are millions of believing followers of Jesus, inhabited by the Holy Spirit Himself, living in this darkened existence and yet with such little effect and with such spiritual ambivalence is a boast that cannot be true. And it isn’t just the formal churches, or the seeker sensitive ones, or the emergent brand, or the purpose driven type. No, it is all of us…all of us.

Dear Lord, help us to let go of this life and cling entirely to Yours.

The Words in Red

If the words of Jesus do not mean everything...then they mean nothing.

Rick Frueh A.D. 2010

Our Message is not Law

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

The moral crusades that many evangelicals become embroiled in are nothing more than a ministry of death and condemnation. Even in places like Nigeria there are movements that have so condemned homosexuality that the laws have been changed to include capital punishment for the offenders. “That is going too far!”, you suggest? In the natural, to be sure, but in the realm of the spirit it carries death just as certain.
The law was a schoolmaster to bring the world to Jesus Christ, but without the gospel the law is death. People who desire the Ten Commandments be placed upon the walls of public schools are greatly misguided. The Ten Commandments represent certain spiritual death since no one can completely adhere to them and if you break one you have broken them all. The pitiful and self righteous attempts to contain and even alter the behavior of sinners by outward means may be the role of the government, but the church must provide a panacea that cures the heart.
I am not pro-life and pro-heterosexual marriage because I was convinced by any physiological arguments. I believe what I believe because of the grace of God that changed me some 35 years ago. But even what I believe about those issues is irrelevant in the realm of spreading the gospel. When Jim Elliot and his brethren went to find and witness to the Auca Indians they did not attempt to persuade them to cover their nakedness. They went with the gospel and it cost them their lives. Later on believers went again and many Aucas were saved by the power of the Good News. How counter productive and absurd would it have been for Elliot to bring some moral crusade to this tribe? But that is exactly what some believers and churches do in the midst of a dark community that is every bit as lost as were those Auca Indians.
But the grace of God through Jesus Christ is the portal that leads to freedom. Be not mistaken, though, all of us journey upon a path filled with stumbling. And therein lies another wonder of redemption and sonship. A man is driving his car and sees the sign that says 55 miles per hour. He realizes that is the law and sometimes, not all times, he drives under that speed limit. That is the law. And in the Old Testament the law was written outwardly and obeyed with varying degrees of consequences for those who disobeyed it outwardly.
But in the New Testament this same driver now travels a road where there is no speed limit; there is no law. But he has been implanted with a communication device that advises him when he is driving too fast and unsafely. And when he reaches 55 miles per hour that voice inside tells him to slow down. The man slows down, not because it is the law, but because he loves, respects, and even worships the One whose voice is speaking to him.

Christ is the end of the law to all who believe.

Brethren, let us not be ministers of that which kills and has passed away, for if we were still judged by the dictates of the law we would all be put to death, both physically and spiritually. Let us minister the Good News that God has come as a man and has provided a way, the only way, for a sinner to gain eternal life. And purely by faith in this God/man a sinner can be eternally forgiven, and the residual effects will change him in this life as well.
So often the church has come across as a self righteous old man who cannot wait for your soccer ball to be kicked into his yard so he can race to confiscate it. We must be different. Jesus rubbed shoulders with the vilest of sinners, and if you believe that all His followers became perfect you have not read the New Testament or even some accounts of the early church. So many believers act as if they are fearful of being portrayed as condoning sin, and in that fear lurks self righteousness that blocks a redemption that is far from being fearful of sin. In fact, the redemption of Jesus Christ seeks out sinners and their sin and when allowed that redemption defeats sin and rescues the sinners.
The law has dropped us off at school, Jesus Christ University, and when we enroll by faith the law which dropped us off dies along with Christ who is the end of the law for everyone who believes. We no longer strive to lead lives that glorify God because of any law, but the love of Jesus Christ constrains us. Through Christ we offer a hope that transcends human endeavor and self rehabilitation. It is a glorious message that bids all sinners of every stripe and lifestyle to come and dine with your Redeemer and Creator. A new life awaits you which ends with an eternity in the presence of the King of all Kings. It's an offer of grace that is unbalanced in the sinner's favor.

And that life is still offered to whosever believes in Him.

(In 1975 I took Jesus up on His offer. Since then I have broken the law in thought, word, and deed many times. If there was a law, that is!)

Our Real Founding Fathers

Some of the observable characteristics of early believers that drew a level of attention from the lost world were a humble lifestyle, an unexplainable hope, a contentment with their plight in life, a detachment form politics, and a willingness to be persecuted for Christ without retaliation.

Hmm…

Unlimited Atonement

The heart of God is redemption, and he has offered it to every sinner. To say that God hates most sinners and loves a miniscule number of sinners makes a mockery of the truth that “God is love”. To those who espouse a limited offer of redemption for a very small number of sinners you might change that verse to read “God is a little bit love”.

(I once observed to a renowned Calvinist that if a brand new believer who had no church background was given a Bible and sent to spend two years on an island alone, he would never come away from that experience believing in limited atonement. The man replied to me, “That is why we have teachers”. Let that logic sink in.)

A True Seeker

To seek His face. Two lovers are sitting at a table. Where do they look? They are gazing into each other’s faces.
And so exhorts the psalmist and the Apostle Paul. The glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. So do we even know how to seek His face? Is obeying the tenants of the faith, and avoiding certain sins, does that life count as seeking His face? And if the Scriptures teach us to seek His face, then it must mean His face can be found. He rewards those who diligently seek Him, says the writer of Hebrews.
We seem to be diligent about so many things, but are we diligently seeking Him? I do not mean diligently seeking doctrine, or theology, or even sinners. Do we seek His face? It seems so ethereal and so esoteric and even so mystical, and yet it is Scriptural. But the western lifestyle has lured us into Martha’s kitchen and made obsolete the place of Mary’s resting.
Has Jesus become another facet of our faith or is He the life breath of our existence? Do we know the theology better thaqn we know the Redeemer? Am I just a believer or am I a seeker as well? I must return to the passion I once had when I had just met Christ and knew nothing of doctrine and theology. In some ways I knew Him better then than I do now.

Thy face, Lord, will I seek.