Thoughts from the hill

How do we prepare ourselves for Easter?

2007-04-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

I'm going to do something a little different this week. Instead of writing a long blog on my thoughts about how we are to look at Easter coming up in a few days, I decided to give you a link to detailed notes of my message last Sunday (Palm Sunday). I believe these notes express what the Lord has put on my heart for now, and adding to them here could not add to what I already said. So, if you would like to see those notes, you can go here... http://www.echurchnetwork.net/Assets/Website/200/How%20Do%20We%20Prepare%20Ourselves%20for%20Easter.pdf

You can read it on the link, download it, or print it out for further study. I hope you will ponder the passages I used, and my thoughts on this, and wrestle with it in consideration of your own journey with God. And I should also have the audio feed of this message on our web site by Thursday evening.

And if you have any comments, please leave them here. I hope you are blessed!

God bless,
Mel

What are we shouting about?

2007-03-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

"And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“ Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’" Matt.21:8-9

"Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” Matt.27:22-23

As we approach the final week of Easter, I would like us to think about two seemingly contrasting scenes here. I say, seemingly, because they really are showing us the same thing.

For those of us who have contemplated these verses, the absolute irony is stunning. It appears from the story that the very same people who were praising Jesus, laying down their clothes and spreading palm branches before Him, were the same who later shouted to Pilate that He should be crucified. And the question that keeps coming up in my mind when I read this is...what does that tell us about ourselves?

In other words...what am I shouting about?

Do I shout for the Son of God because I've seen Him do great miracles, who healed my body, who answered my prayer, who blesses me in every way...who gives me stuff? Or do I shout for the One who is the source of my constant joy, in spite of what lies before me? Yes, what am I shouting about?

Our expectations are very dangerous things; that is, if you can call them things. For they can blind our view of reality and often lead us to stumble on our journey of faith rather than clear the path set before us. For if our expectations of what we think should happen are not met, it can often lead to disappointment, despair, even anger and revenge. And what should be instructive about this is that our expectations of what God should do, or what He shouldn't do...for us or anyone else...in no way, effects reality.

Think about this...no one...not even Jesus' followers...understood what God's plan really was. Even though Jesus repeatedly told them that He would suffer and die and rise again, in their mind, they were expecting their "King" to enter Jerusalem and conquer all evil...which to them, meant the Roman Empire. Even when Jesus came back to them after His resurrection, we see them asking, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6)

We also see Judas, who, after realizing Jesus was not going to fulfill his expectations, arrange to have Him turned over the chief priests (Read Matt.26:1-16). I mean...his Messiah talking about His burial and all, how could He! He was supposed to rescue Israel...not this talk about defeat. But are we really any different than Judas? That is, in our own human understanding of things? And do we see how our expectations cloud our vision of what God really wants to do in our lives?

Back to our two texts. First, we see crowds of people, worshiping, honoring Jesus as He is riding into the holy city, Jerusalem, on a lowly donkey. Their King has come, just as the prophets predicted! Finally, God was going to get those Romans! It's pay-back time! Finally...the pagan world would bow to their Jewish Messiah! And likewise, how often we come to Jesus because of a promise to make our lives better now, to solve an overwhelming problem, even make our problems go away. But then, when the circumstances don't change, maybe even worsen, we turn away from Him...He must not be the savior I was looking for...Get rid of Him!

I love the part in verse two of Hebrews 12, where it says, "Because of the joy awaiting him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame." This joy that He looked to...in spite of the suffering He would have to temporarily endure to realize it...in spite of the chastisement for our peace upon Him (Isa.53:5). Why would He do this? So that He could finish the race His Father set before Him. To proclaim the love of God to the world who rejected Him. For His joy was for our joy...so that we could have the full measure of His joy living in us! (John 17:13).

You may have noticed that I mentioned before that both of these scenes speak about the same thing. Well...they do. They tell us the same story. For in order for us to have joy, peace, and fulfillment, One must die in our stead. Someone must shout, "crucify Him!" for us to shout our praises to Him. And having died for us, in spite of us, we now have life...that is, His life in exchange for ours.

It's true, God's ways are not our ways...they are better ways. And His ways can be trusted, even when we don't understand them at the time. And our hope is not found in our circumstances, but in Him. And as He told His disciples that it was "to your advantage that I go away" (John 16:7)...it indeed was good. And it was good that He would be rejected in shame by the same people who praised Him in triumph...that is...by people just like us...for to us, because He did disregard the shame for joy, we can shout, Hallelujah! And now, because of the joy set before Him, we have this hope living in us that overcomes the world around us..."Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom.5:5) Amen.

God says, "Why not 'waste' a whole day on Me"

2007-03-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

"And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28

We just hosted a leadership training last weekend at our church (via Satellite simulcast) and one of the speakers was Pete Scazzero, author of "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" (Integrity, 2006) and "The Emotionally Healthy Church." (for more information about his ministry, go to his web site is http://www.center4ehs.org.)

One of the statements that he made that was so striking, because it is so true, is that we live in a culture that cannot sit still for any length of time, let alone a whole day! After all, we are busy, we've got important things to do! This is the "dance" of the North American culture; the flute is playing and we are called to join in the dance...and we do. We sing our favorite song, just do it! And I submit, this is especially true for Evangelical Christians. I ask you...have we not fallen into the trap of busy self-effort, (idle hands are the devil's workshop, you know!), and have we not equated our "drivenness" and the multitude of our busyness as a prized value of productivity and spirituality? Even our prayers are hurried monologues with God, full of our words (see Eccl.5:2-3). We prefer to create formulas and programs for success so we can do more. But, as Scazzaro points out, there is something we don't seem to know or value at all...and that is, "It is impossible to grow spiritually without silence and solitude."

This was a well known secret to spirituality in earlier times that's apparently lost on the Reformed, pragmatic thinking of the West. And even though Jesus said that Mary had chosen the "good part" (see Luke 10:38-42) by stopping and sitting at His feet, by our actions, we very much prefer the multi-tasking, distracted "Martha" world over this seeming "waste of time."

So what has this "Martha mindset" actually produced? I submit that it has not produced deeply spiritual Christians, but exhausted, burnt out, and stressed out ones...too often hanging onto their faith by a thread, having their spiritual vitality drained, living on fumes...and even for some, living off of the spirituality of others rather than their own. Bernard of Clairvaux considered this problem long ago and called it "The sin of sloth and laziness" because we "do not have the interior life to sustain our outer life." Considering this, no wonder there is so much moral failure in the church today!

Now, getting back to the text. Why did God give His people the Sabbath? Why was keeping the sabbath the fourth commandment and how does it apply to us today? Well, first of all, we need to understand the why. The word "sabbath" literally means "complete rest." In other words, sabbath means to deliberately do nothing. In the case of a keeping a Sabbath day, to do nothing for a 24-hour period.

Keeping our text from the Gospel of Mark in mind, that the Sabbath was made for man, I ask you, is this a bad thing? Is this some oppressive requirement to put us back into bondage of the Law? I like how Scazarro said it, "It's like having a 'snow day'" (in the Northern part of America, we well know what this means!)..."and God gave Israel 52 snow days right off the top!" You see, God knows our nature...that we will run ourselves right into the ground unless He makes a provision to force us to rest. But, again, let's not get legalistic and lose sight of the purpose here...It's for us! It's for our good!

So is Peter Scazzaro, and now I, suggesting that we do nothing for a 24-hour period of time each week? Yes, I am suggesting that. But I am only suggesting what God provided for us in the first place, long before the Law, that we "waste" a whole day of our busy week on God (which really means, for us). And because I know we will spend our time on what we value; I am really suggesting we look at our current values and make some adjustments...again...for our own good.

What Scazzaro suggests is that we take a whole day (24-hour period) to devote to four things: stopping, resting, delighting, and contemplating. I will very briefly explain here.

First we stop all our normal work activity; we turn off the cell phone, don't check our emails, put all our regular work away...we stop! We don't think about work, call work, or work on work! Got it? Next, we rest...turn off the alarm clock and wake up when we wake up! Take a nap...lay on the couch...go ahead! Third, we delight...now, remember, our first delight should be in the Lord, and we are to make the day holy, so our primary delight should be in the Lord. But also remember, this "sabbath" was made for you. So, do the things you love to do...read books, take a walk...do your favorite hobby. Remember, this is for your enjoyment! But also remember, it's not a work day or even really a family day where you busy yourself with domestic things. It's a "nothing" day! Then finally, contemplate...it's a time to be refreshed in the presence of the Lord...spent time in silence...not time with music or any other background noise, but in silence. If you can't do this at home, go to some remote place where you can.

One more thing that struck me about what Pete Scazzaro said. He lives in New York City and has learned some things from the Hasitic Jewish Rabbis there. He learned that they see their weekdays as leading up to the sabbath, which is the crescendo of their week! It's what they look foward to, long for, cherish, and protect (You know, kind of a like the 80's song, "Everybody's working for the Weekend!") And think about it...they give up, probably the most profitable retail day of the week...Saturday...just to waste on God. Nothing shows their values more than this. And I ask...what do our values show us about ourselves?

Okay, you may say..."But I don't have a day to waste." Oh really? And why is that so? And what will you really miss by "losing" that day? I say, let God show you this...test it out. I think you'll be surprised by how much more you will actually be productive, refreshed, and full of joy if you do this!

As far as which day, it's really up to you. For many people, it could be Sunday...they go to church (keeping the day holy) and do nothing the rest of the day. For me, that's a work day! So I am taking off Mondays (today). My wife is taking off Tuesdays (her day off). We do family and our "busy stuff" on Saturdays. So, having stopped, rested, contemplated, I am now "delighting" by writing this blog! And when I am done here, I will probably read a book...or maybe take a nap. Later, my wife and I may go out for walk. But whatever I do...be sure it will be restful.

You know what? I think God was pretty smart when He gave us these "snow days." After years of doing things my own way, I believe I will take Him up on His generous offer!

Can one person actually make a difference?

2007-02-19T19:39:00.000-06:00

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." Ezek.22:30

"Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:10-14

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." I John 3:17-18

This Saturday, February 24th, marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in England. And this is true primarily because of the tireless efforts of one man, William Wilberforce, a devout Christian and member of the British Parliment. Eighteenth century England was, by far, the largest trafficker of slaves when Wilberforce joined the Parliment, and for many years both the government and the church were indifferent to the horrific human suffering it produced. But after 20 years of political rejection, personal humiliation, and persecution, Wilberforce finally saw his bill abolishing this evil practice passed and signed into law. And the movie, "Amazing Grace" starring Ioan Gruffudd, opens this Friday to commemorate Wilberforce and this historic event that saved the lives of so many people.

And while thinking about Wilberforce and his amazing story (no pun intended!), I thought about the question many people often ask, "Can one person actually make a difference?" I recently had this conversation with my son on the subject of voting. His sentiment was that he didn't vote because he didn't see that it made any difference. Truly, this belief is prevelant in our culture today. But is it true? Does it not matter what one person does or doesn't do? Actually, both history and Scripture would say otherwise. In fact, we would see that in just about every case, our way of life was dramatically changed-- good or bad--by the will and persistence of one person. In fact, it appears from Scripture that God would actually require that we all make our own unique contribution to our world.

I included the Scripture passages above because they speak to us about how God looks for men and women to make a difference in the affairs of this life. That our faith is not one of indifference. The first, from Ezekiel, shows God's lament that He could not find a man (or woman) who would intercede for His people. The second passage, we see the reluctant courage and faith of one young Hebrew woman, Esther, raised up as Queen in a foreign land "for such a time as this" to save her people from extinction. And John instructs us in his first epistle that we cannot even say we have the love of God in us if we do not consider the suffering around us and seek to remedy it in a practical and tangible way. Of course, I could name many other examples of men and women of the Bible who rose to the occasion to fulfill their destiny and place in history.

So, on this anniversary, my thoughts go back to William Wilberforce. He was referred to by biographers as a radically God-centered Christian. He argued that good morals cannot be divorced from Biblical doctrine. (Something our liberal social activists would do well to heed.) But like us before we came to Christ, he wasn't always such a noble person. He came from a wealthy family and he spent his early years living a self-indulged life of ease without any real purpose. At age 21, he basically bought his election into Parliment and, in his own words, did nothing for several years. But something happened at age 25; he had a dramatic conversion to Christ through the influence of two men. One was his old schoolmaster, Isaac Milner; the other, an old family friend, John Newton (who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace,"hence the title of the movie).

Now what's interesting here is that John Newton was once himself a slave-trading sea captain, who was converted to Christ and then afterward renounced this evil practice and became a minister of the Gospel. And Newton mentored young Wilberforce in his waning years as a minister. He wrote these words in his last will and testament, "I commit my soul to my gracious God and Savior, who mercifully spared and preserved me, when I was an apostate, a blasphemer, and an infidel, and delivered me from the state of misery on the coast of Africa into which my obstinate wickedness had plunged me; and who has been pleased to admit me (though most unworthy) to preach his glorious gospel."

And it was Newton's advice to William Wilberforce not to leave Parliment for the ministry, which is what William was considering after his conversion, but instead, serve God in his political office. Newton said this, "It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His Church and the good of the nation." So we see God's "amazing grace" at work here; using a former slave trader to touch the life of a self-centered, turned God-centered aristocrat, who would be instrumental in ending the practice! Only God could write such a script!

And consider the obstacle young Wilberforce faced. Nobody of his day thought that abolishing the slave trade was even a remote possibility. It was widely thought vital to Great Britain's economy, and that the nation could not survive as a world power without it. But nevertheless, it was indeed abolished by the persistent courage and faith of this man. And the abolition of slavery was not William Wilberforce's only concern. As John Piper puts it, there was a steady stream of action to alleviate pain and bring social (and eternal) good. At one point he was involved in 69 different initiatives! These included child labor reform, prison reform, labor reform, and even took to seeing that Britian evangelize and educate its colonies in the ways of God! All of this while suffering for years with ulcerative colitis, curvature of the spine, gout, and increasing blindness. Why do I mention this? Because this was a man who didn't excuse himself from the service of God because of his limitations, or in any of the various ways we so easily do.

So on this anniversary of such a history-changing event, let us remember that we are made of the same stuff as Wilberforce and our heroes of the faith. We have the same Holy Spirit. We may not have the same mission, but nonetheless, we have our own part to play in history. By God's grace, let us serve Him with the same resolve.

And with so much narcissistic drivel and meaningless entertainment as our normal movie fare, let us rejoice that once and awhile a film comes along that is not only worthwhile but can move our very soul, allowing us to momentarily peer into something much bigger than us all... something worthy of a life lived, of a quality I believe precious to God's heart.

So I encourage you to see this movie. Bring your children. Talk about it. Wrestle with it. Pray about it. And let God speak to you and inspire you to greater things for His Kingdom. Remember...we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

"...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits." Dan.11:32

For information about the movie "Amazing Grace" and theater locations and times, go to this web site... http://www.amazinggracemovie.com

The Generation of Jacob

2007-02-10T12:47:00.000-06:00

"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah" Psalm 24:6

What is it about Jacob that God would say this about him? "The generation who seek Him, who seek Your face..." Did you ever wonder about that? Selah! Well, I have wondered, and I would like to share some thoughts with you on my wonderings.

First, what about Jacob's qualifications? You know, what made him this patriarch of those who can "ascend the hill of the Lord." Hmmm...let's see...he was shrewd, cunning, conniving and deceptive, a coward, a momma's boy, a thief, a usurper, and frankly, not all that perceptive (after all, he didn't know the difference between Leah and Rachel, sheesh!)...should I go on?

Okay, you might bring up the fact that Jacob was Isaac's son, heir to the throne so to speak, next in line to be God's man and all that. So, certainly, God would favor him and bestow the aforementioned honors and accolades.

Oh...did I forget to mention that Jacob had a twin? His name was Esau. And not only that, but Esau was born before Jacob.

So, I ask myself...why doesn't Psalm 24:6 say,"This is Esau, the generation who seek Him, who seek Your face"?

And our plot thickens, as it were, regarding Esau's lot...God goes on to say in Romans 9:12, where Paul is quoting from Malachi 1:3, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Whoa! What's up with that!

In other words, I am asking why God would love a shrewd, cunning, conniving, deceiver, momma's boy, who was a coward and a thief; but hate Isaac's actual first born, Esau, who was none of these things?

So why Jacob and not Esau? I believe the answer is that Esau was indifferent.

Esau did not value, therefore, was indifferent to his birthright; actually, he despised it by giving it up for a bowl of soup. God was not impressed.

Jacob, on the other hand, was anything but indifferent. He fought, wrestled, and even connived for everything he got. You could certainly question Jacob's motives, but you could never question his diligence and persistance. And, because of this, on that night with God--Jacob's divine appointment--it says that he wrestled with God until daybreak and would not let Him go until He blessed him. God apparently was impressed...and did just that. Even gave him a new name, Israel, and the rest...well...the rest is history as they say.

Hebrews chapter 12 is all about people just like Jacob. A "generation" who, unlike Esau who was apathetic about God's inheritance, will diligently lay aside every weight and sin, looking unto Jesus, resisting sin even unto bloodshed, gladly receiving God's correction and discipline as His sons, pursuing His peace and holiness...because we have not come to a mountain that may be touched, but have come to "Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." (Heb.12:22-24)

So, as this chapter goes on to say, since we are receiving a Kingdom, and God will shake everything that must be shaken in us to make us ready to receive it, for He is a consuming fire, let us diligently serve Him in reverential fear, strengthening our hands that hang down, and looking up to the One who calls us...Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith!

This is the generation of Jacob. Those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah.

Does it really make any difference if I pray?

2007-01-26T14:19:00.000-06:00

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matt. 6:9-10

I've been thinking lately about the whole concept of prayer. And while doing this, I was reminded of a magazine article I read a while ago (don't recall which magazine offhand) about some scientists and researchers who conducted a study on the effectiveness of prayer. They apparently came to the conclusion that you couldn't scientifically prove that prayer actually works. Duh! Really?

Anyway, it does bring up something that a lot of the faithful do wonder about...that is, do my prayers really matter? I mean, if God's will is going to be done anyway, does it really make a difference if I pray? And, if He knows my needs before I even ask, why do I still need to ask? And by their actions, you might conclude that many Christian's answer to these questions would be in the negative. For if we really thought that prayer did indeed make a difference, we would pray about everything! But most believers admitedly don't pray like this. My desire here in this blog is to share some thoughts that will hopefully motivate you to pray more.

Part of the problem that I see is that we're confused about our relationship with God in the outworkings of His eternal plan. While we know that God's will indeed will be done and His ultimate plan cannot be thwarted, we can, if we're not careful, begin to at least subconsciously adopt a Christian version of a que sera sera, whatever will be will be..." attitude. I contend that this rather fatalistic view is not taught in the Bible, nor do I believe that God wants us to believe that our prayers don't matter.

Now, there are certainly other reasons that we don't get our requests answered. One notable reason is that we are praying contrary to God's will and, really, contrary to our own best interests. Other reasons would be that prayer is for us, to help us come into a better understanding of God's will for something, or to cast our anxieties upon Him, to find peace that passes all understanding. Another obvious reason to pray is to commune with God, to draw near, for no other reason than to spend time with Him and grow in grace. I do not want to discount those important reasons nor do I wish to minimize their purpose in prayer. But I also believe that there is much more to prayer than this, and so it's imperative that believers understand this so we can work more effectively in the Kingdom.

First, we need to remember that the Bible does indeed tell us to pray. In fact, we are to told to pray without ceasing (I Thess.5:17) and if it were not so, Jesus would've told us to pray, even to be persistent in our asking. In Matt.7:7 (NLT version), “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Of course,we also know that Jesus prayed constantly during His earthly ministry and now, we see in Romans 8 and Hebrews 7, that both the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us before God (to "intercede" literally means to meet, to stand up for someone else). So,prayer and intercession are obviously important to God!

That our prayers really matter is the underlying principle Jesus is teaching in the so-called "Lord's Prayer" in Matt.6:9-13. We notice three things right up front about this prayer:

First, that we address God as our Father...He's our Father! This speaks of intimacy and special priviledge. Because of faith in Jesus' Blood shed on the Cross for us, we have access to our heavenly Father, the Giver of all good things. He is someone we can approach with confidence, and where we can find grace and help in time of need (Heb.4:16)

Second, hallowed be Your name...we worship Him as God alone, acknowledging the exceeding glory of His holiness. That He is our only source and supply. That we put no other gods before Him nor do we look to any one else to get our needs met.

Third, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We invite God's rule, His activities into our lives here on the earth. The rest of the prayer deals with doing exactly this in our everyday lives.

Now, before I go further, let me say that God doesn't need to do this. But, for His own reasons, He chooses to include us in His affairs. And let me also say that this does not diminish His sovereignty in any way. In fact, it's part of it! Also, it doesn't mean we can get whatever we want if we pray. The key to this, and to prayer in general, is that prayer is connected somehow with God's will being released on the earth as it's already done in heaven. And if it didn't matter if we prayed for His will to be done on earth, Jesus' instructions here would be absolutely pointless.

Here's what Andrew Murray said about prayer..."God's giving is inseparably connected to our asking...only by intercession can that power be brought down from heaven, which will enable the Church to conquer the world."

Now, before you say that this is heresy, consider this...

God sent Israel into captivity because there was no one to intercede for them..."So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." Ezek.22:30. Therefore, Israel had to be put in God's furnace of affliction for 70 years because no one was praying or interceding.

This begs the question...what if someone would've "stood in the gap" and prayed for them? Would the outcome have been different? The answer can only be, yes, otherwise God would not have said so. This doesn't change His foreknowledge of Israel's future, or His ultimate will, but only how He waits for men to partner with Him through prayer and intercession in order to effect outcomes.

Still not convinced? Then consider these examples...

Abraham saves Lot from destruction by interceding with God when He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18)

Moses intercedes for Israel when God was determined to totally destroy them and start over while they were in the wilderness because they refused to enter the Promised Land (Num.14).

Daniel prays for God's will to be done after finding out that the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years, was about to come to an end (see Daniel 9:1-3).

The question is, what would've happened in just these few examples, if no one had set their hearts to pray or to intercede? You can't say that these situations would've still turned out the same. Certainly, Lot would've died in Sodom, Israel would've perished in the wilderness, and at least there's a possibility that the outcome of Israel's return from captivity would've been different too. You can only rightfully say that God foreknew what they would do and planned for it in advance. But either way, from our perspective at least, it makes a huge difference whether we pray or not. Whether we choose to cooperate with God's plan for our generation.

Let me close with this...that God is more amazing than we can imagine! Now, there's nothing surprising or revelatory about that statement, but it's much more than that. While He knows the end from the beginning, and He establishes our way, and His plan cannot be thwarted, yet...He waits for us to ask, to knock, to seek...to release His will upon the earth. That is mind-boggling! Do you realize what this means, mighty saint of God? It means that we have a part to play in history and what we do does make a difference! And like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, and those faithful who have gone before us, we can partner with God...as His friend...Who, as we draw near and abide in Him, tells us His secret things (Gen.18:17-19:Psalm 25:14; John 15:7-8) in order to execute His plan and purposes and, thus, glorify His name on the earth!

I hope that you will pray and seek His face. And may His will indeed be done in you, and me, as it is done in heaven. Amen.

Just how do I keep my salvation?

2007-01-17T15:44:00.000-06:00

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." Hebrews 12:2a

Nothing like giving a provocative title to a blog, eh? Let me just jump right into the middle of one of the biggest Christian debates in all history. I'm feeling rather theologically mischievous today, but I really do have a good point to all this that may help you, so please bear with me.

Okay...this really conjures up the old question, "Can I, or can't I, lose my salvation?" Which is right? Or...maybe...it's not really either choice; that is, as most of us understand the question...and maybe...both are right. Maybe we don't even understand what we're asking. Let me explain...

First, the argument. There is one side of evangelical Christianity that says that if salvation is a free gift of God's grace (unmerited favor), and it has nothing to do with us, and if we can't possibly come to God on our own or save ourselves, then we can't lose it either. In other words, "once saved always saved." It's a compelling argument that can be substantiated in Scripture. A champion of this theology was John Calvin, a noted theologian in the 16th Century. American preachers like Jonathon Edwards, reformation theology in general, and a host of other evangelicals adopt this view. While I tend to agree with most of Calvin's postulates, I believe that some of his defenders, zealous to prove God's sovereignty, have taken it to extremes, thus putting God in this box, making Him some control freak that's really doing little more than playing games with souless human robots. He created us in His image with a will to choose, only to totally take it away from us! And He further compounds the ridicule by telling us to choose! This extreme Calvinistic argument is a bit ridiculous in my view.

On the other side of the debate, there are people who believe man has, at least, limited free will and responsibility (meaning "response-ability"); thus they can indeed lose their salvation. These people, too, substantiate their view with just as many Scriptural references as the Calvinists. The champion for this view was a theologian named Jacobus Arminius, who was born shortly after Calvin. Interestingly enough, Arminius was actually taught by Calvin's son-in-law and was himself a "Calvinist" until he heard someone argue the other side better than he so he rejected pure Calvinist teachings. John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, was also a preacher of note who adopted many of the Arminian beliefs, along with many Pentecostal and holiness persuations. I will add at this point that some have taken this position to mean that if we died while "sinning," we've lost our salvation, which I personally think is as ridiculous as extreme Calvinistic views.

I must also mention here that both sides believe that a person cannot save himself but only by God's grace drawing him. And neither believes in man's unlimited free will. But these are the two basic views given in a very simplistic fashion.

Ok, enough with the history. Which one is right? Or are they both wrong? Are they both right? Is there yet another option? (Did I get you to say hmmmm yet?) Actually, in a way (and I mean, a way), all of these answers could be right.

We must understand that Scripture does indeed teach us that our salvation has nothing to what we have done but what we believe. So...just what are we to believe then?

The first thing we need to understand is that our sin nature condemned us to die and be forever separated from God ("death" means separation). Without going into detail here on that, suffice to say, there are many Scriptures to support this truth. The second thing we need to understand is that God must have justice for our sin, our violation of His creation purpose (to glorify God), and that this justice was satisfied by Christ Jesus. More on this later. But first I want you to notice something about the following passage.

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.”

Notice here that we had nothing to do with this exchange and payment for sin. God reconciled us (straightened out man's sin problem) through Christ. In other words, we weren't involved in this "reconciling" equation at all. But there is another thing we must know about this reconciliation. It is a gift from God that no one deserves. Of course, Paul plainly says this very thing in Ephesians 2:8-9...
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

So this salvation is a free gift. (that's an important point) For a gift is not something we have anything to do with other than to "receive" it graciously from the giver (or Giver, in this case). Just like if you gave me a gift, maybe a box of candy. I had nothing to do with whatever it took to make the candy, nor do I necessarily deserve it; the only thing I can do is respond to you by receiving it from your hand. I do this because I believe you when you say you're giving it me. And after receiving it from you, it is now mine.

And I say this because it is not mine until I accept the fact that the gift is actually mine. Before my receiving it, it was only potentially mine; in other words, it was indeed a gift provided for me but might as well not even have existed unless I actually "receive" it. And with regard to the free gift of salvation, there is nothing I can do except receive it by believing that God's justice has been satisfied on my behalf.

Why this is important is because Scripture says that Christ died for the sins of the "whole world" (I John 2:2). As I already pointed out, it is a free gift from God for all mankind, but nonetheless, until a person actually accepts this free gift...or "receives Christ by faith" ...this free gift does them no good. In this regard, everyone who is lost is already forgiven, as well as everyone who is saved. The only difference between the two is that the latter are saved by faith (having received the free gift), and the former are lost because they did not believe, thus, did not receive it by faith. Again, it had nothing to do with whether they lived a good life, lived a wicked life, obeyed or disobeyed all the commandments, but whether they received by trusting in the free gift of God.

Back to the "exchange" in 2 Cor 5... The question is, if it was all Christ's work that God is satisfied with, then what has changed about this, or will ever change about this historical fact in the future? For that matter, will anything about the gift change? You're right, nothing will change becuase it's already done...it is finished! And it had nothing to do with me or my performance. Christ's Blood satisfied God at Calvary 2,000 years ago...it still does now...and ever will satisfy God in the future. So, the question is, if we had nothing to do with satisfying God's requirements to make us right before Him, and it's a free gift, then how can anything you or I do ever change that? For if I sin, even in the future...did Christ's atonement still satisfy God? Yes. Did it change anything concerning my salvation? No. So does Jesus' Blood shed still atone for all I have done or ever will do? The answer is still, Yes.

Sounds like Calvin was right...but hold on a minute....what about all the Scriptures about people who have left the faith, those apostates, and those who have turned away from the grace of God? Furthermore, why did Paul and the other writers spend so much time telling believers to "keep the faith" and persevere if "falling away" was an impossibility? Arminianists may point to many Scriptures like the following:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." Heb.6:4-6

Sounds to me like believers are able to walk away and even go past repentance (like Esau). And I know full well our Calvinist friends have their answers to these apparent warnings, but even our beloved salvation verse, John 3:16 says “anyone who believes” does not mean anyone who believed at one point in time, but rather, it is a continuous act of believing. Numerous epistles in the New Testament also exhort people to overcome and promise eternal life to those who do so. If overcoming was guaranteed upon salvation, the exhortation would be foolish. The point is, both sides can make equally compelling arguments, and both sides have problems with their arguments. I am not going to belabor those differences anymore here.

Okay, again, you may ask...what is it? What's your point, Mel? Well, here's my point...if salvation is already settled in heaven, not based on anything I do, and at the same time, I must somehow persist and persevere, it must mean something else to "keep the faith" (otherwise it's pointless to tell me to do something God will do for me anyway).

I believe that it means what I said at the beginning...that our salvation is not based on what we do but what we believe. My "keeping" and "persevering" is only in my continuing to believe and trust in what Jesus did, not what I do or don't do. For nothing ever changes about God's salvation. And as long as I continue to believe that, I have "kept the faith."

So you see...it has absolutely nothing to do with whether I still sin or not...God has already given up on me anyway! My flesh will always be my flesh. God is not interested in redeeming my flesh! To think otherwise is to still be arguing with God! But it has everything to do with whether I give up (renounce) any other way but to put my entire dependence upon God and know that He is satisfied with Jesus' payment for me on the Cross. Whether I sin or not is entirely a different matter...only by walking in the Spirit, in other words, using my will to yield to God's will, can I overcome sinning. The flesh is always the flesh; the spirit is the spirit. But that's another subject...

So when I'm "looking unto Jesus," I have been saved...I am being saved...and will be saved. But, on the other hand, if I still believe that I have to make myself right with God somehow by rules and regulations, through what I do, whether it sounds Christian or not, then I have fallen from grace (Gal.5:4).

So, let me be clear in what I am saying here...my (and your) only part here is to keep believing and totally trusting what Jesus did; God's part is to save me and keep me. And His "keeping" comes from my trusting Him by faith. Faith comes first through my cooperation, helped by His grace, then, and only then, His promise comes into my experience...my peace with God, my justification, my sanctification, imparted entirely by the Spirit through faith in Christ. And, in that way, I enter into the "rest of God" (Heb.4)

So...was Calvin or Arminius right? My answer...Yes! Did God "predestine" me, have foreknowledge, already plan in advance that I would would believe...or did I have make the choice and turn to Him? The answer again...Yes! It was preplanned, provided for and I have to make the choice. In fact, He even helps me make the choice because He knew I would make the choice! (Ponder that one...it will make your time-bound head hurt!) And even though He gives me a choice to keep the faith, the Holy Spirit in me helps me do so. So God gets all the glory; I get His salvation and joy of the Lord! Hallelujah!

Furthermore, I can have "blessed assurance" because I can be and remain confident in what Jesus did, and know that I know that I know...that I am without a doubt, saved! Why? Because God's requirements aren't up to me to keep! Believing in Christ's finished work on the Cross is what I "keep." I stop struggling with God and agree with His assessment of me, that I am hopelessly unrepairable, but Jesus' life and Blood is enough and nothing can ever change that! I have absolutely no confidence in a sinner's prayer, or that I was repentant or sorry enough, or that I follow rules good enough, but my confidence is in that Jesus satisfied God's requirements for me. This, I believe! This, I hold on to by faith.

Brothers and sisters, if we can just get a revelation of this, we will get our eyes off of ourselves (on either side), forever bound by sin-conscienceness and fears, and the whole debate outlined here becomes totally irrelevant! There is nothing I can do to lose God's salvation...as long as I believe that it is enough for God.

You may ask, "This sounds a lot more like Calvinism than Arminianism, that I really can't lose my salvation. Well, that's fine if that helps you, but there is a critical distinction. Calvinism leads me to forfeit my will and basically wait for God to act on the earth in all His affairs. In this way, it is a passive faith. But if I do have a will, then it must be that God wants me to use it to partner or cooperate with Him, to release His decrees and purposes on the earth.

Like Daniel, whose intercession and prayers released God's purposes for Israel's return from captivity, or Jesus' admonition for us to pray for God's will to be done on the earth as it is in heaven, it does make a difference what we do. For instance, even though God has already done everything, we still must pray, we must still seek, we must still ask to see His purposes come to fruition. If we don't pray, not much, if anything, happens. Scripture even says that we can "hasten" the coming of the day of the Lord (2 Pet.3:12). It's time to wake up from our slumber and passivity and get on with God's business! More on that some other time...

I will leave you with this thought...What is the work are we to do? Jesus answered it best in John 6:29...“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." So let's keep believing and run the race set before us!

This thing called holiness

2007-01-08T13:15:00.000-06:00

“Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Acts 3:12

Lately, I've been pondering this whole concept of holiness...what it means, what it looks like, and how we possess it as Christians. Last Sunday, I spoke on the subject of pursuing peace and holiness from the text in Hebrews 12:14 (this message will be published on our web site by 1/11/07). My main point being that you cannot have true holiness without pursuing peace with others around you. It's as much about reconciliation as it is about consecration. I do not want to belabor that subject again here but continue on with what I see in Scripture about holiness.

I feel compelled to share this because I believe this subject has confused so many Christians, either by being ignored altogether or abused by a legalistic few professing a version of holiness that is no more than Christian humanism (which is not Christian at all!). I believe this has greatly impeded the realization of any true holiness and has resulted in much damage to the honest seeker's pursuit and walk with the Lord, even negating the Cross of Christ and the efficacy of grace. I also want to say up front to please bear with me on this post if it seems a bit theological rather conversational. I feel in order to make my points, some theological background is necessary. I will try to keep the doctrinal aspects as concise and conversational as possible.

Before leaving the subject of Hebrews 12:14, I do want to say this. That all who hold faith in Christ have an innate desire to pursue holiness; that is, that God's holiness would be made manifest in their lives. They cannot help but have this desire because the Holy Spirit dwells in them, and He, of course, is holy. If one finds that he or she does not have this abiding desire, it can only mean one of two things. Either this person is not born from above (John 3:3) or the cares of this life have choked out and deadened the very life of Christ in their hearts.

Our understanding of what holiness is comes from a couple of Hebrew and Greek words in the Old and New Testament. First, the Hebrew word qodesh, which means apartness, separateness, sacredness, as pertaining to God; and to be separated by, set apart by God, as pertaining to man. In the New Testament, two main Greek words are used...hagiosune, which means majesty, moral purity; and hagiosmos, which means to be concrecrated to, the effect of consecration and sanctification of our hearts and lives (as used in Heb.12:14). These will serve to describe my usage of the word here.

Having laid the groundwork, I will continue with my thoughts on the subject. First, at the risk of repeating my remarks from last Sunday, we must understand that we have no ability whatsoever, nor will we ever have the ability, to "attain" to any state of holiness through efforts of our own. Which means that you and I will never be any more holy or less holy than we are right now; we have absolutely no holiness apart from God's divine holiness residing in us. This is precisely what Peter meant in our text from Acts 3 above. Peter and John were only able to heal the lame man because of their faith in the fact that God is good, not because Peter or John were, or ever will be, good.

The only holiness we can ever have is what we "obtain" as a free gift by faith. Furthermore, until we see the hopelessness of our ability to "make ourselves holy," and Christ's total ability to do so, we will never experience true holiness. For if holiness could've been attained by self-discipline or even through outward spiritual disciplines, then the Pharisees would've certainly attained it! (They prayed, studied, fasted, tithed...more than you are I ever will!) Yet, it was Jesus Himself who told them that their father was the devil! This is not to minimize our need for spiritual disciplines, only to point out that doing those things, in and of themselves, do not make one holy.

Christ is not our sanctifier, He Himself is our sanctification. (See I Cor.1:30). What I believe that the Bible means by this is that Christ does not sanctify (make us holy) by doing something to us that makes us a better, "holier" people who have attained some improved level of moral purity; but instead, He resides in us, watching over and working in our souls, both to will and do continually (See Phil.2:13).

Furthermore, the degree of manifest holiness in us (as it is in our experience in everyday life) is totally proportional to the degree that we "embrace Christ" and our hearts (soul) realize the reality that we are only complete in Him (Col.2:10). In order for this to be revealed to us, we must first allow the Holy Spirit to show us that God has already given up on us ever achieving some righteous state, so that we will stop all other means of attaining godliness other than receiving His holiness by faith.

Why is this self-revelation necessary for us to see true holiness? Because we, even as otherwise mature Christians, tend to see our "sins" as some temporary slip in our behavior that can somehow be remedied with enough moral resolve and effort. But God sees it as a permanent defect with us. In this sense, we literally "lack God's glory" (Rom.3:23). The Bible never teaches self-denial (that I should or even can stop doing this or that); it only teaches denial of self (Matt.16:24; Mark 8:34). In other words, it is not what we do that must die, but our trying to save ourselves (or sanctify ourselves) that must die. This usually means, for believers and unbelievers alike, a seemingly endless cycle of failing over and over again, struggling in every way to make ourselves right before God, redoubling our resolve to "stop sinning," only to fail again, until we finally come to the end of ourselves and, at last, surrender all notions of ever being good, so that God can be good for us. It is not until we reach this death of self, that we receive life and enter God's rest (Heb.4:1)

I cannot possibly overstate this fact. Until we reach this point of ultimate frustration and see the utter futility of clinging on to our self-life, trying be good, we cannot begin any pursuit of true holiness. But when we do finally rest from our dead works (Heb.6:1), Christ can then begin to rule in our hearts and "be holy" through us and for us. Therefore, our holy living and moral purity is directly proportional to how much we have allowed Christ's holiness and moral purity to rule in us. We have no holiness apart from this, period. Christ then becomes our sanctification only insofar as the utter failure of our soul-man is revealed to us, and only insofar that we have "received Christ," or "put" Him on (Gal.3:27).

This is why Jesus said to the rich young ruler, "Why do you call me good? Only One is good and that is God." (Matt.19:17) Jesus was making a statement that defines the very core of true Christianity; which is, the only goodness we have is imputed goodness, that is, God's goodness freely and undeservedly given to us by God. As Paul also said in I Cor.4:7, "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" The only difference between me and the most vile sinner on earth is God's mercy and grace daily working in me. In other words, my only boast is Christ!

How does this look in our everyday lives? First, we must understand that God gave us a free will. He didn't have to, but He did because He wants our love, and love is not love at all unless it is freely given. And while it is true that we cannot possibly come to God unless the Father draw us, unless He chooses us first; it is equally true that we must choose Him. In other words, we must choose to be chosen! Indeed, from Genesis to Revelation, God is asking man to choose whom he will serve. As an old preacher said long ago..."Without God, we cannot not; without us, He will not." The truth is, we use our will every moment of every day, either to serve God or to serve ourselves. So, in this light, we will begin to experience the sanctified life as we continually use our will to surrender and yield to the Spirit in us, turning over the reigns, if you will, to Christ to rule and execute His ability and power in our affairs, thus, bringing to our experience the ability to do His will. This is refered to in Scripture as "walking in the Spirit"(Rom.8:1-17; Gal.5:16). Plainly speaking, we replace our previous way of doing things, where we found security in self, to turning over complete trust and security in Him who called us out of darkness. From this we see that faith and trust are very intentional and active in our thoughts and decisions; not passive, as James tells us in his epistle.

Let me bring this long post to a close. Even though many so-called legalistic Christians, who like to use "holiness" as a club to rail at all of what's wrong with Christian behavior, may totally agree with the doctrine I have laid out, they are, by their actions, diametrically opposed to what I am saying. They speak of free grace and the all sufficiency of Christ, but carry out their sanctification completely by works. Their humanistic gospel is one filled with fear, confusion, and manipulation, not faith working through love (Gal.5:6). In fact, Paul took the entire letter to the Galatians to condemn this pseudo-spirituality, this counterfeit version of Christianity. God has only one answer to this, "...This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29). If a true seeker of God cares to turn their focus from self to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith, they will undoubtedly see that Christ is our only victory, Christ Himself is our only sanctification, Christ Himself is our only holiness! He Himself is the narrow path; He is the highway of holiness (Isa.35:8). And to God alone be all glory and honor and praise!

Pressing onward to perfection

2007-01-01T16:37:00.000-06:00

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Phil.3:12 (NLT)

It's been a while since I have been able to post on this blog. You know, the holidays and other excuses. So, today, I have made a New Year's resolution to renew my posting vigor. I shared the above passage last Sunday and thought it would be good to ponder further on its implications this new year.

My thoughts today are on pressing onward to perfection. First, we notice that this passage implies that we are all on a journey, or in a race, if you will. We are a people in process. And while we know we have not arrived at our destination, at least we know we have left the station.

"Perfection" is an interesting word here. This word is music to the perfectionist's ears! They love these verses and gleefully point them out to others that we must obey them to the letter. They love to talk about the need for perfection and why it must be possible because, after all, didn't Jesus tell us to be perfect? (Matt.5:48) Being a recovering perfectionist myself, I know of its spiritually toxic allure. Of course, we also know that this elusive pursuit usually leads to an endless cycle of frustration and self-condemnation.

So what does it mean to "be perfect" or to possess this seemingly ever evasive virtue? To answer what the Bible actually means by this, we need to look at the original Greek. The word used in both this passage and the Matthew account is teleioo, which means “To complete, accomplish, finish, carry through to the end, bring to a successful conclusion, maturity, reach a goal, to fulfill.” So what Paul (and Jesus) is saying is that we are to "be perfected," we are to complete our mission and carry out to completion that for which we were created to do. And just as important here, notice what it doesn't mean; that is, what we normally mean by perfection.

The exemplification of this journey to perfection is found in Paul's farewell statement in 2 Tim.4:6...“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Returning to our text..."I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." Another translation says …that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Press on to what? Lay hold of what? The answer...press on, lay hold of...that for which I was created by God to do since before the foundation of time. This perfection...this successful journey to complete the mission that you and I were created to complete.

So I mean to say here is that this pursuit to perfection has nothing to do with sinlessness or achieving some flawless state. Our sin remains judged at the Cross and always will be. In fact, to say we are without sin is to call God a liar and the truth is not in us (I John 1:10). Of course, we know we will be judged for our works (I Cor.3:11-13), by how we have fulfilled our particular calling. And, furthermore, it's not about sinlessness as much as it's about completing the mission according to our ability (i.e., Parable of the Talents - Matt.25:14-29).

In conclusion, dear one, on this newest annual turn of the chronological clock, let us press on...let us make our own renewed "resolution" to fulfill our calling...keeping the faith, running the race set before us...so that one day, like Paul, we will be able to say that we have fought the good fight, having laid hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of us.

This Jesus we worship

2006-12-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.
He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:15-20 (NLT)

I was reading this passage this morning and it struck me how little we really know this Jesus. I mean…really know. Yes, as believers, we know a lot about Him. He is our Savior and Lord, that He paid for our sin, and that He is coming again in glory. We know these things, but do we understand them? For Paul’s prayer earlier in the letter was that God would give the Colossians (and us) “spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

So here’s my question. Why did Paul deem it necessary to pray continually this way when the Bible is so plain about who Jesus is? In fact, since we’re on the subject, why did Jesus ask His disciples who He was after being with them for so long (Matt.16:13)? Didn’t they know? Do we know?

I say this because we live in a world absolutely filled with commentary and opinions. Our world is dominated by a "Has God indeed said...?" paradigm. And we, like Pilate, have so much trouble grasping what is truth even when we’re staring at it (Him) in the face. Just go on a Google search and you will find a multitude of conclusions about Christ, who He was, who He is, and what people say He is not. We also know that most other religions and sects acknowledge Him as a prophet, a good man, a wise religious leader. Of course, they all have trouble accepting Him as God, certainly not as the only means to salvation. (I mean, what about other faiths? And those alleged people in isolated parts of the world who have never heard about Jesus. Are they doomed to destruction?) After all, to accept Jesus' sacrifice as the only means to God is to insult our human dignity; our sense of self-worth...and, ironically, by our demanding these "human rights," we insult God's majesty and Jesus' worth.

Even Christians seem to have trouble dealing with who Jesus really is. Everything about God and His mystical Kingdom seems so...well, counterintuitive. Some misguided souls, trying to reconcile all these conflicting views, have even postulated that there may be other ways to God besides Jesus. I mean, would God bank everything on Jesus?

But consider just these two points (among many)…if Jesus isn’t exactly who God says He is here in the passage I have posted, then God played the ultimate cruel hoax on His only begotten son by sending Him to die a horrible death on the Cross. And, secondly, as His followers, to worship this Christ as anything other than God the Son would be idolatrous and evil, for we are to worship no one but God alone.

However…if Jesus truly is who we believe Scripture says He is, then He is the quintessential everything. For it says that we exist because of Him and for Him. There is nothing that doesn’t have to do with Him. All of God’s Word is about Jesus for He is the Word, from Genesis to Revelation. Everything begins and ends with,through, and for Him. He is life itself; when we breathe, we breathe Him in. He is not the air, but the air is in Him. To see Jesus is to see God, to understand Jesus' nature and attributes is to understand God's nature and attributes. There is nothing apart from Christ, nothing outside of Him. The obvious implications of all of this being that every other religious pursuit is, at its very core, irrelevant and meaningless compared to knowing Him.

And to know Christ is to know life; it is the very essense of being fully alive. It addresses every purpose, the key to unlock the very heart issues of what we really long for, our most inner desires, all that we search for but can’t quite grasp but, nonetheless, know must be real. He is the answer to every question; the end of every story, the ultimate discovery of all science, and the final analysis of all human understanding.

Christ is creator, Lord, and master over everything that exists, both in the visible and invisible realm, so all of His creation must submit to His rule and reign. It’s not even a question of whether He is stronger than other principalities and powers; for He is power; He is strength and all authority must originate and flow from Him. Yes, this world we live in is categorically His world.

Yet, out of His unfathomable love (which means, a love we can’t fully grasp), He waits for us to want Him. For Christ is love. And He gives us free will because only love freely given is love at all. Yet, this is the ultimate parodox...in all human history, there has been no room for this God of love, whether in temples made with hands, an Inn in Bethlehem, or in our fickle hearts. No one is more ignored, no name more blasphemed than Jesus' name. And even for us who believe, why is it so hard to love and embrace this Lover of our souls? Why must our hearts wander so, pursuing everything but Him? And even in our seeking, why do we insist on learning more about Him without wanting to know Him?

So, really, the question is...will we make room for this Jesus in our hearts? For He is the answer to every question. For to know Him is to love Him; to wager all, to give up everything...all for Him. For He is worthy of no less. This is worship...and this is the Jesus we worship.

Preparing for the holidays at the feet of Jesus

2006-11-24T13:58:00.000-06:00

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!
There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

This Friday was the worst...okay, the biggest shopping day of the year. The day after Thanksgiving, which also officially ushers in the holiday season in the U.S. 'Tis the season for many preparations and distractions, not too much unlike what Martha was struggling with… you’ve got Christmas parties, shopping, making food, having company, traveling to family, and on and on...

Now, I don’t want to give you another typical Mary and Martha story. Many people have taught on this passage. And I read this, I thought to myself... I’ve heard this all before…” This story has kind of turned into a “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus” thing. The typical, “Mary is the worshiper and Martha is the “doer, blah, blah, blah” But I don’t think that was point of the story. I'm sure Martha loved Jesus just as much as Mary…probably sat at His feet too. But I do think there is something here that is probably the most important point of the whole Bible.

"There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

So here's the question you and I need to answer...exactly what did Mary discover?

For this is the most profound question of all time. Every other search or pursuit pales in insignificance compared to its blinding light. When pondering Mary's actions here, I am reminded of two parables Jesus taught in Matthew 13 about the hidden treasure in the field and the pearl of great price. He said that these people sold all they had for it, they risked it all. Sold all...risked all...for what? Here's the thing...if we don't know what it is, we haven't found it yet. And until we do, we will probably wear ourselves with many distractions, all for a Person we don't really know.

Once you’ve discovered this one thing, nothing else in the world really matters. Everything else that was once so important in our lives now pales in significance. You would do anything; go anywhere…not for a meeting, a conference, an anointed Charismatic preacher, even a worthwhile ministry...but for Jesus! This is what Paul meant in Phillipians chapter three when he said that all his lofty, religious accomplishments were like garbage, even a dung heap, compared to knowing Christ.

I remember one time when I was before the Lord, just quietly waiting on Him, not talking but listening...when this profound truth hit me…there is nothing more important than what I am doing right now! Nothing I can do or accomplish will ever make me more successful, be more affirming, unlock and satisfy every longing in my heart, make me feel more significant, or will ever come close to making me feel more alive than when I am at Jesus’ feet! When I come to work in the morning, if I don’t spend time at the feet of Jesus, nothing else I do matters. My agenda and all my accomplishments are a waste of time without it. Martin Luther discovered this treasure and it transformed his priorities…he said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” You see, we have it all backwards…we get so busy with doing things for Jesus that we have no time for him. We don’t get it.

If this one thing isn’t something we would die for, sell everything we have for, we haven’t discovered it yet. Everything…this world, our existence, all that is and ever will be…centers, culminates and crescendos with, in, and for Jesus…all of Scripture IS Jesus; everything we are to do, live, and breathe is about knowing Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being. There is nothing that matters that doesn’t not come from intimately knowing Christ! To move away from this fact is to have completely miss everything… it is to have lived in vain, it is, by definition, the ultimate waste of time!

Does this mean that we should now become Trappist monks, living in recluse, spending all our time gazing at Jesus, lovingly lodged at His feet? No. It means that everything we do and are starts and ends at Jesus’ feet. Jesus was the champion of social justice, He healed the sick, He spent time with His family, He was not a recluse…but He only did what He saw the Father do. Everything He did found its source in His relationship with His Father.

And being captivated by Jesus doesn’t mean we’ll be this curmudgeon-faced zealot in camel-hair, always railing against everything and telling people they’re going to hell either. These kind of people have not been with Jesus. They just like the idea of looking righteous, thereby, they become judgmental and self-righteous. Which is exactly what I become when my heart has not been continuously tenderized by His touch. For there is no one so tender, so patient, so unassuming, so compassionate and so merciful as someone who has been with Jesus. Indeed, all the attributes of love in I Cor.13 can be found in someone who has truly spent time at His feet. (Look in the Bible yourself. Jesus only railed against the self-righteous, not the sinner.)

And what about Mary here. What did she learn at His feet? Well, you can take a look in John 12...“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.”

Could it be that Mary knew some things...secret things... that even the disciples didn't know? For later in this passage, Jesus said that she did it in preparation for His burial. Keep in mind, this was taking place while the disciples were still waiting for Jesus to crush the Roman Empire and reestablish the kingdom of Israel. But Mary's worship was prophetic...it was extravagant and costly. Like us, the other disciples called it wasteful and unreasonable. They didn't get it either.

So...here I am today. What gift can I give the King of kings, the Lover of my Soul this holiday season? Is it found it all my "doing's" in Jesus' name? To work tirelessly in ministry? Or, in my righteous indignation against all the evils of this world?

It truly is a season to spend with family and friends that I love. Jesus spent time with family and friends. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were friends He hung out with. But Jesus also said that if my love for them doesn't seem like hatred in comparison to my love for Him, I cannot be His follower (Luke 14:26-27). That's quite a statement that I'm not sure I am ready for yet.

I think that the gift Jesus is asking me to give is my first love to Him. How easy it is to forget this…or maybe I have never discovered it in the first place… for then I am merely going through the motions of being a Christian without Christ’s burning passion captivating my heart. I am to be consumed with Him, where nothing else matters…to be so desperate for His touch…knowing that there is no hope for me apart from Jesus’ rule and reign in my life…for I know I am too lazy, too proud, too distracted, too addicted, too everything…my only hope is Jesus...if I don’t have Jesus, I know for certain that I will become another clanging cymbol, a religious Pharisee, I will create God in my own image, I will create a life of my own control...I will even shake my fist at the world in self-righteous defiance, but I won’t love it like Jesus did.

It's so easy to get caught up in everything but Jesus in the busyness of life, even in preparing for the holidays where we wish to honor Him. Have we, too, no room for the King? But as Jesus promised Mary, when we discover this one thing, nothing can take it from us. Amen.

Coming to grips with growing up

2006-11-15T14:41:00.000-06:00

"Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature." I Cor.3:1-3 (NLT)

There are certain books Christians should never read...that is, if we are happy with our safe, mediocre relationship with the Lord. One such book is "The Importance of being Foolish" by Brennan Manning. In the book, Manning talks about how our desire for security, pleasure, and power become diversions that numb our desires for the things of God.

I am reminded of Jesus' words, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matt.5:6) Maybe we're not hungry because we're already full of other things...perhaps the cares of this life, the obsession with our financial security, the need for approval, and for survival. The life Jesus calls us to is not safe; it is a landscape constantly changing and shifting. It is life requiring faith and trust which, of course, you don't need either when things are in your control. We don't like change and uncertainty so we go to great lengths to avoid this tumult designed by God to help us grow. To quote John Eldredge, we go after "Lovers less wild." These "things of earth" distract us from the child-like simple faith of seemingly reckless abandon that Christ calls us to.

As Manning further points out, "Creativity and flexibility give way to repetition and rigidity." We become mummified by middle age. "Fear of failure prevents any surprise by the Spirit. As security seekers, we become enemies of openness."

Of course, when we shut down all the machinery of adventure and change, we begin to feel secure, but this quiet desperation of our hermetically sealed existence drives us to seek compensation through all kinds of pleasurable experiences. Rest and relaxation are good balancers to revitalize body and spirit, but when they are sought for themselves, they send us on a roller-coaster ride of sensations and thrills, each one needing to be greater than the last.

To quote Manning again, "How easy this quest for pleasure turns into obsession and obsession turns into a kind of soul death." He goes on to say, "Yet many Christians practice an ambivalent "prudence of the flesh" that seeks a sort of guilded mediocrity: the self is carefully distributed between flesh and spirit, with a watchful eye on both..."It is a vision of those who have received the Spirit but remain spiritual infants because they do not subject themselves fully to the domination of the Spirit; they yield to their passions, thus letting their drives confine them to an infantile spirituality. Or to quote the Scarlet Pimpernel... " There is nothing so bad in life as something that is not so bad."

The final leg of this spirit-numbing triad is the lust for power. We have convinced ourselves that we must have power (prestige, influence, reputation) in order to be happy. We conclude that a successful person is a happy person. And Manning astutely points out that "Our ineffectiveness in developing deeply loving relationships--with others as well as with God--is rooted in our power addiction. We see other people as objects that either enhance or endanger our prestige." Even my desire to bring this subject up in my ponderings (along with other books I talk about) could be my own way of achieving recognition as an "interesting" person. Selah.

One more quote on power. "Christians who succeed in seizing power, collecting disciples, acquiring knowledge, acheiving status and prestige, and controlling the world are estranged from the mind of Jesus. We grow fearful when a disciple swipes our baton, cynical when feedback is negative, fitful when challenged, and distraught when defeated." I must ask myself as a pastor, will I use position and God-given authority to appease my need for approval and prestige? If I cannot give up control of my own life to the ways of the Spirit, I will also not give up control over other's lives that God has placed in my care. Like I said, not very comforting words...but good for me, nonetheless.

Finally, Manning summarizes with this..."Life driven by our desire for security, pleasure, and power dims the Light within us and introduces unnecessary mental and emotional sufferings, which are often misconstrued as spriritual trials or the inevitable growth pains of life in the Spirit. This is erroneous discernment. They are borne out of our own will, not the will of God." (italics added for emphasis) I really think we need to ponder this one.

So I am left asking myself, what is stopping my own growth in the Spirit? Am I so addicted to security and the need for approval that I won't venture out of the boat with Jesus? To die to my self-designed life for one not so comfortable and predictable? A life requiring my utter dependence upon the Lover of my Soul? Have I numbed and shut down these wild places in my own heart and substituted security, pleasure, and the need for power?

Like the children in Narnia learned about Aslan, I must learn that God is not tame, but He is good.

Politics and the current state of evangelicalism

2006-11-09T12:53:00.000-06:00

We live in interesting times. Those liberal dems have taken over the House of representatives and Senate...this coming on the heels of the Ted Haggard shocker http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227568,00.html all which seems to have thrown evangelicals into a tizzy. There is no joy in Who-ville for the wicked old Grinch has stolen Christmas!

While not trying to minimize all the "bad stuff" going on today, I will postulate that we may just be headed for better things. Yes, we live in the proverbial "perilous times," and the end is certainly nearer, but these are not necessarily bad times, at least, from God's perspective. In fact, God often presents us with opportunity in the midst of crisis.

I do believe that the reform that is necessary is not a political one; our hope is not in the Republican or Democratic party, especially, as Christ's Church. Nor is the answer one that gives up on truth. It lies more in how these timeless truths we believe are to be communicated in the times we find ourselves in. I think the perceived crisis America (and possibly other parts of the industrialized word) is experiencing is that we no longer live under the shadow of "Enlightenment" or modernist thinking. So, at least in this sense, America is perceived to be going morally down the drain...because the very cultural fabric of this country was founded on these puritanical/scientific reformation principles --logic, reason, uniformity, science...and those methods are now broken as the mainstay of societal thought. So, indeed, there is the possibility, even if only temporary, of a cultural vacuum being filled with all kinds of humanistic gobbledy gook.

Apologetics and modern evangelicalism won the day for many years in America because our national DNA is just as much based on John Locke as Jonathan Edwards. But modernist-style books like "A Case for Christ" (a good book) are not going to cut it anymore. These books may encourage believers to believe with more confidence, but they are not going to reach this so-called post-modern culture. Furthermore, you can no longer argue or scare people out of hell or "prove the Bible" by using scientific methods. Btw, I don't necessarily believe we live in a "post-Christian" world because I'm not sure we really know what that means. I realize that what I am saying here is almost heretical to modern evangelical dogma but, as a culture, we may not be any more or less "Christian" than we ever were. Maybe, we're just coming to grips with the naked truth for the first time. But, at least, this idea of morality is being redefined, even reinvented, so as Christians we better have a voice in what that is; but it needs to be God's voice, with His heart and from His Spirit.

We definitely find ourselves living in this so-called post-modern worldview. And "post-moderns," like ourselves, have been saturated by clever marketing schemes and they know that "truth" can be manipulated. As Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis) points out, "God spoke, and the rest is commentary." We all have a bias and we perceive "truth" through our own admittedly limited and culturally colored filters. When it comes right comes down it, we believe what we want to believe. We often argue to prove we are right, not necessarily to be heard or to hear. Everyone has an opinion...but the only truth that matters is the one that actually works in reality. So,it's not really a question of whether people can believe in "absolutes" anymore, but will they see those truths absolutely working in us.

Gone are the days where a preacher can manipulate people into believing what he or she wants them to believe. No longer can people just be told what to believe. And people no longer want to be preached at, then see no evidence of what is being preached in the preacher (again, case in point, Ted Haggard). We must BE the truth, which requires constant repentance, accountability, humility, and utter dependence upon the Spirit of God working in us. It can ONLY be Christ in us, the hope of glory. And I would point out here, isn't this the way the world was actually won in the New Testament?

So...I ponder as I type...is the demise of modernity and the age of enlightenment and reason really a bad thing? I mean, didn't modernity also give us "I won't believe it unless I see it with my own eyes or can prove it" or "there no such thing as ghosts" too? Maybe this is indeed a new "reformation" and we are in the birth pangs? And does not the death of ourselves--our expectations and dreams of how things should be--ultimately bring new life? And none of these things in any way affect the Truth.

Paul said he didn't use human persuation or clever speech to win the lost, but by the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 2). We should not want to miss that point. No one will ever be argued or boycotted into the Kingdom. Our influence is in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our cleverness or apologetics. Of course, Paul's point being, so that ALL the credit (glory) would go to God. This means...not Paul, not to mega-church celebrities (no matter how popular their books are), or T.V. evangelists, big shots...or little shots like me.

So in a sense I am actually encouraged by all this. Yes, we are in time of transition, even crisis. But again, is that a bad thing, at least, from God's perspective? And, again, does He not also reveal to His people new opportunity in the midst of crisis? May we tremble before our awesome and terrifying holy God, Who is a consuming fire, Who sees us as we really are, naked, blind, and poor...yet Who is so kind, patient, and gentle and Who still loves us so incredibly that He would call us His own! (I still can't get my mind around that one!)

Btw, I am in no way pointing a finger of condemnation at the public exposure of hypocrisy in people like Ted Haggard. He was just an example of what I see happening in the body of Christ at large, and I submit again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I see God is at work! I see my own hypocrisy and it drives me to my knees, hopefully, teaching me to reverently fear the Lord and depend on His amazing grace and mercy more and more each day. I must give up my religious idolatries and let Christ win out in this clay pot. Two's company in this case! I preach to myself a lot more these days... :-)

Some good books on this...
"Permission Granted to Do Church Differently in the 21st Century" By Graham Cooke and Gary Goodell
http://www.amazon.com/Permission-Granted-Church-Differently-Century/dp/0768423805

"The Great Giveaway" by David Fitch
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Giveaway-Reclaiming-Organizations-Psychotherapy/dp/080106483X

"The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals must embrace Postmodernity" by Carl Raschke
http://www.amazon.com/Next-Reformation-Evangelicals-Embrace-Postmodernity/dp/0801027519

Superstitious Faith Part 2: Seeing things merely from a human point of view

2006-10-31T11:38:00.000-06:00

This morning I found myself in Mark chapter eight. Here's Jesus talking freely with his disciples (verse 31) after having miraculously fed 4,000, healing a blind man, and dealing with religious people (a normal day at the office!). It was a vulnerable moment that only real friends can know about. Then, seemingly out of the blue, He says something that absolutely stuns his devoted followers. "The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead." (NLT version) What a negative confession of faith!

Of course, Peter, the mighty man of faith(remember, he had just gotten this big revelation from God that Jesus was the Christ, so he's flying high right now, ready to conquer the world for the Kingdom!), begins to reprimand Jesus for this awful negative confession. How could Jesus say these things? Doesn't He have enough faith to get the victory? And after all, we do need to watch what we say, right? We can speak things into existence with our words...blah blah blah...Jesus should not be saying these things. What if something bad does happen to Him now that He's made this declaration? But notice Jesus' reaction to Peter's reprimand... (again, NLT) “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Get away from me, Satan? Peter? The rock? The one Jesus says to in another account, "flesh and blood has not revealed these things to you, but my Father who is in Heaven"? Isn't Jesus being a bit harsh? A little over the top? Maybe...maybe not...

If not, then what could possibly be so satanic about Peter's comments? I think we get a glimse in what Jesus says immediately after (vs. 34 and 35)... “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. " So...according to Jesus' words, Satan would want us to save our lives, do whatever it takes to avoid discomfort...even be the top dog...crush the enemy under our feet in Jesus' name...anything...so long as we don't fulfill our purpose and calling in God.

Could it be that Peter's "faith" was based on self-preservation at all costs? He was willing to proclaim Jesus as Messiah, His Victory...but not as the Passover Lamb, the suffering servant...our scapegoat. Could it be that he did not understand that sometimes faith involves suffering many terrible things in this life, in order to fulfill God's greater purpose in eternity? That God's ways are higher than our ways? That true faith comes by hearing, and hearing is from the very words of God spoken to us, not based our confession? That useful faith requires looking at things from God's perspective, rather than seeing things like merely from a human point of view?

Of course, looking at it all from this point in time, we know that Jesus' ultimate mission was indeed to suffer and die a horrible death on the Cross, then rise from the dead after three days for our sin and justification. But ponder this for a moment...what if Jesus' faith was like ours... instead of doing the Father's will, He decided that He would do whatever to save His life...maybe even rebuke these crazy notions of dying on the Cross, as if they from the devil? Where would we be today? Could it be that there is more this thing called faith than our positive confession?

And what am I going to do with this? Am I willing to give up my superstitious self-talk and self-aggrandizing delusions of faith for a life not so certain...where the lines are not so straight...one of constant surrender, loss...dare I say it, even doubt... all for this Jesus? Even if it means I too may suffer terrible things by making this choice every day? Or will I continue clinging on to my petty wants, my carnal idolatries, making hollow declarations of peace and prosperity, all in the name of faith? Will I give in to just playing it safe...Satan's way of fulfillment, still clinging to the cares of this life...this illusion called all that this world offers? And it makes me wonder...can I even have any part of this abundant resurrection life Jesus promised apart from this death to my ease and comfort?

My prayer today is that, by God's grace, Jesus will not be ashamed of me "when He returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” That's my confession. Amen.

Superstitious Faith

2006-10-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

I was reading the book of Job again the other day and was reminded of some of the lessons we can learn from this ancient story. It seems to me, in spite of all his integrity, that Job was a bit superstitious about his faith in God. Why do I say this? Well, for one...he believed as long as he did right things and pleased God, nothing bad would happen to him. Secondly, he feared what would happen to him and his family if he didn't. Just look in the fifth verse of the first chapter... (NLT version) "He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts..." Then, after Satan was given permission to strike Job, he says in chapter three, verse 25, "What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true."

Job's three friends seem to have the same view of God; one example here...(4:7,8) "Stop and think! Do the innocent die? When have the upright been destroyed? My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same. "

My point? Job, while maintaining his integrity, had a small view of God. We, the readers, looking in from the outside, know the whole story...we know the part Job can't see with his eyes. But I remind you that this is about the only time we ever do know everything that's going on in real life.

And don't we tend to have this same kind of superstitious faith? Our "leading of the Lord" is based almost entirely on our outside circumstances--what we see with our eyes--not on actually hearing God. If our circumstances are going well, we must be pleasing God, it must be His will...and if things aren't going well, we must be missing God or lacking faith. We believe that God will never let anything bad happen to us if...we don't sin, or say the right prayers or have the right kind of positive confession of faith? So, what happens to our faith when the "bad things" do happen? It must be that we've sinned, we confessed the wrong things? To this, I ponder again...can our God be this small?

I won't want to minimize the value of believing and faith confession... but I don't think we can put God in this "nothing bad will happen to me if..." box. Are we not treating an almighty sovereign and omnipotent God like some Mesopotamian idol we pray to...His anger to appease, or a genie's lamp we rub so our wishes always come true...all so we can get what we want? And didn't Jesus also promise tribulation in this life? (John 16:33).

But I think that God wanted Job to see something a lot more important than what's in it for you and me, and I don't believe He was engaging in some sort of cruel gamesmanship with the devil either. From my own experience, it seems that our Heavenly Father is more interested in the process than the answers. He's more interested in what we're becoming while walking through the valley. And I believe He wanted Job to see something about Himself throughout his time of testing. And my question here...do we ever really learn these kinds of things any other way? And can we really appreciate the mountaintop without going through this mysterious valley of testing?

We don't want to miss the fact that Job did indeed maintain his integrity and faith in God throughout these horrific trials. And his friends were...well...wrong. But, more importantly, Job got a bigger picture of God; a God not created in our own image, or one that can be managed and manipulated. To me, the point of the whole thing here is in Job's revelation in chapter 42, verse 5..."I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes."

Oh, that we, too, would understand this about our indescribably, infinite God! His ways are past finding out! That we would go beyond our superstitions about God and grow in real faith...to really know the One we worship in spirit and in truth.

Narcissism and playing "pastor"...

2006-10-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

According to legend, Narcissus was a Greek hero who ended up falling in love with his image, hence, narcissism could be accurately defined as someone in love with the image of something rather than the real thing. To be narcissistic, then, would be someone having trouble distinguishing between what's real and the image of what's real.

Having said that, I don't think it requires astute observation to conclude that we live in a narcissistic culture...one that feeds on images, even desiring the image over the real. Movies,T.V., books, video games, fantasy, fiction, pornography...all with their larger than life heroes and celebrities, all feeding this insatiable appetite for the image of what we think is (or should be) real. Companies spend billions of dollars on marketing and advertising, creating images, all designed to make you unhappy with what you have. Keeping up with the Joneses is, in fact, keeping up with an image of the proverbial Joneses. So we stress and wear ourselves out, pile up debt, want what we don't have, and lose sleep...over what? Chasing images of what we think will make us happier, richer, smarter, thinner, sexier, more fulfilled.

To quote, Morpheus in the first Matrix movie, this is the world that's been pulled over our eyes. And we've grown comfortable with following after these images and even look up to them, idolize them, spending our money and time on them, perhaps, even deriving a sense of self-worth from their promise of fulfillment. And we also spend of lot of our time trying to project an image of who we are. After all, we want to present an acceptable image and fit in.

And, sad to say, the same is true in the church today.

So...here I am, finding myself being called "pastor" of a Pentecostal-Charismatic church. What image should I be projecting then? I've been called one of these for about a year and a half now. Now, don't get me wrong; I love being a pastor. I love my church congregation. It's wonderful! But everyday, I find myself being pushed into this image box called "pastor." Should a "pastor" look a certain way, wear certain clothing? Should I look like I have all the answers?

And, being a "Pentecostal-Charismatic" pastor, should I project a certain image like preachers we see on T.V.? You know, talk Christianeze lingo, shout amen and hallelujah, strut around the platform, parrot all the Pentecostal affectations, and hype people up into a frenzy? Amen? Maybe, use guilt and manipulation to make you come to my church and tithe? And what if I don't play this game? Then, will people be disappointed in me and wonder if I am even called? I mean, do I even have the "anointing?"(pronounced, "anointingggg-ha!) Maybe, they will look for another "pastor" who projects a better image to follow and love? And probably the most important question for me is, would I even want to be part of a "church" that chases these kinds of images? So...welcome to my world! Some ponderings to consider and let you know a little about me...hopefully, the real me. Well, enough rambling for now...I may continue this when I get more time...
God bless,
Mel