A Useful God

Do you have a useful God?  By that I mean, do you have the idea that God exists for your benefit, and that it is His job to make you happy?  This way of thinking is more prevalent than you might think. It may actually be your philosophy of life, but you have managed to disguise it in your religious notions. I heard a radio talk show host say to a caller, “Well you can always pray, after all, that’s what the Man-up-stairs is there for.”  BLASPHEMY! Utter blasphemy!  Fortunately for that talk show the public doesn’t care to stone him, and the  reason is that the public, including most professing Christians actually believe that statement to be true.

 

A useful God syndrome is seen by how you expect life to go for you, and when it is not going well, how you approach God about it.  Teaching on prayer has become a fuel for idolatry rather than a remarkable fellowship with the Almighty.  We are taught to bring our requests to God, and that with enough faith (often believed to be intense emotion) and with enough church attendance and good deeds, God is obligated to answer according to our specifications. The real proof of our hearts is how we react when God answers no or wait. When we don’t get what we want, we entertain blasphemies against Him by suspecting that He is neither good nor caring. The truth is, we are spoiled brats and need to learn how to live as Jesus lived.

 

Jesus had His prayers answered, right up to and including the last one. “Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.” And God heard Him because of His piety, and delivered Him from death. WAIT! Jesus died. What do you mean God delivered Him from death?  Jesus never asked to be delivered from dying, but to be delivered from death. And He had the promise of His Father that He would do just that, but not allowing His Holy One to undergo decay. (See Acts 2:25-37). And God was faithful to His word, and Jesus was raised from the dead, never to die again.  Yet not once in Jesus’ life was He spared from temptation, from hostility, from misunderstanding, from miscarriage of justice. He endured it all, and staying resolute in His surrender to the Father as His Lord, He lived perfectly. We should do no less.

 

There is hope for our dying, selfish souls through repentance. And repentance starts with changing our minds about who God is and who we are.  Through surrender to Him as Lord, and by trusting in Him regardless of our experiences, we begin the new trek of faith in God who can use us, rather than the blasphemy of having a useful god.

Bad Boys In The Church

     I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sisterbut is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

     The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is in a very confused state.  This confusion is brought on largely through the law of unintended consequences, through humanitarianism and blatant refusal to let all of God’s Word speak.  Functionally, many churches are “Reader’s Digest” churches more than Biblical, in that we pick and choose the passages we will commit to, but will ignore the ones that require a cost, requiring something of both the body and those who refuse to live in humility before God. Notice what the Scriptures say regarding wickedness: slanderer, greedy, drunkard, immoral, swindler.  In other passages, people who rage, given to sensuality, verbally abusive, selfish ambition, discord, faction among others (see Galatians 5) of which the Bible says, “shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.”  Yet, in the church we will excuse such behaviors saying, “they (we) are a work in progress.” No doubt we all are, but there is not doubt that this has become an excuse for blatant sin in our lives and in the church, and God does not share our tolerance.

     Paul minced no words about how we are to relate to those whom he said, “claimed to be a brother or a sister” but refused to live obediently before Christ.  For sure, there are many passages of Scripture that teach us to go to who are caught in sin, do what we can to restore them to holiness and restoration to God, taking care to get the log out of our own eyes first, but to seek people none the less.  But the Bible does not promise that people will respond as they should.  Sometimes they prefer their own self-centeredness, and refuse to listen to those who are seeking their good. Instead, the sinful person turns the table and accuses the believer of intolerance, judgmental, Pharisaical and refuses correction. So if the church leaders decide that they should be “put out of the church,” the horror isn’t that a person refused to repent, but that the church should act with such harshness.

     Please read the gospels, and read about Jesus’ conduct toward people.  The only people Jesus would tolerate were those who were humble, contrite, recognized their sinfulness and repented. He had no tolerance for those who refused correction, who would not submit themselves to the authority of God, and those who walked in their own self-righteousness. 

 

I had a consult…

I had a consultation with a personal trainer this week. I found out that I was doing just about everything wrong. I was not doing cardio correctly, and though I was burning calories, I was doing it in a way that did not burn fat, but used up all the energy that was readily available to my system, and then my body would work to keep the fat by storing all new foods rather than burning it off. I learned that my strength training was perfect for the first three weeks of training, but after 3 years I was at a perpetual plateau because I was not training my muscles correctly. I also was reminded that if you eat poorly, that is a recipe for being overweight. I was encouraged to know that there was hope, but I was embarrassed at how many things I was doing that was not appropriate for who I am and what I want to accomplish. I was training like I did in high school and college, but that is not appropriate for a 55 year old man. I wonder how this can transfer to spiritual principles. I suppose it is obvious. The writer of Hebrews chided his readers because they were still consuming spiritual milk, and were not maturing. They needed to move on to solid foods, and to have lifestyles that were reflective of a mature believer. They were stagnant. Doing what they may have thought was helpful, but not realizing that there was a need to change their approach to spiritual things so they could live up to the times and expectations in which they were now living. One thing that is constant is change. And one thing that bothers most people the most is change, especially change that is brought about by things or persons outside themselves. When we don’t feel like we are in control, then we tend toward fear and fear has many ugly faces. It shows up in impatience, unkindness, anxiety, irritability, critical attitude, arrogance, self-seeking and self-gratification, just to name a few. Notice that these things are the opposite of the things listed as spiritual fruit, or the characteristics of love. Perfect love casts out all fear. Love cannot be in the forefront if we are living according to principles that are not appropriate for the time of our lives. Best to consult the ultimate Trainer of our souls, and see if we are on track for a healthy spiritual life.

IS IT REALLY OVER?

Happy New Year!  It is now 2012, and we have only 355 days until the end of the world! Yes, the Mayans, the Chinese, the Hopi’s and Nostradamus have let us know that 2012 is the big one.  It will be interesting to find out whether the prophets of these cultures are more accurate than Harold Camping was regarding the rapture of the church, now that that has now come and gone twice.  Regardless of these predictions, 2012 will prove to be a significant year. That’s not a prophecy, but every year is significant, every month, week, day, hour and second. These are gifts to us from our Creator to use in exalting Him and glorifying Him.  When our time expires (as it will for everyone) we will then give an account to God for what we did with each precious second of our lives. It is the most sobering thought.

 

Sadly, thinking about eternity and what awaits is seldom thought of by most mortals, and even worse, by Christians who know better.  For many believers in the world, the thought of death and the life to come are thoughts precious to them. It will mean the end of suffering and death, of oppression and poverty. They will be walking in the paradise of God, on streets of gold, with gates made of precious pearl.  They won’t be skipping stones made of granite or shale, but of rubies and emeralds and diamonds. Why? Abundance tends to make things less valuable to us. Maybe that’s why most of us in America are so ungrateful much of the time. Perhaps that is why we have a tendency toward un-thankfulness and complaining, because what we have is not enough. We simply want more. The insatiable desire is never satisfied, but having tasted some wants even more.

 

Perhaps the best thing we could do in 2012 is determine once for all that we will live in thankfulness every day. We will consider it all joy no matter what issues we face, that we will stop our complaining and learn to set our affections of the things above rather than on our needs below.  At worst, the world will end and we will have finished well. At best, the world will keep going on for another hundred years, but we will have really learned how to live.s

The Incarnation

The mystery of the incarnation is something wonderful to think upon.  Though it is a mystery, there are things that we can grasp that will enhance our worship and our humility before God.  First, incarnation means simply to become human, in the flesh, bone and blood, air-breathing person.  God became man in every sense.  It is a matter of faith, for to not believe in the incarnation is to deny all that Jesus of Nazareth accomplished in His life on earth. If the mystery of incarnation is false, there is no point in following Jesus: He is just one of many.

 

The truth is, Jesus really didn’t bring us anything new that wasn’t already encoded in the Old Testament laws, or in the Code of Hammurabi dating back centuries before Moses.  His teachings were not unique or extra, except that He emphasized the heart of the issues where men could be comfortable with the legalistic or external observances.  What makes the life of Jesus so important is who He is.  If He is not God in human flesh, then He’s just another guru.  If He is God in human flesh, then He is Lord and wisdom demands we give full attention to His life, teachings, the meaning of His sacrifice and what we are required to do about it.

 

Let’s consider the mystery of incarnation.  Why did God chose to enter into the realm of His creation?  How could He enter it if He were entirely a spiritual being? Can the spiritual merge with the material and not adversely affect one or the other?  The answer is found in our own makeup. We are spiritual beings with bodies.  When God created man, He took the dust of the earth, fashioned the man, and “breathed into Him the breath of life.” Our bodies are vehicles for interaction and interface with creation, and at the same time we are at interaction and interface with the spiritual realm.  Sin terribly injured the interface, but it remains in effect.  The new birth by faith in Jesus is how God is fixing the problem.

 

That is why the incarnation is so vital. Because God has both experienced His creation by entering into it, accepting all of its limitations, He has also repaired it, but making reconciliation possible, by uphold all justice through the substitution of Jesus on the cross, and in the resurrection, proving once for all that God’s creation is now eligible for restoration to its original status.  Thus Jesus has proven that all that God has made is good, and is going to be renewed in His good time.

God Is With Us

The Advent Season has come upon us again.  Hallelujah! He has come! Emmanuel, our God is with us! Amazing love, how can it be? That You, my God, should die for me!

 

I address you, brothers and sisters in Christ: Rejoice! Don’t worry about the distractions. Enjoy your meals, your treats, your relationships, your giving and getting.  Don’t get distressed about making sure that you are doing Christmas right.  Don’t get sidetracked in worry about the paganism, the materialism. Honor Jesus in this season as you would honor Him the rest of the year.  Love Him with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Extend love to your neighbor by treating them as you would want to be treated.  I know this is how you are because none of you used pepper spray on anyone on Black Friday!

 

You have done it before, do it again, celebrate Jesus, who came into the world and completely identified with us, even to the point that “He who knew no sin, became sin in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21) Celebrate Jesus, who in His humanity so loved His heavenly Father that He endured every evil, every temptation, every hurt, every wound, every ridicule, so that He could triumph over all evil.  Celebrate Jesus, who in His divinity chose to come into the creation of His own hands, and reveal to us the holiness and the graciousness of Almighty God.  Celebrate Jesus, who was known only by a few in His earthly life as being Lord of all, but He was known, and has made Himself known to you.  Celebrate that your names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, because He took your judgment on the cross, and offers you His holiness in exchange.  Celebrate Jesus.

 

Let very candle remind you of the light that has come into the world, and the darkness cannot overcome it. Let every Christmas tree remind you of the tree of life that has been validated by the tree Jesus died on. Let every song be sung in enthusiastic anticipation that this world will not have the final say, but that He is coming again, and will set everything right in His time.  Let every gift you give and receive remind you that His salvation is a free gift from God, and that you would in turn freely give your life back to Him in joy.  Let every greeting remind you to pray for people, and to lift them up with a smile and a hope because you belong to God.  REJOICE!

Revival Fire

“Revival is nothing more than a new obedience to Jesus Christ.” – Charles Finney

 

Perhaps the greatest “revivalist” in American history, notice how simple the definition of revival was to Mr. Finney.  Just doing what Jesus said would be the key to personal revival, and when a group of people decide to do this together, then mass revival has a chance.  One thing that Jesus told us to do was to pray. I believe this is the single most disobeyed commandment in the lives of those who claim to be Christians today.  I don’t think it is a stretch to say so.  I have a few reasons for this assumption.

First, is practical experience. I know how hard it is to develop and maintain a viable prayer life.  Everything within seems to fight it because it seems like nothing is happening.  Aside from checking it off a list, the sense of accomplishment is not there, and the fact that no one is looking makes it harder. Jesus had to warn people not to pray as the Pharisees, who delighted to pray in public, so that they would be seen.  The payoff for them was public attention.  Private prayer garners no kudos in the immediate sense.

Second, Scriptural admonition.  Nearly every New Testament book has an exhortation or commandment to pray.  Clearly Jesus told His disciples to do so.  Paul’s letters always bring prayer into the context of successful life in the Spirit. If prayer was easy or automatic, there would be no need for so many instances of calling people to prayer.  But as Jesus told the inner circle, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  It is our flesh that makes prayer so unattractive, and so difficult to do.  It takes bold faith and determination to overcome.

Third, the decline of Christian influence in every sector of life indicates the fact that few if any are prevailing in prayer.  The Bible shows that when godly people sought the Lord in prayer, God responded in miraculous ways, and intervened in the normal course of things.  The New Testament is now different. One characteristic of the early church was they prayed often, prayed fervently and prayed boldly.  God heard them and there were scores of miracles that happened. History also shows that when people gathered to pray, seeking God, repenting of sin and imploring the hand of God, He brought great awakenings that changed large sectors of society. The names of Whitfield, Wesley, Luther, Knox, Finney, Howells, Roberts and others were men who rode on the waves of massive prayer movements.

I don’t believe that God’s desire for His church in these last days is to go down in ruin from the onslaught of wicked culture.  I believe His desire is for His church to rise up once again in power fueled by deep relationship to God as His people pray.  I believe the church can have its finest hour if we will obey.

Are You All In?

No one should be watching poker tournaments on TV. No one! OK, I did. It is interesting to watch people gambling with 3 year’s pay and not break a sweat. I couldn’t do it. I don’t object to gambling on moral grounds, I just too cheap! But there is one fascinating aspect of the game. When a player is in a weak position in his chip count, sometimes he will go “all in.” It is a gamble to get other players to fold or put in to call, and if he gets the cards, he will stay alive. If not, he can go to the gallery and watch the rest play.

Now that I’ve shown my hand (poor TV habits) let me give an analogy. We are in very weak position. We don’t have good cards, and we don’t have enough chips to call God’s bid of perfection. We might try to live a bluff as far as the other “players” are watching, but we are in over our heads and we will lose in the end. But Jesus put “all in” by giving His life on the cross for our sins. He did not withhold one chip, and gave everything to secure our debt before the court of heaven. What does He want in return?

I guarantee He wants more than a flowery prayer of acceptance. He wants to know if we are all in? One cannot play the game of poker if they are not willing to match the bid. Neither can we walk the walk of faith without going all in with Jesus. He is either trustworthy or He’s not. There can be no patronizing of giving a fraction of ourselves in church attendance, a few bucks in the plate and desperate cries for help in crisis. We are all in with regard to serving Him, obeying Him, and walking with Him, or we are not. He is not stupid, for He knows the cards in our hand.

Some of us have been dealt tough hands. Bad childhood, bad health, poor job opportunities, rotten kids. Some of us have had life pretty good. Regardless, only Jesus holds the Royal Flush and not hand can beat the hand of the Law that says sin must meet with death. And no matter what we have been dealt, we can’t play the hand without going all in.

It is far more than accepting Jesus. It is absolute surrender of our lives to His will and disposition as Lord. He is happy to pay the debt. He is even more committed to keep us to the very end. Are you all in?

What Are You Looking For?

How passionate am I regarding our relationship to Jesus Christ?  The evidence is clearly visible and verifiable by my obedience to Jesus Christ in everything.  One subtle lie I allow myself to believe is that as long as I am dealing with the big things, like stealing, adultery, and murder, I am OK.  However, the Song of Songs says it is the little foxes the end up destroying the wall.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount cut to the heart saying that if I call a brother a fool, I have killed him in my heart. If I lust in my mind, I have committed adultery already.  How can I live to such a high ideal?  Equally important, how can I not?  The truth is, all sin is related to unbelief. “For whatever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23) James gives the flip side saying, “To him who knows what to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) Every sin is rooted in failure to trust God, and to love Him with all my heart and to love my neighbors.  The golden rule is perfect, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  I could avoid so much hardship in relationships if we simply followed this simple axiom.

I am calling my church to fasting and prayer in August,  to let God have an opportunity to instruct each one of us in the areas where we are in unbelief.  As He reveals things to us, we will be confronted with a simple choice; to believe and obey or to continue in a pattern of self-worship and self-trust, continuously trying to fill our lives up with counterfeit that we have assumed to be the missing ingredient in our peace.

There was a man who came to Jesus who was reportedly wealthy and powerful, a leader and respected man. He asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  With all of his assets, and all of his power, he did not have peace in his soul. He filled it with religion, with security, wealth, status, respect, and yet sought out Jesus.  Think of the contrast: Jesus was poor, no status, no home, no position, nothing that would pin Him down to a “normal” life.  What did this man see in Jesus?

And Jesus’ answer is stunning. “Go and give everything away and follow Me.” Leave no idol! Leave nothing for the enemy or the flesh to create doubt, for it will always lead to sin. Yet the man was seeking Jesus to fill the void, and never recognized that in front of him was his Creator. Thinking he was a worshipper of God, the truth is he was a worshipper of himself. “My little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

It’s Just A Weed

After Adam and Eve sinned, the garden was no longer home for them.  They were banished and were given a number of consequences for their disobedience in the face of such light.  They were people who walked with God. They were able to converse with Him, unashamed, unafraid.  Yet they chose in that moment of truth, to desire more than what they had, to disregard the loving command and to thumb their noses at their Creator.  How rebellion and arrogance so easily permeates a heart that is free.

Now they would toil at the sweat of their brow, and while the earth would still give forth fruit, it would also be filled with noxious weeds that would take up space, deplete natural resources, and be a source of frustration to them, and to all mankind, for the rest of time.  The spiritual parallel is obvious. Jesus taught in a parable about soils of the heart. That there was seed being sown by the Son of Man, and that seed fell upon various kinds of hearts. Some were hard, and no seed could find a place at all, but would be snatched by the birds of the air. Others fell in shallow soil, and while sprouts would come forth, the heat of the sun (representing the basic trials of persecution) would cause the seed to wither and die. No watering, to cultivating, no caring for the crop to produce. Then seed fell in soil that was fertile, and sprang up, but because of the neglect to tend the field, weeds grew up (the cares of this world) and choked out the good plants, and the fruit was lost. Finally, some seed fell in good soil, where there was care and attention to nurture the truth, obey it and let it produce its natural result, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred fold.

People who are reading this now, already know this story, having heard it hundreds of times.  But do we remember another parable of Jesus.  The man who hears My word, and does not do it, is like a man building his house on sand, and when the storm comes the house will be destroyed. The man who hears My word, and puts them into practice, is like a man who built his house on a rock, and when the storms come, the house stands.  There are far too many people who have heard the word, but do not practice the word.  Or at best, pick and chose the commandments that we want to follow and ignore the rest.  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-18)