A Deeper View

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Mat 6:24)

"Money"  mammōnas:  Wealth personified; avarice

Ouch!

Most definitions of avarice say it's "extreme" - excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain : greediness.

But is that what Jesus is actually saying?  I don't think so.  I believe He's making a clear comparison between who/what we look to for our providence.  In the context of this, even the slightest "avarice" is extreme.

You don't have to be a greedy-wealth driven person to fit into what Jesus is talking about.  If I am looking to "money" as the answer to my problems and not to God, then I am double-mastered - actually I am serving Mammon.  

Paul writes:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  (1Ti 6:10)

The author of Hebrews writes:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  (Heb 13:5)

I have to say I am learning what Paul means by, "pierced themselves with many pangs (sorrows)."  I'm getting pang pierced quite regularly.  

I am especially sorry for all the waste of His provision.  Oh boy - let's leave it at that.  But being "sorry" isn't the point.  Repentance is the point.  I have to turn away from that oh so common money thing to Him.  I have to embrace Him and His promise and accept His will for me.

There was an old saying in my pre-disciple days that we "hippies" used - I will leave that to your imagination but - in this case I'll say, "God will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no God."

Jesus presents us with a choice - and for some it's a big and deep choice.  We have to really examine ourselves (a good thing anytime) for what pieces of avarice/mammon are tucked away in our heads and hearts.  

I suggest - from experience (current experience) that we look for envy, dis-satisfaction, grumbling, fear, anger, etc and see it they are connected to mammon.  

Are we dis-satisfied with God's current provision?  Are we fearful of our future known and unknown needs?  Are we, like Israel in the OT when threatened by invasion, looking to make unwise alliances?  Are we, like they, seeking some thing other than God in our need?

It's common to us but it isn't best.  We all know that.  We all know that God is the loving and gracious Shepherd.  We all know that He gave His best to make us His and that this is the greatest provision we could ask for.  We all know these things - but sometimes He loves us enough to take us to a place where we see our sinful seeking in other places.  He does that to halt us in our tracks and bring us back to His way - the only true way.

Sometimes it feels like He is teaching me to be a little child.  I cried in Patti's arms the other night and prayed to Him for to comfort and strengthen us in His Way.  I felt like a weenie - but I realized I was learning to come to Him as a little child who is utterly dependent upon Him for EVERYTHING.

Just goes to show that we can know something - and yet have to KNOW it better - deeper - more childishly.

Let's examine ourselves and ask His Spirit to both guide us and comfort us as we look for those thin, weak places in our walk.  It's OK, He intendeds to fatten them up and build some muscle.  He is never done with us - which really is good news!

You, those of you who can identify and those of you who don't yet - are in our prayers and  we are vaguely but faithfully lifting you up.  Remember it's "OUR Father ------"

This and That Sin is Sin is Sin 092712

Jesus:

I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."   Joh 8:24 

Us:

He told us the we would die in our sins, for unless we believe that He is Him (the Christ) we will die in our sins.

I’ve gotten to where I really don’t care what specific sin or sins a person is engaged in.  And I am beginning to believe it really doesn’t matter.  I am beginning to believe that we have been diverted into talking about specific sins as a means to muddle the real point.

That, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom 3:23 is the main, if not only pertinent point. 

I am just tired of all the foofaraw about abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage…ad infinitum.  For me it’s just a diversion, a distraction.  It leads us into too rational a debate about specifics when the real problem is general and endemic to mankind.   

Rom 3:9-18  What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,  (10)  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;  (11)  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  (12)  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."  (13)  "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."  (14)  "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."  (15)  "Their feet are swift to shed blood;  (16)  in their paths are ruin and misery,  (17)  and the way of peace they have not known."  (18)  "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

The key for me is whether this is true of one who is in Christ or out of Christ.

That may shock some – but:

1Jn 1:8-10  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  (9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (10)  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I think we get terribly “fleshly” when it comes to sin.  We react to what we, individually or collectively, find to be the ickiest most revolting (or frightening) sins and we let the rest lie.  Homophobic is not just a term coined to vilify believers.  It is a term that describes a “fear” of homosexuality and hence homosexuals.  But, why would we ever fear that or them?

Tell me, what is the difference between a homosexual engaged in his or her lifestyle and a father/mother so consumed with the acquisition of wealth that they neglect their spouse or children?  What, pray tell, is the difference between “spinning” and lieing?  What is the difference between cheating on your taxes and stealing from the needy through hoarding your wealth?

Sin is sin is sin and we are all involved.  Believers and nonbelievers.

Yes, believers are no longer “slaves” to sin.  But are they “slaves” to Christ or just good buddies?  Unbelievers are indeed enemies of God but I have met some that have a higher level (sadly) of integrity than many believers I know. 

Remember the “log” vs. the “speck” thing?  Somehow logging has become a regular pastime for believers and specking not so much.

As many of you know I work as a consultant to support our ministry.  Most of my clients are either non-believers or ambivalent-believers.  I work every day in a morass of sinful attitudes and behaviors.  Trust me, greed, self-tenderness and deceit do a lot more damage in the un-saved world than many of the sins we love to rail and rant about. 

NOTE:  I recommend that you get and read Kuypers, Lectures on Calvinism.  Not to make you a Calvinist but to get a clear view of how things have been and are falling apart – just as God said.

In my work people always want to tell the “the problem.”  But rarely if ever is the problem THE problem.  Usually the problem they present is merely a symptom of a deeper problem – sin.

This is the case with believers and non-believers.  Sin.  Sin is the rejection of and/or rebellion against God.  That’s the cake – EVERYTHING ELSE is frosting and decoration. 

I would ask you to really pray about where your heart is on the knee-jerk sins we have singled out for special attention. There is only one unforgivable sin and I don’t really know that we can really know when someone has really committed it.  But, I believe that grace and mercy demand we not get obsessed with any particular sin in our dealing with the lost.  Sin is sin is sin.

Heb 12:1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely (sin which so easily entangles us), and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,…..

Sin is sin is sin! 

I am convinced that those who God calls to Himself – from whatever “sins” they may prefer – will be led to face and deal with sin through the ministry of the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Aren’t you?

Walk with P & me 07

Walk with P & me  07

Note:  No, you haven’t missed anything.  The blogs are numbered as they are written and published as they are done.

When does a positive (kauchēsis; kow'-khay-sis), boasting , become (ἀλαζονεία; alazoneia,) a sinful boasting/self-confidence.

In 1 Cor. 7:4 Paul speaks his boasting of the of his “pride” in the Corinthian believers.  This is a good “pride.”

I am acting with great boldness toward you;

I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort.

In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

(2Co 7:4)

In I John 2:16 the apostle warns against “pride” – alazoneia.

For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh

and the desires of the eyes a

and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.

(I John 2:16)

Pride biblically is neutral.  Whether it is good or bad depends upon what it is rests upon.  Pride is confidence.  It’s what one’s confidence is in that makes pride either an asset or a sin.  To place our confidence in anything other than the providence of God is an arrogant pride.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

(Pro 11:2)

This verse speaks to pride misplaced or mis-sourced.  This “pride” is arrogance and presumption.

Yesterday I was listening to Alistair Begg via Truth for Life and he was talking about Paul’s admonition to believers to support their teachers:

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages."   (1Ti 5:17-18)

I was curiously convicted by this.

I was convicted of having become prideful, presumptive and even arrogant.

For years I have been a “tent-maker.”  That simply means that I have worked to support myself and rarely accepted any kind of “support” from those I ministered to.  Now, that’s not a bad thing – that is until you begin to think it makes you special.

The reason I wanted to be a tent-maker was because it was being “like Paul.”  That is not a bad thing except that being “like Paul” can puff you up – and it does.

Not only that but doing well in the “tent-making” can make one think more of themselves than they ought.

But the real problem is that I began to see the tent-making as “mine” and the ministry as “His.”  Can you catch the subtleness of the sin there?  Simply put I was proud I was a tent-maker.  Actually, as I prayed and thought about it I discovered I had become arrogant about it.  I began so really think I was “self-supporting.”  Somehow I had slipped into that sin of pride.

Not only was there sinful pride involved but there was a failure to let others be a part of the work by helping Patti and support ourselves as we went about the work.  There was also a failure to allow myself to depend upon God working through others for the work to continue.

Well, let’s heap it on – There was also a sinful failure to be in a position to be accountable to those who were blessed by and supported the work.  Perhaps this is the root of it all.  I have been un-autonomous.  I have not honestly depended upon God or His people, which makes me wonder if my ministry has been somewhat of a sham.

So I am confessing to you and to Him that I know more of my heart than I did before.  It is not pretty.  I am humbled and if it takes out right humiliation to tattoo this on my mind and heart then I will accept that. 

Right now we have five people interested in the Us In Him, Sunday @ 6 fellowship.  The support of the work will be in His and their hands.  We will simply put it out there and allow Him to work.  I will continue to make tents but I know now that that is and always has been His.

One thing I would ask of those of you whom I have been allowed to serve.  Let me hear from you – I don’t want to assume anything about the work I have done and pray to do.  Your feedback, council, correction, encouragement would be a real blessing.  Write me at:  ms@tc2v1.com 

Pray my repentance holds and that I grow from and in it.

God bless you!

Michael

Patti and Michael Sanders

2205 New Garden Rd.

# 2807

Greensboro, NC 27410