Finger Thinking 060512

William Gurnall wrote:

Indeed there is no duty in the Christian's whole course of walking with God, or acting for God but is lined with many difficulties, which shoot like enemies through the hedges at him, while he is marching towards heaven: so that he is put to dispute every inch of ground as he goes.   Gurnall, William (2010-04-09). The Christian in Complete Armour (Complete & Unabridged) - The Ultimate Book on Spiritual Warfare (Kindle Locations 125-127).  . Kindle Edition.

This is how things looked to Gurnall – way back then.  It seems it’s not so much the case today – is it?   Let me ask you (and myself), “What’s so tough about being a Christian today? “

Now, if your thoughts fly to the political, social and cultural – well, you have a point.  But what concerns me is that the political, social and cultural stuff is not the point – nor the problem.

Consider:

Sin moves by drawing the mind away from God, enticing the affections and twisting desires and paralyzing the will, thus stunting any real Christian growth.   One of the most frightening truths that Owen wants the believer to recognize is that “Your enemy is not only upon you . . . but is in you also.”  Part of understanding the battle against sin is seeing that the enemy, so to speak, is not only external, but internal, which is why Christians often have conflicting desires within them.  Owen, John; Kelly M. Kapic; Justin Taylor; John Piper (2006-10-16). Overcoming Sin and Temptation (p. 27). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

This is a critical point we must grasp.  Sanctification is about us, individually.  Our battle starts within and though we remove ourselves far from the world and the devil, sin goes where we go.  Could it be that as the world (and the church) church has compromised the truth and the duty of the believer we are more inured to, more callous about and less sensitive to sin?  Are we allowing a cloak of worldliness to fall around our shoulders?  Are we comfortable with a certain amount of impurity mixed with the gold?

I really think we are.  I believe that we have grown shallow or we have remained so callow in our faith that unless it’s grossly rejected by “most people,” we don’t see it as much of a sin.  I am reminded of a lesson I heard on the 10 Commandments.  When the speaker got to the tenth he simply said that this included, “Not even wanting to do the first nine.”  The first commandment is all about God the last is all about “me, mine, I.” 

 

I believe that we have been become so calloused that sin has little meaning.  And yet sin – especially covetousness permeates our culture.  The “American Dream” has morphed into a deadly and pernicious virus clouding our judgments and hindering our sensitivity.  We have succumbed to the “more, bigger, better” lies as well as the “got to’s” of marketing.  I know, I used to swim in it where now I simply wade in it.  We have been fooled into accepting, however unconsciously, that what we have (or don’t have), where we go (or don’t go) is a measure of our value and the all of our meaning.

We have ceased to be in and not of the world.  Perhaps it’s time for an Exodus?  But if we don’t see or feel the slavery we live in why would we want to leave?  Unfortunately I fear that until we experience our Pharaoh who knows not Joseph we will not want to leave.

This is not something new.  We can identify great men and women of faith in history but we find few “peoples” of faith.  We revel in reading of Spurgeon and Owen and Gurnall but they are stellar singularities in the Christian sky.  We seem to think that just “accepting Jesus” (an utterly unbiblical concept) puts us on the right side of the fence.  We are, of course, wrong.

How sensitive are you to sin?  How deeply does it pain you to discover it?  What are those sins that trouble you?  Are they biggies?  Would you refuse to steal the car of your dreams but not be bothered when you envy someone who owns one?  Would you refuse to steal money to have more, bigger, better but scowl at someone who had it?

How much tribulation, sorrow and hunger (spiritually or physically) do we really suffer?  How much are we really persecuted or rejected?  When was the last time you really examined yourself?  When was the last time you were moved to repentance.  Mine was just about five minutes ago – but then writing this makes me more sensitive than I was an hour ago.

We are indeed like the church of Laodicea.  We are neither hot nor cold – BUT we are comfortable – aren’t we.  Tolerance, as the world defines it is a sin.  But intolerance as demonstrated by the “church” may be just as big a sin.  When my intolerance is focused more outwardly than inwardly, I believe it is a sin.  “The Joneses” won’t have to answer to me; I won’t have to answer to “the Joneses but we will both have to answer to God.  So why am I so consumed with what they are doing instead of what I am or am not doing?

Yeah – I’m back on the old “log and speck” thing.  For me, the sins of another are as important as specks.  There is nothing I can do about them and little they can do to me.  My “log’ on the other hand can kill me or get me killed.  It obscures my vision, impairs my judgment and hinders my right actions.  It is very important as it affects me and my walk with Him.

We are called to be holy.  We are called to learn and live righteousness.  We are not called to do these things in comparison to others but in comparison to God.  Yes, we are redeemed from our failure, our rebellion but the call to holiness is not diminished, the expectation of our focus and efforts is not weakened.  We are to be growing in righteousness not wallowing in comfort and complacency.

This “walk” we are called to, this growth in righteousness can never be comfortable.  Therefore I have to wonder, if we are indeed comfortable, are we even walking the Way?  If we are troubled by the sins of the world are we troubles by our own?  Which of the two is our priority?  We all know which one should be.  But no one wants to repent of stuff that others find no problem with.  Huh?

OK, let’s take TV.  Let a mother and father come under a conviction that TV is more bad than good and that what is offered as entertainment on it is not something they want in their home and then let them share with others this conviction and they are immediately seen as, well, weird.  Let a group of believers come under conviction that owning property and a building is not as good stewardship as many think and they become, well, weird.  Let someone decide that bowing to “fashion,” or ‘convention,” in matters of dress and they are, well, weird.

Now a tough question.  Has not this complacency, this callousness concerning sin caused our weaker brothers and sisters to stumble?  Where we are tolerant do we not teach a bad lesson?  Where we are speck focused, are we not laying trip-wires?  Has our attitude of, “it’s not a big sin,” not muddied all the waters?  Hasn’t our failure to teach biblical self-examination and the mortification of sin left many many believers ill-equipped to live the live they are called to?

Perhaps we need to be convicted of our insensitivity to conviction.  We want to be “better” Christians when perhaps we ought to realize that it is only in Christ we are Christians at all.  What is an acceptable level of sin to you?  Yes, it is forgiven – but our liberty cannot be a license for liberality. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psa 51:17 

When did we last cry out for God to break “our’ spirit and make “our” heart broken and contrite? 

How about this as a thrice daily prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  (24)  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!    Psa 139:23-24

I fear that if we are not somehow turned to be consumed with our sin we will be consumed by it.  I fear that if we are not obsessed with righteousness we will be continue to be obsessed with comfort and complacency.  I fear that until we are willing to face the shame of our sin we will not fully appreciate the shame He bore for our sin.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."  And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.   1Pe 1:14-19  

Competition? Christlikeness

COMPETITION

I have a hard time finding any place in the life of the believer for competition.  Perhaps it’s due to a very warped understanding on my part – and I’m open to that.  But in my experience, although we couch it in “nice” double-speak, competition is about beating another person or team.

Yes, I understand that competition is a test of skills and abilities as well as strategy and teamwork but, at least in my experience, there is that underlying drive to defeat – beat – conquer – crush the other person or team.  I was raised to compete, to win, to crush my opponent utterly.  It wasn’t about being first – it was about be the only.

My first experience with competition was against my dad.  He was a fencer – and pretty good.  When I was around six or seven he decided to toughen me up and make a competitor by making me fence with him.  He was about 6 foot 3 or so and in pretty good shape.  I was about 3.5 feet tall and relatively round.

I can still remember those painful and humiliating sessions.  I still have the scar in the back of my throat where he “accidentally” stabbed me.  I can still feel the pain of being swatted with a foil.  See, in his view one was only a winner if one’s opponent was – well – destroyed and humiliated.

I was fortunate in that we left him when I was still salvageable.  But when we moved back to the US everyone said I had to play football (I was a little taller and not so round).  I had never seen American football.  I had played “soccer” which is a game of skill, strategy and finesse.  Football simply looked stupid to me.  I could not conceive of how it could be “fun.”  Still don’t.

Well I played football but I wasn’t much into “killing the quarterback,” or stuffing the running back.”  I wasn’t into hurting people much at all.

Then I got jumped by a group of toughs from my high-school and something snapped.  I challenged all of them to meet me and get in a single file and I offered to fight them one at a time.  Of course I had some back-up in the form of some friends of my older sister just to keep it fair.

They never showed and things really changed for me at school.  Then I got into power-lifting.  I loved it – my competition was gravity and muscle failure.  I went at it whole-heartedly.  I began to look like a power-lift and people around me changed.

There was something gratifying about being able to intimidate people just by being there.  It was the polar opposite from what my dad had made me feel.  Something snapped again.  I was going to be a winner – no matter what.

It all came to a head years later on the Racquet-ball court.  A friend of mine and I were playing and he started to rag on me (he was very very good).  Something snapped.  I quit wanting to win and started wanting to destroy.  Well, to make a long story short, we both left the court bloody and bruised.  I never played Racquet-ball “competitively” again.

Actually I never did anything competitive that put me in direct contact with another human being.  I just didn’t trust myself.  I have “competed” in a lot of things but they are things in which I can focus on beating myself – improving my skills without any comparison to others.

When I was shooting competitively it was a struggle.  Some folks just have to rag on others by chest thumping and crowing.  It got to the point to where I was tempted to get a “Match Disqualification” right at the first shooting stage.  This would allow me to shoot the match without worrying about my “score” in relationship to others.  But I gave it up when the economy went south and it got too expensive.

How do you teach competition without that element of what I can only see as “enemy identification?”  We talk in terms of beating, crushing, defeating, etc. the other competitor(s).  They have to go down!  

Here’s the question.  How do we, as followers of the Prince of Peace, handle competition?  In thinking about kids and the instilling of an adversarial attitude towards those we compete against it concerns me greatly.  We want to be (and our kids to be) winners, but how do we do it without designating those we compete against as “the enemy?”  How do we keep ourselves (and our kids) from the typical rage and anger used to motivate “winners?”  Why is our “best” only good when we “beat” another?

I think of Eric Liddell and am amazed.

Let us "entertain" you ?????

Let us “entertain” you?

Richard Baxter wrote a short work on the need for believers to be cautious in what they read.  Today, there are more forms of entertainment and leisure habits than just reading.  Between TV, movies, concerts, seminars and talk radio, we are overrun with opportunities to be entertained and gather information.

However, if we are to grow in righteousness we need to be very very careful what we put in our minds and who we allow to put it there.  We must remember that not one iota of data enters our minds that does not have some influence be it immediate or cumulative.

Baxter presents these questions: 

Remember that it is not just books we need to be cautious about

While reading ask oneself:

1. Could I spend this time no better?

2. Are there better books that would edify me more?

3. Are the lovers of such a book as this the greatest lovers of the Book of God and of a holy

   life?

4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God, kill my sin, and prepare me for the life

   to come?

Ouch!

Entertainments are not in and of themselves evil or bad.  They are however, like candy and not fit for a regular diet. 

Patti and used to watch the show The Glimore Girls.  We were really caught up in their story and the characters.  That is until somehow we began to ask, “What’s the message behind the entertainment?”  As we looked at the characters, the situations they faced and the decisions they made we were shocked that we had never noticed exactly how dysfunctional and sad the show really was.  Where we had laughed we now dropped our jaws and shook our heads in despair.

Remember 24?  Did you get hooked?  What was the message in that show?  What about My Name is Earl?  Anyone up for a cup of Karma?

“Oh, Michael,” you say, “it’s just TV (or books or movies, etc).”  True – but the intent of these shows is to get you to suspend your incredulity and accept, at least some of it, as real.  The only show I can remember that didn’t do that was Dragnet.  You can still catch this on Hulu.  It’s dull, slow and stiff – but, it’s more real than anything since.

What about “reality” shows?  Is that really reality?  Are these “real” people?  Sure they are – but stick a camera crew with anyone and no matter how “real” they are, their “reality” changes.

Even the “News” here in America is a joke.  Do a search on the net for British news shows.  You’ll learn things about our country that are true – that you’ll not hear of US news shows.

Remember that old song, Be Careful Little Eyes What You See?  Well if you think you’ve outgrown it you are fooling yourself.  The “entertainment” industry is first about making money.  Secondly it is about changing culture.  Kirks’ kissing O’Hura is an example – though a good one. 

A mother selling marijuana to support her family is a bad one (Weeds).

Hey, in the end, it’s up to you.  If you want to eat candy all the time and don’t think it will have a deleterious effect – OK.  But just keep in mind that even a tiny piece of leaven affects the whole lump of dough.  A brief exposure to radiation over a long period of time will get you dead.  Arsenic, mercury and lead are necessary but taking in small portion over a long time will kill you.

I was once told by a friend of mine that as they watch a TV show or movie they woulkd always ask, “If the Lord was sitting here, would I change the channel?”

Here’s a challenge.  There’s a show called, The Big Bang Theory.  If the title doesn’t warn you off, watch it – but – take notes.  What preoccupies the characters?  What would you say are their fundamental beliefs?  Notice any stereo-types?  What “world-view” can you pick up?”  Should what makes you laugh make you laugh?

If you don’t want to take the challenge, here’s what WikiP has to say concerning how “religion” is addressed on the show:

Religion plays a minor role in the series. Sheldon was raised in a fundamentalist Christian household. He refers to his childhood as "hell", and a recurrent theme is his conflict with his devout mother, Mary, whose creationist beliefs often clash with Sheldon's understanding of evolution. In "The Lunar Excitation", Sheldon mentions his promise to Mary to attend church once a year. In "The Wheaton Recurrence", after scoring a spare in bowling, Sheldon happily exclaims "Thank you, Jesus! ...as my mother would say." In the episode "The Zarnecki Incursion", Sheldon can be heard exclaiming "Why hast thou forsaken me, o deity whose existence I doubt?"

Howard and Raj are Jewish and Hindu, respectively, and semi-observant, apparently defying many religious customs without worry. They frequently flout dietary prohibitions and tend to give each other grief about them--Raj quotes from the Talmud after Howard eats pork, and Howard sharply says he holds his tongue when Raj eats a Big Mac. Still, Raj mentions reincarnation and karma, and Howard celebrates at least some Jewish holidays and refuses to get tattoos so he "can be buried in a Jewish cemetery". Howard's mother is a caricature of an over-protective Jewish mother.

Neither Leonard's nor Penny's religious convictions are made clear. Leonard approaches Christianity with less skepticism than Sheldon. Penny has expressed belief in ghosts, astrology, psychics and voodoo. Bernadette is Catholic, and is frequently seen wearing a necklace with a cross. And Amy is agnostic, stating in "The Lunar Excitation" that she understands the notion of a deity but is skeptical of one that would take attendance.

In the end, what gets in your mind is up to you – but I encourage you to ask, “Why do I find this entertaining?”  and “Would I invite the Apostle Paul over for pop-corn to watch this with me?  or  “What would an unbelieving acquaintance think of my witness if we were watching this together?”

You may not make you brother or sister stumble – why would you want to make yourself do so?

Blast from the past

Heb 10:22-23  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

What an awesome privilege we have to be able to draw near to our God – and to do so in full assurance.

But where does that assurance come from?  Do we look for it in our behavior?  In our thoughts and reflections?  In miracles?  In feelings?

Yes – no and maybe!

Certainly we experience assurance in all these areas of our lives.  The problem we often face however is wanting to consistently and constantly experience our assurance in one or maybe two particular areas.  It is not my experience or my understanding or the Word that this is the way it works.  We are a whole – the sum of all our parts and it is in all our parts that we experience, have a sense of assurance.  To limit the evidence of our assurance to but one or two areas is to make ourselves spiritually myopic.

Our assurance can and does express itself in our senses.  We can “feel” that assurance.  But feelings, as we know, are fickle.  Bad food, stress, neurochemical imbalances call all radically affect our feelings.  To look too much to them is not a good idea. 

We really need to build our assurance on much more than us, our experience or behavior.  You see my assurance is not in me, it’s in Him.  As Heb.10:23 says, “he is faithful that promised.”  My assurance is Him – His faithfulness.  Next to that, my faithfulness is microscopic.

Our faith is ‘in” His faithfulness.  We have believed and we have been cleansed and now we work out our salvation – and fear and trembling is part and parcel of the process. 

Gal 2:20-21  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  (21)  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Note the assurance in the verses above.  Many of us love to quote verse 20 but we seem to miss verse 21.

“Frustrating the grace of God,” is perhaps the most common activity we take part in.  Certainly we are to examine ourselves and “judge” ourselves but we cannot, for we have no right to condemn ourselves. 

When we examine our lives and we find sin we are to fall upon the grace of God.  Yes, we need to address the sin and forsake it but we are to do this within the wonderful grace our Lord has poured out on us. 

The Law is the tool by which we measure ourselves but it is the grace of God by which we must judge ourselves.  If sin is the way I measure my relationship with God, I will always be disappointed.  But if it is grace that I use then I, even as I struggle with sin, have every cause for rejoicing.

Without our unworthiness, grace would not be grace.  It’s tough to live with that tension but it is do-able. 

Gill says of the Galatians passage:

the life he (Paul) had was not of his own obtaining and procuring; his life of righteousness was not of himself, but Christ; his being quickened, or having principles of life and holiness implanted in him, was not by himself, but by the Spirit; and the holy life and conversation he lived was not owing to himself, to his power and strength, but to the grace of God; or it was not properly himself, or so much he that lived,

If you read the OT you will many places where god make it plain that it will never be by our efforts that we will be righteous (Deut. 5 is an example).

God says, “Thou shall not!”  but He knows we will.

God says, “Thou shall!”  but He knows we won’t.

So, why are we surprised when we do and don’t?  Why do we use our weakness (albeit redeemed) as the measure of our relationship with God when it is the faithfulness of Christ that is God’s own measure?

James presents us with a weird little insight into our lives in Christ.

Jas 3:2  For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

Accepted – we all stumble and we do so in many ways.  That is the norm – the common frustration of all the redeemed.  But look at the measure of “perfection” or “wholeness” that James gives – what we say.  If we can control our tongues – but we don’t (read the rest of the passage).

STUMBLE:   πταίω   ptaiō

Thayer Definition:

1) to cause one to stumble or fall

2) to stumble

2a) to err, make a mistake, to sin

2b) to fall into misery, become wretched

Yes, sin is bad – we should do all we can to avoid it.  But we will stumble – trip.  OK – that is common and normal for us all. 

Yes, before our redemption we all stood condemned – now, we CAN’T. 

GET THAT???  CAN’T!!!!!

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The bottom line?  “He is faithful that promised.”  Him – not you or I, Him.

God made you – God made you His > end of one story beginning of a new one!

Psa. 5 050712

Psa 5:8-11  Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.  (9)  For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.  (10)  Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.  (11)  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.

One of my “daughters’ in the Lord sent me an encouragement and referred me to Psa. 91.  Wow – what a lift!  Have you ever noticed that when the oscillating blades are struck by compost it’s real easy to forget all the wonderful passages of assurance there are?  I do that a lot.  Being a “problem solver” I tend to immediately start thinking things through and seeking a solution – only to discover that I’m running in circles of despair.

Verse eight is a great way to begin:

Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 

Now that petition really gets the priorities in focus.  It really brings “cheek turning” into focus.  Regardless of our enemies and their actions we are to remain focused on Him and seek to continue in His ways.

It’s so easy to plan and plot how to circumvent, retaliate, avoid, ensnare, etc. those who do us harm.  Yeah – it’s natural and normal (for that body of death we tote around).  The flesh will indeed seek it’s pound of flesh.  But this verse centers me again to what is important (even if it feels like my hair is on fire).

I want to stay in His way!  Glorify Him!  Honor my Redeemer!

But I also want to smack my attacker.  That’s a “want to” that’s hard to avoid.  It may be easier when you’re under attack 365/24/7 but most of us get blind-sided only rarely.  So we get “provoked” (Eph. 4:26) and here comes anger and we start plotting and planning.  Which is exactly why these assault are hurled our way.  The divert and distract us from the main priority.

They also do something else.  (OUCH) They humble us.  They call our minds to the fact that as His people in this world we’re never going to be trouble free.  We will not only suffer for our faith but we will suffer just because we’re here.  Humble?  Sure!  Who am I to think I get a free ride?  Who am I to suppose (whether for my faith or just because) trouble will not come my way. 

Humble?  Yep.  Especially when we think, “What did I do to deserve this?”  Now we can do a lot of things and the consequences are tough.  But when we cannot see where we have done wrong or anything to draw the attacks we can get downright fussy and mifted.

One thing we have all done to “deserve” enemies is to hold Christ as Lord.  We really don’t have to do anything else.  Which is why our battle is with our flesh and the battle with evil is His.  Satan can’t destroy us but divert and distract us.  When I am caught up in battling the “enemies” without I’m not doing anything about my flesh.  I’m even feeding my flesh by getting caught up in battling my enemies.

I think that’s why the Spirit moved David to write verse 9 and 10:

(9)  For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.  (10)  Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 

These verses put these enemies in the proper perspective.  They are much to be pitied and prayed for.  What they are about may be wrong but it is natural for them.  It’s the only hope they have in this world.  It’s the only thing in their hearts and characterizes their whole lives.

We, like David, need to leave them to God.  Only He can change them.  Our active retaliation will not change them, just move them to a different target.  But it is God who is their target – it’s not really us.  So we leave them for God to address.

Finally we read:

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.

Ok – taking “refuge” goes against everything my “flesh” was ever taught about being a “real man.”  It’s the way of the chicken, the sissy, the coward – I write in “fleshly” terms.

In truth, taking refuge is what happened when He made us His own.  We just need to stay there.  When our enemies can taunt us into coming out or refuge and facing them on their terms we are gonna get whipped!  But if we remain in Him, under His wings, in His refuge then we can deal with the attack from a safe place – a place they cannot conquer.

It’s not easy to keep focused – but it is essential.  If I trust Him for my very eternal life – what is the occasional attack? 

I know I have nothing to lose (although it feels like it) from taking refuge in Him – I also know that if I leave His refuge I will lose much and even if I win the skirmish I will be sorely and deeply wounded.

My battle cry???

Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;

make Your way straight before me.

Thanks Stacie!!!!!

Blast from the Past

Nailed to the door . . . .  061011

We know the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket,” so to speak, but what about the “church”?  What’s it going to hell in?

What?  Did he just say the “church” is going to hell?  Well, yes and no.

Any careful reading of scripture makes it very very clear that the “church” - that is the institution that bears that name, is NOT ever going to be healthy until He comes.

The Gospels and the Apostolic Writings all make it very plain that the institution will be rife with tares, and goats, and wolves, false prophets, mean people and satanic servants.  That’s just a fact.  A sad fact - but a fact.

We love to talk about how the “church” has compromised with the world.  So, what’s new?  First Church of Corinth  is not unique. 

Of course the “church” has compromised with the world.  Of course there are tares and goats.  He said there would be.  What’s the big deal?

Too much of our attention today is taken up by, “us and them,” and not enough time is intentionally focused on, “me and Him.”

From Paul the Apostle to Barna’s analytics it is clear that the “church” as an institution has been and  would always be corrupted to one extent of the other.  What do we think the Reformation was all about?  As bad as it was, what was the true purpose of the Inquisition?

OK - rant over.  Point to keep - It is not about US and THEM - the necessary focus must be ME and HIM.

He is the one responsible for the security of the church. We have other things to do in reference to “church.”

Eph. 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

It’s great to warn and admonish - even to correct and discipline those who may be tares or goats or even wolves but that does not make for what He aims us at in Eph. 4.  There is and always has been only one Lord Protector of the Faith and it wasn’t Oliver Cromwell!..It is Jesus the Messiah our Redeemer.

In my view we make too big a deal and spend too much time looking for the tares (etc.) and not enough time striving to;
equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

There was a day and there were a people (somewhere there still are) who understood that WE weren’t the point, He was.  They were serious about their faith - both in terms of the truth to be held and the truth to be lived.  They understood the dire necessity of studying the Word and that this was not a, “take the course,” or “:do the work book,” but rather a lifetime duty of every believer.

There are those that are referred to as nominal Christians - that is Christians in name only but the problem with that is - they aren’t Christian.  Why do we play this name game?  Where is the mutual and biblical expectancy that those who claim Christ as Lord will live as Christ is Lord? 

It’s easy to talk about the “church” as something out there.  But the plain fact of the matter is that only those who are slaves to the only Lord are the church.  Yes, there are different levels of maturity but more and more that maturity is measured by time and not by knowledge, understanding and living.  One can be in the “church” all their lives and still not be a believer, much less a slave to Christ.

Paul hit the nail on the head when he says:
1 Corinthians 11:28
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

With these words of admonition why are we so prone to spending time, money and effort determining who is or isn’t the church.  Why are we not focusing on how the world, the flesh and the devil work to get us - individually - to compromise.

Sure, I’m troubled by all the “marketing” junk and “seeker sensitive” garbage not to mention the watering down of God’s holiness the minimization of Christ’s Lordship and the prostituting of Grace.  I do worry about the “church” as a institution.  But we will not stand collectively before Him.  He did not die for an institution and the Spirit is given the the church via each individual not en-mass.

OK - my point is that the corruption of the church as an institution is a wonderfully powerful distraction.  It distracts us - each of us - from our obligation to grow in Him, to serve Him and to serve each other. Why do I need to be consistently told that “they” or “that” is wrong?  What good does that do me?  How does that aid me in being a good a faithful servant?

Yeah, I’m pretty self-focused when it come to following Him.  Sure I want to encourage, admonish, support, even goad my brothers and sisters but when we let ourselves get distracted by the outrageous actions of questionable believers we run the grave dangers of pride and self-complacency.

What I hope and pray consider is taking aserious look at what might be distracting you from your own personal growth in the knowledge and following of Him.  It's just too easy to look at the big picture and stand there like a dear in headlights.  It is through each of us He intendes to work - WE are the church - the church isn't an "it."

It is a biblical principle that is part of the body suffers it all suffers.  if part of the body is weak, it is all weak.  No part is inconsequential of unimportant.  that means YOU and ME individually are primarily responsible for our individual following of Him.  Perhaps, if we took that individual responsibility and applied the fanaticism we apply to "christian causes," the Church would be healthy.

Consider:

"What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in a state of mind I call 'Christianity And'.  You know-Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism . . .  If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference.  Substituting for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian coloring.  Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing."   Screwtape

That, Same Old Thing, is Bible Study, Prayer, Worship, Fellowship, Service.  That same old thing is laboring to grow in His likeness.  In the final analysis it will not be what we stand against nor will it be what we stand for.  In the final analysis is will be Who makes us stand and how faithfully we (you and I) stand.

a little piece of me 040612

A little piece of me…….  040612

I’ve shared this with a lot of folks but I want to get it “out there,” in the hope that the Lord will use it to strengthen you and close your ears to the lies Satan – and folks – have driven into your ears and hence into your heart.

In graduate school my first semester ended and the grades and class standing were listed.  I fought the desire to look for I knew it would be a disappointment.  Finally I had to look.

I was in shock.  There I was on the Dean’s List. – the good Dean’s List ;-}

I just knew this had to be a mistake.

I took the list off the board and went to the Dean’s office to show him the mistake.

He checked the records and told me there was no mistake; my GPA put me on the Dean’s List.

I didn’t believe him.

I put the list back on the board and walked away thinking that my professors had felt sorry for me and had given me grades I had not earned because they felt sorry for me.

Huh?

Yep – you see I grew up being told loudly and clearly that I was stupid, clumsy and a sissy.  My father worked very hard to convince me of that and he was good at it.  By the time I got to graduate school I had proven (to my satisfaction) that I was neither a clutz nor a sissy.  But stupid was hanging’ in.

I was a slave to my father’s demands, judgments and condemnations.  I still saw me as he taught me to see me.

So what’s the point?

Well, before Christ let me know I was His I was a slave to the demands, judgments and condemnation of Satan – sin and my flesh.  They defined me – utterly.  One common theme in this is, “Not good enough!”  I wasn’t good enough if I didn’t go out drinking.  I wasn’t good enough if I didn’t do the macho-tough guy thing.  I wasn’t good enough if I wasn’t sexually promiscuous.  I wasn’t good enough if I didn’t keep up with my sinful companions in most if not all of their sinful activities.

This was a sinful, warped and twisted legalism I was caught up in and I don’t think it was unusual.  I HAD to be as good as if not better than any other sinner in my sinning.

So, in come Jesus and the Spirit.  I am convicted of my sin, convinced of my need for redemption and begin to seek to live a righteous life.

BOOM ---- “Not good enough!!!!!!”

Everywhere I looked I saw my sin – still!  In the word, in the fellowship, in the “you have to’s” of older believers – I was not good enough.

What pray tell was the problem?

Simple – I walked into the Kingdom of God laying aside sins but still carrying the legalism I had been taught while I was in darkness.  Then I had not been good enough for the world the flesh or the devil – now I wasn’t good enough for God.

Don’t thin for a moment that unbelievers are free.  They are not only under the judgment of the laws of God BUT the world-flesh-and devil have their own laws they expect their servants to obey.

Izod golf shirts, alligator belts with silver monogramed buckles, green Army fatigues and white Adidas tennis shoes.  If you didn’t have ‘em you weren’t good enough.  If you wore only one or two of these items you were a poser.

Alcohol, drugs, sex are all criteria by which the world-flesh and devil measure us while we are in the darkness.  Sitting here writing there are three females who must be convinced that to expose as much of their bodies as possible in public is a good thing.  (Yeah- I’m keeping my eyes on the keyboard!!!!!

See, Satan is the greatest legalist there is.  With him, in his kingdom (?) there is no mercy, no grace – just judgment and condemnation for not being as obedient to him-the flesh and the world as you can be.

And this legalistic thinking walks right into the Kingdom of God – the Kingdom of grace - with us.

After the first liberating joy of finding we are His we soon fall victim to this legalistic poison.  We realize that we are not in ourselves worthy.  We are not good enough.  Oh, we knew that at the moment we realized our redemption but the poison is still flows.

Somehow we’ve come to believe that doing battle with the flesh and the sin that remains is a bad thing and calls into question our salvation.  But it is this very battle that confirms our redemption and affirms our faith.  Why else would we notice much less fight unrighteousness?

Grace is an alien concept to us and regardless of our maturation in the faith it will probably always be alien.  We have NO well of knowledge from which to draw that enables us to be completely comfortable with grace.  Maybe this is how it is supposed to be.

But we do have a lifetime of experience with legalism and condemnation.  We well know the devastating effects, the insidious schemes, and the toxicity of legalism.  We must battle its influence constantly both in regards to our walk with Him and our lives in general.

I still battle thoughts of being stupid – not good enough – socially, financially, professionally and spiritually.  But I always – all ways – remind myself who it is that’s doing the measuring.  Socially, financially professionally it is the world, the flesh and the devil.  Spiritually it is my Redeemer the One who knew my need and met that need completely.  I am not nor will I ever be good enough to be Him.  But by His grace and because of His work he has made me good enough to be His and He keeps me there regardless.

Comments?