Imagine the typical Sunday morning at church. What do you see? The church parking lot slowly begins to fill around 7:30am as the worship team arrives to begin running through the service. More and more vehicles change the bare asphalt into a spectrum of metallic reds, whites, blacks, blues, and "harvest gold" or whatever you want to call that beige car. The welcome center lobby fills with a bunch of people, most are happy to see each other. We all should be happy to see each other, but that is a different topic. And everyone is "fine," also a different topic. Have you noticed how everyone is dressed? I don't tend to pay much attention to it, but I guarantee there are those that will nitpick on the clothes everyone else is wearing, judging them to that last iota. Why is that? Where in Scripture does it say that people have to dress up for church? Personally, I enjoy coming to church in comfortable clothes, and I am not comfortable buttoned up in a starched shirt with a noose around my neck! Although, I have to admit that anyone dressed to the hilt looks pretty sharp on Sunday morning, but the question I have for them is why are they wearing it? Who are they trying to impress?
Ok, that was a leading question. Objection! Sustained. Lawyered. Are they trying to impress someone? I think they are more often than anyone would like to admit it. The number of people who are more comfortable all suited up as opposed to more casual is probably less than one would think based on a Sunday morning. I can only think of a few reasons why someone would come to church every Sunday morning in a suit and tie:
1. They enjoy coming in a suit and tie.
If this is the case, great! More power to them. Every once in a great while, even I get it into my head to dress it up for church. There is nothing wrong with that, and if you enjoy dressing up every Sunday, then do not let anyone tell you it is wrong!
2. Tradition. They have always done it, or they still have mom's nagging voice in their head telling them they had better dress it up for God.
"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
This may sound strange to some of you, but is it not true that you can be held captive by things you thought you had to do but really didn't? Let's consider the eating of meat sacrificed to idols which Paul spoke of. Was it ever a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols? No. In the same way, it is not a sin dress casually in church (provided it is also modest). However, we must consider the opposite side of that. Will it cause my brother to sin? If so, Paul says we should never eat meat for the benefit of the conscience of the weaker brother. To carry that through, if it would cause a problem for the conscience of a weaker brother, we should dress up for their sake.
3. In order to impress other people at the church. The other people I am referring to are other church members, visitors, or that pretty woman who sits a few rows in front of you.
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).
I think it is pretty clear that seeking the adoration of other people is not the reason we should be coming to church. Even if it is not the primary reason for dressing up, it can be an obstacle to experiencing true worship with the Creator.
4. To impress God
I hear this all the time when talking about this issue, "Should you not give your best to God?" Then I get a rehashing of the difference between Cain's sacrifice and Abel's sacrifice. Really? I didn't hear a comparison of the clothes Cain and Abel wore while making their sacrifice once during that story. The story is about faithfully giving back to God the best of what He has given to you. If you want to compare that story to the modern day, look at your charitable giving record, not how you try to make yourself look good if front of the rest of the church-goers! It is only arrogant pride that thinks God can be impressed by the clothes you wear to church! What God cares about is the intention of your heart! If He cared about dress, Jesus would have eaten with the Pharisees, not the sinners!
So, this Sunday, when you start getting dressed for church, ask yourself why you are picking those clothes. Make sure it is for a good reason. Then, when you get to church, makes sure you are not judging those who dress otherwise. The one who dresses up and the one who dresses down are both called of God, and they both have the right to come just as they are before the throne of the King of Glory.
"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him" (Romans 14).
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Lusting Hypocrisy
I was sitting on the bleachers by the football field one afternoon during football practice. It was a warm day, and I felt the heat of the bleachers. I was already sweating from practice, and the bleachers didn't help. I would have gotten up, but the prospect of walking after just having worked out was less appealing than the heat.
As I sat there exhausted, I noticed a group of girls sitting on the next set of bleachers. They were talking and laughing... more like giggling. They were watching some of the other football players that were still on the field.
Paul talks to the Corinthians, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you..." (1 Corinthians 5:1). I think this is more true than we realize. Think about how Satan operates. Sometimes sexual immorality is obvious and blatant. It is one of those things that is heavily influenced by our biochemistry, and that makes it harder to keep from falling victim to it before we realize we're falling... harder but not impossible. How does Satan usually operate against us, though. The vast majority of the time, it is subtly. It is little by little, the gentle slope to sin. We often look to the extreme and miss the subtle even when honestly trying to purge ourselves of wrong-doing, and so we miss the inroads Satan finds and uses in us.
Think about it. What is honestly happening when a group of guys stay after school to watch the cheerleaders practice or even the volleyball team? It is rarely to support the team. It is not innocent. It is an excuse and an opportunity to lust. I doubt very much there would be any guys staying after to watch the practice if the girls wore clothing that wasn't revealing. How do you feel about the guys who do this?
"'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food'—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord" (1 Corinthians 6:12-13).
I would venture to say that most believers and many unbelievers have a negative view of what those guys are doing. Is it not odd to find the same people who look down on these guys sitting in the bleachers watching the football players?
This hypocrisy is not exclusive to females. It effects males, too. I remember not thinking very highly of the girls lusting after those football players, but I know I have failed in the area of lust. Does our hypocrisy know no bounds? Do we really look down on people for doing the exact same thing we are guilty of? Is it not more in keeping with the example of Jesus to gently reveal the wrong-doing in love and encourage them to no longer engage in it? Why not go farther? Invite them to go do something else. They may not know any better, and that way they at least have an option.
Love them like Jesus.
As I sat there exhausted, I noticed a group of girls sitting on the next set of bleachers. They were talking and laughing... more like giggling. They were watching some of the other football players that were still on the field.
Paul talks to the Corinthians, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you..." (1 Corinthians 5:1). I think this is more true than we realize. Think about how Satan operates. Sometimes sexual immorality is obvious and blatant. It is one of those things that is heavily influenced by our biochemistry, and that makes it harder to keep from falling victim to it before we realize we're falling... harder but not impossible. How does Satan usually operate against us, though. The vast majority of the time, it is subtly. It is little by little, the gentle slope to sin. We often look to the extreme and miss the subtle even when honestly trying to purge ourselves of wrong-doing, and so we miss the inroads Satan finds and uses in us.
Think about it. What is honestly happening when a group of guys stay after school to watch the cheerleaders practice or even the volleyball team? It is rarely to support the team. It is not innocent. It is an excuse and an opportunity to lust. I doubt very much there would be any guys staying after to watch the practice if the girls wore clothing that wasn't revealing. How do you feel about the guys who do this?
"'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food'—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord" (1 Corinthians 6:12-13).
I would venture to say that most believers and many unbelievers have a negative view of what those guys are doing. Is it not odd to find the same people who look down on these guys sitting in the bleachers watching the football players?
This hypocrisy is not exclusive to females. It effects males, too. I remember not thinking very highly of the girls lusting after those football players, but I know I have failed in the area of lust. Does our hypocrisy know no bounds? Do we really look down on people for doing the exact same thing we are guilty of? Is it not more in keeping with the example of Jesus to gently reveal the wrong-doing in love and encourage them to no longer engage in it? Why not go farther? Invite them to go do something else. They may not know any better, and that way they at least have an option.
Love them like Jesus.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Getting Told
I find political correctness to be an absolutely irritating thing. I believe the conception of the term has take common decency in language to an absurd level. It is necessary to avoid certain words or phrases in language in order to keep from offending, but there is a point where this becomes ridiculous. For example, the word n*gger should never be used as it is derogatory. However, I have been told that using the term "black" rather than "African American" is now offensive. Leaving aside the obvious hypocrisy as this person proceeds to call me as "white," is it really upsetting to be described? I am white. That does not offend me, so I wonder why this person finds it offensive to be called black. What's wrong with being black? Pondering this subject, I came to the conclusion that race is not the issue. The issue is that people are seeking out reasons to get offended. They are looking for a way to put someone else in the wrong, to nitpick and find some way to feel better about themselves at the cost of the other person. The root cause: pride. It is the pride that says, "I'm better than you," or even, "I'm as good as you! Do you see? You do that, and I don't. That makes me better than you!" The same thing has occurred in people who claim Christ as their savior. I don't drink and you do, or I don't smoke and you do! I'm better. And then there is this one: "I'm straight and you're living the gay lifestyle! That makes me better! Do you see? I'm up here, and you're down there! Ha! Me equals better!" It is really sad that the world has that view of us. Instead of seeing people that genuinely love them, they see people that are saying, "I'm better than you! Get out of my church!" They should be seeing, "I love you. Jesus loves you. Come on in. You are welcome here."
Do not get me wrong here. Homosexuality is wrong. So is having sex with anyone who is not your spouse, murdering, lying, stealing, etc. The point is: How are we presenting the love of Christ? If we are going to them in love and gentleness, that is all we can do. They may get offended anyway, that is not our fault. We are not to judge them as those outside the church. God will take care of that. Our job is to love them as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.
It is not just people outside the church who are overly sensitive, though. Those inside the church sometimes seem to make it their business to get offended over the smallest things! We make the jokes about people getting mad over the color of the carpet and the pews, but the reason we makes those jokes is because it has happened. I know of at least one church that spit because of the carpet color! Seriously?!?! Is that the Kingdom of God here on earth? It is pathetic that grown men and women can throw a hissy fit over something like that, but it happens all the time:
Ben talks to Marsha. He mentions that during the last fellowship time, Sandra said, "Marsha's make-up looks fine." Now, Ben is not the best conversationalist, and he didn't really remember that Sandra actually said, "Marsha's make-up works very well with her skin tone." Marsha hears "fine" and construes it to mean that she looks like a dead clown with graffiti on her face. Now she goes to Jorge and Elisa who hear her sad clown story and become angry at Sandra, too. Soon, the story gets back to Sandra through her friends asking her why she called Marsha "a disgusting painted cow." She is confused, but the conflict has already peeked. From the outside, they look like fools.
This big mess and almost all of the other issues like this that arise in the churches today can be taken care of long before they get to this level or even cleaned up at this level by following how Scripture tells us to proceed:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17).
Now, many of you are probably blaming poor, old Ben already, but Ben was just trying to relay a compliment. It is not his fault that his memory fails him from time to time on the particulars, and that "fine" actually means "fine" to him. He was pretty innocent in the matter. The true problem began with Marsha. When Marsha heard the word "fine," she decided within herself to take that word in a negative light. She is one who decided "fine" meant "wrong in every way." She was too sensitive, and she had second hand information. Marsha could have proceeded in three ways that would have been keeping with righteousness and godliness:
You must confront in gentleness and reasonableness. The confrontation is for the good of the one being confronted. Remember this! No one enjoys being told they are wrong unless they are humble or can look on the situation with complete objectivity, and if they are doing something wrong, it is very likely they have decided to ignore objectivity already. Emotions can get involved very quickly, and that pushes objectivity even further away. It is the job of the one confronting to remain calm and bring objectivity back by way of Scripture and reason. Reason is used primarily as it is reasonable to follow Scripture rather than disregarding it.
Ultimately, it is the job of every believer, for the good of your fellow believers, the church, and the Church universal, to follow this process. You have been bought by the blood of the Lamb. You are no longer your own, so you no longer have the right to be offended to the detriment of the body of Christ. You need to grow a thicker skin and quit putting yourself first.
Do not get me wrong here. Homosexuality is wrong. So is having sex with anyone who is not your spouse, murdering, lying, stealing, etc. The point is: How are we presenting the love of Christ? If we are going to them in love and gentleness, that is all we can do. They may get offended anyway, that is not our fault. We are not to judge them as those outside the church. God will take care of that. Our job is to love them as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.
It is not just people outside the church who are overly sensitive, though. Those inside the church sometimes seem to make it their business to get offended over the smallest things! We make the jokes about people getting mad over the color of the carpet and the pews, but the reason we makes those jokes is because it has happened. I know of at least one church that spit because of the carpet color! Seriously?!?! Is that the Kingdom of God here on earth? It is pathetic that grown men and women can throw a hissy fit over something like that, but it happens all the time:
Ben talks to Marsha. He mentions that during the last fellowship time, Sandra said, "Marsha's make-up looks fine." Now, Ben is not the best conversationalist, and he didn't really remember that Sandra actually said, "Marsha's make-up works very well with her skin tone." Marsha hears "fine" and construes it to mean that she looks like a dead clown with graffiti on her face. Now she goes to Jorge and Elisa who hear her sad clown story and become angry at Sandra, too. Soon, the story gets back to Sandra through her friends asking her why she called Marsha "a disgusting painted cow." She is confused, but the conflict has already peeked. From the outside, they look like fools.
This big mess and almost all of the other issues like this that arise in the churches today can be taken care of long before they get to this level or even cleaned up at this level by following how Scripture tells us to proceed:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17).
Now, many of you are probably blaming poor, old Ben already, but Ben was just trying to relay a compliment. It is not his fault that his memory fails him from time to time on the particulars, and that "fine" actually means "fine" to him. He was pretty innocent in the matter. The true problem began with Marsha. When Marsha heard the word "fine," she decided within herself to take that word in a negative light. She is one who decided "fine" meant "wrong in every way." She was too sensitive, and she had second hand information. Marsha could have proceeded in three ways that would have been keeping with righteousness and godliness:
- She could have taken "fine" in a positive way. That is a decision well within her area of control, and it would have stopped any conflict at that point.
- She could have decided that even if Sandra meant it in a negative way, she was not going to worry about it. This includes not holding a grudge or speaking about the issue to anyone else. This would have prevented the conflict from going any further.
- If the first two options just could not happen, Marsha could have begone the process of church discipline with Sandra by confronting her on the issue in a kind and gentle way and following through with the process in verses 15-17 above. This also would have taken care of the conflict as Sandra explained what she had really said.
You must confront in gentleness and reasonableness. The confrontation is for the good of the one being confronted. Remember this! No one enjoys being told they are wrong unless they are humble or can look on the situation with complete objectivity, and if they are doing something wrong, it is very likely they have decided to ignore objectivity already. Emotions can get involved very quickly, and that pushes objectivity even further away. It is the job of the one confronting to remain calm and bring objectivity back by way of Scripture and reason. Reason is used primarily as it is reasonable to follow Scripture rather than disregarding it.
Ultimately, it is the job of every believer, for the good of your fellow believers, the church, and the Church universal, to follow this process. You have been bought by the blood of the Lamb. You are no longer your own, so you no longer have the right to be offended to the detriment of the body of Christ. You need to grow a thicker skin and quit putting yourself first.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Jesus & Santa
The holiday season is here again. I think almost everyone enjoys the holiday season, if for nothing else than the time off with family and friends. I think most of us would envision this: the whole family sitting together around a Christmas tree in comfortable pajamas, presents being opened, stockings hung over the fire that warms the room with its light. It is a cozy scene, but what is it really about?
When I was younger and both sets of grandparents lived close, my family's tradition was to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family at his parents' house, Christmas morning at home, and then Christmas Day with my mom's side of the family. On Christmas morning, my brother and I would wake up really early to see what was stashed under the tree. I had been told, from as early as I can remember, that Santa Claus was going to bring me presents as long as I was good. I was also warned that, "He can see you when you're sleeping." This is creepy. After hearing this, I imagine that a number of children were no longer worried about the Boogey Man. They were more concerned about his rotund partner, Santa Claws, watching them and waiting in the shadows.
Children being kept up at night watching their closet door is not what I want to take issue with, however. For years I believed that Santa Claus visited every house of every child all over the world to bring them presents. I believed it was true like I believed I would one day grow up. Children eventually find out that Santa is not real. For some, this can shatter their view of reality and effect their thought process and trust: This person and event that my parents told me was true was not true. It was all a lie that I believed for years. My whole family knew it was fake, and yet they watched me believe this. I feel like a fool. I won't be taken in so easily next time.
If they realize that Santa was a lie, I wonder how they will reconsider what their parents have told them about God. Will they begin to question the fact that Jesus came to die for their sins? Will they begin to question the Gospel message or their standing before God? Will they begin to question God Himself? "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13). Paul speaks about food here, but the message is still clear. If what we do might cause another believer to stumble, we should give it up.
J.I. Packer tells us, "We do not start our Christian lives by working out our faith for ourselves; it is mediated to us by Christian tradition, in the form of sermons, books and established patterns of church life and fellowship. We read our Bibles in the light of what we have learned from these sources; we approach Scripture with minds already formed by the mass of accepted opinions and viewpoints with which we have come into contact, in both the Church and the world... It is easy to be unaware that it has happened; it is hard even to begin to realize how profoundly tradition in this sense has molded us. But we are forbidden to become enslaved to human tradition, either secular or Christian, whether it be "catholic" tradition, or "critical" tradition, or "ecumenical" tradition. We may never assume the complete rightness of our own established ways of thought and practice and excuse ourselves the duty of testing and reforming them by Scriptures." (J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God [Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958], pp. 69-70).
There are many believers who enjoy the myth of Santa Claus. It is fun to watch our children enjoy the anticipation of the gifts under the tree. However, I think it would be irresponsible of us to ignore the possible negative effects down the road.
Even if the kids are not negatively effected by the reality of their favorite elf being fictitious, why are we taking any focus of Jesus to give it to a mythical icon anyway? I remember how I viewed Santa Claus when I was a child. He was almost an idol. I tried to be good every day leading up to Christmas according to what I thought Santa considered good because, "He knows when you're awake," too, in order that I would get rewarded in return. Does this not sound like idol worship?
Ultimately, what you decide to do about Santa is between you and God. I am telling you how I see it. Personally, if God ever decided to give me a wife and children, I will tell them of the Christ. Jesus will be the focus of the entire season. They will get presents because the Magi brought presents to Jesus when they came. For those of you who have seen the Bethlehem Star Presentation (http://www.bethlehemstar.net/), you know that they arrived in Bethlehem on 25 December of 2 B.C., and that is the reason we give gifts on Christmas. Don't let anyone tell you the Christmas was moved to coincide with the pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice. It wasn't. If it was, why is it not on 21 December? That is a bit off topic, though.
I will not tell my kids that Santa is watching them to decide whether to reward them with presents or punish them with coal because it is not true, and I do not want to lie to my kids. It also takes away from the focus of Jesus on the day we have set aside to celebrate His entry into this world to redeem mankind to Himself. Glory be to God. He must become more... Santa most become less. I think that, if we asked St. Nick, he would agree.
When I was younger and both sets of grandparents lived close, my family's tradition was to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family at his parents' house, Christmas morning at home, and then Christmas Day with my mom's side of the family. On Christmas morning, my brother and I would wake up really early to see what was stashed under the tree. I had been told, from as early as I can remember, that Santa Claus was going to bring me presents as long as I was good. I was also warned that, "He can see you when you're sleeping." This is creepy. After hearing this, I imagine that a number of children were no longer worried about the Boogey Man. They were more concerned about his rotund partner, Santa Claws, watching them and waiting in the shadows.
Children being kept up at night watching their closet door is not what I want to take issue with, however. For years I believed that Santa Claus visited every house of every child all over the world to bring them presents. I believed it was true like I believed I would one day grow up. Children eventually find out that Santa is not real. For some, this can shatter their view of reality and effect their thought process and trust: This person and event that my parents told me was true was not true. It was all a lie that I believed for years. My whole family knew it was fake, and yet they watched me believe this. I feel like a fool. I won't be taken in so easily next time.
If they realize that Santa was a lie, I wonder how they will reconsider what their parents have told them about God. Will they begin to question the fact that Jesus came to die for their sins? Will they begin to question the Gospel message or their standing before God? Will they begin to question God Himself? "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13). Paul speaks about food here, but the message is still clear. If what we do might cause another believer to stumble, we should give it up.
J.I. Packer tells us, "We do not start our Christian lives by working out our faith for ourselves; it is mediated to us by Christian tradition, in the form of sermons, books and established patterns of church life and fellowship. We read our Bibles in the light of what we have learned from these sources; we approach Scripture with minds already formed by the mass of accepted opinions and viewpoints with which we have come into contact, in both the Church and the world... It is easy to be unaware that it has happened; it is hard even to begin to realize how profoundly tradition in this sense has molded us. But we are forbidden to become enslaved to human tradition, either secular or Christian, whether it be "catholic" tradition, or "critical" tradition, or "ecumenical" tradition. We may never assume the complete rightness of our own established ways of thought and practice and excuse ourselves the duty of testing and reforming them by Scriptures." (J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God [Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958], pp. 69-70).
There are many believers who enjoy the myth of Santa Claus. It is fun to watch our children enjoy the anticipation of the gifts under the tree. However, I think it would be irresponsible of us to ignore the possible negative effects down the road.
Even if the kids are not negatively effected by the reality of their favorite elf being fictitious, why are we taking any focus of Jesus to give it to a mythical icon anyway? I remember how I viewed Santa Claus when I was a child. He was almost an idol. I tried to be good every day leading up to Christmas according to what I thought Santa considered good because, "He knows when you're awake," too, in order that I would get rewarded in return. Does this not sound like idol worship?
Ultimately, what you decide to do about Santa is between you and God. I am telling you how I see it. Personally, if God ever decided to give me a wife and children, I will tell them of the Christ. Jesus will be the focus of the entire season. They will get presents because the Magi brought presents to Jesus when they came. For those of you who have seen the Bethlehem Star Presentation (http://www.bethlehemstar.net/), you know that they arrived in Bethlehem on 25 December of 2 B.C., and that is the reason we give gifts on Christmas. Don't let anyone tell you the Christmas was moved to coincide with the pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice. It wasn't. If it was, why is it not on 21 December? That is a bit off topic, though.
I will not tell my kids that Santa is watching them to decide whether to reward them with presents or punish them with coal because it is not true, and I do not want to lie to my kids. It also takes away from the focus of Jesus on the day we have set aside to celebrate His entry into this world to redeem mankind to Himself. Glory be to God. He must become more... Santa most become less. I think that, if we asked St. Nick, he would agree.
Monday, October 31, 2011
And They Shall Become One Flesh
At the beginning of recorded history, God created Adam, but He knew that it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He created Eve. At this point, God instituted marriage, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
The culture we live in today and many other cultures in the past have looked upon this holy institution as a contract between people. It has become almost laughable when some people go to the altar and promise before God that they will bind themselves together until death. Many of them do not believe in God at all. What weight does a promise hold when they do not believe in the one to whom they are promising? So they promise to each other. Do they really mean it? Will they go through sickness, poverty, and worse? Our divorce rate says they won't. Even within the church, the divorce rate in comparable to the divorce rate outside. I spoke last night about how Christians are to live a life that honors God before an unbelieving world, and we cannot even keep a promise to God or the one we say we love! Pathetic! It makes me wonder if I ever want to get married.
What is the main reason for divorce in this country? Money. Money! Did the vows not say "for richer or for poorer?" God gives one acceptable excuse for divorce, infidelity. Even in this case, the desire is that there would be reconciliation, forgiveness, and preservation of the marriage rather than divorce. If there is no repentance or continuation of the infidelity, then it can be grounds for divorce. Ultimately, the goal is to be like Jesus. Through Him we have been forgiven of our infidelity to God, "When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, 'Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD'" (Hosea 1:2). We need to be seeking to love and forgive, even in cases of infidelity. If you desire to see how much God loves and forgives, read chapters one through three in Hosea.
Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. It is not meant to be dissolved when either party is dissatisfied with the arrangement. It is meant to persist as long as both parties are still living. This is what Jesus said about divorce, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32).
What about those famous kings in the Old Testament who had a ton of wives? I'm thinking specifically of Solomon who had many, "He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines" (1 Kings 11:3a). Dude! Seriously?!? How on earth do you deal with that many? Why was God fine with that if marriage is supposed to be only one man and one woman? Even David, who is referred to as "a man after His [God's] own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14) had many wives and concubines, "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David" (2 Samuel 5:13). The answer is that God is not fine with it.
The Bible is not a list of people without flaws from whom we can model our lives. The Bible shows us people, men and women with faults. It is history. Abraham, David, and Solomon lived and breathed just like we do today, and they sinned just like we do today. Their actions are not somehow acceptable to God merely because they were written down in the Bible. The verse that speaks of Solomon's many wives and the following verse tell us that, "His wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father" (1 Kings 11:3b-4). David desired God and wanted Him, but he made mistakes, too. The most famous of these mistakes has to be with Uriah and Bathsheba. David murdered him in order to have her. That is all kinds of evil! In fact, how would you view even your best friend if you suddenly found out that they murdered someone in order to marry that person's spouse? It would be hard to continue that friendship in exactly the same way, right? You might wonder what they would be capable of doing to you if they suddenly decided your spouse was looking particularly nice one day.
I do not know of any "thou shalt not" verse in Scripture that specifically prohibits polygamy (either polygyny or polyandry), but Scripture as a whole has a negative view of the practice. The original establishment of the institution was one man and one woman. In Genesis 16, the marriage between Abram and Sarai is defiled when Sarai brings Abram to Hagar to conceive a child, "But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise" (Galatians 4:23). It was not God's will for Hagar to be brought into the marriage bed, and we feel the repercussions of that mistake even today as the children of Ishmael spread their beliefs by oppression and murder. Men with more than one wife are prohibited from holding the office of pastor or deacon in the church, "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach" (Titus 1:5-7a), and "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:1-2). If God was fine with multiple wives, this prohibition would not have been one of the first prohibitions on both of these lists. God is not fine with polygamy. He never has been. Chalk another one up to the freewill of sinful people.
The Scripture only gives us one person to model our behavior after in all ways, and that person is Jesus, God Himself. He is the only one who is good. Men and women throughout Scripture can be looked at as "heroes of the faith," but they all fall short somewhere. Having multiple spouses is where several of them did sin. Having multiple spouses even drew Solomon away from God and damaged that relationship. God is not for that. He loves us and wants the best for us, that includes any marriage to be only one man and one woman. That is how He set it up, and that is how it should remain.
The culture we live in today and many other cultures in the past have looked upon this holy institution as a contract between people. It has become almost laughable when some people go to the altar and promise before God that they will bind themselves together until death. Many of them do not believe in God at all. What weight does a promise hold when they do not believe in the one to whom they are promising? So they promise to each other. Do they really mean it? Will they go through sickness, poverty, and worse? Our divorce rate says they won't. Even within the church, the divorce rate in comparable to the divorce rate outside. I spoke last night about how Christians are to live a life that honors God before an unbelieving world, and we cannot even keep a promise to God or the one we say we love! Pathetic! It makes me wonder if I ever want to get married.
What is the main reason for divorce in this country? Money. Money! Did the vows not say "for richer or for poorer?" God gives one acceptable excuse for divorce, infidelity. Even in this case, the desire is that there would be reconciliation, forgiveness, and preservation of the marriage rather than divorce. If there is no repentance or continuation of the infidelity, then it can be grounds for divorce. Ultimately, the goal is to be like Jesus. Through Him we have been forgiven of our infidelity to God, "When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, 'Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD'" (Hosea 1:2). We need to be seeking to love and forgive, even in cases of infidelity. If you desire to see how much God loves and forgives, read chapters one through three in Hosea.
Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. It is not meant to be dissolved when either party is dissatisfied with the arrangement. It is meant to persist as long as both parties are still living. This is what Jesus said about divorce, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32).
What about those famous kings in the Old Testament who had a ton of wives? I'm thinking specifically of Solomon who had many, "He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines" (1 Kings 11:3a). Dude! Seriously?!? How on earth do you deal with that many? Why was God fine with that if marriage is supposed to be only one man and one woman? Even David, who is referred to as "a man after His [God's] own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14) had many wives and concubines, "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David" (2 Samuel 5:13). The answer is that God is not fine with it.
The Bible is not a list of people without flaws from whom we can model our lives. The Bible shows us people, men and women with faults. It is history. Abraham, David, and Solomon lived and breathed just like we do today, and they sinned just like we do today. Their actions are not somehow acceptable to God merely because they were written down in the Bible. The verse that speaks of Solomon's many wives and the following verse tell us that, "His wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father" (1 Kings 11:3b-4). David desired God and wanted Him, but he made mistakes, too. The most famous of these mistakes has to be with Uriah and Bathsheba. David murdered him in order to have her. That is all kinds of evil! In fact, how would you view even your best friend if you suddenly found out that they murdered someone in order to marry that person's spouse? It would be hard to continue that friendship in exactly the same way, right? You might wonder what they would be capable of doing to you if they suddenly decided your spouse was looking particularly nice one day.
I do not know of any "thou shalt not" verse in Scripture that specifically prohibits polygamy (either polygyny or polyandry), but Scripture as a whole has a negative view of the practice. The original establishment of the institution was one man and one woman. In Genesis 16, the marriage between Abram and Sarai is defiled when Sarai brings Abram to Hagar to conceive a child, "But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise" (Galatians 4:23). It was not God's will for Hagar to be brought into the marriage bed, and we feel the repercussions of that mistake even today as the children of Ishmael spread their beliefs by oppression and murder. Men with more than one wife are prohibited from holding the office of pastor or deacon in the church, "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach" (Titus 1:5-7a), and "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:1-2). If God was fine with multiple wives, this prohibition would not have been one of the first prohibitions on both of these lists. God is not fine with polygamy. He never has been. Chalk another one up to the freewill of sinful people.
The Scripture only gives us one person to model our behavior after in all ways, and that person is Jesus, God Himself. He is the only one who is good. Men and women throughout Scripture can be looked at as "heroes of the faith," but they all fall short somewhere. Having multiple spouses is where several of them did sin. Having multiple spouses even drew Solomon away from God and damaged that relationship. God is not for that. He loves us and wants the best for us, that includes any marriage to be only one man and one woman. That is how He set it up, and that is how it should remain.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tools in the Hands of the Master Craftsman
It was just a normal, run-of-the-mill type of day. There was nothing particularly interesting of fantastic going on. It was Thursday, so we had homegroup that night. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, homegroup is similar to a Bible study, but it is more than just a Bible study. There is fellowship, accountability, smaller group discussions, and homegroups do not have an end date like some Bible studies. This particular homegroup was going to be different, though. Even as the leader, I had no idea about this, but God certainly did. This just goes to prove who the real leader is, and in every successful homegroup, Bible study, church, or otherwise, God is the leader. Farah was one of the members of the homegroup, and she had recently fractured her spine. She was in a back brace, and by God's grace, still had full use of her legs because her spinal chord was not severed. Near the end of the night, she asked for use to pray for her. The bones in her back were not regrowing. She was not healing. We gathered around her, laid hands on her, and began to pray. We prayed that God would heal her. We asked for healing in the name and Jesus, and proclaimed His power to do so. We left that night, and I honestly do not remember if I continued to pray for Farah or not for the next week. I would hope that I did. During homegroup the following week, Farah let us know what God had done in her after we prayed last week. She had an appointment with her doctor, and the doctor had taken ex-rays of her spine. To his amazement, 2/3 of the bone mass in her back had regrown! God had answered our prayer, and He healed Farah! The final 1/3 regrew, and she was fully healed. I was very happy to see her able to walk around without a back brace after that. Praise our God who lives and allows us the privilege to be used by Him!
Sometimes, we have problems remembering our place as tools in His hands. On Sunday we yell, "Here I am Lord! Send me!" and on Monday we moan, "I don't want to do that!" God has the right to use us as He sees fit to use us. It is only by His mercy that He allows us to even ask to be used, or that He does not immediately smite us dead when we complain about being used in a way we do not want to be used, "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" (Romans 9:21). I know the context of this verse shows us that Paul is speaking of those who are saved being used to show God's mercy and those who are condemned being used to show His justice, but cannot one vessel who is being saved be used to glorify God in small, menial tasks for which they are given no recognition by others while another is used for large, grand tasks that only one hidden under a rock would not be aware of? Is either one better than the other? No! Each is used to glorify God, and each one, being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, will receive their due reward from the One who's recognition does matter. So, the janitor and the CEO both glorify God... and remember that "many who are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30).
If we are not careful, pride has a nasty habit of sneaking in when we are not aware of it. It is not so easy when God, through us, heals broken or fractured bones in a week to get prideful and think we actually had something to do with it, although that has happened before. It is much easier to fall to pride when we have a conversation with someone, God speaks through us to them on an issue they are struggling with, and then suddenly we think we're awesome counselors because we've given some great advice. We haven't. God used us to glorify Himself, and we go off thinking we've done something great and steal from God the glory due to Him!
"Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!" (Isaiah 10:15).
Today, when God uses you. Give the glory to the One who deserves the glory, and allow yourself to be content in what you are: a tool in the hand of the Master Craftsman.
Sometimes, we have problems remembering our place as tools in His hands. On Sunday we yell, "Here I am Lord! Send me!" and on Monday we moan, "I don't want to do that!" God has the right to use us as He sees fit to use us. It is only by His mercy that He allows us to even ask to be used, or that He does not immediately smite us dead when we complain about being used in a way we do not want to be used, "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" (Romans 9:21). I know the context of this verse shows us that Paul is speaking of those who are saved being used to show God's mercy and those who are condemned being used to show His justice, but cannot one vessel who is being saved be used to glorify God in small, menial tasks for which they are given no recognition by others while another is used for large, grand tasks that only one hidden under a rock would not be aware of? Is either one better than the other? No! Each is used to glorify God, and each one, being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, will receive their due reward from the One who's recognition does matter. So, the janitor and the CEO both glorify God... and remember that "many who are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30).
If we are not careful, pride has a nasty habit of sneaking in when we are not aware of it. It is not so easy when God, through us, heals broken or fractured bones in a week to get prideful and think we actually had something to do with it, although that has happened before. It is much easier to fall to pride when we have a conversation with someone, God speaks through us to them on an issue they are struggling with, and then suddenly we think we're awesome counselors because we've given some great advice. We haven't. God used us to glorify Himself, and we go off thinking we've done something great and steal from God the glory due to Him!
"Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!" (Isaiah 10:15).
Today, when God uses you. Give the glory to the One who deserves the glory, and allow yourself to be content in what you are: a tool in the hand of the Master Craftsman.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tension
"The tension is so thick I could cut it with a knife!"
How many of us have heard this statement or something like it in a situation that became very uncomfortable, sometimes so quickly we do not even know quite how or why it became that way? It has a certain physiological effect on us, and everyone in the room can feel it. It happened not too long ago for me. Two members of the youth group had just broken up. It was bound to be an uncomfortable situation to begin with. The guy was there, and I could already tell that the tension was mounting. It became that very uncomfortable situation when the girl walked in... with her new boyfriend. Tense was the exact word for the predicament. High school relationships can be like that, unfortunately. I was very proud of one of my youth who recently said that dating in high school just was not worth it. I could not agree more. Dating should be looking toward marriage, and very few high school students have the maturity for that kind of commitment. I can think of only one couple, and they are certainly the exception to the rule. All dating in high school tends to do is break hearts and lead to uncomfortable situations like the one above. Besides, we have enough tension in our lives as it is.
Every Christian deals with tension. There is tension within our very nature, a tension that does not exist for the unbeliever. For tension to exist, there has to be disagreement, a collision of opposing wills. Within the darkness, there is no dissension. There is no disagreement because they are all dead to the spiritual life and closed off to God, "I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me" (Romans 7:9-11). Have you ever been told not to do something? Has being told not to do something made you want to do it all the more? That is a perfect example of sin working within you, and that is exactly the opportunity it took with the Law to trap, chain, and kill us. This has been the case for all people since the Fall of Man, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, sin has taken this opportunity within each of us, and we have all died. Therefore, in death there was no tension. We were all slaves to sin, and our minds were blind to the things of the Spirit. This is what the essence of an unbeliever diagrammed:
They are dead spiritually. They are closed off from God. Satan, as god of this world, has taken the opportunity to blind their minds to Him, and they do not understand Him or His Word, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
So, if it was by the Law that sin took hold of us, does that make the Law wicked? No! That makes sin all that more wicked and deceitful. The Law is perfect and holy. We are the ones who are messed up until we turn to Jesus. In Jesus, we are transformed and remade. We are no longer blind to the spiritual life; we are made alive to it! Our inner being is different from what it used to be:
Instead of our dead spirit, we are given the living Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). Jesus later promises the Spirit to those who believe in Him, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26).
The problem that still exists is the fact that we still have the flesh. We still have the influence of darkness upon us because Satan still exists and he is still in this world. As we work out our salvation, we strive to close the open door of Satan's influence on us. This will be a struggle as long as we are in this world. Ultimately, God has already won. He is already victorious! Sin has no power over us and death has no sting! When we, as believers in Jesus, physically die, we enter into eternal life.
Believer
Spiritual Life (Eph 2:4-7) + Physical Death => Eternal Life with Christ in heaven (Rev 22:1-5)
Unbeliever
Spiritual Death (Eph 2:1-3) + Physical Death => Eternal Death --hell-- (2 Thes 1:8-9)
Physical death is merely the transition into what you already have for eternity.
At that point we are not only rescued from the penalty of sin, we are rescued from the very presence of sin. We lose the ability to sin altogether, and I don't know about you but I long for this day in a way I cannot put into words.
Until then we are as Paul was when he spoke to the believers in Rome, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me" (Romans 7:14-20). This is not an excuse. We are responsible for every single action we do and everything we do not do. We are given the free will by God to choose, and He has broken the chains of our slavery (see Slaves) to allow us the freedom to choose what is right. What Paul is saying is that the influence of the flesh still exists. However, it does not exist for him any longer, and we are being made free just as he has been made free! Praise God and His Son, Jesus that we are free and will be made free!
How many of us have heard this statement or something like it in a situation that became very uncomfortable, sometimes so quickly we do not even know quite how or why it became that way? It has a certain physiological effect on us, and everyone in the room can feel it. It happened not too long ago for me. Two members of the youth group had just broken up. It was bound to be an uncomfortable situation to begin with. The guy was there, and I could already tell that the tension was mounting. It became that very uncomfortable situation when the girl walked in... with her new boyfriend. Tense was the exact word for the predicament. High school relationships can be like that, unfortunately. I was very proud of one of my youth who recently said that dating in high school just was not worth it. I could not agree more. Dating should be looking toward marriage, and very few high school students have the maturity for that kind of commitment. I can think of only one couple, and they are certainly the exception to the rule. All dating in high school tends to do is break hearts and lead to uncomfortable situations like the one above. Besides, we have enough tension in our lives as it is.
Every Christian deals with tension. There is tension within our very nature, a tension that does not exist for the unbeliever. For tension to exist, there has to be disagreement, a collision of opposing wills. Within the darkness, there is no dissension. There is no disagreement because they are all dead to the spiritual life and closed off to God, "I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me" (Romans 7:9-11). Have you ever been told not to do something? Has being told not to do something made you want to do it all the more? That is a perfect example of sin working within you, and that is exactly the opportunity it took with the Law to trap, chain, and kill us. This has been the case for all people since the Fall of Man, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, sin has taken this opportunity within each of us, and we have all died. Therefore, in death there was no tension. We were all slaves to sin, and our minds were blind to the things of the Spirit. This is what the essence of an unbeliever diagrammed:
So, if it was by the Law that sin took hold of us, does that make the Law wicked? No! That makes sin all that more wicked and deceitful. The Law is perfect and holy. We are the ones who are messed up until we turn to Jesus. In Jesus, we are transformed and remade. We are no longer blind to the spiritual life; we are made alive to it! Our inner being is different from what it used to be:
The problem that still exists is the fact that we still have the flesh. We still have the influence of darkness upon us because Satan still exists and he is still in this world. As we work out our salvation, we strive to close the open door of Satan's influence on us. This will be a struggle as long as we are in this world. Ultimately, God has already won. He is already victorious! Sin has no power over us and death has no sting! When we, as believers in Jesus, physically die, we enter into eternal life.
Believer
Spiritual Life (Eph 2:4-7) + Physical Death => Eternal Life with Christ in heaven (Rev 22:1-5)
Unbeliever
Spiritual Death (Eph 2:1-3) + Physical Death => Eternal Death --hell-- (2 Thes 1:8-9)
Physical death is merely the transition into what you already have for eternity.
At that point we are not only rescued from the penalty of sin, we are rescued from the very presence of sin. We lose the ability to sin altogether, and I don't know about you but I long for this day in a way I cannot put into words.
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