A History of Keeping Power

 The concept of the elite and powerful has always fascinated me.  Just the idea that there is a sub-section of the population in almost every country that can literally buy their way out of trouble, or use their status to sway any group of people to side with them is remarkable.  We saw this depicted clearly in a recent streamed television series called "Dopesick," which documented some real life accounts of a large pharmacuetical company manipulating their way out of legal trouble again and again.  The Opiod crisis spawned several lawsuits from people addicted to painkiller medication, and this docu-drama showed how the head family of the company was able to successfully avoid almost each court appearance by paying off certain people.  

Not all people in power are corrupt of course.  In the Bible we have the account of King David, for example.  In several areas the Bible refers to David as God's annointed leader, and a man after God's own heart.  But by and large, I believe it is safe to say we ought to have a healthy skepticism regarding the super elite.

Enter in the case of the Herod family in the New Testament.  Many in this family line were put into positions of power, and wielded that power with force and murderous intent.  They also often struggled to keep power, as the Roman government was the true authority in most first century middle eastern provinces.  

We remember the story about Herod seeking to kill the infant Jesus shortly after learning that a prophet had been born.  Matthew 2:16 says, "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."  

As evidenced from this Scripture (and others like it), Herod wasn't a good guy.  He was willing to use his power and office to murder children and try to kill God's son - all in an attempt to stay in power.  I wish I could say this doesn't go on today, but I believe it still does.  Take a quick look back at recent historical events like the holocaust and the civil war in Rwanda.  

Fast forward a bit to another Herod during the time of the apostles; Herod Agrippa I.  Scripture shows that this man was corrupt as well.  In fact, Acts 12 paints a picture of him murdering James, son of Zebedee in order to please the Jewish elites.  Herod Agrippa is also credited with imprisoning Peter, prior to the miraculous escape that happens later when God sends an angel to free him.

The repeating trope is evident: those in power often engage in both manipulation and wickedness to stay in charge.  This unfortunate fact permeates the twentieth century as well.  The record of events from World War I all the way through recent events in Afghanistan, often depict leaders engaging in national conflict over a power grab.  This is just the way things are.

Psalm 94:20-21 says: "Can a corrupt throne be allied with you -- a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?  The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death."  This held true for Jesus as well.  He was tortured and crucified as an innocent, perhaps the most innocent martyr of all time.

It is important to keep something in mind here.  The wicked will kill and destroy in order to preserve their way of life, but the righteous will fight to edify and protect.  It is two different ways of living out a leadership role.  The first seeks to punish and remove, the second way desires to build up and redeem.

Ruthless people often rise to power in our culture.  This happens in businesses, academic establishments, and even churches.  But know this: evil has it's day, but it never lasts forever.  Hitler had his moment in history and was eventually defeated.  Stalin had his reign for a while, and then his murderous tenure finally came to an end.  Only Godly things last forever.  Only churches and organizations build on His foundation will keep a lampstand lit for the kingdom of heaven.  The rest are only distractions - here today, then gone tomorrow.

The power of Jesus Christ is incorruptible and eternal.  There is no need to manipulate or coerce people to trust in Him.  We are free to accept or reject His gift of salvation and grace.  This is the exact opposite of how Herod and his family line used to operate.  They moved in the realm of fear and violence.  God acts with kindness and compassion.

But make no mistake; the Lord is not weak either.  Just because He left this Earth as a silent victim doesn't mean He will return that way.  The Bible says that during the second advent, the world will see His coming in the sky from the East to the West.  There will be no way to misinterpret who is in charge.  During this one moment in history, the right person will be in charge once and for all.  Sounds good to me.

.

Take Me to Caesar

I can think of no greater defender of the Gospel message than the apostle Paul.  Prior to his radical conversion on the road to Damascus, Saul (as he was originally named) was on the forefront of the attack on Christ followers.  He was a Pharisee of the worst kind; both self-righteous and cruel.  As we know from later accounts however, Paul was forever changed by his encounter with the real Jesus.  And from that point forward, his life would never be the same again.  

Paul was no stranger to suffering and difficulty.  Often times he would find himself in chains or in prison, all to the glory of God.  On multiple occasions, he ended up defending Gospel truth by way of debate or exegesis.  In chapter 25 of the book of Acts, Paul even finds himself before a Roman procurator, attempting to defend himself against charges brought from the local Jewish ruling party.

Acts 25:10-11 says, "Paul answered: 'I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried.  I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.  If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die.  But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them.  I appeal to Caesar!'"  

In this peculiar moment, the apostle Paul throws himself at the mercy of the court.  He knows that being a Roman citizen grants him certain rights and privileges, so he decides to use that fact to acquire a meeting with Caesar himself.  A bold move for someone in chains, with half of the nation against him.  But Paul is nothing if not bold.

As it happened, Paul would first need to appear before King Agrippa prior to sailing to Rome and meeting Caesar.  This was something that the procurator Festus had promised Agrippa.  Let the reader here understand also, that Agrippa was more or less a "client king."  This means that the government installed him as a leader and king, but only in so much as he kept the peace.  The moment Agrippa lost favor with his Roman big brother, I suspect he would no longer be in charge.  This created a certain amount of tension during that time and in that area, as this lifestyle promotes a certain level of struggle in order to feel important and stay in charge.  Please the people, but not too much so that there is a revolt or an uprising.  In other words, he is not a true authority.

This begs the question for us today: to whom can we appeal as a true authority for our own lives?  Who can you and I go to in order to be certain we are treated fairly and with care one-hundred percent of the time?  If there is a God up there, then is it true to say that He is the only god (or the one true god)?  

Keep in mind that for many people in our country today, the God of the Bible isn't their go-to authority.  In truth, many don't hold the words of the Bible in any authority whatsoever, and I believe the symptoms of this are everywhere.  Scripture says that as time goes on - especially in these end times - people will become more unruly, and the love of most will grow cold (Matthew 24:12).  

During times like this, I believe it truly behooves us to seek out someone or something that we can rely on as a singular truth in all circumstances.  Something in our lives that we can count on to help guide our ship into calmer waters when the storms are raging.  

Let's look for a moment at the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20.  It says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Most will look at this passage and take from it the idea that followers of Christ are to go out into the world, and baptize people to make disciples.  This is absolutely correct, by the way.  But focus for a moment on the first sentance - it says 'all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'  This is quite a statement.  If we are to believe this (and I think we surely can, or Jesus wouldn't have said it), then it sets up the son of God as the one true authority over all things.  

This means that not only does God command the Earth and the Universe around it, but that He has a calling on our lives as well.  We are not completely "free agents."  There are certain moral duties and obligations that we are called to live by.  Now you will note, that if someone or something calls us to behave a certain way, it also follows that it should be a two-way street I think.  Not necessarily that this being must also follow our desires, but rather that we can put our trust in this individual.  This is our reciprocation.  God is our superior ... our authority figure.  The one we can call on in times of difficulty, as well as times of great flourishing.

One more question remains, however.  Do we really believe this?  Can we throw ourselves on the mercy of the court like Paul when he called out to Caesar?  Will we allow God to be our superior?  It's an important question I think.  The outcome of our answer will either act to relieve us from the burden of thinking that we can't trust anyone, or it will enable us to relax and lean into a loving God.  

I invite you to lean in.  Take the leap of faith, and read through the Gospels again.  Take away from the Great Commission not only the concept that we must evangelize, but also the idea that we are helping convert people based on a real authority.  Not a power that comes from you and I, but from the throne of Zion and the prince of peace Himself.  God is no mere client king.    

.

Who Can I Trust?

I once watched a documentary about politics, and the narrator listed each U.S. senator and congressman with a money amount next to their name.  The number signified the amount in contributions, donations, and lobbyist support.  His main point was simple; no one was above external influence or compromised integrity.  Leaders on both sides of the aisle were implicated.  After watching something like this, a person may begin to wonder quite honestly - who can I really trust?

I believe that each and every one of us are looking for two things in general: a person to put our trust and faith in, and a belief system that actually works.  The underlying driving force to search out these two things is a deep rooted desire to be able to trust in something.  

In our journey to understand what being trustworthy means, I believe that we must focus much of our energy on dismissing what author and pastor Timothy Keller refers to as the "view from nowhere."  In other words, Keller insists that there is no one out there (not even ourselves) who can honestly make accurate, non-biased assessments about everything all the time.  Everyone's view comes from a mixture of other views and external influences.  They all come from some other place (instead of nowhere).  And as such, our perspective is often blurred or slanted one direction or another, based on cultural values and mores. 

Indeed, the Bible says that if we follow our heart and our own desires all the time, it can often lead to a problematic outcome.  Proverbs 28:26 says, "Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe."   But whose wisdom are we really talking about here?  

Many of us have spent years investigating different belief systems.  I have a good friend in fact, who made it a personal assignment to go through each of the major world religions and study the different claims from each one.  Take Islam for example ... we see a certain type of perspective when it comes to God (Allah).  Their holy book the Quran often talks about following the rigid precepts and commands of a God who sometimes seems aloof and intimidating.  I remember feeling some degree of dread and fear after reading through the first few pages and suras (chapters) of the Quran myself.  I wanted to get a personal idea of what this religion taught. 

When tackling religions such as Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses for example, there are other books and documents that are venerated in addition to God's revelation from the Bible.  The Book of Mormon and The Watchtower are the two main publications.  This might lead people to wonder how much is God's truth versus how much is from man's own biased perspective.  This is no reflection of the people who might hold to these different religions of course, I am speaking only of the belief systems themselves here (in an analytical way).  I don't think this should be offensive, as truth claims should be subject to scrutiny without censorship. 

But I think it is important to mention that when looking at the various world religions, typically the main concept put forward revolves around human beings earning our way up the spiritual ladder.  The more good works we do here on Earth, the faster we become Holy like God (see the Karma Wheel from Buddhism for example).  The better we behave, the more we increase our chances of attaining some type of higher self-actualization.  

Christianity, by contrast, is a worldview where this Holy and omniscient God actually takes the time and effort to come down off the ladder to be with us.  Rather than waiting until we are good enough, the God of the Bible says, "I'm coming to meet you where you are at."  This is good news, especially given the Christian concept that each and every one of us falls short in some way when compared to Jesus Christ.  We need a deity who recognizes this flaw, and takes the burden of sin onto  Himself.

But what happens when we look around the secular world for a person to trust and a belief system that works?  Do we not often feel betrayed at some point?  If we are being honest, I think most would admit that at times our friends, family, or even our spouse will occasionally let us down.  When it comes to belief systems, our political structure can sometimes fail us also.  If we look to non-religious  systems of thought, the same thing can occur.  Scientism and atheism can fall short, at least as it pertains to answering life's bigger questions like what does it all mean and why am I here.  Most modes of philosophy and reasoning get us only so far also.  

When we are let down in this way, people often feel disillusioned or lost.  What once had the potential to help and guide us begins to show weak spots, and if we are not careful it's easy to become complacent.  My advice is not to give up.  Life is a process of lessons and learning from our mistakes.  We take our successes and our failures and then we move forward.  As we become older and wiser, discerning who and when to trust something may become a bit easier (if we are lucky).  

Proverbs 3:5-6 states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."  I used to have this Scripture taped to the top of my computer monitor at work for years.  The only reason I took it down was because I finally got a new office and a different screen one day.  Just the same, this phrase is also scored on my heart.  It helped get me through a particular time in my life when money was tight and my friends were few, and I was able to place my trust in even fewer people.

It is okay to trust God the Father.  The Bible uses the illustration of a branch in-grafted to the vine as a metaphor for you and I staying connected to the life giving olive tree that is Jesus.  Furthermore, Psalm 37:5-6 says, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun."  

Who among us isn't ready to shine like the sun?  Begin trusting in the Creator today, and then be prepared to watch what He brings into your life tomorrow.  Although other human beings will let you down from time to time (and remember we do the same to them) - God is always there, and He is always good.  

 

 

.      

 

 

Solomon's Divided Heart

Who was Solomon from the Bible you might ask?  Many know him to be wise beyond his years.  It is true, he was king of Israel following his father David's reign - and also one of the wealthiest rulers of his time.  It is also worthy of note that King Solomon reigned for forty years after his succession to the throne.  He famously wrote the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, as well as the Song of Songs.  History records that he had seven-hundred wives and three-hundred concubines.  He was a busy man.  

There is something else about Solomon that people don't usually speak about however.  That is the fact that Scripture records him as having an unusually divided heart.  In fact, the Old Testament describes him as falling short  in two distinct ways.  The first way is the fact that he worked to furnish his own palace and make it luxurious first, allowing the temple church to sit unfurnished for years.  Though it isn't expressly mentioned that this angered God, the reader will notice that he completed work on his palace long before the temple (and that his palace was twice the size).  The second way that Scripture records Solomon's failing was the fact that his many foreign wives led him to worship false gods from their indigenous homeland. This included Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molek ... all referred to as "detestable" in Scripture. 

As you may have noticed, both of these dilemmas involve what I like to call 'spiritual distraction.'  The first comes by way of starting and stopping construction of God's Holy temple, and the second through a waning of dedication to the true God over time from outside influences.  The end result is the same here; Solomon had compromised his obedience to God.

It is very difficult to love God in a halfhearted manner.  Think how this applies to everything else in your life.  Those things that you are fully dedicated to often grow and blossom, while the areas in your life that get ignored and put on the back burner tend to fade away.  I suspect it is no different with our relationship to God the Father.  A divided heart when it comes to worship is reflected in our behavior and level of obedience.  

When we find ourselves straying from the righteous path, it becomes imperative to make our way back to the Lord as soon as possible.  1 Kings 8:57-58 says this, "May the Lord God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may He never leave us or forsake us.  May He turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors."     

It appears then, that we need God's help to make certain our hearts don't turn away.  What an odd thing to think about - the idea that we must even ask God for help, such that we don't decide to wander.  In the midst of the spiritual battle for our time and attention, the Bible seems to suggest that we had better be praying to the Lord so we don't become lukewarm.  Pray so that the values of the secular world don't begin to creep in and distort what we think and feel.

So what are the symptoms of a divided heart?  I think we can focus on just three things for the purposes of our lesson today.  Idolatry, spiritual complacency, and lack of peace.  

A divided heart shows itself well when it comes to idolatry.  Remember this means placing something at a level over and above God.  For example, when keeping up our home, our vehicles, or even managing money takes center stage in our lives instead of worship, our heart begins to stray from God's heart.  This disconnect then leads to a plethora of smaller inconsistencies in our life that people around us can eventually notice. 

Spiritual complacency sets in easily in situations like this as well.  We may apply the following working definition to complacency: a lack of intentionality or drive to actively seek out and nurture a relationship with the creator.  When this occurs, we begin to see a dropping off of church attendance and spending time in the Bible.  The things around us begin to replace the thing that created us.  

Finally, another symptom of a divided heart is lack of supernatural peace.  Without nurturing the undercurrent of staying in tune with God's will, we can get tossed about in life like a small boat in a storm.  Meandering here and there, never finding refuge in something greater than ourselves or our own selfish desires.  In effect, we have no real or lasting peace.  

Why not try something entirely different?  Solomon was also billed as an individual who was loved by God in spite of his shortcomings.  So are we.  Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."    

Understanding this truth and applying it to your life has a cascade effect.  It allows the concept that if you keep God first in your life (and reject the divided heart lifestyle), He will eventually deliver to you everything you could ever want anyway.  The difference is that they will all be good and holy things, as opposed to the material things that the world can offer.  It is the difference between life as you know it, and life as it could be.  

Think about this for a moment - would you stay in a halfhearted relationship with someone?  Have you ever been part of a one-way friendship for example, where all the effort comes from you?  Not much fun, is it?  Not quite what you had envisioned for yourself I would suspect.  I think it works the same way with God.  He wants all of us, not just a little part once in a while on Easter or Christmas.  But rather our waking mind, body, and soul all the time.  This is what the Christian symbol of the cross is really about.  Jesus went to his crucifixion so that we could be one with the Father.  If he thought it best to sacrifice everything so that we could spend eternity with him, then we may take it as important.  

Seek after God first in all that you do, then step back and watch what happens in your life.  You may just find that all of those things that took up so much of your time begin to fade into the background, and more important things begin to take the forefront.  Things like peace, love, kindness, and patience.  The types of things that a divided heart cannot provide.  

.

 

 

 

Watching God at Work

In the book of Exodus in the Bible, there is an account of Moses walking into a tent to speak directly with God about how to lead the Israelites.  It was called the tent of meeting (eventually referred to as the Tabernacle), and it was always a certain distance outside of the main camp.  What a curious thing it must have been for Moses to actually hear the audible voice of God and get advice directly from Him.  The Scripture also says that a pillar composed of clouds would show up each time this happened - it has been referred to as the glory cloud in later generations.  It further says that God would speak to Moses 'as if to a friend.'  Astonishing, isn't it?  The creator of all things choosing to speak directly with mortal man. 

Exodus 33:9-10 says, "As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses.  Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent."   The Israelites watched and waited as Moses received instruction from the Almighty.  What a sight it must have been to see the cloud, and come to the realization that God was with them in physical form. 

It should be noted at this point, that Moses was allowed access where others were not, and this was due to the unfortunate incident with a golden calf statue.  The reader will remember that on one of Moses' excursions up Mt. Sinai, the people left behind on the ground decided he was gone too long.  So, in their collective mind, it sounded like a good idea to build a false idol made of melted gold, such that they had something visible to worship.  Aside from showing an immature faith and a lack of patience by these people, the Bible also says that this action angered God greatly.  From that point on, only Moses was allowed into the tent of meeting - at least for a while.

We love to watch what God is doing, don't we?  We enjoy the idea that He may be speaking to certain people here and there through the Holy Spirit.  But it always seems more comfortable to watch and wait from our own tents I think.  It's much safer that way.  Let the pastor or the priest or the deacon go out and receive divine instructions, then they can bring it back to camp later.  Maybe we can even see the faint outline of the glory cloud from a distance if we squint.  

God eventually promises to deliver the Israelites into the Promised Land with Joshua at the helm, and we should want to go also (at least metaphorically).  We want to see what God is up to, to know what He wants for our lives and for our churches.  Exodus further talks about God's presence in this way: "Then Moses said to Him, 'If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?'" (Ex 33:15-16).

Strangely enough, God decides to agree to this request.  So, I believe the question for us today could be phrased as such: where is God's presence at work today?  I think that we can answer this successfully in three ways.  God is present with us in churches, in the mission field, and in His people.  In all of these ways - if you look closely enough - you will see His love expressed through both faith and action.

The Bible says the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.  I take this to mean that no matter what is going on around us, we will still have at least the teaching of the Christian church to fall back on.  It will be communicated in some way, even in the end times during severe persecution and martyrdom.  God will be at work in what the church is doing, and who they are serving.

The second idea is that God will be present on the mission field.  This can occur of course to those for whom the Lord has pressed upon their hearts to travel over seas and build homes and cultivate farmland.  For these 'harvest workers,' you can never spend enough time in other countries where the faith is just beginning to take hold.  It is rewarding beyond compare for those whose heart points in this direction.  To hear them recount experiences in the field can be both mesmerizing and contagious. 

Still we must not forget, the mission field can also be right here at home.  Our neighbors, our schools, and the people in them all need Jesus.  For some, evangelizing takes place just down the block, as opposed to a thousand miles away.  May the Lord bless both these types of mission work, and give us the courage it takes to talk about Christ in this day and age.

Finally, I do think that the presence of God shows up in the hearts and minds of His loyal followers and believers.  When one person forgives another for example, the divine nature is on direct display for all to see.  It is most definitely not human nature to forgive, much less to do so easily and quickly.  No, I'm afraid that most of us, if left to our own devices, would rather hold on to a grudge or hurt feeling until the very end.  But with God in the mix, we are commanded to forgive as many times as it takes.  It is truly God at work. 

All of this leads to the fact that we can see the glory cloud in front of the tent of meeting occasionally.  And when this happens, we may feel a nudge to go out and be a part of it.  But sometimes, that little voice in the back of our mind tells us to just hang back a bit, and let someone else respond.  Maybe the pastor will volunteer or the elders will go and see ... we will just wait for their report.  We will just watch from our tents; it's safer that way.  Besides, I'm really busy with other things in my life.  It's hard enough to get to worship service on Sunday, let alone anything else. 

My advice is to walk with God into the Promised Land.  Follow the pillar of cloud in conjunction with the church, mission field, or the people.  You might be surprised where it takes you.  One thing remains certain however - if you never leave the threshold of your own tent, then most likely nothing miraculous or faith sustaining will ever happen.  Instead, you will keep wondering what God wants from your life and where your place in this world might be.  You will never leave the confines of the dugout and step out onto the ball field. 

You get an inkling of something special and supernatural from time to time, because you can see something over there that resembles divine activity.  But it's hard to make out from a distance.  Easier to watch the other people trust God.  But if we live this way all the time, we will miss out on countless divine opportunities that were put in our path since the dawn of time, before we were even conceived.  We will forfeit our chance to partner with a loving and caring God ... we will give up our own personal Mt. Sinai experience.  We will continue being content with a golden calf instead. 

 

 

.

Coming to a Spiritual Standstill

Most of you probably know that classes have resumed across the country for children of all ages.  And this of course, means back to school shopping.  Hence the reason I found myself in a car with my family, speeding down the Interstate on our way to one of the local outlet malls.  It was time to look for both clothing and school supplies.  My wife and I had planned to spend a little bit too much money, as well as toting two tired kids around from store to store.  All of that is very normal considering the circumstances.  What we hadn't counted on, however, was to be part of a large traffic jam that same day. 

Two semi-trucks ended up in an accident about two miles ahead of our exit in route to the shopping mall.  One was in the ditch, and the other was split in half!  I'm not sure what caused it, but you can imagine the chaos that ensued thereafter.  Fortunately, I don't remember any fatalities being reported that day.  We were stuck at a complete standstill for almost three hours.

During that time, people were getting out of there motionless vehicles and talking to each other, wondering if we were ever going to get to our destinations.  Add to this the fact that it was almost one-hundred degrees outside, and the result was miles and miles of grouchy motorists forced into gridlock.  Traffic was moving freely in the opposite direction of course.  I eyed each passing car with jealousy from my own motionless vehicle.  One by one they drove by, gawking at us like we were animals in a zoo surrounded by plate glass windows.

It reminded me of how some people conduct themselves on the faith journey that God has assigned them.  I suspect a good many people become stranded along the way, falling prey to distraction or even some garden variety idol worship.  I believe that Scripture supports the idea that we should stay active and moving when it comes to our faith.  Not that we can't have lulls or respites here and there, but for the most part, I think that an active faith requires forward momentum.  

We should stay in motion while we pursue the things of God; we need to make sure our "vehicles" are in drive and not neutral.  Worse yet, some have shifted their car into park ... they are at a dead standstill, completely giving up on spiritual growth.  Just as the fleet of SUV's and minivans were stuck that day on the Interstate, so are those who cannot seem to be bothered with an intentional and vibrant faith.  

They are stuck in traffic, content to wait until someone cleans up the accident up stream, and only then begin the slow crawl to whatever the next exit might have in store for them.  Like passengers on a stranded cruise ship, as long as the food and wine keeps coming - we are often content to stay on the sand bar. 

Every once in a while though, someone may look up from their dashboard or smart phone to look at all the cars whizzing by at sixty miles per hour in the other lane.  But before long, it's back to shifting the vehicle into park.  No growth, and no forward motion.  

There are two Scriptures that I want to quote today to help illustrate this spiritual standstill.  Proverbs 8:35 says, "For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord."  2 Timothy 4:7 says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."  

Although these two passages were written years apart by two different authors, they convey basically the same sentiment.  They talk about the importance of movement and motion in order to engage with God.  Proverbs 8 mentions actively seeking after the Lord, and 2 Timothy 4 here talks about finishing a race.  Keep seeking, and keep running the race.  At any point in time, we have the ability and the calling to shift our vehicles from neutral into drive.  We need not settle for being stuck in traffic and becoming spiritually stagnant.  

No doubt God wants us to fully engage with Him.  There are countless Scriptures asking us to follow His commandments and remain in His love.  This is an active and intentional endeavor.  If He is seeking after us, why not seek after Him as well?  

Partner with God so as to realize the plans He has for your life - not to mention the lives of those around you.  Once you start to let Him in, it can create a ripple effect not unlike throwing a pebble into a pond.  If people see the Jesus inside of you, then they might be encouraged to shift their own cars into drive as well.  Life is so much more than just going through the motions until we get to our next exit.  If you see the ripple from across the pond, then take the time to go and see what all the fuss is about. 

I want to give you one more Scripture to think about.  Psalm 127:1-2 says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.  In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves."  

Let's face it - a life without God is often an empty pursuit.  Much of the time we can end up at a standstill, wondering just how much of what we have accomplished in the secular world might be in vain.  

Consider instead, moving in conjunction with the Holy Spirit on a faith walk prepared especially for you by a loving God, who desires nothing more than to spend time together.  Get up, get moving, and get to church.  Become one of those cars speeding by from the other lane on the Interstate.  

.

 

Getting to Know the "Other"

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few years, you have probably noticed how easy it has become for one group of people to categorize another group.  This happens in the political arena, where we are either a Republican or a Democrat (as well as a host of lesser known parties).  It happens with co-workers at the office, and the different social classes as well.  Maybe you consider yourself upper class, middle class, or some version of both.  And as you might suspect, this proclivity to categorize people one way or the other applies in a religious context as well.  

There is a term in sociology known as the "Other."  Simply put, it means to classify someone or some group as  different from ourselves, or from the rest of society.  This process of othering can allow us to assign blame to outsiders, thus relieving the burden of guilt or shame from our own psyche.  Watch any election from any generation and you will see this happening (it just managed to happen on a larger scale recently in 2020).  This is often followed by name calling and anger, thus enabling both sides to stop listening to each other whatsoever. 

As many of you know, Dr. Seuss wrote a host of children's stories about social justice and the importance of recognizing cultural norms and values.  One of his books entitled "The Sneetches and Other Stories" comes center stage in our discussion about the process of othering.  A wonderful children's book, the story talks about a group of creatures called Sneetches.  One faction has a star on their bellies while the other does not.  As time goes by, the group of outsiders (the Others) begin to feel left out.  Great pains are taken in order to possess a star on their stomachs just like the first group.  Finally, in a master stroke of genius, Seuss writes that once the entire population finally has a star, the original group changes its mind and decides to have theirs removed!  To be part of the "in crowd" it seems, you must now have a plain colored belly.  

This story illustrates not only how arbitrary it can be to come into possession of this or that coveted flavor of idol worship, but also how harmful othering a class  of people can be.  I believe the concept here is that no matter what happens, when sects of people come together, social distinctions will take over and this odd process of separating ourselves from the other parts of the population will begin.  After all, we can't all be equally important ... right?  The bad fruit of this kind of prejudice is self-explanatory.  Under the umbrella of the Other it is easy for racism, spiritual pride, and even violence to take place.   

If we look to see what the Bible has to say about the value of a human being, however, we find a very different narrative.  Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them."  

Furthermore, the apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  It would appear from a Biblical perspective then, categorizing groups of people into convenient containers marked 'villians' or 'heroes' might be more difficult than first glance.  It's too easy, and honestly, kind of a cop out.  Quite often, the closer you get to the Other the more you find that you have things in common.  If God loves those other people, so should we.  

As I've stated in the past, this doesn't mean that the Christian must affirm any and all belief systems as equal.  We can still hold to the tenants of the Bible and call out sin, but I think it means we cannot do so in a vacuum.  Painting any group of people with one, broad brush is too simple.  Real Christianity is messy, and it involves wrestling with ideas and Scripture in a more productive and loving way. 

We are social creatures at our core; we need each other.  In this tumultuous and often anxiety driven world, fear or pride can sneak in.  When this happens, the result can be catastrophic - a kind of desperate, lashing out will occur.  No more room for patience and compassion, love or resilience.  Just hate-speech by way of categorization and Othering.  

We remember here, the famous prayer of the Pharisee recorded for us in the Gospel of Luke.  Jesus relates an example of how not to go through life.  Luke 18:11 says, "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not like other people -- cheaters, sinners, adulterers.  I'm certainly not like that tax collector!'"    

Those sinners ... the Others.  We must be very careful in our faith walk to make certain that we don't fall into the trap of spiritual pride by assigning people to marginalized groups like the Pharisees.  That little, evil voice that rears it's ugly head from time to time and whispers to us that we might be just a little bit better than so-and-so.  Jesus warns us against this type of thinking, and so does Paul in his epistles.  

I want to recount one more story here.  It was told to me as part of a ministry class I took years ago, and the teacher used it to make an excellent point about othering.  It begins in a large gymnasium at a rec center during a combined religious summer church camp.  A hundred kids were ushered into the gym for the education portion of the program.  Once everyone took their seats, several of the camp leaders began moving large curtain partitions and sliding them across the room to form separate sections.  In effect, they now had a dividing wall separating the Lutherans from the Methodists from the Baptists.  Depending on which part of the gym you were in, the different belief systems considered you the Other (or at least the adult leaders did).

My teacher then recounted how much he simply wanted to see his friends over in that other section of the gym, but he wasn't allowed.  There wasn't a dry eye in our ministry class that day - we all got the point of the story.  Indeed, it was a man-made vale, separating one flavor of Christianity from the next.  

I suppose the lesson is this: make an intentional attempt to view people you disagree with as human beings, no less destined for God's eternal house than you are.  We get lost sometimes along way in this confusing world, slipping in and out of the lure to categorize and classify groups.  It feels easier that way, less anxious to slide over a partitioned curtain.  But if we do that without regard for the image of God, then we are stripping the star from one Sneetch's belly, and placing it on our own.  It's an artificial form of separation and it is so often an arbitrary act, based more on fear than on love.  

.

Not a Tame Lion

My family and I recently visited Custer State Park in South Dakota.  It is located in the Black Hills, and the beauty of this natural landscape permeated each day of our trip.  Although the tourists had come out in full force to join us, we often found a spot here and there on our trip when it seemed to be just us and God's sprawling landscape.  It was truly a sight to behold.  

Custer Park contains one stretch of highway called the Wildlife Loop.  It is just what it claims to be; hundreds of acres of land dotted here and there with wild horses and bison.  As we traveled down this small highway, I could feel the anticipation from the rest of the family.  

"Would we see any wild buffalo today?" they commented from time to time.  As it happens, we were just about to give up after going around several more curves without seeing anything.  And then it happened.  Our SUV pulled over one last hill and we had to come to a quick stop - there were at least a hundred buffalo herded together across the road.  Cars were stopped all along the shoulder to take photos and watch intently.  

I began to get nervous as one large bull crossed in front of us and started licking the hood of the vehicle a few car lengths away!  A mother and her calf came close enough to my daughter's side of the car that she could have reached out and touched it.  I motioned to her to roll up the window quickly.  For some reason the button didn't work right away, so for a few seconds I began to sweat as the calf came closer and the window stayed down.  "When would it's mother decide to step in and protect her baby," I thought to myself.  Finally the button worked, and the window came up.  Not long afterward, the herd thinned out, and we continued down the road to the next adventure.  

It didn't occur to me until later, a flimsy car window would have been no match for a charging buffalo.  Although everything went well that day at the park, I'm willing to bet that from time to time, a tourist gets into trouble rather quickly.  It isn't a petting zoo.  Maybe people decide to feed the animals, or simply get too close.  Whatever the reason may be, it is by and large, an illusion of safety for those who visit the Wildlife Loop on any given day.  

When we shift to discuss spiritual matters, I find that many churches often talk very freely and comfortably about God.  In fact, maybe from time to time, we get a little too comfortable.  This is easy to do, especially sitting inside of a nice, climate controlled church building.  We tend to think that God must certainly see the world the same way we do.  But we don't know what it was like to be Moses up on Mt. Sinai as the Lord spoke to him in claps of thunder.  We will never know what it was like to be one of the Israelites who witnessed the parting of the Red Sea.  

Those stories have grown into comfortable childrens' fables and vacation Bible lessons.  But the fact remains they really happened, and so did other stories like them.  They depict God as mighty and Holy, and not someone you want to mess around with necessarily.

In the Narnia book series, author C.S. Lewis invents a protagonist named Aslan the Lion.  It is a direct connection to Jesus of Nazareth, couched ingeniously into a kid's novel.  In the books, Aslan is often seen protecting little Lucy, Edmund, and Susan from the clutches of the evil ice queen.  At one point in the book, Susan asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is "safe" to hang around with.  Mr. Beaver replies by telling her, "Of course he isn't safe, but he is good.  He isn't a tame lion."

Lewis' implication here is that Jesus is good and he is loving, but we must come to him humbly and with awe.  God is sovereign above all things, and that includes us.  We cannot compartmentalize Him away into some kind of comfortable, fun uncle, any more than we can really control the weather or stop the Earth's tectonic plates from shifting.  It is God's universe, we just live in it.

I want to quote a piece of Scripture from a very old book in the Bible.  Scholars think that Deuteronomy was written sometime in the seventh century B.C.  One reason I feel comfortable using this Scripture in the here and now, is that Jesus often quotes Old Testament passages in the Gospels.  He makes the old new again, and this passage is no different.  It still applies to us today.  

Deut 6:16-19 says, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.  Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.  Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said."   

This Scripture comes shortly after Moses reminds the Israelites of the ten commandments in Exodus.  Massah refers to a point in time which the people pushed back in rebellion against Moses due to a lack of water in the desert, and is a reminder for them (and for us) not to test God.  This reference would have made perfect sense to the listener back then.  Instead, we must keep a healthy level of respect for Him and a certain level of awe in our hearts.   

Jesus bridges the sin gap that exists between us and God.  Indeed, the Bible mentions elsewhere that to fall into the hands of the living God can be a fearful thing without the covering and the blood of Christ.  Atonement is necessary in order for us to commune properly with God the Father.  Trusting Jesus in that way, allows the removal of barriers between an imperfect people and a Holy God.

From time to time, my job as pastor requires me to say unpopular things based on how I interpret the Scriptures.  Things that are often counter-cultural and politically incorrect.  When I need to prepare something that I know may draw rebuke from people, my mind goes back to the command from James chapter 3, verse 1.  It says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."  

If I know what the Bible says, I need to preach it in just the same way ... I dare not test the Lord on this matter.  He is just and He is good, but He is not a tame lion.  Best I think, not to get too comfortable when it comes to the being who created everything.  Even better to trust in His son Jesus, who sacrificed himself such that we can have eternal salvation. 

 

 

.

Push vs. Pull

From time to time, we hear the phrase "push versus pull."  It used to show up a lot around conference tables in corporate America because it is an old marketing term.  The idea was that a company making 'widgets' for example, could expect a certain level of product pushed down the assembly line because the customer was pulling a certain amount of demand.  If widgets were popular that year, then supply and demand would bring high profits for the company - they would feel a natural pull for higher production and shareholders would be happy.   

Widgets are a fictional item, so I would like to apply this principal in a more realistic way to our spiritual lives for a moment.  In order to do this, I must change the metaphor just slightly.  We all know what it's like to be forced (or "pushed") into doing something that we don't really want to do.  This type of relationship often yields mediocre results in both churches and the workplace, not to mention personal relationships.  Take for example, a boss that tells you to take a forced furlough without pay during certain slow months of the year.  I suspect many employees would use this frustrating time to look for another job.  

As I said a moment ago, we can apply this to the world of personal relationships also.  Take another example: the friend that coerces you into doing something you would rather not do.  Maybe they are convinced that you owe them something, so the intention is to guilt you into performing at a level they desire.  Wouldn't most people do only the bare minimum at that point?  It doesn't make for an ideal situation.  The difficult friend may get what they want, but it creates a lose-lose result ultimately. 

Another interesting thing occurs when people are pushed into a form of rule book religion at church.  Maybe they have a pastor who believes that only good works get you closer to heaven, and so they try and try to live a good life through behavior modification as best they can; resulting in the inevitable frustration when they do eventually fall short and sin.  This exemplifies an understanding of God that never really allows grace into the equation.  In other words, the idea is that if you want forgiveness ... you must earn it yourself.  

Jeremiah was a Biblical prophet that foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of Assyria.  He was often called the 'weeping prophet', because much of what he had to say was negative.  He often didn't want to say what God put on his heart, and the people didn't want to hear it.  What a difficult job, right?

Jeremiah 31:3 says this, "The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'"  The prophet is speaking to Israel here, on behalf of God.  This time it is good news!  Notice how the Lord decides to draw people to himself - it's a pull, not a push.   It's a gentle word of encouragement and an everlasting love pulling God's chosen people back to Himself.  

We all know that the opposite of this gentle encouragement (feeling the violent push aforementioned) can result in rebellion.  If someone were to exclude Jeremiah 31 and other similar passages from their Biblical worldview, and try to argue people into the Christian faith, we wouldn't have many followers.   While logical arguments and reason do play a part in Apologetics and conversion, I believe that the vast majority of converts follow Jesus today because someone showed them love and kindness.

I attended a large, non-denominational church years ago in a different city.  The pastor was someone about my own age, who also had young children.  We had quite a bit in common, and I'm sure it was clear to him that I was in need of the real Jesus back then.  So he took the time to offer me counsel when needed, and to help me make sense of the Scriptures.  I studied, and then he guided.  He used love and kindness to help draw me to the Lord (never arguing or becoming impatient).  His was a faith built on trust and goodness, and it helped me find my own way to the cross.  In effect, God pulled me to Himself through this young preacher.  Right time, right place, right relationship.  

Since that time, I have been witness to both the effect of graceless, rule book religion's harmful results, as well as forgiveness and mature Christianity.  Pulling people to Jesus is always the most effective way.  Gentleness works. 

A 'pulled Christian' will change the world, one convert at a time, because kindness is universal.  The church does have access to an undeniable and exclusive truth (i.e.: Jesus is the only way to the Father).  But we need not wield that truth like a weapon, using it to argue or chastise the lost.  We pull them to church instead, then the Spirit loves them, and Jesus does the judging in his own time.  

We are far more important than widgets, and the work of the church is of immutable value when it comes to pulling people to heaven.  We offer our hand in a friendly gesture, their fingers holding ours tightly.  All the while, Jesus pulling both of us upward together by his own force.  

 

 

.

Building God's Healthy House

Anyone who has built a house from the ground up knows that the "devil is in the details."  Depending on how involved the homeowner is with the floor plan, you may spend a good portion of your time deciding what kind of tile to put on your kitchen floor or what type of doorknob to use on your front door.  The attention to detail can be overwhelming at times.  For others, they are content to allow the builder and contractors to sift through the minutia and make selections based on more of a cookie-cutter approach (each house looks the same).  No less details to attend to, just a different person doing the sifting. Someone will eventually have to go room by room and plan things out.

I recently got to know someone in a local small group, and he talked a lot about what it means to have a healthy "spiritual house."  By this he didn't mean a literal, physical house - but rather the importance of living your life in a deliberate fashion as it pertains to staying mentally intact.  It's a great metaphor, and it lines up perfectly in many respects to what God wants from our lives.  

I believe it is possible to build our metaphorical house by engaging God while we lay out the ideal floor plan.  We should strive to build a healthy house at all costs.  1 Corinthians says this, "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it.  But each one should build with care."   In fact, a carefully built house is of paramount importance I think, because it sets us up to be strong and healthy in the faith.

How is your own house?  Is it strong with a firm foundation?  Or is it subject to decay and wear over time, as the rain and snow show up each season?  For example, I believe it will behoove us to create the following rooms in our house: love, peace, forgiveness, and faith.  In fact, it is difficult for any house to remain standing for very long unless they exercise these traits regularly.  

Likewise, I believe that none of these virtues can exist apart from each other either.  Can you imagine for example, someone at peace without first being able to both seek and grant forgiveness?  Or what about someone trying to walk in their faith, but without love as an ultimate end goal?  After all, God is the very definition of love.  As you can see, these virtues go hand in hand, and every healthy house needs rooms like these. 

By contrast, we must now discuss the type of rooms that no one intends when working out their floor plan.  They come about maybe through early trauma, experiencing disappointment, or simply because we are born with a sin nature.  These are the rooms you should fight to remove from your blueprints: guilt, shame, pride, and jealousy.  They have no place in one of God's houses. 

As you may have guessed, these anti-virtues will often exist in tandem with each other as well.  How many of us have experienced guilt for something we did, followed immediately by shame?  Or what about puffing ourselves up with pride, only to be jealous of someone else who is better at something than we are?  The list goes on and on, and it's no fun at all to live in a house like this.  Unfortunately, many people have come from this type of upbringing - whether they lived in an unhealthy childhood situation, or are currently in an abusive home.  And for many, this style of living is simply part of their day to day reality.  They are guided by a natural predilection toward feeling these types of difficult emotions. 

Look around at your current floor plan; do any of these negative rooms exist?  If so, then we must set to the work of remodeling at once.  Time to pull up the flooring and strip off the wallpaper.  Life is to short to nurture unhealthy rooms.  Jeremiah 17:14 says, "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise."  

If we look to the Father, He will heal us indeed.  It may not come quickly or in the particular way that we expect, but if we seek Him out, Scripture says He will never turn away from us.  That is the type of awesome God that we serve.  Turning to Him of course also means trusting Jesus, and listening to what his Spirit says to ours.  This is accomplished through prayer, and sometimes even fasting.  And then we wait.  Wait on God to redeem us; wait on Him to heal us.  In this fashion, we root out and remodel the unwanted rooms in our home, even if they have been there for a very long time.  

I want to finish with just one more thought.  While most who visit our home will be guests, occasionally we may get a visit from an unwanted interloper.  They don't always enter in through the front door.  The Bible says that the devil seeks to steal and destroy, often trying to enter the Good Shepherd's sheep pen by the side door or window.  When this happens, the sheep are in real danger.  Even if you live in a healthy house, you must stay alert and keep your guard up.  It is so very easy for pride and jealousy to sneak in, for example.  To begin eroding your foundation slowly but surely over time.  

It is important to stay vigilant because a healthy home breeds other healthy homes.  A child who is raised with a blueprint of love and peace will grow up and show the same to others.  In this way, God's Kingdom can be secured over time through generations and "healthy neighborhoods."  

Doesn't this type of lifestyle sound more inviting than rooting out black mold and wood rot?  Build and nurture the type of home that God desires for you.  A home made of love and trust, peace and faith.  The type of place that creates a safe space to become the type of people we were meant to be.  

.

When the Scales Come Off

Most of us have heard the phrase looking at the world through rose colored glasses.  Most of the time, it simply means that we have chosen to view something in a positive light.  And in fact, I think we very often do choose to view the world in which we live with certain preconceived ideas.  I believe all of us look at life through the lens of a certain worldview.  I believe further, that it is impossible not to interpret the events that unfold around us without passing them through some sort of intellectual filter.  It helps us understand things, and allows us to categorize other peoples' opinions and biases.  

At one point in my life - early in my faith walk - I spent quite a bit of time studying the different apologetic and philosophical arguments both for and against the monotheistic God.  It was really fascinating, even more so than a typical world religion class (where they compare different religious belief systems in a more basic manner).  I enjoyed researching the conflicting core worldviews quite a bit more.  

If we are talking here about viewing things through a particular type of lens, then to begin with, I can list off several non-Biblical systems of thought.  For example, the atheist says that there is no God at all, so don't bother looking.  The relativist says that all truth is relative, and depends only on what you personally decide is right or wrong as an individual.  A universalist might stop you in the hall and remind you that basically everything shakes out to similar attributes in the end.  Finally, Scientism tells us that we can only ever know the physical world around us, and nothing else really matters. 

If you notice, all of these worldviews seem to share one thing in common: they don't leave space for any higher, greater truth claims.  They look only so far as their particular belief system allows, and no further.  Any appeal to a higher moral or ethical power is limited by whatever a worldview happens to espouse. In other words, there is a glass ceiling in terms of how much truth you can access.   

I will contrast this to the orthodox Christian Biblical view in a moment, but first I want to point to a piece of Scripture from Acts 9:18.  It says, "Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.  He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength."  This passage describes the apostle Paul's famous conversion on the road to Damascus.  In a flash of light and loud audible voice, Saul becomes Paul, and he meets the real God for the first time.  

The concept of scales being removed from someone's eyes means that at some point, God steps in and allows a believer to see the world through the lens of Jesus of Nazareth.  It's as if all of a sudden a dark veil that once hindered our understanding of godly things is dropped, and we are able to comprehend the things of the Spirit.  Paul had this type of epiphany on the road to Damascus, and it changed the course of his life forever.  It changes you and I also. 

Author and philosopher C.S. Lewis has been quoted as saying, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."  God is our primary source of goodness in this world.  If we aren't looking at things by His light, then we are missing something.  All we see are shadows.  We need His help to see things clearly, to understand the parables and stories of the Bible, and to help spread the Gospel message.  Without it, we can easily slip back into one of the secular categories I mentioned earlier.  

So what in fact does it look like to view the world with Bible colored glasses?  To answer that question, we must go back to the account of Paul in Acts.  Scripture says that he didn't go directly into ministry after his conversion.  In fact, he took some time off to study and reflect.  I think it is okay for us to do the same.  Once we see things the way God does, then let's face it - a good many of our personal philosophies might need to be revised.  We need to work on ourselves for a bit. 

Once the scales come off, however, we are free.  There is no going backwards.  We are free to love without reservation, to shed guilt associated with sin, and to recognize the need for repentance in order to come closer to a Holy life.  This all takes some work of course, but it is work with an end goal of hope (getting closer to a loving God).  Whereas other worldviews are often limited by a finite end goal, the Christian view allows it's proponents to test other opinions and views by staking them up against what God says in the Bible.  At that point, we can weigh an idea based on whether or not it yields good fruit and produces spiritual growth, or whether it espouses hate speech and conflict.  

My advice is this: use the gift of clear vision to steer your ship in God's direction.  Look at what's happening around us today in the world in light of the Bible's commandments, and not just what a television news anchor might think.  God's Word will take you on a deeper, and more fruitful path, often yielding a far more profound result than you would otherwise find.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."  Let His heart guide yours, and we are promised that eventually over time, our paths will finally cross.  What a glorious day that will be for every believer.

As a final note, I wanted to add that some readers may accuse me of being a victim of my own religious bias and Christian worldview, in the same way that I have faulted secular belief systems.  But understand this difference ... in a solid Christian church, a new believer has the freedom to question faith and look around a bit.  Can adherents of the other views I mentioned do that?  For example, if the atheist starts talking about the possibility of the supernatural, I suspect intense criticism would follow.  Likewise, if a naturalist tries to question macro-evolution or the Darwinian view on human origins, they are "out of the club" so to speak.  By contrast, a confident and loving Christian church can provide a safe platform by which a new convert can 'kick the tires' and test ideas a bit.  This is how iron sharpens iron. 

When we embrace our faith journey and seek after the God of Jacob and Abraham, then we are truly free in the sense that by His light, we can now test  all other things.  We have the space we need to grow and heal in a loving and nurturing environment.  The type of nurturing that we can then pass on to the other people in our lives that really matter to us.  

 

 

.  

God and the Plight of Depression

I believe that depression and suicide are modern day epidemics that often get overlooked.  While things like COVID-19 and politics capture much of the public's attention, those suffering silently from depression and anxiety often fall through the cracks.  Everything might look okay on the outside, so the symptoms are often difficult to see.  We may add to this the fact that it is even more difficult for the average person to address this topic in passing conversation.  For example, twenty-two veterans per day commit suicide in the United States.  PTSD and a wide range of other difficulties contribute to this situation for many who face active combat scenarios.  While these numbers may not compare with heart disease or other medical maladies - they are still staggering.  That equates to over eight-thousand people per year who go to an early grave unnecessarily.  If this doesn't bother you, then let me say without reserve that it really should.  And this doesn't even include the average civilian who might be struggling with suicidal thoughts as well.

Note that in the following Scripture from 1 Kings, there is mention of God's people also struggling with depression.  1 Kings 19:3-4 says, "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.  When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness.  He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.  'I have had enough, Lord,' he said.  'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'"

Elijah had reason to be scared.  He was on the run from Jezebel, who was set on murdering him.  Notice that this Old Testament character finds himself in the same situation that many people deal with today.  He had a sense of hopelessness and even prayed for his own death.  Three-thousand years may exist between this historical account and our own time, but the specter of depression hasn't changed much.  It is still fueled by what I believe is a fundamental misunderstanding about what our personal worth is.

If left to our own devices, people often repeat two very distinct lies to themselves during times of trial and struggle.  The first goes something like this: "God has rejected and abandoned me."  Now I want to point out here that many fine people throughout history have thought this very thing.  So if it is running through your mind also, know that you are not alone.

Second, people who are struggling often believe the lie: "Your family would be better off without you."  This is also based on a false assumption that the people who care for us might actually 'have it easier' if we aren't around to burden them.  The truth of the matter is, even if we don't get along well with our family, they would most certainly suffer grief if you were suddenly gone.

If you don't remember anything else from this article, then please hear what I say next.  Your personal value isn't determined by your performance in any given situation.  If you are struggling to hold down a job, it doesn't always mean that you aren't worthy of making an income.  If you happen to make a few mistakes regarding something important, it doesn't mean that you cannot learn from it and rise above it the next day.  You are more than what you may or may not accomplish from one week to the next. 

I remember the very first job I had when I was fourteen years old.  It was at a local grocery store, and I was running the cash register.  This was before political correctness had set in, so if you got in trouble with the boss, you received an ear-lashing.  Needless to say, I was trying really hard to perform well!  One day a really nice woman strolled through the checkout line and began complimenting me on my shirt and tie.  Little did I know that she was part of a crime ring that traveled from store to store and stole money out of cash registers.  One person would distract the clerk, while the person behind them in line literally reached into the open drawer and pulled out large bills.  

This little scam worked like a charm on a young and vulnerable kid working his first real job.  I didn't get into serious trouble because the manager knew about the crime ring, but I still felt awful.  I felt like dirt actually.  If I could have crawled into a tiny hole to hide, I would have.  But fortunately I had enough wherewithal to understand that this event wouldn't end up shaping and defining my entire career.  I had a few people who helped me to remember that as time went on and I became more experienced, the tension and anxiety would pass.  This is a simplistic illustration, but I do think it lends itself to the truth that my own self worth wasn't a reflection of that particular day at work.

And now lets discuss what God says about our value as an individual.  Here we talk about three truths, in direct opposition to the two lies previously mentioned.  The first truth is that you are who God says you are.  Forget all the negativity that sometimes surrounds us.  Maybe it comes from a co-worker or a bully at school.  For many, this type of abuse exists between spouses or parents and children.  Whatever the case may be, please consider allowing God's positive voice to drown out all the other white noise.

The second truth is that you are what Christ did for you on the cross.  No matter how low your personal self-esteem may be, nothing can change the fact that two-thousand years ago, Jesus died a painful death on the cross as a blood sacrifice for sin.  It was an act of altruistic love directly from the Creator to us.  He didn't have to sacrifice His son; He didn't owe us anything.  He did it anyway.  Rest assured that God must have had a good reason to vouch for you and I, so let's take Him at His word that we are worthy enough to be loved.

Finally, we may rest in the truth that God has big plans for us.  There are so many places in Scripture that talk about the different ways He plans to prosper us and lead us into safer pastures.  It may not always feel like we are unique or special, but to the being who created the entire Universe - we are invaluable.  

In short, you have been made with a purpose and a plan.  If there is still life left in your body, then you still have work to do for the kingdom of Heaven.  Consider  verse 5 from the first chapter of Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  This is the way the Bible describes God's call to Jeremiah to get up, get going, and start prophesying to the world.  It is a call for you and I today also.

Even back when you were a simple, single-celled organism in your mother's womb, it appears that God had a plan for you in this life.  Don't cut it short, and don't cut yourself off from His future blessing.  We need not live a life of depression, thinking that we aren't worth anything or that we will never amount to anything.  It simply isn't true.  

In some ways, Jeremiah 1:5 has much to say about the modern day plight of abortion also.  If God really knew us before we were born, then stopping a fetus from reaching adulthood becomes philosophically problematic.  In 2018 for example, the CDC reported over half a million abortions occurred in America.  I believe we can take from Scripture that each person has value in God's eyes.  In essence, half a million of God's candles were extinguished on purpose in just one year.  The WHO (World Health Organization) reports close to fifty million abortions annually worldwide.  This is an incredible amount of death by anyone's standards, almost akin to some types of genocide I think.  I believe this ought to give us pause for thought when it comes to what life means in terms of value and worth. 

Ultimately, I suppose my point is this: you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Capable of great success and purpose.  Erase the lies that you may have been fed throughout your life that you aren't important, or that not all life is equally valuable.  Instead, lean into what God actually said and did.  In this way, hopefully the plight of depression will gradually begin to diminish in our culture over time.  Resist the urge to quantify yourself as anything less than important beyond measure.

 

 

.

Graduating Church?

I recently watched two of my kids graduate from an eleven-week confirmation class at church.  I'm not going to lie; I was an extremely proud Dad.  During those three months, a group of ten middle school children learned about what it means to be a Methodist and how to find God in this crazy, modern world.  When it was finally time to be presented with a certificate, the pastor said something interesting.  He reminded the kids that going through confirmation class doesn't mean that you have now "graduated from church", and that it's okay to wander away and stop attending services.  I took a moment to let this sink in, and I think he was right.  In fact, I think it means the opposite.  Once confirmed, it signals that you now have a grasp on the fundamentals of religion such that you can begin to understand what it means to follow God.  It conveys a beginning, not an end.  

The pastor's warning needed to be said, because culturally speaking, many people consider graduation or commencement to mean that it's now okay to move on to the next thing.  Never looking back to the old, but only focusing on the future.  Sometimes this is good advice, but I believe we forget that we can often do both of these things at the same time.  We can move toward the future, and we can also remember and cherish where we have already been.  We must continue to attend church and grow in our faith walk.  God has a funny way of combining our future with our achievements in ways that aren't always immediately evident.  I have this funny feeling that whenever He gives us a promotion, something more is also expected of us.  The degree or certificate is never the final step. 

Faith itself never "ends" ... there is no graduation from loving and pursuing God and His church.  If we look at Hebrews 10:23 for a moment, it says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."   We must hold fast to the gift of faith we have received from God the Father, and we dare not doubt that this same God is faithful enough to see us through whatever comes next.  What He passes on to us through the Spirit doesn't need to fade away over time.  We don't graduate from church and then disappear into the culture, as some are in the habit of doing.

Erwin McManus is the pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, CA.  It's a megachurch with thousands of parishioners who show up every Sunday to hear what God is saying.  McManus is fond of saying, "We cannot serve God in neutral."  He equates our faith walk with the transmission shifter in a car.  We have several gears to choose from: park, drive, neutral, etc.  McManus is simply saying that if we want to follow the living God, we have to put the car into drive.  There is no sense hanging out in neutral, and just kind of limping along wherever the road happens to take you.  We must be more determined than that; we must take the gear out of park and hit the gas.  It's hard to follow something when we are standing still. 

Matthew 17:20-21 is a familiar verse from the New Testament.  It says, "He [Jesus] replied, 'Because you have so little faith.  Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain move from here to there, and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.'"  Faith does something, it acts upon the external world.  It can move mountains, as long as we make the decision to take our car out of neutral.  

Staying in neutral is easy.  It allows us to kind of limp along on our faith journey, maybe attending church services only on occasion, or when something difficult happens in our lives.  Neutral allows us to exist seamlessly with our surrounding culture, such that people from the outside looking in may in fact find no discernible attribute linking us to the Christian faith whatsoever.  God calls us to much more than this.  

I have practiced martial arts for close to thirty-five years.  I was a student for a long time, and the last ten years or so I have been a teacher.  It is always a joy to pass along what I have learned to my students.  It helps ensure a new generation of followers who recognize the beauty and discipline of the art.  But I have also noticed something else that comes along with it.  A good many people set their sights on the black belt as an end goal.  This in and of itself is perfectly normal, and at some point it comes time to take the big test.  After the belt is awarded, the temptation exists to quit training and move on to the next thing.  "I have graduated from the martial arts," they might think, "and now I can stop."  When this happens, all those years of learning and practice will eventually ebb away.  It is sometimes tragic to witness. 

Consider instead, what happens when a student decides to stay on after their "graduation" and help teach and give back to their class.  They are, in effect, putting the car into drive and embracing the next part of their walk.  Putting all of those principles they learned over the years into action, while continuing to learn and improve themselves.  I suspect it's the same way regarding faith.  We learn for a while, we graduate, and then we can give back.  The faith walk never really ends - it only changes and matures.

So, what is our lesson from all of this?  I believe we must strive to continue our walk with God over the course of our entire life.  We need to keep the fire stoked, so to speak.  Look at the apostles in the book of Acts, for example.  After Jesus ascended into Heaven, they went out into the world and affected real change.  Peter didn't dare keep the car in neutral; neither should we. Whatever you learn from God go pay it forward, and most likely God will do the same for you.

.