God's Call on Our Lives

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.

In this peculiar moment, the apostle 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.

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, 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.  Our own modern-day version of Caesar. 

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.”

Many 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 sentence - 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 Him.  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.  The outcome of our answer may just 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 an earthly king or president, but from the throne of Zion and the Prince of Peace Himself.  God is no mere client king.    

 

 

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Spiritual Pride Syndrome

The longer I live on this planet, the more convinced I am that spiritual pride is one of the most prevalent sins.  It occurs in churches, among leaders, in the workplace, and in the home.  No venue is exempt from it.  I have often heard the following phrase applied when discussing our current culture of political correctness: 'I'm offended that you're offended.'  It's a snarky way of throwing whatever issue may be at hand, back at the person who feels slighted.  

One symptom for this type of pride comes in the form of what I like to call the "How Dare You" syndrome.  For example, if someone of a humble nature gets corrected by someone else, they may take a while to mull it over and think about it.  Maybe they did do something wrong.  But someone a bit more prideful might react to the same admonishment by thinking how dare you correct me?  How dare you disagree with me?  I'm offended now, so I will walk away angry and defensive.  

Think back honestly for a moment.  How many arguments have started this way?  How many family members or acquaintances hold grudges for years and years because something similar happened?  Maybe it was an insult at a family reunion, or perhaps someone spoke out of turn one day during a phone call.  Whatever the specifics, you get the idea.  And these situations can pop up at work just as easily.  I once remember a situation where two people refused to speak directly with each other, so the other employees had to deliver hand-written notes back and forth between them.  This is a true story (and these were adults)!

We recall the awkward prayer of the Pharisee (religious leader) from Luke 18:11 that deals with pride.  Scripture says, "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector.'"

Keep in mind that tax collectors were frowned upon during Jesus' day, even more so than the IRS today.  Essentially, this person who was supposed to be a spiritual teacher and leader on behalf of God, saw himself as better than other people.  He was thanking God that he wasn't lowly like those 'other sinners.' 

This sounds silly when I point it out, and surely we realize that the Pharisee was really the one sinning in that story.  But this same prideful mindset is alive and well today; people just tend to hide it a little better.  Until eventually it rears its ugly head. 

And when we discuss things like spiritual pride, we eventually come to the paradox as it pertains to this next symptom.  Proud people will not only become offended easily, but they will also often indulge in the fallacy that they are right, while everyone else is wrong.  Sometimes we may very well be in the right, but there is a way to state this ... and a way not to state it.   Two deacons yelling at each other in the lobby of a church on Sunday morning would not be a good way to express themselves, for example.  People might witness this, and then the damage is done.  It doesn't matter who is right or wrong in that context, both people look bad (and so does the church).  

"'How dare you," we might hear one of them say.  "You have offended me for the last time" the other person may retort.  All of us have witnessed something like this in the past I suspect.  This type of grudge tends to linger for a while.  Now mind you, this becomes dangerously close to harboring unforgiveness.  Or at the very least, a lack of ability to experience empathy for the other person's position.  It's much easier to simply become offended.

Instead, listen to what 1 Peter 5:5 has to say, "... all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'"  Apparently God isn't fond of spiritual pride either. 

How much happier is the life of someone who listens first, and speaks last.  I have found that people who are humble will often remain quiet for some time in fact, at least until the chatter dies down a bit.  But it doesn't mean they aren't pondering things, or that they don't care about whatever topic is being discussed.  They just choose to go through life differently, in a way that never seeks to destroy or berate another person.  Their feathers don't seem to ruffle easily. 

But real life often sneaks in, and sometimes we lose our cool.  Some of us are simply created to blow our stack right away, and we become calm only afterward.  If we do come out of the gate swinging, we must remember that an apology may be necessary later.  If we start off with 'how dare you,' we can still finish up with 'I’m sorry, and I see your point.'  It just takes more effort sometimes.  Try to place yourself in the other person's shoes, prior to responding with hostility. 

Let's all try to leave the realm of spiritual pride to the Pharisees.  Remember Jesus described them as whitewashed tombs.  I would rather throw in with the humble crowd instead.  I find myself needing to apologize much less often that way.

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Culture vs. Scripture

Evangelist and author Dr. Erwin Lutzer tells a fascinating story when asked about the difference between current cultural norms versus Scriptural values.  He begins describing a time when he went to a country club to play golf with a friend.  Beside a pond that they were standing next to, Lutzer noticed a mother duck's nest, partially hidden behind some brush.  When he walked over and took a closer look, he noticed that the nest contained a single golf ball!  The poor mother duck had mistaken it for an egg, and would soon be in for a disappointment after months go by, and no baby duckling emerges.  

Although humorous, Dr. Lutzer's point was that the mother duck had been deceived early on, and taken in what she considered to be the genuine article.  It equates to people thinking that they are worshipping the real God in Heaven, but finding out later that a false, culture-produced version of the Lord isn't going to save them.  In the same way that this poor duck was convinced she was going to be a mother someday - people all around us are guarding and nurturing a faith that may not be Scriptural or true.  

There is very real pressure for churches in the West today to begin making allowances and accommodations in order to let in fashionable beliefs and trends.  For example, some pastors may think that if their church doesn't bend to current cultural norms, they may lose parishioners.  Or take for example the extremely popular liberal ideology which says that we shouldn't ever judge sin, people can do whatever they want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, and God is more like a fun uncle than a strict parent.  Although this diagnosis sounds odd, I do believe that many churches subscribe to this way of thinking.  

2 Thessalonians 2:15 says, "So then brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter."  Here the apostle Paul is exhorting his readers to remain faithful, and not to let any other false doctrine or tradition supersede what Jesus actually said and did.  Apparently, this type of thing happened two-thousand years ago also, and required several letters from Paul to help keep believers on track.

And I think this is where the modern church finds itself today.  Many have gone apostate and shifted from Christ's commandments altogether in order to begin reflecting the passions of our current time (pro-choice abortion ethics, religious universalism, veneration of sexual sin, etc.).  

A good many other churches have begun the slow but steady process of leaving the faith one small step at a time, through a series of little concessions.  "It's okay to compromise on this or that, as long as we don't go too far" you might hear them say.  But one step in the wrong direction often invites others to follow, and before too long, the entire congregation may become spiritually lost.  Such is the power that pastors and leaders possess.  

If you are in a Biblical church that follows a Scriptural pastor, then take a moment now to give thanks and praise to God above.  If you aren't sure, then test what is taught in your church against Scripture itself; never take a leader's opinion as the ultimate truth unless it lines up with what the Word says in print.  Faithful  Christians will need to stay strong and stick together during these coming times of lukewarm religion and false teaching.  Remember always: the pulpit is designed to preach Scripture - not politics, opinion, or cultural trends.  

Not long ago, my own church engaged in an old tradition known as an alter call.  The pastor asked anyone in the congregation who wanted to accept Christ to come forward and kneel.  It was an awesome thing to behold.  In my heart I felt joy.  Not just for those who came forward that morning, but because I was confident about the type of faith they were accepting.  It was the Scriptural Jesus, and the Christian God.  I hope and pray the same for all of you who are reading this today.  May the true God of the Bible bless you and cover you.  Jesus didn't die on the cross for a "golf ball religion."  He died for you and I, so that we wouldn't be abandoned to sin.  

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God is Not a Tame Lion

My family and I visited Custer State Park in South Dakota a few years ago.  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 my 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.  

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 and on our way.  

It didn't occur to me until later, a flimsy car window would have been no match for a charging buffalo anyway.  Although everything went well that day at the park, I'm willing to bet that from time to time, a tourist gets into trouble 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 with Him.  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 children’s' 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.  It is God's Universe, we just live in it.

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 (at least 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. That is why we are “safe” with Jesus as our Lord. 

From time to time, my job as pastor required me to say unpopular things based on how I interpret the Scriptures.  Things that were often counter-cultural and politically incorrect.  When I needed to prepare something that I knew may draw rebuke from people, my mind went 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.  It’s 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.  Now stop being comfortable, and start spreading the Gospel message.   

 

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