Matthew 9:12-13 says, "But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
I had the privilege of baptizing two people today. That never gets old. One was a lady who was saved a little over a week ago. The other was her friend. I talked with him this morning before the service, and he told me that this particular lady had called him a week or so ago, and told him that she was tired of "taking pills" and living the life she was living, and asked him if he knew anybody she could talk to. He gave her the number of a man in our church who visits the local jail once a week. He knew the man from our church because he had spent some time in that particular "state-run institution".
That day, the man from our church told this woman about Jesus, and she gave her life to Christ. She then told her friend who had given her the number what happened, and when he saw what God had done for her, he too decided to give his life to Christ. I hope you got all that.
Neither of these two have lived morally majestic lives. They don't speak all the liturgical lingo, and they don't look like the people in the pictures on most church websites. Nevertheless, they both gave public testimony of their repentance and faith in Jesus.
As I watched them walking out of the baptistry, I thought about the kingdom of Christ, and how it is filled with sick folk who have been made well. My symptoms may not have been as obvious as others, but my condition wasn't any less terminal. I am thankful that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
Praise God, the sick are getting well!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Fragile Friendships
The older I get the more amazed I am at the fragility of human relationships. Our closest bonds seem tenuous at best. Those who once vowed eternal loyalty so quickly become adversaries, or worse strangers, and often over the slightest injury or disagreement. Relationships are messy. Emotions, egos, and agendas often collide with devastating results.
It is unfortunate that it is this way, because I find myself becoming more and more defensive, cynical, and reluctant toward to my fellow man. It was what Dallas Willard describes as “withdrawal” in his book “Renovation of the Heart”. I guard myself vigilantly from letting too much out, for fear that my trust will be betrayed by someone who simply wants to feel better about their own deficiencies. The aged Apostle John encouraged us to “love one another”, but it is hard to love someone you aren’t quite sure you really know, and are certain you don’t completely trust.
Oh, but the good news is, I always have two true partners on this lonely trek. My dear Lord Jesus, who is a better friend than I have ever been to Him, and whose fidelity is secured by His Word. The other is my precious wife, Angel. She is truly loyal, deeply devoted, and the one human who knows me thoroughly, and loves me wholeheartedly. She is my “help meet”. I guess two true friends is enough until the family of God reaches that land where we will truly love unconditionally, and all relationships are as solid as the foundation of that Celestial City.
It is unfortunate that it is this way, because I find myself becoming more and more defensive, cynical, and reluctant toward to my fellow man. It was what Dallas Willard describes as “withdrawal” in his book “Renovation of the Heart”. I guard myself vigilantly from letting too much out, for fear that my trust will be betrayed by someone who simply wants to feel better about their own deficiencies. The aged Apostle John encouraged us to “love one another”, but it is hard to love someone you aren’t quite sure you really know, and are certain you don’t completely trust.
Oh, but the good news is, I always have two true partners on this lonely trek. My dear Lord Jesus, who is a better friend than I have ever been to Him, and whose fidelity is secured by His Word. The other is my precious wife, Angel. She is truly loyal, deeply devoted, and the one human who knows me thoroughly, and loves me wholeheartedly. She is my “help meet”. I guess two true friends is enough until the family of God reaches that land where we will truly love unconditionally, and all relationships are as solid as the foundation of that Celestial City.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Who's afraid of the Church?
Years ago, the small private school I attended had its own security “force” that patrolled the campus. I hesitate to call them a “force”, because about the only real authority they had was to wield their gigantic ring of keys and unlock doors. They carried no weapons, and none of the students really gave any attention to their uniforms and cheap, painted, badges.
In some ways, the modern church has become like that weaponless security force. They have no actual authority over their membership, and no one really fears their church family as an accountability force in their life. Personal autonomy has trumped communal responsibility.
It was not too long ago, however, that the church maintained a biblical practice that required each member to live with a certain level of accountability to the Word of God, and to their church. This all-but-abandoned practice is called church discipline. The Scriptures clearly call for individual churches to hold to their members accountable to a biblical standard of personal purity, spiritual unity, and doctrinal integrity (i.e., I Corinthians 5; Matthew 18:15-17).
Unfortunately, in the lustful pursuit of “church growth”, too many pastors and their congregations have allowed pragmatism and seeker sensitivities to cause the practice of church discipline to go the way of the eight track and the dinosaur. Southern Seminary president, Dr. Al Mohler says, “As a matter of fact, most [modern] Christians introduced to the biblical teaching concerning church discipline…confront the issue of church discipline as an idea they have never before encountered. At first hearing, the issue seems as antiquarian and foreign as the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem witch trials (The Disappearance of God, Multnomah Books, 2009, p. 122).”
Though the practice of church discipline among many congregations may be a dusty tool, it is a Scriptural one, and therefore should be recovered. The testimony and integrity of the church has been tarnished by inflated membership rolls, cluttered with the unregenerate, and backslidden. Unless the church reestablishes her authority over her members, the modern congregation will continue to be little more than a religious club where affiliation is casual and based on consumerism rather than true Christian faith.
I am aware that to reinstitute church discipline will likely mean that some, if not many of the current membership in our churches will feel led to move their membership to other, less puritanical fellowships. However, a pure testimony is of more value to Christ’s church than a large membership.
In some ways, the modern church has become like that weaponless security force. They have no actual authority over their membership, and no one really fears their church family as an accountability force in their life. Personal autonomy has trumped communal responsibility.
It was not too long ago, however, that the church maintained a biblical practice that required each member to live with a certain level of accountability to the Word of God, and to their church. This all-but-abandoned practice is called church discipline. The Scriptures clearly call for individual churches to hold to their members accountable to a biblical standard of personal purity, spiritual unity, and doctrinal integrity (i.e., I Corinthians 5; Matthew 18:15-17).
Unfortunately, in the lustful pursuit of “church growth”, too many pastors and their congregations have allowed pragmatism and seeker sensitivities to cause the practice of church discipline to go the way of the eight track and the dinosaur. Southern Seminary president, Dr. Al Mohler says, “As a matter of fact, most [modern] Christians introduced to the biblical teaching concerning church discipline…confront the issue of church discipline as an idea they have never before encountered. At first hearing, the issue seems as antiquarian and foreign as the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem witch trials (The Disappearance of God, Multnomah Books, 2009, p. 122).”
Though the practice of church discipline among many congregations may be a dusty tool, it is a Scriptural one, and therefore should be recovered. The testimony and integrity of the church has been tarnished by inflated membership rolls, cluttered with the unregenerate, and backslidden. Unless the church reestablishes her authority over her members, the modern congregation will continue to be little more than a religious club where affiliation is casual and based on consumerism rather than true Christian faith.
I am aware that to reinstitute church discipline will likely mean that some, if not many of the current membership in our churches will feel led to move their membership to other, less puritanical fellowships. However, a pure testimony is of more value to Christ’s church than a large membership.
Waiting
I believe it was that musical philosopher Tom Petty (yes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) that once opined, “The waiting is the hardest part.” There may not be much on which I would agree with Tom Petty, but on this one thing, I give a hardy nod. I hate waiting. Red lights are annoying; lines in the grocery store are unnerving, and doctor’s offices are pure torture. When someone puts me on hold, I have to battle the urge to immediately hang up the phone. I know that patience is a virtue - it is just not one of my virtues.
However, I am learning. I am in patience kindergarten, but I am learning. I am slowly realizing that God doesn’t move according to my daily planner. He is not concerned with my “five year plan”. The Psalmist once gave this admonition that was certainly written with people like me in mind. He said, “Wait on the Lord…wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
The Christian life is a pilgrimage. That implies that it is a lengthy journey. As much as I would like for it to be a sprint, it is simply a journey. Because of this reality, I have to learn to do what I otherwise hate to do. I have to wait. That means I have to take God off the stopwatch, and quit trying to pin Him down to my schedule.
The reality is that His schedule is the best. My schedule was planned in the limited view of the present. Since I cannot see what is ahead (nor can the psychic hotlines regardless of what they claim), then I am really handicapped in planning anything for my life. But God “inhabits eternity”. He stands in the past, present, and future, with a clear view of what lies ahead for my life. Therefore, as hard as the waiting is, I must wait on the Lord. Unlike the line at the McDonald’s drive through, He is worth waiting for.
However, I am learning. I am in patience kindergarten, but I am learning. I am slowly realizing that God doesn’t move according to my daily planner. He is not concerned with my “five year plan”. The Psalmist once gave this admonition that was certainly written with people like me in mind. He said, “Wait on the Lord…wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
The Christian life is a pilgrimage. That implies that it is a lengthy journey. As much as I would like for it to be a sprint, it is simply a journey. Because of this reality, I have to learn to do what I otherwise hate to do. I have to wait. That means I have to take God off the stopwatch, and quit trying to pin Him down to my schedule.
The reality is that His schedule is the best. My schedule was planned in the limited view of the present. Since I cannot see what is ahead (nor can the psychic hotlines regardless of what they claim), then I am really handicapped in planning anything for my life. But God “inhabits eternity”. He stands in the past, present, and future, with a clear view of what lies ahead for my life. Therefore, as hard as the waiting is, I must wait on the Lord. Unlike the line at the McDonald’s drive through, He is worth waiting for.
The Worth of Winter
For hundreds of years, the Roman calendar (which we still use today) consisted of only ten months. This was because the winter season was not considered worthy of noting on the calendar, because nothing grew during that time. Eventually January found its way onto the calendar, but you would probably be hard pressed to find very many people who would list it among their favorite months. As I write this blog it is a balmy 31 degrees outside, and just the right weather for catching pneumonia.
Even though January, and the winter season may not be the most climatically pleasing, it is not without its greater purpose and worth. An old, mountain proverb puts it bluntly, “A green Christmas makes a fat graveyard.” The cold of winter serves an important role in both eliminating and replenishing certain things in our ecosystem.
Spiritually speaking, winters of difficulty and trial are not pleasant or easy to endure, but they are often more productive than seasons of ease. “The American Spurgeon”, T. De Witt Talmage (1832-1902), said:
“I tell you we need the storms of life as much as we do the sunshine. There are more men ruined by prosperity than by adversity…It was out of Dante’s suffering came the sublime “Divine Comedy,” and out of John Milton’s blindness came “Paradise Lost,”…out of David’s exile came the songs of consolation, and out of the sufferings of Christ came the possibility of the world’s redemption…” (New Tabernacle Sermons)
You may be experiencing winter in more ways than just the temperature outside. It could be that along with sunshine of summer, you are looking forward to the warmth of better days personally and spiritually. If so, just “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage (Psalm 27:14).” Before you know it, January will be June. In the meantime, don’t miss the worth of winter. God will do things in the winter that He just can’t do any other time of the year…or in your life.
Even though January, and the winter season may not be the most climatically pleasing, it is not without its greater purpose and worth. An old, mountain proverb puts it bluntly, “A green Christmas makes a fat graveyard.” The cold of winter serves an important role in both eliminating and replenishing certain things in our ecosystem.
Spiritually speaking, winters of difficulty and trial are not pleasant or easy to endure, but they are often more productive than seasons of ease. “The American Spurgeon”, T. De Witt Talmage (1832-1902), said:
“I tell you we need the storms of life as much as we do the sunshine. There are more men ruined by prosperity than by adversity…It was out of Dante’s suffering came the sublime “Divine Comedy,” and out of John Milton’s blindness came “Paradise Lost,”…out of David’s exile came the songs of consolation, and out of the sufferings of Christ came the possibility of the world’s redemption…” (New Tabernacle Sermons)
You may be experiencing winter in more ways than just the temperature outside. It could be that along with sunshine of summer, you are looking forward to the warmth of better days personally and spiritually. If so, just “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage (Psalm 27:14).” Before you know it, January will be June. In the meantime, don’t miss the worth of winter. God will do things in the winter that He just can’t do any other time of the year…or in your life.
Does Satan Hate the Church?
“Does Satan Hate the Church?”
I guess they should get some points for creativity. The Metro South Church, located in a suburb of Detroit, MI, has put an intriguing spin on the billboards that are supposed to be messages from God. Metro South has chosen to post some similar messages, only from the “other side of the aisle”, if you will.
Metro South’s new billboards feature messages from the devil rather than God. For instance, one billboard says, “Metro South Church makes me sick – Satan.” You can view all of the billboards at www.satanhatesmetro.com.
You’ve heard it said that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and if that is true, I am not sure using Satan as your pitch man, even in an ironic sort of way, is a good idea. However, Metro South’s ad campaign does raise a good question. Does Satan really hate the Church?
I can’t help but think of C.S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters. In one of the early letters, the senior demon writes to the underling, Wormwood, and says:
“One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans. All your patient sees is the half-finished, sham Gothic erection on the new building estate.”
Make no mistake about it, Satan despise the true Church of the Firstborn; that blood-washed band of believers mysteriously united from every kindred, tribe, and tongue. Not even the gates of His eternal home will prevail against that formidable body, led by its conquering Head!
However, Satan is not in the least bit opposed to the ecclesiastical mirage of a building, a denomination, or a religious institution. It is the spirit-empowered bride, not technologically enhanced buildings that are despised by our enemy. He can work (and does) as effectively through empty religion as he does through open rebellion. He will use a dead assembly just as quickly as he will a living atheist.
I hope the devil hates my church. But I know that we are sometimes his allies, and he would rather use us to his advantage than close us down – if we will let him.
I guess they should get some points for creativity. The Metro South Church, located in a suburb of Detroit, MI, has put an intriguing spin on the billboards that are supposed to be messages from God. Metro South has chosen to post some similar messages, only from the “other side of the aisle”, if you will.
Metro South’s new billboards feature messages from the devil rather than God. For instance, one billboard says, “Metro South Church makes me sick – Satan.” You can view all of the billboards at www.satanhatesmetro.com.
You’ve heard it said that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and if that is true, I am not sure using Satan as your pitch man, even in an ironic sort of way, is a good idea. However, Metro South’s ad campaign does raise a good question. Does Satan really hate the Church?
I can’t help but think of C.S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters. In one of the early letters, the senior demon writes to the underling, Wormwood, and says:
“One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans. All your patient sees is the half-finished, sham Gothic erection on the new building estate.”
Make no mistake about it, Satan despise the true Church of the Firstborn; that blood-washed band of believers mysteriously united from every kindred, tribe, and tongue. Not even the gates of His eternal home will prevail against that formidable body, led by its conquering Head!
However, Satan is not in the least bit opposed to the ecclesiastical mirage of a building, a denomination, or a religious institution. It is the spirit-empowered bride, not technologically enhanced buildings that are despised by our enemy. He can work (and does) as effectively through empty religion as he does through open rebellion. He will use a dead assembly just as quickly as he will a living atheist.
I hope the devil hates my church. But I know that we are sometimes his allies, and he would rather use us to his advantage than close us down – if we will let him.
F or V
It is too often the scarlet letter of my life. I’m not talking about the shameful “A” sewn on Hester Prynn’s garment in Hawthorne’s classic. Mine is an internal letter; a big “F” sewn on my heart. The “F” stands for failure. Sometimes my prayer life seems to consist of one continuous apology. “Lord, I’m sorry…again.” There are days that I wonder if I will ever overcome my childish, selfish tendencies.
The Scripture that I most relate to in these times is the question that the Apostle Paul asked in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Yeah, I know how that feels. My greatest enemy is often the one frowning back at me in the mirror. I know some people struggle with hateful neighbors, irritating coworkers, or dysfunctional families. I have found, however, that the person who gives me the most grief is none other than my own sinful self.
What I am learning (however slowly) is that as long as I tolerate it, my nemesis “self” will always give me problems. I can’t sit down at the peace table and make negotiations with my personal enemy. There can be no cease-fire. The internal enemy of my flesh can only be dealt with through the most drastic of measures – he must die.
In an age where a high self image is a premium, I am not trying to build up myself; I am trying to kill it. I am not talking about suicide, but rather spiritual survival. The old man must be crucified, to state it Biblically. Everyday, there has to be an execution. I know it sounds brutal, but not everything about Christianity is flowery and sunny. As morose as it may sound, every new day of my life should begin with a funeral. I must die to myself in order to truly live in Christ.
When self dies, the scarlet “F” that I so often feel emblazoned on my heart can be removed and replaced with a beautiful “V”. A “V” for victory!
The Scripture that I most relate to in these times is the question that the Apostle Paul asked in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Yeah, I know how that feels. My greatest enemy is often the one frowning back at me in the mirror. I know some people struggle with hateful neighbors, irritating coworkers, or dysfunctional families. I have found, however, that the person who gives me the most grief is none other than my own sinful self.
What I am learning (however slowly) is that as long as I tolerate it, my nemesis “self” will always give me problems. I can’t sit down at the peace table and make negotiations with my personal enemy. There can be no cease-fire. The internal enemy of my flesh can only be dealt with through the most drastic of measures – he must die.
In an age where a high self image is a premium, I am not trying to build up myself; I am trying to kill it. I am not talking about suicide, but rather spiritual survival. The old man must be crucified, to state it Biblically. Everyday, there has to be an execution. I know it sounds brutal, but not everything about Christianity is flowery and sunny. As morose as it may sound, every new day of my life should begin with a funeral. I must die to myself in order to truly live in Christ.
When self dies, the scarlet “F” that I so often feel emblazoned on my heart can be removed and replaced with a beautiful “V”. A “V” for victory!
Poem - "The Critic"
The critic shoots a poisonous dart,
Intended to hit another’s heart,
Hoping to turn the steadfast plan,
Wishing to undermine the man
The critic knows what should be done,
Though his personal efforts are often none,
He makes a verbal, cunning attack,
Knowing his words will make it back
The critic twists the precious facts,
Spins his stories into fictional acts,
He thinks he’s weaving quite the show,
Appearing right and laying low
The critic forgets one critical part,
The Judge of all looks on the heart,
He who sows the discord seed,
Will suffer, eventually, for his deed
Intended to hit another’s heart,
Hoping to turn the steadfast plan,
Wishing to undermine the man
The critic knows what should be done,
Though his personal efforts are often none,
He makes a verbal, cunning attack,
Knowing his words will make it back
The critic twists the precious facts,
Spins his stories into fictional acts,
He thinks he’s weaving quite the show,
Appearing right and laying low
The critic forgets one critical part,
The Judge of all looks on the heart,
He who sows the discord seed,
Will suffer, eventually, for his deed
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