Ambiguity and spiritual inclusivity are the Gods of our age. Neither, however, are the message of the Gospel. Contrary to what popular spirituality tells us, when a Christian chooses either or both of these as pathways to faith, the result is not a life of blessing, but of God's wrath. Why?
According to the writer of Judges, spiritual ambiguity is "...evil in the sight of the Lord." Serving the contemporary "Baals and Asheroths is really no different for us than when the Israelites served the gods of their age. The promised result was..." will turn to do you harm and consume you." (Judges 3:8)
God does not change. As the writer of the Hebrews said, "God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.". (Heb. 13:8) So, when we who have proclaimed ourselves as Christ followers choose to "serve foreign gods" and participate in rituals and processes of other religious systems, God's anger will indeed be kindled against us.
However, and thankfully there is always a however, when we repent, "God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9)
So, we can choose...curse and wrath...or forgiveness and blessing. It isn't rocket science!
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Thursday 29 March 2012
Tuesday 27 March 2012
First Importance
We so-called religious people often elevate things we do to levels of importance not due them...and in the process caste down that which is of the utmost importance, thereby negating the validity and authenticity of or witness.
We draw attention to our well crafted liturgy, our talented worship teams, successful programs, the preaching gifts of our pastor, even the moral living of our leadership team. They are celebrated as if being of the utmost importance.
None, however, is of what Paul refers to in 1Cor15 as of "first importance". As good as they may all be, they pale in comparison to the message of salvation...the good news of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection. Jesus died for our sins and was raised to new life as a sign of God's covenant with us. He is proclaimed as raised from the dead! Now that is important!
Paul said, "If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile (your programs, liturgy, worship and preaching are in vain) and you are still in your sins. Lord, help us I pray to keep before us, to give the place of primacy...the gospel message of Jesus sacrificial gift of grace and mercy. Amen
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
We draw attention to our well crafted liturgy, our talented worship teams, successful programs, the preaching gifts of our pastor, even the moral living of our leadership team. They are celebrated as if being of the utmost importance.
None, however, is of what Paul refers to in 1Cor15 as of "first importance". As good as they may all be, they pale in comparison to the message of salvation...the good news of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection. Jesus died for our sins and was raised to new life as a sign of God's covenant with us. He is proclaimed as raised from the dead! Now that is important!
Paul said, "If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile (your programs, liturgy, worship and preaching are in vain) and you are still in your sins. Lord, help us I pray to keep before us, to give the place of primacy...the gospel message of Jesus sacrificial gift of grace and mercy. Amen
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Sunday 25 March 2012
The Cup of the Lord & the Cup of Demons
Tradition and position counted for nothing under the Law of Moses and they count for nothing under the new covenant of Christ either. Being born into the church, attending each Sunday, baptized as a child, even regular participation at the communion table, count for nothing unless our lives are also completely surrendered to Christ.
Paul's warning in 1Cor.10 is not for unbelievers, but aimed at those who have as Jesus said in Luke 9:62, "put their hands to the plow and looked back". God was displeased with the Israelites in the wilderness precisely because they had returned to the way of idolatry and began once again to worship the created instead of the Creator.
This admonition didn't just apply in the first century. The warning is equally for those of us who call ourselves by Christ's name today. Paul takes it even farther and suggests that, just like the Israelites, our participation in the forms of religion will not protect us from God's wrath if we succumb to the temptation of idolatry. Why?
When we share at the communion table, we participate in the body and blood of Jesus - when we pursue idolatry, we participate in things demonic. Those two cannot exist together. When we share in the idolatry of our age we demonstrate that we are not totally surrendered to Jesus and have returned to the practices of our previous unredeemed life.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Paul's warning in 1Cor.10 is not for unbelievers, but aimed at those who have as Jesus said in Luke 9:62, "put their hands to the plow and looked back". God was displeased with the Israelites in the wilderness precisely because they had returned to the way of idolatry and began once again to worship the created instead of the Creator.
This admonition didn't just apply in the first century. The warning is equally for those of us who call ourselves by Christ's name today. Paul takes it even farther and suggests that, just like the Israelites, our participation in the forms of religion will not protect us from God's wrath if we succumb to the temptation of idolatry. Why?
When we share at the communion table, we participate in the body and blood of Jesus - when we pursue idolatry, we participate in things demonic. Those two cannot exist together. When we share in the idolatry of our age we demonstrate that we are not totally surrendered to Jesus and have returned to the practices of our previous unredeemed life.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Saturday 24 March 2012
Integrity of Leaders
Christian believers who have been given the mantle of leadership, regardless of the context or venue, have an even greater responsibility for integrity than those in their care. As Paul asserts in 1Tim.3, "If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task." However, "...an overseer must be above reproach... sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable - not violent, not a lover of money." ...above reproach!
Why? Because the behaviour of one leader affects the whole group. Paul said, "A little leaven, leavens the whole lump." (1Cor.5:6) There is a really good example of this in Joshua, chapter seven. The dishonest action of the head of one of the Judah clan families resulted in the removal of Yahweh's protection and empowerment, a humiliating defeat in battle, the death of 36 and the disillusionment of the whole nation of Israel. They knew that if Yahweh wasn't with them, they were done for! "And the hearts of the people melted and became as water." (Josh.7:5) All this as the result of the lack of integrity of one leader!
Friday 23 March 2012
More on Integrity
I have had a few insightful comments on yesterday"s post and have decided to stay with the theme of integrity for today. One of the responders observed that it takes that same kind of integrity to be a committed environmentalist or vegan. The philosophy for living is indeed transferable into other venues. I would go a step further and say that it is essential for the Christian to carry these principles into every aspect of our lives. God has called us to do just that. Care for His creation and justice for God's creatures are actually consequences of committed Christian faith lived out with integrity.
The thing that keeps many believers from living this way is fear. We want to get along, be accepted and thought well of in a society for whom most of these principles are not a priority. Fear of rejection causes us to compromise our integrity. We want to be "safe" and not have to either defend our position to hostile skeptics or have to challenge inappropriate behaviour, thus making us targets for their anger and derision.
Fear of rejection can only be dispelled when we understand how much we are loved and through acceptance of the place and source of our safety. My wife Mary pointed out this morning that Isaac Watts' paraphrase of Psalm 90, O God Our Help in Ages Past, can be of assistance in this area, especially the first two verses.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy Saints may dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
The place of ultimate safety cannot be found in any constructs of humanity, but only in God who created, redeems and sustains us. It is only when we can with assurance say, "Sufficient is Thine arm alone", will we find the courage and confidence to make those decisions of integrity regardless of how difficult they may be or the risk they put us in.
The thing that keeps many believers from living this way is fear. We want to get along, be accepted and thought well of in a society for whom most of these principles are not a priority. Fear of rejection causes us to compromise our integrity. We want to be "safe" and not have to either defend our position to hostile skeptics or have to challenge inappropriate behaviour, thus making us targets for their anger and derision.
Fear of rejection can only be dispelled when we understand how much we are loved and through acceptance of the place and source of our safety. My wife Mary pointed out this morning that Isaac Watts' paraphrase of Psalm 90, O God Our Help in Ages Past, can be of assistance in this area, especially the first two verses.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy Saints may dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
The place of ultimate safety cannot be found in any constructs of humanity, but only in God who created, redeems and sustains us. It is only when we can with assurance say, "Sufficient is Thine arm alone", will we find the courage and confidence to make those decisions of integrity regardless of how difficult they may be or the risk they put us in.
Thursday 22 March 2012
Causing My Brother to Stumble
Lack
of spiritual integrity, either through intention or negligence, is one of the
greatest factors contributing to the rejection of the Gospel. Nonbelievers hear
what we say, but then observe behaviour that differs little from the broken and
fallen world that we claim to have been redeemed from. Our hypocrisy, even unintended, becomes a
stumbling block to others.
This
is the issue Paul is raising in 1Corinthians 8. As
believers, we know that there is really no spiritual power in those things
which happen in non-Christian religious venues. As Paul asserts, there is only,
“one God, the Father from whom are all
things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ…” (1Cor.8:6) However, our knowledge and confidence in this sometimes makes us careless.
By our very presence and even inadvertent assent to things that happen at “pagan” events, use of their symbols or prayer processes, like the Labyrinth or
Transcendental Meditation, or participation in “Eastern” exercise systems like
Tai Chi, Yoga, Chi Gong and various forms of martial arts, we lend them authority…and in doing
so create a spiritual stumbling block for the very people to whom we are called
to witness. "Walking the Talk" may make us unpopular, but is necessary for authentic presentation of the Gospel.
Lord, we ask for the gifts of discernment, attention and courage, that our integrity will demonstrate and offer a redeemed life to the community around us. Amen
Wednesday 21 March 2012
Our Way vs His Way
As I was reading through Deuternomy 9 it occurred to me that we today are just as stubborn and self-centered as the Israelites were in theirs. Through inattention and even deliberate behaviour we, who are supposed to be God's people, return to the place of darkness from which we have just been redeemed! There is just something in our nature which presumes to think we know better than God.
As the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Yahweh warned them not to become enamoured with their own power and might. It was not they who drove the people out before them, but God. It was not their wisdom or strategic prowess, but God's planning and purpose. They were not great agrarians who supplied all Israel needed to eat. It was God's provision that sustained them. They were not righteous unto themselves that Yahweh should reward them, but made righteous because God kept his promises. "Not by might, nor by (your) power, but by my Spirit says the Lord."(Zech.4:6)
Lord, we are not so different from them and confess our sin of presumption. For You alone provide everything that we need. Help us this day to give thanks, to celebrate your awesome grace, unfailing mercy and abundant provision. We pray this in Jesus holy name. Amen
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
As the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Yahweh warned them not to become enamoured with their own power and might. It was not they who drove the people out before them, but God. It was not their wisdom or strategic prowess, but God's planning and purpose. They were not great agrarians who supplied all Israel needed to eat. It was God's provision that sustained them. They were not righteous unto themselves that Yahweh should reward them, but made righteous because God kept his promises. "Not by might, nor by (your) power, but by my Spirit says the Lord."(Zech.4:6)
Lord, we are not so different from them and confess our sin of presumption. For You alone provide everything that we need. Help us this day to give thanks, to celebrate your awesome grace, unfailing mercy and abundant provision. We pray this in Jesus holy name. Amen
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Heir of the Kingdom
Once I "put my hand to the plow" as Jesus said, I have been forever changed. My status has been radically and permanently altered by the love and gift of Christ. Therefore...it makes no sense what-so-ever to return to my former state of destructive behaviour...what Paul in calls "slavery". (Gal.4:1-7)
And yet, I am in some fashion still held captive by this shadow of my former self. Paul asserts that I have become an heir of the kingdom and no longer considered a slave...but I am still tempted to act just like one! Paul insists that the slave mentality needs to be excised...cast out, so that I will no longer be held in bondage to those things whose nature is not of God.
Abba, Father, I no longer want to be held captive by my sin nature, but to live into the promise which was made for me on the cross at Calvary. Come, Lord Jesus, and lead me in the way of righteousness, that I can attain maturity...so that my life will reflect your glory, an example to the world around me of your promise fulfilled.
And yet, I am in some fashion still held captive by this shadow of my former self. Paul asserts that I have become an heir of the kingdom and no longer considered a slave...but I am still tempted to act just like one! Paul insists that the slave mentality needs to be excised...cast out, so that I will no longer be held in bondage to those things whose nature is not of God.
Abba, Father, I no longer want to be held captive by my sin nature, but to live into the promise which was made for me on the cross at Calvary. Come, Lord Jesus, and lead me in the way of righteousness, that I can attain maturity...so that my life will reflect your glory, an example to the world around me of your promise fulfilled.
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