Sunday Quote: The Messiah's Faithfulness

"The Messiah's faithfulness to God's saving purpose has opened the door of the heavenly throne-room itself. That open door reveals not an angry or capricious god, one who might be favourable one day and scowling the next, but the loving father who welcomed them all as beloved children into his presence. Access to him is everything one could want." N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters, p. 37

What Do We Believe about God?

Originally posted on Tuesday, September 7, 2004

“He calls us out of comfort into uncertainty. Faith is all about character, trusting in the character of God, being certain in who God is and following Him into the unknown.” ~ Erwin McManus, Seizing Your Divine Moment

What does your life tell others about the character of God? I am ashamed to admit that my life reveals very little about God's character. The reason is because I have been too afraid to journey into the uncertainty of God's will. I have not trusted God to lead me to the place He wants me to be.

Too often we miss out on God's best for our lives, not because of the wrong we are doing, but because we do not go when He says go. Both are sins. We sin when we do what God has told us not to do, and we sin when we don't do what God has asked us to do. Obedience is not only avoiding what God has told us to avoid, it is also going when God tells us to go.

I think a main reason we don't go is because of fear. We are uncertain of what awaits us. Since we do not know the outcome we hold back, and the result is that we don't do what we know we should do. What do we fear? We are afraid of being rejected, of becoming the subject of jokes, or of failing. In other words we are afraid of negative outcomes.

I have come to believe that the outcome isn't really the most important thing. The most important thing is our obedience. It is through our obedience that we are able to declare to the world the ultimate truth about God. To obey God, especially in the face of uncertainty, tells the world we that we trust God no matter what happens to us.

It is this trait, going with God in the uncertainty of life, which separates us from the faithful we read about in the Bible. Job, Abraham, Joseph, Jonathan, David, and others followed God even though they didn't know the outcome. Their obedience continues to announce the character of God.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:32-40; ESV)

The future is uncertain. God has not promised us that if we do what is right that everything well go well (at least according to our perspective). It is a real possibility that if we summon the courage to talk to a friend about Jesus that we will get laughed at. We could make a stand for what is right and true and be called a bigot and full of hate. God never said that obeying Him would be easy. The reality is that suffering is a part of following Jesus into the unknown. Yet, God has made a promise to us. When we follow Jesus we will discover the life God created us to live. The full life Jesus promised is found on the other side of obedience. Am I willing to obey God in order to discover it?

The First Step of Obedience

I believe that the reason many of us are frustrated in our relationship with God is because of our refusal to really live a life of faith. We are willing to follow Jesus as long as His path seems the right path to take. As soon as it looks like Jesus is leading us off course we will revert back to doing our own thing (which is what we were doing anyway, it just so happened that we thought Jesus was right at the time).

Think about the reality that we will love people, as long as they are people we like and get along with. We will forgive people if as longs as they didn’t hurt us too badly. We will give money, as long as we have some to spare for that new TV we want to get. We will sacrifice as long as there is something in it for us.

Consider this question: What if the life God wants us to live is found on the other side of doing those things that don’t make sense to us? One of the fundamental beliefs that I have is that when we don’t trust Jesus by following His teaching and example; then we miss out on the life God created us to live.

A life of faith isn’t just about acknowledging Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, but it is also trusting Him with the way we live everyday. Think about what John Ortberg wrote in his book If You Want to Walk On Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat:

“If I am going to experience a greater measure of God’s power in my life, it will usually involve the first-step principle. It will usually begin by my acting in faith—trusting God enough to take a step of obedience. Simply acknowledging information about his power is not enough. I have to get my feet wet.” (p. 80)

Many of us haven’t experienced God at work in our lives because we haven’t taken that step of faith. We have been hesitate to get our feet wet and leave the “safety” of what we know. This fear of the unknown paralyzes us and keeps us from living the life God wants us to live.

There is a man we read about in the Gospels that had this very problem.

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.” And he said to him, Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22; ESV)

Jesus asked the Rich Young Man was to do a very difficult task that didn't make a lot of sense. It is easy to criticize this Young Man on this side of history, but imagine Jesus asking you to do the very same thing. Wouldn’t you try to change Jesus’ mind? After all what Jesus asks of this Rich Young Man is rather extreme.

Since it is extreme we generally apply this passage by saying we have to be willing to give up anything that gets in the way of our relationship with God. I don't think that is the application. The application is that we have to do anything Jesus asks us to do, even though we may not understand His command. It is easy to say I am willing to do something; it is quite another thing to actually do it. Here is what Ortberg writes about this incident:

Maybe your boat is success. That was the case for the rich young ruler in the Bible. Jesus asked him to get our of the boat (“sell all that you have, give the money to the poor, and come follow me”) but he decided not to. He had a very nice boat. A yacht. It handled well, and he liked it too much to give it up.

I wonder sometimes if he ever thought about that encounter with Jesus when he reached the end of his life--when he was an old man and his bank account, stock portfolio, and trophy case were full. Did he ever remember the day a carpenter’s son called him to risk the whole thing for one wild bet on the kingdom of God--and he said no? (If You Want to Walk on Water You have to Get Out of the Boat; p. 18)

When we refuse to trust Jesus to lead us by not obeying His will, then we will experience sadness in our lives. The relationship we could have with Jesus remains elusive, not because God doesn't love us, but because we are not willing to trust and obey God. How can Jesus lead us if we are unwilling to follow?

Think about all the wonderful experiences you have missed out on because you refused to trust Jesus. This has been a thought I have pondered a lot this past week. I have not trusted God the way I should and I have not always followed Jesus where He led. By not doing things He has asked me to do I have missed out experiencing Him at work in the world. By doing things He has command me not to do I have hurt people and taken myself a little further away from Him.

We become frustrated and disillusioned in our relationship with God because we have not lived by faith, rather we have lived by sight. When God said go here we stayed put with the things already knew. To have a relationship with God requires us to live a life of faith. Do you trust Jesus enough to follow Him wherever He leads?

The Good of Inconvenience

Originally posted Thursday, June 24, 2004

“How easy it is to begin to assume that I should be comfortable. How quickly I can start to expect an easy and hassle-free ministry.~ John Piper; A Godward Life

Her name is Kylee. I met her this past week as I spent a few days being a family leader and teacher at First Chance Camp. Kylee was in my family, and at first she was very quiet. By the mid-day on the first full day of camp she has attached herself to me, literally. It was an annoyance that she called me Baldy (I had to shave my head this on Saturday as the result of a hair cutting accident), stole my hat, and hung on me constantly. I was more than a little annoyed when she grabbed my hand on Tuesday night and pulled me to campfire so I could sit by her. I wanted to do what ever I could to get away from her.

On the way back from campfire God used this nine-year-old girl to remind me what is important. She told me that in April her dad was killed in an accident, and that I was her dad now. Talk about having my perspective adjusted. Now I understood why she harassed me (or as she put it, terrorized me). While I was so focused on my comfort, I totally missed the pain in Kylee's life.

We all have to deal with difficult people. There are some people who are so needy the drain the strength out of us. There are other people who for some reason just get on our nerves. There are other people who just can't seem to tell the truth to save their lives. Everyone has ‚"unloveable" people in their lives. People we find impossible to love.

The problem is that the reason we believe they are ‚"unlovable" is the side we have seen, the little we know about them. We can't know everything that has gone on in their lives. Tragedy, abuse, accidents, and family life all have a huge impact in making us the people we are. I would bet there is a reason why the annoying people in your life are annoying.

As we seek to tell people about God's love and minister to people in need, we will not always deal with people whose personality will be compatible with ours. Sooner or later as we follow Jesus we will run into people who make life uncomfortable for us. These people provide us with the ultimate test of love. It is easy to love the people we enjoy, but it is something totally different to love the people who get on our nerves and inconvenience our lives.

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:31-34; NIV)

Jesus was being inconvenienced. People were coming from all over to take from Jesus. They were sick, lost, and poor. They had nothing to offer. They just wanted Jesus to help them. There were so many people Jesus hadn't even had time to eat. The desire of Jesus was to retreat, to go to a solitary place and rest. That didn't happen. Instead people discovered were He was heading, and met Him there. Jesus offers no rebuke or excuse. Instead He has compassion on them and He takes time to minister to them.

This is our example on how we need to act towards others. Yes we may be tired, we may be uncomfortable, and we maybe inconvenienced, but we should do our best to help the people who come to us for help. We have compassion on them, not because they have something to offer to us, but because they are in need of God's love.

On the last day of camp, Kylee's mom came to pick her up. She explained to me how Kylee's father died and apologized if she had been nuisance. I shook my head and said, “She was no problem.” My perspective had changed. I know longer saw Kylee as an annoyance, but a little girl who needed to be loved. May we all show compassion to those inconvenient people in our lives.

Don't Be Ashamed

Since I have pledged my life to Christ Jesus, I need to live my life in such a way as to honor Him. To do anything else would bring shame to my life. One of the constant prayers of my life NEEDS to be: Father, grant me the wisdom, strength, and courage to live a life worthy of Your Son, Jesus.

This appears to be the prayer of the apostle Paul:

I honestly expect and hope that I will never do anything to be ashamed of. Whether I live or die, I always want to be as brave as I am now and bring honor to Christ.” ~ Philippians 1:20; CEV

The Apostle knew that his honor was connected to his commitment to Jesus. Paul had pledged his allegiance to Jesus, and his honor depended on living out his loyalty to his Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

This isn’t just about not doing wrong, but also showing the bravery as we do the right thing. It would bring shame to Paul to avoid doing what he knew Christ called him to do because he was afraid. Prison, court trials, and beatings didn’t make Paul feel ashamed, in fact they were a source of pride for him. Paul saw these things as badges of honor he received for bravely following Jesus. In Paul’s mind it would have been shameful for him not to endure these things because he was too afraid to live out his commitment to Jesus.

Refusing to do good, because of my fear, is just as shameful as being caught doing something that is sinful. It may not seem like it since people won’t be able to see where I have refused to obey, but it brings dishonor into my life none the less. The sinful behavior and the refusal to obey are equal because they both rob Jesus of the honor that He deserves.

Courage is what is needed to live life that brings glory and honor to Christ Jesus. Where does courage come from? How can I live a life of courage?

Coercion or Compassion?

To be a follower of Christ means to have compassion for people in need. It should break our hearts to see people oppressed, hungry, sick, and lonely. If we are not moved to compassion by the plight of those in need then we have a huge red flag in regards to our relationship with God. That red flag should cause us to examine whether or not we are really following Jesus.

The debate about compassion and loving our neighbor that the Church faces right now doesn’t center on whether or not we should be actively involved in alleviating human suffering, but whether or not the Church should partner with government to accomplish this task. Let me make this point: Those of us who oppose the government solution do so, not because we are indifferent to the suffering of the poor, but because we believe the government will make the situation worse.

Not only do I believe that government intervention will make things worse, I also believe that it robs people of the choice and the opportunity to actually show compassion in a meaningful way. When the government takes money from me through taxes and uses that money to provide something (food, health care, housing) for someone else, I have not shown one ounce of compassion. In other words I have not fulfilled the commandment to love my neighbor. What has happened is that I have been coerced, through the threat of fines and jail time, to part with some of the money I have earned. This is done through taxes. I have no say in how that money will be used, whether it will be used to make bombs or provide food, I simply comply to the demands of the State or face the penalties.*

When the government takes my money, which I have earned by using the talents and opportunities God has given me, it robs me of the choice of how to use that money. I also believe that it prevents me from choosing to show compassion to those in need. Thus the government becomes an obstacle that I have to overcome in order to show real love and compassion to people.

I know what you are thinking, “Steele, you have plenty of money, the government doesn’t take all of your money. You are free to choose to use that money in a compassionate way.” This is true up to a point. There are also the real costs of living to consider and the debts that need to be paid. The reality is that I only have a limited amount of money that the government can be generous with before I become one of those in need.

Sure it would be nice if everyone could have health care coverage, affordable housing, and food to eat, but that is not going to be the reality in this world of sin that we live in. It also needs to be pointed out that the government produces none of these things. For the government to provide for one group of people it must take from another group of people. Do you really want to tell me that is fair? It is wrong for the government to take from me to give to you, even if you are in great need. It is never right to coerce people to do something, even if that something is a good thing. Coercion doesn’t become right just because the government, or even the Church, does it.

Since the government doesn’t produce anything all it can do is coerce people to give what they have produced and give that to someone else. It is impossible to keep taking from one group of people, sooner or later there comes a breaking point. The government can only take so much before those who are being robbed become the very ones who need help.

If you want to follow the way of coercion that is your choice, but I will promise you that it will not lead to the transformation of society you hope to see. The reason it won't lead to transformation is because it is always wrong to take from one person and give to other. Instead of leading to transformation it will lead to resentment and hostility.

The way of transformation is the way of compassion. It happens as individuals choose to give, and at times sacrifice, the blessings God has given to them in order to help those in need. Compassion transforms the person who gives, and provides the opportunity for the person who receives to be transformed as well.

Jesus taught that at the final judgment it would be our individual acts of compassion that would identify us as being part of His kingdom. Consider what Jesus said about the righteous:

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25: 37-40; ESV)

Notice that the righteous choose to show individual and simple acts of compassion. We need to remember that at its core the problem of suffering are individual people who are in desperate need, and at the end of the day no amount of money is going to make a difference. That is why the personal component is so important, and no government program or agency can offer real compassion.

It is interesting to note that these people were not out to serve Jesus by serving people, but rather they were simply being themselves. The righteous had been so transformed by the love of God and so given over to following Jesus that showing compassion was actually part of their nature. May I become that type of person. So in the end the righteous served, not because they were coerced but because they were moved by compassion. It is that reality that revealed them as true citizens of the Kingdom.

* I am not against paying taxes. The government is necessary and there are certain functions that it needs perform. I would also point out that when the government can raise our taxes at will then we are under a form of tyranny that our founding fathers never intended us to accept.

Sunday Quote: Exalting God

"God is exalted in our honesty when we look to him and not to our schemes. And when God is exalted in our lives, we discover what we were created to be. No pursuit of self-enhancement without this exaltation of God will succeed. But if we humble ourselves with confidence in God's future grace, and by this faith submit to this command for promise-keeping integrity, then he will exalt us in due time (Luke 18:14). Because to exalt the one who keeps promises by trusting God is to exalt the One trusted." ~ John Piper, A Godward Life , p. 139

Obedience and Prayer

God taught me a lesson today. I have committed myself to taking communion to two ladies in the nursing home on a regular basis. I want to do on Tuesday mornings, but put it off yesterday by saying I would do it today. As I was praying through my prayer list I decided not to go, because I want to go around 10AM, since I was in prayer.

The problem was that once I made that decision my heart became very unsettled. I no longer could concentrate on praying and I felt extremely guilty. So I ended my prayer time, got communion ready, and yet to the nursing home. I wasn’t there for very long, but I did read scripture, talk a bit, prayed, and served communion. When I left their rooms, both ladies told me how much they appreciated my visit.

When I got back to the office I was able to finish praying and work on my sermon on Sunday. There was no guilty feeling or thinking: “I need to do that.” There was peace in my heart.

I need to remember not to get caught up in being religious so I can be obedient. Religious activities and spiritual activities can be used as a smoke screen for not obeying what God has asked me to do. I can justify it by saying: “I am praying.” or “I am reading the Bible.”, but the reality these are excuses I use to keep from doing those things I don’t want to do. Obedience is more important that prayer when I use prayer as an excuse not to be obedient.

Father help me to be obedient and not lose myself in being religious.

Being Prepared

Posted Wednesday November 9, 2005

“You may truly believe that you are meant to be married--but God may have some things He wants to teach you, some ways He wants to see you grow--before you take that step. For one, He may be teaching you to wait patiently on Him.” ~ Rebecca St. James; Wait for Me

We are so impatient. It is hard for us to wait for anything, especially if it is something that we really want. What we end up doing in so often is charging ahead, even when we are not fully prepared to handle the situation. How many bad marriages are the result of people not willing to wait until they were better prepared to be married?

What Rebecca St. James mentions about marriage can be applied to other areas of our life. In Experiencing God Henry Blackaby mentions seminary students whom he has known who felt the call of God to go into ministry, but who did not want to wait to be prepared for that responsibility. They dropped out of seminary and shipwrecked their ministries because they were not adequately prepared.

God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, but Abraham was a man without a child. It was about twenty-five years before God brought Isaac into Abraham’s life. What did God do during those twenty-five years? He prepared Abraham to be the father Isaac needed and as a result Abraham is the example of faith that we still look to today.

I believe that often God is more concerned with this act of preparation than He is of the ministry He has called us to accomplish. Yes, the ministry allows us to impact the lives of other people, but that only happens because God has been working in our lives to mold us into the people He wants us to be. The life of faith is developed in risking and in waiting patiently. There are times when we need to be patient and allow God to work in our lives.

Don’t get discouraged because it seems like your life hasn’t been very effective. Remain faithful because sooner or later God will use you to do something great for His Kingdom. Preparing always takes longer than the actually event. From football games to concerts we see this fact played out everyday of our lives. If we are properly prepared than we will be able to do what God has planned for us to the best of our abilities.

Finding Hope in Grace

“Only when sin is seen in all its horror does grace appear next to it in all its splendor. Viewing God’s gracious gift of our salvation against any backdrop other than our hopelessness does it a disservice.” ~ William Pile, What the Bible Says About Grace, p. 33

This past Sunday I preached from Matthew 18:21-35 which is the parable of the unmerciful servant. A quick summary of the parable is the king decides it is time to take care of the books. One of his servants owes an astronomical amount to the king. When the servant pleads for mercy, the king forgives the debt. The astounding part of the story comes when the forgiven servant encounters a fellow servant who owes him a significant, but manageable, amount of money. The forgiven servant threatens the other servant and ignores his pleas for mercy and throws the servant in prison until the debt could be paid. Servants who witnessed both encounters tell the king what happened, and the king calls the forgiven servant back into his presence. The king condemns the servant, takes away his forgiveness, and throws the servant into prison.

What occurred to me as I worked on the sermon last week is how we tend to minimize our sin. Working with the estimates given in one of the commentaries I was using about how big a debt 10,000 talents would be, I came up with the number of $7,000,000,000. Yes, that is right 7 billion dollars. That is what caught my attention, because that reminded me that there is no way I could ever repay a loan that was that large. I would be in a hopeless situation.

I think too many of us view the grace of God as making up the little bit of righteousness that we didn’t have on our own. It is like God demands that we have 100 pounds of righteousness, and when He measures the righteousness of our lives He comes up with 80 pounds. This is where Jesus steps in and gives us the 20 pounds that we lack. Since this is the situation, we are grateful for the gift, but we can imagine that given a little more time we could have made up that last 20 pounds.

We have totally lost sight to what reality is. Jesus doesn’t step in to make up the difference in our lives, but Jesus gives us life. Sin steals away our righteousness and our life. Inherently there is nothing good about us because of sin. We are doomed for destruction. An eternity would not be sufficient time for us to make up for the evil we have done and how we have participated in the destruction of God’s creation. Sin makes our existence hopeless.

The beauty of grace is that it is totally undeserved and it is completely God at work. There is no reason why God should forgive us, should give us life, or should love us, but He does and that makes all the difference. Instead of hopelessness we can life a life of hope and meaning.

One of the challenges that we face in a culture that believes that given a little more time and a little more hard work everything will be made right in the world is to help people understand how hopeless and futile life is without God, and once the stage is set to bring out the Good News of Grace. That even though we are hopeless there is hope, and His name is Jesus.

I am afraid until we grasp this reality we will never appreciate the grace of God, and thus we will cheapen it and disregard it. God’s grace is to wonderful to be treated like that, and so plead with you to remember that you are hopeless by yourself, and it is only through God’s grace that you discover what hope and life are all about.

Sunday Quote: Sin Alienates

“And sin always alienates us from God. This needs emphasis in a day like our own when people take sin so lightly. It does not worry us and for the life of us we cannot see why it should worry God. But the Bible is clear. Sin forms an impenetrable barrier, shutting off blessing. Sin keeps us away from God.” ~ Leon Morris, The Atonement, p. 146

A Light in the Heart

Originally posted Monday March 8, 2004

"Divine moments contain the power to usher in the kingdom of God. When we choose to live our lives in such a way that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven, the kingdom of God prevails over the kingdom of darkness." ~ Erwin McManus, Seizing Your Divine Moment

I could hear the others calling in the darkness, though I could not see them. The darkness seemed to be different than anything I had experienced before. It seemed to creep and to cover. It seemed to be alive. A great doubt crept into my heart and I realized our mission was doomed to fail, there was no way we could overcome such great darkness. As I was ready to give into my despair I remembered; “My Word provides light for your journey.” Once again Arkia’s promise brought hope out of despair.

I could sense another next to me. I put my hand on his shoulder. “The darkness is overwhelming. All is lost.” Halen whispered. “Take courage my friend.” I responded. “All is not lost. Do not focus on the darkness around you. Think about the light Arkia has placed in your heart.”

“It seems such a small thing compared to this vast darkness. How can such a small light make a difference?” I smiled and lifted my staff. “Arkia, the Keeper of Light, illuminate the way” I prayed.
My staff began to glow providing us light. “Even the smallest light is able to chase the darkness away. Come let us find our friends.” ~ from The Quest of Justus

I have a desire to write a fantasy story for my nieces and nephews. Halen and Justus are two of the main characters of this story I hoped to write. Here they have landed in Akeldama in hopes of rescuing Justus’ true love.

This weekend I have been feeling very much like the heroes in this story. The truth is I wrote this in response to what I was feeling because I couldn’t describe it adequately any other way.

From sex scandals on college campuses to the talk of homosexual marriage it seems there is a tremendous darkness which has descended on the land. Saturday I felt overwhelmed by it as I wondered what I could do. Tears came to my eyes as I thought about the number of people who are missing the best life has to offer because they choose not to have a relationship with God. I wanted to do something, to fight the darkness, but I there was nothing I could think to do. It was at this time, as I was giving into the darkness and despair that I remembered this passage.

"You are the light of the world--like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father" (Matthew 5:14-16; NLT).

The best way we can fight the darkness we find around us is to shine. We need to show the world there is a better way to live. Sermonizing and condemning will not stop people from living in the darkness. People need to see the light. What the world so desperately needs is to see that the Word of God is relevant to their lives. Living in the light brings evidence to the dark world: God’s Way is the Way to live!

White Washed Tombs

Originally posted on Saturday May 8, 2004

“If we fail to keep our hearts clean, the rest of our lives will stagnate and become dirty.” ~ Joshua Harris, I Kissed Dating Goodbye

Normal people do not like to be dirty. We will work hard and become all sweaty and dirty, but the first chance we get we will hop in the shower to wash all the grime away. Most of us find dirt and stench repulsive. That is why we have such a strong desire to be clean; we don’t want to be repulsive to other people. I believe all of us would admit that we go to great lengths to be clean, to smell nice, and be presentable to the public.

While we may take great pains to stay clean on the outside, many of us live in pig pens spiritually. People may be able to praise us for our wonderful good looks, the way we smell, the amazing talents that we have, or the nice things we do for others, but they have no idea about the thoughts and desires lurking in our hearts. The result is that these people who lavish us with praise have no idea what we do when no one else is around. The truth is that we can hide a terribly sinful life in a perfectly clean body.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28; ESV).

Jesus went after the Pharisees because their focus was on a religious appearance that would be praised by men, rather than pursuing the desires of God. The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day were consumed with their appearance, tedious rituals, and public acts of righteousness. That led to them ignoring the poor, the outcast, and God. The Pharisees may have had a great religious appearance, but their hearts told a different story.

Jesus taught that whatever is in our hearts will eventually overflow into our lives. That means we have to start putting into our hearts things which are positive, things that will make us attractive to God. The apostle Paul said it this way:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9; ESV).

If we want to look good on the inside as well as the outside we need to put into our lives things that are good and will benefit the new heart God has given us in Christ Jesus. Bible study (personal study as well as sitting under good Bible teachers), prayer, and worship must all be a part of our lives. Our entertainment must be wholesome and uplifting. We must learn to throw out evil thoughts and think about what is righteous.

Not only do we have to take control of what comes into our minds and our hearts, but we also need to take control of what comes out. We cannot just play church, but we must be ready to step up and put our hearts into action. The love we have for God should be seen in the way we live our lives. The trust we have for Jesus needs to be seen in our obedience to His teachings.

My plea today is simple: Don't be a whitewashed tomb, but be a beautiful temple.

Plead for Mercy

The way of Jesus sounds easy. After all the great commandments we are to follow are to love God and to love people, that should be easy. We understand that the world would be a better place if we loved each other, and we understand that our lives would be better if we loved each other, so it is a no-brainer that we should love.

While the way of Jesus sounds easy and we understand that it is the best way to live, we rarely live up to the commandments. To truly love people is far more difficult than it sounds, and we cannot love God without loving the people created in His image. If we are expecting to justify ourselves, then we are out of luck.

Luke 10:25-31 is the account of one of Jesus’ best known parables: the parable of the Good Samaritan. When we look at the entire context of what Jesus taught, I think we will see that Jesus’ point was greater than having compassion on those in need.

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25- 37; ESV)

The parable itself is pretty straight forward, but remember Jesus told the parable in response to two questions: how do I inherit eternal life? and who is my neighbor? When we look remember these questions we will see that the message of Jesus is larger than having compassion on the needy.

What did the lawyer, the man who was educated in Jewish law, mean when he asked Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Remember the lawyer is trying to test Jesus with this question, so while it may seem like an easy question for us, it was a debated issue in the day of Jesus.

There are two basic elements that make of the lawyers question. The first is whether or not there is resurrection. For those first century Jews who believed in resurrection they did not see eternal life in the same terms that we tend to see it. For them resurrection and eternal life was about vindication for keeping the Law and ruling in God’s Kingdom. Which shows us the second element of the lawyer’s question: how can I keep the entire law? So is it really surprising that the lawyer came up with the same answer that Jesus would later give to a similar question: what is the greatest commandment?

The lawyer, after answering correctly, asks a followup question, “Who is my neighbor?” The first question was to test Jesus, this question was to justify himself. He wanted to be able to tell Jesus that he was loving his neighbor and thus deserved to be vindicated by resurrection when God’s Kingdom came. The problem is that Jesus wouldn’t allow the lawyer to justify himself. Instead, he challenged the lawyers assumptions about God’s love and God’s Kingdom. While there was a debate about who was included by the term neighbor in first century Judaism, none of those debates would have included a Samaritan. Samaritans were outsiders and defilers of Judaism, and thus would never be included in God’s Kingdom. Yet, it is a Samaritan, rather than the Jewish religious elite, who is the hero of the story. He proved to be the neighbor of the man in need.

What does Jesus tell the lawyer to do? The lawyer, if he is going to inherit eternal life, needs to follow the example of the Samaritan: “You go, and do likewise.” Not only does this parable remind us of the great importance of showing compassion to people in need and reminding us of the universal nature of God’s Kingdom, but it also shows us that we are in trouble. The parable made it impossible for the lawyer to justify himself, and it makes it impossible for us to justify ourselves. If the way to inherit eternal life is by loving people, even our enemies, we are in trouble. There are days when we cannot even love those who we are closest to, let alone those people whom we dislike. I believe one of the points Jesus wants us to take away from this parable is that it is impossible for us to inherit eternal life on our own. We cannot shrink the circle of our neighbor small enough to be justified. So if we cannot accomplish this impossible task, what is our hope?

Later on in the book of Luke we run across another parable of Jesus that provides the answer.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14; ESV)

The Pharisee in the parable tried to justify himself through all the things he had done, just like the lawyer to justify himself by showing Jesus all the people he loved, and both failed to realize that no amount of good in a person’s life can overcome the bad. So we meet the tax collector, a man’s whose whole life was filled with bad, and he pleads for God’s mercy. He is the person who is justified, not based on what he did, but based on God’s mercy.

Here is my point: we need to plead for God’s mercy. We cannot justify ourselves because we cannot love like we should and we cannot overcome the bad we have already done in our lives. Our only hope is to fall on our face before Jesus and ask for mercy, which not only includes eternal life, but also transformation. We need to be in prayer asking for God’s mercy so we will be transformed into people who can love the way God created us to love. Instead of seeking to justify ourselves we need to plead for mercy. That is our only hope.

Keep On Fighting

Originally posted on Monday, June 7, 2004

It is impossible to walk closely with God when we insist on following our own path. We cannot follow Jesus and continue live in our sin at the same time. To continue a lifestyle of sin prohibits us from having the type of relationship with God that He wants to have with us.

The problem is that at times it seems we have this dual personality. On the one hand we have a desire to follow Jesus and to trust in the power of God to change our lives, this is the true desire of our heart. On the other hand we are tempted to sin and to do our own thing, this is the craving of our flesh. We struggle with these desires and a battle between right and wrong rages within us. It is an internal battle, one only known to us, hidden from all others.

Recently I had my 5-year-old nephew, Alexander, stay with me. One of the things we did was watch Spider-Man cartoons. One of Spider-Man's enemies is a villain by the name of the Green Goblin. The true identity of the Green Goblin is Norman Osborne. Osborne wants to do good and he struggles against the Green Goblin side of his personality, actually carrying on a conversation with himself. Norman Osborne isn't a criminal, but the Green Goblin is. It is a battle that Norman Osborne cannot win, and no matter how hard he struggles he eventually gives into the part of him that is the Green Goblin.

I see this as such a good illustration of our lives. We don't want to do the evil our flesh desires, but rather we want to follow Jesus and obey God. With our flesh always right there beckoning us to give in and surrender to sin it is nearly impossible to overcome sin and follow Jesus. Our will power is not enough to keep us from giving into the temptation we face.

We cannot struggle against the desires of our flesh simply by our will power. We are not strong enough. One reason we cannot win this fight by our strength is because we get a reward for our sin. If there was not some form of pleasure connected with our sin we would not do it. That is why so many sins, if not all, are addictive. Our sins give us a certain "high" which we enjoy. Yes, we may feel guilty afterwards, but there is a pleasure for a moment.

A second reason we cannot overcome our sin and win is because sin has already defeated us. We are trapped in the sin’s power, and therefore we are at its mercy. Sin has us wrapped in chains and we do not have the key to unlock them and live with true freedom. We need a hero, someone to rescue us from the grips of sin.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25; ESV)

Jesus is the hero we need to bring freedom to our lives. In Jesus we find forgiveness for our sins, purpose for our lives, and hope for the future. These things are all needed if we are going to discovery victory over the sin that holds us in its clutches.

What does all this have to do with our struggle against sin right now? We need to remember that our sin is already taken care of. The sin we have in our lives is not who we are (Romans 7:17, 18). When we have been united with Jesus we become God's children, priests, saints, and a holy people belonging to God.

We also need to remember that instead of focusing on the struggle, we need to focus on following Jesus. By listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and doing the things God tells us to do in His Word (not just avoiding the things He has commanded us to avoid) will reshape our lives. Instead of a life lived by the flesh we will live our lives by our hearts, the new hearts God has given us. As we learn to live by these hearts we will become better equipped to take on the temptations or our flesh.

It certainly becomes tiring fighting this constant battle with sin. At times we feel like giving up and living like the rest of the world does, looking for ways to satisfy the desires of our flesh. I want to encourage you not to give up. The flesh is temporary and it cannot off you any real satisfaction. Only a relationship with God can provide us with what we are searching for in our lives.

Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their flesh will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. (Galatians 6:7-9; NLT)

I hope you have a battle raging inside of you. I pray that you experience this ‚"dual personality" of the flesh and the spirit. It is through this battle that we know we are on the road God wants us to be on. If there is no struggle that is an indication that we are not following God. So for my battle weary comrades I want to encourage you not to give up, keep on fighting. Our faithfulness will be rewarded. That is the promise of God.

Misusing Christianity

Originally posted on Wednesday, 24 November 2004

“But, Sir, his religion has been greatly corrupted, and many of his professed friends have been his real enemies. The gospel has been made an engine of power in the hands of kings and priests, converted into a matter of state policy, made subservient to the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life.” ~ Alexander Campbell in a letter to Charles Cassedy (The Millennial Harbinger; May 1833)

Many times in an effort to discredit Christianity people will point out all the bad things “Christian” people have done all the while proclaiming they were doing what God wanted them to do. From the Crusades to the guy who bombs abortion clinics Christianity has been misused and misquoted to justify doing evil. While these people professed to be God’s friends they were, and are, actually His enemies.

The misuse of Christianity by people claiming to be Christians is not evidence against the truthfulness of Christianity. It is evidence that people are ultimately responsible for their own actions. God is no more responsible for the sinful actions of the "Christian" man who lives a double life of adultery than He is for the actions Charles Manson. We are all responsible for the choices we make.

It is also evidence for what the Bible says: Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world (1 Peter 2:12; NLT). A faithful life brings honor to God, but when Christians are not careful on how they live and they openly disobey God, then the opposite will happen. God will be ridiculed, the love He has for people will be questioned, and the Way He has established will be opposed.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be corrupted and the world continues to question its validity. Here is the great mistake that the Church in the United States has made: we have made our morality a matter of state policy. We have some how gotten it into our minds that in order to honor God we have to stand up and fight for the morality He has established. That would be true if Jesus died to make men moral, but Jesus died to make men alive.

God is not honored when there is an amendment to the constitution defining marriage to be between a man and a woman. God is honored when a Christian couple remains married in the face of the immorality which is all around. God is not honored when the Ten Commandments are posted in every court room in the country. God is honored when Christians love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength while loving their neighbors as themselves. God is not honored when people say a pray before a school event. God is honored when Christian people, when they are alone, spend time in prayer to their Creator.

God is honored when Christian people stand up and become a voice for the unborn. God is honored when Christian people sacrifice and adopt unwanted children. Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us (James 1:27; NLT). As Christians we need to fight for those who have no voice.

Here is my point. What God is interested in is not that Christians stand up and get laws passed based on the morality He has given to us. God is interested in people accepting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This country is going to come to an end, and it is going to happen if homosexuals are allowed to marry or not. Yet every single person living in this country will exist forever. That means the most important thing we can do is help people find life, not force them to live to our morality.

Our Moral Responsibility

Originally posted on Wednesday, 10 November 2004

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or who are greedy or are swindlers or idol worshipers. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” ~ 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; NLT

The greatest frustration I have with the Church in the United States is our political involvement. We are horrified that the people of the world are acting like the people of the world and we want to be put a stop to it. The result has been Christians mobilized to go to the voting booths to vote their “conscious” so that the country they live in will reflect their morals.

As a result Christians have forgotten two important truths. First, people without Jesus are not saved, no matter how they live. The heterosexual couple living together outside of marriage is just as evil as the homosexual couple seeking to be married; God draws no distinction between the two. By keeping them from doing certain behaviors doesn’t make them people fit for Heaven. While we would love for the entire country to have the same morals as we do it isn’t morality which saves people. People living seemingly moral lives helps us forget their great need for a Savior.

Second, the greatest danger to the Church of Jesus Christ is not the morality of the world, but the morality of those who call themselves Christians. This is where the Church should focus their energy; not the immorality of the world. When so-called Christians fail to live up to the teachings of Jesus then the Truth we have to share loses its value in the eyes of the world.

Church, you want to make a difference in this world? You want to stop abortions from happening? You want people to live moral lives? Then get out into the world and live like followers of Jesus. Love the unwed mothers. Care for the helpless and the weak. Take time to make a difference in the community you live in. The early church made an impact in their world not because they petitioned the Roman government, but because they sacrificed and lived like Disciples of Christ.

In the Old Testament the morality of Israel was very important. Under the New Covenant what matters is not the morality of a nation, but the morality of God”s People, the Church. When the Church lives the way God has commanded it effect the world. Our main concern as Christians is not getting our moral agenda passed by the Government, but living moral lives which affect those around us.
Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. ~ James 1:27 (NLT)

Not a Christian Nation

Originally posted on Thursday, 15 July 2004

“America has been known as a Christian nation due to the tremendous impact that the Christian faith has had on our society. At the same time, the Christian faith has become delusional, over-identifying itself with the society as a whole. A Christian revolution must live in tension with human societies and cultures. The ultimate goal of American Christianity should not be to make us good citizens but to make us revolutionaries in the cause of Jesus Christ.” ~ Erwin McManus; An Unstoppable Force

Is there any more dividing issue in our society than politics? In this war of values and ideologies it is hard to discuss things logically without our emotions getting involved. While harsh things are side by both sides about the other, each has the same goal, what is best for this country. Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, though some of us would hate to admit it, both want what is best for the citizens of this great nation. Each group approaches it for different angles, with different backgrounds, and different values, there is still the common goal.

What I want to remind you of today is that as first and foremost citizens of God’s great and awesome kingdom we have to rise above all of this. Our methods should not be the methods of the world. The way we seek to make the United States better shouldn’t be through the same means as the Republicans or the Democrats seek to make a difference. The Apostle Paul tells us; For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4; NASB). Our weapons are Truth, hope, and service all wrapped in love. These weapons are powerful enough to knock down the dividing walls that politics raises up.

I say this because I believe a great many of us have been distracted. We see the evil going on around us and the moral decay destroying the foundations of our country. We want to do something about it, so we turn to the government. We clamor for laws and for a correct reading of the Constitution.

The truth is that the United States is in moral upheaval, not because of laws and court decisions, but because of sin. There is no longer a common morality held by the people of this country. John Adams, the second president of the United States pointed out, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

For people apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ sexual sin, greed, murder, and discrimination are par for the course. As Christians we shouldn’t expect the people of this world to live any differently than that. No laws, no logical argument, or more education will make people good. It is only through surrendering our lives to Jesus that happens.

So the most important thing American Christian can do is to live lives of hope and love. Remember what Peter wrote?

Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world (1 Peter 2:12; NLT).

This is my plea to you. Concentrate on these two actions.

Pray. I know that is the standard Sunday School answer, but the truth is that we haven’t been being praying the right prayer. We have being asking God to change the sinners in the world. Instead we need to be asking God to make us holy. When we face the sin in our lives and pursue the holiness of God, He will make us highways over which change will come.

The second action is serve. In the Church we have written mission statements and talked about programs to bring people to us. The Bible is clear on how to make a church grow. It is not by sitting up shop on a street corner and inviting everyone who comes by to stop and listen. The Church grows when Christians get out of the pews and into the communities, serving and loving those in need.

I know this sounds too simple and like it won’t make a difference. But isn’t that when God displays His power the most?

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:27-29; NRSV).

Let me leave you with this quote by Dr. Michael Brown from his book Revolution.

All true revolution begins with a belief, with a dream, before it turns into action. The Lord has a plan of action for you! But it must flow out of your loyalty to Him, out of your dedication to His cause. He came to set captives free, but they will remain in bondage unless we tell them the good news.

It is more important that we help set captives free than get the right political agenda passed. That is the work we have been called to do.

God's Ambassadors

Originally posted on Thursday, 17 Jun 2004

“But my heart cry is to say it is crucial that we hold ourselves accountable to a life of holiness--that if we walk righteously, there will come a response from God. Our lives will be a highway over which God shall come.”~ Henry Blackaby, Holiness

It is a great frustration I have to see the church get so heavily involved in politics. The American Church has so closely tied their faith and Patriotism so that the two are almost one. To be a Christian is to be an American and to be an American is to be Christian. We begin to think that the government exists to promote life the way we think it should be.

American Christians tend to overstate the importance of the faith of the founding fathers. We get so very upset at the thought that the words Under God might be removed from the pledge or that the Ten Commandments can’t be posted in court houses and schools.

I really believe that American Christians are far more interested in living in a country in which we don’t have to worry about being persecuted or laughed at. We want life to go smoothly and to live out our faith quietly.

I am sorry that is not the life God has called us to live. God has not called Christians to preserve the Union and to keep the United States a “Christian” nation. The United States is not the New Israel, we are not a theocracy. God’s primary concern is not that the United States has a government which agrees with Him. God’s primary concern is a Church which follows Him.

As an American I deeply love this country. I am very thankful for men like my grandpa Huff who fought in World War II to keep this country free. It is a blessing to be able to enjoy this freedom. Yet, political freedom is not what we called to protect. We were called to bring spiritual freedom to a world that is tied with the chains of sins.

The only way we can do this is by doing what God asked us to do. Not petition the government to change or make laws. We are to be God’s ambassadors. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20; NLT). Our allegiance is first to God, we are to promote His kingdom above anything else.

The problem the Church has when we allow ourselves to get so involved with politics is that we immediately turn people off. Politics is very divisive. Already Evangelical Christians are equated with Conservatives. We are viewed as closed minded, bigoted, and legalistic. The Church’s efforts to get involved in politics has done more harm for God’s kingdom than good.

This country will not be changed through laws. It will not be changed though different Supreme Court Justices. The only way this country will change is because Jesus Christ once again rules in the hearts of the majority of her people.

Rather than getting so worked up about gay marriages and the pledge of allegiance we need to focus our efforts on telling others about Jesus. Not just talking with people, but showing people God’s love. The Church needs to get out of politics and start getting involved in people’s lives. Only when our focus is on helping those in need, ministering to those who are sick, and reaching out to the lonely will the voice of the Church be heard.

The power of the Church is not found in political might, it is found in the way we live.

Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone (Colossians 4:5, 6; NLT).

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us (James 1:27; NLT).

Be very careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world (1 Peter 2:12; NLT).

By living holy lives we provide a highway over which God’s truth and love can travel. Until we live this way all our efforts and all our words will be nothing but a noisy cymbal to a world looking for relevance and truth.

Our goal as American Christians should not be to have a land in which we are free from persecution. Our goal should be to help the Kingdom of God grow throughout the world. We are first and foremost a citizens of God’s Kingdom, it is time that we lived like it.

The Answer is not the Government

One thing that ticks me off is when people want to use the name of Christ Jesus to promote bad public policy. I noticed this happening today on Facebook. Christians, who have the best intentions, will remind us that Jesus wants us to help the poor, and so we should support health care reform coming out of Washington. The question I want us to consider is this: Is government the means Jesus wants us to help the poor?

Let me be clear on this point. Our national and state government have a role to play in helping people in need, but that does not abdicate the Church from helping the poor. The Church’s position should not be, “Let the government handle it.” Instead our response to the need in the world should be, “What can we do to help?”

The reason I think national health care reform is a bad idea is not because I don’t want to help needy people, but because I think it will harm the poor more than it will help them. Government has a terrible track record effectively running anything. Look at the quality of education in this country or the fact that social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are nearing bankruptcy and tell me you really trust the federal government to run a national health insurance program that will actually work.

Besides our government’s incompetence at running supposedly vital programs there is one other truth we have to consider: ALL governments are corrupt. True, some are more corrupt than others, but that does not mean that the government of the United States is innocent. The fact that our bloated government has so often ignored the Constitution, the very law of our nation, tells us that we are dealing with a corrupt government. Since it is corrupt that means health care reform has less to do with helping people in need than it does with consolidating more power. Trust me on this, the powers that be are using the poor to get more power.

The biggest problem of letting the government take care of the needy is that it allows us, the Church of Jesus Christ, to ignore the pain and suffering which exists in this broken and fallen world. We are able to turn a blind eye to what is going on and tell ourselves that someone else is taking care of it. The more government gets involved the less involved Christians will be, and Christians need to be involved in order to truly help people.

Instead of inviting government in to fix the problem we should be insist that the government get less and less involved so people, the true innovators and conduits of compassion can be unleashed on the world. This used to be true. When this country first started it was the Church who started schools and colleges so people could receive an education. Christians started hospitals to minister to the sick. Local churches helped feed the poor by establishing soup kitchens and food pantries. This says nothing of the reality of Christians who every day dug into their pockets to help their neighbors in need.

Then the government got involved and pushed away the Church by making laws which made it more difficult for ordinary people and churches to help in a real way. I know this a simplistic explanation of things, but there is truth to it. When the government gets involved it becomes harder to actually help people in a real and beneficial way.

Followers of Jesus Christ have a personal obligation to help the poor, the sick, and the helpless. We are called to minister to their physical needs. It is interesting to note that many times when Jesus entered a village He took the time to heal people. Caring for the physical needs of people helps establish a relationship with them. Having a relationship with a person is essential for us to accomplish our second obligation to those in need: caring for their spiritual needs. Jesus didn’t just come to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and comfort the lonely, but He came to preach the Gospel. What is the Gospel? Let me tell you what it is not. The Gospel is not that if we accept Jesus as Savior we go to heaven when we die. The Gospel is much grander than that.

The Gospel Jesus preached was: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:14, 15). The Gospel of Christ Jesus is that God is breaking into this world, that creation will be restored, wrongs are going to be made right, and all those who renounce their loyalty to the kingdom of this world and declare loyalty to the King Jesus have a part to play in God’s Kingdom. The Gospel isn’t that we have life after we die, it is that we life right now. That is what people need to hear.

This isn’t just a message people need to hear, but it is a Gospel we need to live. If we live out the Gospel of Christ Jesus then there is no need for the government to get involved in caring for people in need, because they will just mess things up. The answer to our health care crisis is not more government, but less government so Christians can actually live out the Gospel. The answer is not the government, but the answer is the Church. Only the Church can bring the restorative power of God into this world.

Frustrating

I went to upload a sermon to post today and the service I am using tells me that it is denied because of suspected copyright infringement. Hopefully I can get that straightened out so I can post the third sermon in the God's Heart series. Since I was planning on posting the sermon I have nothing else. Check back tomorrow, I will have something new for you.

Sunday Quote: Going to God in Gratitude

“Humility brings us to God not out of obligation but out of gratitude. When we humble ourselves we choose the place of least honor and allow God to call us to any role of servanthood He might desire. Humility begins with emptying ourselves so that we can receive from God all that we need for the journey.” ~ Erwin McManus, Stand Against the Wind; p. 34