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The occasion for this statement from Matthew was Jesus’ triumphant entry onto the Temple "grounds" with multitudes praising Him and proclaiming Him the Messiah who would overturn Roman rule, restore Israel to its former grandeur and rule in the throne of David. As is recorded, He didn’t present Himself to the religious authorities as the King of the Jews. Instead, He proceeded to rid the Temple platform of those merchants who were selling animals for the Passover sacrifices and exchanging the various currencies used in the land for that which could be used to purchase the sacrifices. This might appear to be an unreasonable outburst since the practice was going on during His previous visits to Jerusalem and centuries before. These "moneychangers" and merchants were performing a service sanctioned by Scripture that was very important for those who came distances to worship. Yet on a previous visit close to the start of his earthly ministry, as well as on this occasion, Jesus drove them out of the Temple area. It probably wasn’t the exchange, the sale of sacrifices for the various feasts or even the collection of the required tribute which even He paid and told His disciple to do the same with the help of a fish. It could have been that Jesus was upset with the entire area all of this money changing was taking place. The best Biblical records suggest this all was happening in the so-called "Court of the Gentiles" rather than in the Temple proper. The Temple built by Solomon had no such "court." It and other courtyards were added with Herod’s greatly expanded Temple. That is why the court is left out of the measurement of the Temple found in Revelation. Some suggest even sacrilegious rites were performed here, after all anyone/everyone could enter it, as well as the "banking" activities. Together they were probably just too much for Jesus to endure in a Temple that was to be a most sacred place for worship. For certain, these "bankers" along with the other "merchants" were usurers. To show how reprehensible this practice would be, remember proper and devoted Jews never charged one another interest, only gentiles could be charged. Not only were these temple rats charging everyone, their rates were far and away excessive. Covetousness is right up there with avarice, riches and worldliness. Of which Jesus said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. Regardless of anything else going on in the Court of the Gentiles, usury would have been sufficient to explain Jesus’ actions. The dictionary tells us that covetousness is, "marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or for another's possessions: having a craving for possession. Synonyms, include greed, acquisitiveness, grasping, avariciousness. Covetous implies inordinate desire often for another's possessions. Greed stresses lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire. Acquisitive implies both eagerness to possess and ability to acquire. Grasping, covetous and greed are an implication of selfishness and often suggests unfair or ruthless means. Avaricious implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money and strongly suggests stinginess." Jesus would find these personality traits particularly abhorrent. Matthew and Zacchaeus were "Publicans," collectors of Roman taxes, and despised by everyone because they collected far more taxes than required and became wealthy men as a result. They were greedy, acquisitive, covetous, grasping and avaricious men. Let us suppose that before their conversion they proposed to support Jesus’ missionary efforts with a 10% tithe. Do you think he would accept the offer? Let us suppose that we offer to the "church" 10% of our ill-gotten gain. Should the "church" accept it? That would be 10% of our graft, fraud, theft and other deceitful, deceptive practices – 10% of our cheating others out of their livelihood as we see so much in the marketplaces today. The question is should they, not would they? Suppose gambling, as advertised by its advocates, is "victimless." Should the "church" accept tithes and offerings gathered by those who feed upon the sickness, weakness and compulsions of others perhaps to salve a guilty conscience or to gain favor? Had Matthew and Zacchaeus continued in their ways, would Jesus have counted them among his disciples? Was Judas a covetous person? "What are you willing to give me if I
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Most of the words referring to the "holy catholic church" or the "communion of saints" from the Apostle’s Creed do not actually appear in Scriptures. The ideas do and are supported with Scripture; most of the words do not. Of all the provisions contained in the Creed just these two concern what we refer to as the "church." Immediately, we Protestants are informed that, "*The word "catholic" refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ" lest we go into shock. Both of these statements are associated with "God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification."(Heidelberg Catechism; Lord’ Day 8; question 24) In our modern-day rush to show how liberal we are (that we love all people of all persuasions/perversions) we frequently overlook the ancient proverb that "charity begins at home." The passage from First John, cited from the Apostles Creed, suggests we shouldn’t be so hasty as does this part of the Creed. Indeed the "brethren" referred to are our fellow saints. Its like the circles created by a stone thrown into a calm lake; how can we claim to love strangers if we don’t love our brother’s and sisters in the faith? How can we claim to love God if we don’t love our fellow human beings? Indeed, this is the essence of evangelism. Once again it is John who writes, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. How is it possible for us to pack our bags and take our placards proclaiming Christ’s love all over the world and arrogantly treat those in our home congregations as nonentities or worse? If we do, it simply won’t work. We have and it hasn’t the proof of which is in the pudding. Actually, according the Apostle John, we could/should stay home and look after the needs of those in our own "church." "The distinguishing badge and character of a disciple of Christ," we are told "is not any outward garb, or any austerities of life." It is not, "the ordinary nor extraordinary gifts of the Spirit; but love to one another, brotherly love was the distinguishing character." Once again, like the ripples created by a stone thrown into a quiet pond, the love in that one small, insignificant "church" would spread around the world person, street, block, neighborhood, city, state, nation at a time. A Christian nation is not known by its high standard of living, its mighty armies or its conquests (or by its troops handing out candy bars to children in defeated nations) but by the high regard its citizens have for one another. That is the light upon a hill that cannot be ignored Of the Christian "church" Tertullian wrote (ch. 39), "But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another, for themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they are ready even to die for one another, for they themselves will sooner put to death." This in a time, in a generation that does not want to speak of love as "charity" is disregarded as the archaic opinion of a fool. We dismiss the Biblical passage describing the earliest Christians having all things in common as an error, a misprint and (worst of all) "communistic" not realizing that the word "communism" comes from "community" and from which we get the word "communion." Maybe that’s why we celebrate communion so infrequently. Like it or not, brothers and sisters, its time we took a look at what "communism" really is. Straight from the horse’s mouth, it is, "a theory advocating elimination of private property, a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed." That sounds familiar – And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Why in the world preachers haven’t gotten beyond the measly 10% tithe to the New Testament concept of the congregation giving everything they own to the church is a modern-day mystery. Well, of course we know why. In such an affluent Nation as ours the church that would even suggest, let alone demand, such from its members would be empty and totally bankrupt – financially. Actually, they have trouble enough getting their measly 10% to say nothing of expecting everything. Then we ought to know that "charity" isn’t something asked for or demanded, but something spontaneously given. This, in spite of the fact that in the 106 times the Bible we cherish so much as the infallible Word of God, "brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence" are used inseparably. May it be that, as with the congregation at Thyatira, Jesus can say of us, I know thy works, and charity, and
service, and faith,
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It’s done, over, forgotten at least for the better part of a year. Everyone seems to have had their hand out for one organization or another. There was Toys For Tots, the Salvation Army, St. Jude, Make A Wish, Santa’s Village, food drives, clothing drives. There was a literal alphabet soup of charities ranging from A Child’ Dream to Young Children’s Christian Fund to say nothing of solicitations from local churches. But it’s done now, the Christmas dinners have been served, the toys and clothes distributed. It is done for another year. We can sit back, relax, put our checkbooks away and rest on the laurels of out good deeds. The words of our pastor after an abundant Christmas Eve collection ring softly in our ears, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Visions of "sugar plum rewards," temporal may well dance in our heads. It isn’t that charity is overdone at Christmas, Thanksgiving and on other occasions during the year. All or most of those charitable institutions are good and well intended. The problem is that these are, for the most part, the only times our concern for those less fortunate rises to the level of action. If we’re honest, for the rest of the year, most of us will look with disdain upon those we were just charitable toward. That’s our cultural heritage. Most of us share the deep conviction that, to borrow a phrase, "if we can dream it we can do it," or in the secular, the belief that with hard work and honest effort we can experience a meteoric rise from rags to riches. Our heritage teaches that poverty is the result of individual flaws and failure. Thus we normally shun the poor and treat them with loathing not charitably. Nonetheless, they are among us. What is it then that changes at Christmas, as well as on other special instances when we shower the poor with our attention and some modicum of our affluence? How is it all of a sudden on these special occasions they are not as lepers among us and we deign to stoop to recognize their existence as worth while human beings? Little wonder that so many regard our spasmodic schizophrenia toward the poor who are always with us with skepticism and others take full advantage of our "charity" for their own profit? One might even argue that "charities" are very lucrative enterprises frequently extracting exorbitant amounts from our "charitable donations" for "operating expenses." Just as understandable is the number taking advantage of our "generosity" who in no way qualify as "poor." Then, of course, we take great care to get receipts for our charitable donations for tax purposes. Is that cynicism justified? In the story of the Good Samaritan used to illustrate our universal brotherhood, Jesus gave the Samaritan the quality of compassion – love and pity. It is recorded that many times Jesus had compassion on the multitudes surrounding Him and proceeded to heal their wounds and cure their illnesses. Isn’t it fair to characterize God’s gift of Jesus and Jesus’ entire life (and death) as the greatest acts of compassion ever? Is it correct to say that without Him we, individually and collectively, are the poorest, most miserable people on earth – in the entire universe and beyond? Where did He temper His charity toward us? Actually what we frequently overlook in the story of the Good Samaritan, was that Jesus is telling us how to act toward everyone even those we despise most – with charity. Not occasionally, but as the signet of our lives. The whole story of the charitable Samaritan was in response to a smart lawyer’s question, "And who is my neighbor?" In light of this account, It would be difficult to restrict what Jesus told His disciples, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another to just those Twelve. Even if we convince ourselves of His intent to do so, we are stuck with having to treat all Christendom with "charity." The "lawyer’s" motive for asking who was his neighbor was a transparent attempt to refute the Christ and show himself already to be righteous without going to such extremes. How do we justify our righteousness – with Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets? Just like those baskets, is our charity restricted to a season, to relatives, loved ones, friends, fellow Christians, American citizens? Then we must answer this: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye
love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the
same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do
not even the publicans so?
Matthew 5:43-47
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SELL
OUT
It’s true that the Bible depicts every flaw in the human character- over and over. If we want to learn about ourselves, all we have to do is to read the Bible. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, God knows us (collectively and individually) better than we know ourselves. It shouldn’t be too surprising either that Judas sold Jesus the Christ out – for money. We do that every day of our lives. What is really shocking is how often we do exactly the same thing as Judas when money, at least on the surface, is not the issue. What he did, to say the least, was immoral. Often we, just like Judas, start the bargaining process. John Gill correctly portrays, Judas’ betrayal, "They did not ask him to do it, he first made the motion; a barbarous and shocking one, to deliver his Lord and Master, with whom he had familiarly conversed, and from whom he had received so many favours, into the hands of those that hated him."Not too far down the road all of Jesus’ disciples would abandon Him. Shame on Judas, shame on them – shame on us. He had said they would, that they would be offended by Him and they were. Unimaginable that someone, let alone an Apostle, could possibly be offended by Jesus the Christ, Son of the Living God (interestingly, part of Peter’s confession)? Well that’s easy. When we read about such seemingly incomprehensible things the disciples did, let us remember two things: First, we should remember that we weren’t there. Our reactions are as valid as is Monday morning quarterbacking. Second, our perspective is from a distance of 2,000 years; a lot of history and (at least for some) we have read the ending of the Book. If we try on their shoes we might find ourselves asking, "How could this person we thought to be the future King of Israel be so rudely treated and arrested." Imagine the shock we would have suffered if our hero were condemned to a humiliating public execution. It is entirely possible they were having doubts that they had hooked their hopes and dreams to the wrong star – a perfectly human reaction. As Gill points out, "for they thought of nothing else but a temporal kingdom, which they expected would now quickly be set up, and they be advanced to great honour and dignity." As he indicates, things took a different turn. Maybe the disciples were confused and thought they were joining a "Blab-It-And-Grab-It" (Word-Faith movement) church of their day. Remember just before Jesus ascended the apostles whom he had chosen. asked Him, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? This question after three years of direct daily contact and instruction by Jesus the Christ. They just didn’t get it.We also condemn Judas and hold him up for unbridled scorn while hardly noting the remaining eleven, including Peter, scattered to the four winds when Jesus was condemned. The precipitating factor in Judas’ betrayal was the woman pouring an expensive ointment/perfume over Jesus to which all of the disciple objected, not just Judas as is so often portrayed. If we had been in his shoes would we, in all honesty been tempted as he? It could be argued that he stood up for what he saw as a wasteful wrong and did something about it. Instead, we’re more comfortable seeing him as one who stole from the group – a totally disreputable character from start to finish. An isolated or single villain is easier to deal with than many. Seeing him as the only one who had ambitious designs somehow makes us feel less vulnerable. On matters soon to develop, truly, if we had been there at the Mount of Olives on that evening and seen our hero taken away, arrested by the authorities, how differently would we have behaved? We sell Him out.Under much less pressure, we do the same thing every day. We don’t believe in Him to the point of making Him our daily compass. He said in a very simple, direct way, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Several times, He makes the same statement (e.g. John 14:21& 23, John 15:10) as if repetition is validation. When we don’t try to, having the fullness of the Gospels to show the Truth, we are selling Him out. Ignore the poor, engage in fornication and adulterous relationships, let greed and covetousness rule our lives and we sell Him out. When we allow the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, when fame, power and fortune are our goals and ambitions we have sold Jesus the Christ out of our lives. Remember, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
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No Difference
Over and over throughout the Scriptures we, who confess Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior, are told we are not of this world. He told His followers, I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. He also said, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. In contrast, He told us there was nothing to gain in the whole world if it meant losing our very souls. He warned us that the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. He called us the light of the world because of the Gospel message we are to show the world. Only those who hate their life in this world shall keep it while those who cling to this world will lose it. The lesson seems clear. We are called to be different than those who surround themselves with the desires, wishes and things of this world. Paul wrote to the Romans, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. And in the same vein Peter wrote that we no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Such is our testimony, our witness and our ministry. It isn’t in miracles, buildings, rituals, ordinances, proclamations where we find testimony of God’s will or His love for us but in our daily lives. It isn’t in church where we testify of His mercy but on the street. He is found, if He is to be found, in our daily encounters, in our most casual conversations with one another. That’s where the "seekers" are watching and listening – when we are unaware and being ourselves. That’s where it counts. If it is only in church that we are on our Christ-like behavior, we have missed the boat. Moreover, if we make church into the vehicle of evangelism, that will only serve to deprive the already saved of the fellowship and teachings; the opportunities for praise and worship so vital and essential to our Christian walk. The analogy that church is a hospital for sinners is a half-truth. It speaks to the fact that we all were and continue to be sinners, not to the vital and essential function of the church. Jesus statement, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick does not belie the fact that those who are "whole" (a relative term) need frequent and regular "check-ups." If the "church" isn’t an "assembly of Christians gathered for worship," "observing their religious rites," "managing their affairs according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake," "united into one body," "the assembly of faithful Christians," it is nothing. In such a gathering for such a short period of time, like dating couples putting their best selves forward, who couldn’t pretend to be holy? The acid test of Christ-likeness is every day but Sunday and everyplace except church. No one can say for sure who coined the phrase, "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words" – some suggest Francis of Assisi. Little it matters for the truth is in the pudding, not the author. And that was the point of whom ever uttered the statement – "Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds." In our rush to cash in on the numbers game and gain bragging rights to the largest church in the Nation (world) with the most people in a Sunday service, we forget the simple truth. That which is most assuredly stated by Jesus the Christ, He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. When He says, "let your light so shine," He wasn’t addressing the matter of illuminating the sanctuary. Indeed, He tells us in that passage to, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Now, let’s not play another game and instead recognize instantaneously all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That shouldn’t make us cowards or keep us from trying to improve. Instead, what we find is that Christians outside of church (sometimes even in church) are indistinguishable from the herd. They are chameleons subtly blending into the scenery with such finesse that even the most erudite observer cannot distinguish them. There is no discernable difference between them and the rest of the world. They act the same, talk the same, dress the same. They have the same desire and wishes; the same ambitions and motive and use the same methods. We forget our Master’s words, Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; |
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That’s the theme of a television commercial that could be forgotten except for two things. First of all those who buy the commercial time have full expectations that they will be effective in selling their product. After all, if we are going to spend an average of $350,000 for a 30 second commercial, (Super Bowl television commercial costs $2.4 million for 30 seconds) we should get something in return. And, commercials are very effective. Those who make them know us very well; they know the "right buttons to push." Secondly, these commercials are nothing more than contemporary vulgarizations of the "American Dream" – life should be better and richer and fuller. Success, fame and wealth and power are what we aspire to and commercials tell us such is not only highly desirable but within our reach as long as we have a balance on our credit cards. If such ambitions sound like the ranting of a little spoiled brat, it does not belie the fact that for millions of Americans this is that to which they aspire. Jesus was tempted with the abundance of the "necessities of life (v. 3), with fame (v. 6) and with power and riches (v.8) not unlike what we are enticed with by tempting television ads. He turned it all down with this oft quoted, seldom used passage, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. What if this were the "Americal Dream," to serve and to worship the Lord our God? If when we were at the gambling casinos in our lives, tempted with worldly lusts, we turned to the proprietor and said "get the hence Satan," how different America would be. "Lust," after all is an intense desire or appetite. It is an uncontrolled, passionate, craving such as a lust for power. To often we restrict it to just one theater of life and, when we avoid that, fool ourselves into thinking we are innocent of lust. It isn’t too far off the mark to state that Jesus resisted the "lusts" of this world. The impudence of someone demanding "I want it all and I want it now" is found only in the life of an immature little brat who has neither a grasp of life nor a concern for others. It is a philosophy that is totally self-centered. It is what Jesus in word and deed was so solidly against and completely opposite of what He teaches. His telling us that the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word certainly isn’t a recommendation for "wanting it all now" if at all. He our master and our teacher tells us, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. There is no better advice to be given. But, Paul is also very emphatic about making this world the focus of one’s life, But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. There is another matter often overlooked in people’s grasping for things – insecurity. Yes, if we feel the need to bolster our self-worth with possessions, it is because we do not feel secure in our own self-worth. This is the secret of the "addictive personality" whether that is addictions to food, alcohol, tobacco, drugs or things. The addict is insecure and he is trying to bolster that feeling of inadequacy with external things or by deadening his awareness of the feelings. The "dude" who is insecure in his masculinity will own a big truck, shoot big guns, domineer women. Insecure women will spend, spend, spend on clothes, cosmetics, nips, tucks and silicone. Of course such things only provides temporary relief, if any, necessitating an endless cycle of buying and trying to find the secret to happiness. Isn’t it ironic that those who struggle the hardest for the things of this world never find the happiness and satisfaction for which they are so desperately searching? Isn’t it tragic that personal dissatisfaction drives the economic markets of the world and is at the very foundation of the "American Dream" and it can’t be found in external things – possessions, power, influence? Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Only through Him may we find the assurance that we are worthy and loved. If it were only the "Christian Dream" instead, all of this desperation and searching in external things would be put to rest. They wouldn’t be needed to bolster a faltering ego. If those "blab-it-and-grab-it" preachers really knew and understood the Word, they would see that there is no lasting satisfaction in things of this world (see covetousness) because that is exactly what we are talking about. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
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I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,
that thou mayest be rich; As disciples of Christ, what do we dream of, what do we aspire to, what do we wish for, what do we wish to accomplish? What kind of lasting legacy do we want to leave for future generations? What does a "more rewarding life" mean? Most of us probably aspire to "better joy," but what does that mean? When we think of a "better" job, what runs through our mind? The same with our homes and marriages, sure we want "happier" homes and "stronger" marriages, but what are those things? These things are objective facts that can be scientifically verified as values. They are "value-laden" terms without any objective reality. We have to decide. We have to write them down, make goals of them and take action to accomplish them. Joel Osteen, senior pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston, wrote a book recently addressing these very issues titled Your Best Life Now in which he gives us seven steps to a "brighter" future – somewhat reminiscent of Steven Covey’s 1989 book titled The7 Habits of Highly Effective People. But for a Christian, this should raise two questions: First, is our best life really supposed to be now? Second, we must ask ourselves, what our best life would be like whenever it is to be realized. If we looked at Covey’s book, wouldn’t the question have to be posed what or who is an "effective" disciple? Yet, we seldom even consider the questions assuming we and everyone else know and agree on exactly what we mean. After all, what do we mean by a "successful" life? Interestingly enough, we all seem to know what we mean and to an amazing degree, we agree with one another. Its sort of "assumed," taken for granted that our "best life" consists of fame, power and fortune in this world in this life. To illustrate his seven points, he talks about "magnificent homes," his is valued around $3 million) our business "taking off," becoming "Miss America," being given "five-hundred acre golf course," inheriting $90,000 to which Osteen quips, "God, give me some relatives like that!" Pastor Osteen uses Roger Banaster breaking the four-minute mile barrier to illustrate his "key point" that the barrier and the battle for the "best life now" is in our mind. But, he could just as well used his own success story. He took Lakewood Church from around 6,000 attending in 1999 to in the vicinity of 45,000 today. Not bad for a boy who only preached one sermon – the week before his daddy died- and who never graduated from college. Although he is senior pastor of what is reportedly the largest mega-church in the United States, his writing and his "preaching" is no more than what any secular motivational speaker would use to hype his audience. In 1888, for example, Andrew Carnegie actually wrote an essay titled The Gospel of Wealth, and in 1936, Dale Carnegie (no relation) was telling his audiences How Win to Friends & Influence People. Guidelines for setting goals and even something as familiar to Christian audiences as Bruce Wilkinson’s "enhancing one’s comfort zone" are standard circuit fare. So is creating a "positive self image" touted by literally hundreds of such speakers – ever hear of Wally Amos? There are hundreds of thousands of experts willing and "able" to tell us how to become successful in this life. Their idea of "success" is fame and fortune. The question is whether any of these writers and speakers is telling us how to be disciples of Christ or are they just telling us what we want to hear – how to be successful in this life? Suppose a "seeker" hears the gospel of wealth and prosperity preached from the pulpit with its promise that "You can’t outspend God," and "Give 10% and a hundred fold will be returned." He becomes convicted that his greediness and covetousness are moral virtues so much so that when there is an alter-call he rushes forward to accept this Jesus into his life so he can affirm himself. He now faithfully believes that he deserves, he is entitled to his best life now. Is he a follower of Jesus the Christ? Is what the Olsteenians and other "culture parrots" blab from the pulpit? What is "significance, a "meaningful life," or enjoying the "good things in life" for a Christian? Do the mansions of which Jesus spoke have an earthly address? Everything in the Bible says not. For we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, |
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The Wrong
View So, when one primetime hostess opened her show remarking that she was spiritual but didn’t go to church, there was a murmur of approval from an audience that is surely overwhelmingly Christian. Continuing as other members of her august "panel" assembled on stage, she said that being spiritual is a very personal experience that really couldn’t be shared with others. When the hostess suggested we shouldn’t judge one another’s religions the audience and the panel signaled their strong agreement. One can only imagine the reaction had these "religious" comments been favorably disposed toward Christianity. Some television ministries also act as though Christianity is a private matter between the believer and God. According to them, all one has to do to be a Christian is put their hands on the TV and parrot back some phrase the preacher told them to say. That’s it – a done deal. They act as if watching their televised services is sufficient. As long as one continues to send in "tithes and offerings," watching these television services is as good as going to the trouble of attending church. Others make no allowances for the thousands watching them on television. A German social philosopher was so struck with what he considered to be the individualism and materialism of Protestant Christianity demonstrated by their actions, that he made these two "virtues" the centerpiece of his major work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Do televisions hostesses, TV preachers or philosophers have it right? Is Christianity really an individualistic religion which, in isolation from (or disregard for) others, we work out our own personal salvation? The era of television "ministries" and mega-churches seems to lend credence to this individualistic view of Christianity. More and more we sit in the convenience of our own homes and channel surf the wide selection of "church services" or we go to a "church" and watch the television monitors along with thousands and thousands of others in some macabre fabrication of worship. If nothing else, we are reduced to non-entities by the very size of the audience. Even the vocabulary has changed. The gatherings are no longer referred to as a congregation but as an audience. It’s a stage now – no longer a rostrum. Now its, "lights, camera, action." as the super-star preacher makes his entrance stage left. But this is an aberration from the centuries of Christian tradition, not the Christianity of our fore-fathers nor of the Bible. Do "they" have it right? Is Christianity supposed to be a collection of "rugged individualists" who stand alone unconcerned about the welfare (spiritual and material) of others of their "faith?" The answer is a simple no. To believe so is as much an error as the spurious division between the "ordained clergy" and the "laity." To the contrary, we are to be at one with other Christians because we are part of the same family – brothers and sisters in Jesus the Christ. Experts, trends and practices not withstanding, this is undeniably Scriptural. There’s a powerful statement of this fact in the Book of Ephesians, in which Paul writes, "he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." But we know that, or at least we should. It is preached at us from the pulpit on a regular basis even if it is without meaning or conviction. In John 1:12, we find this affirmation of our oneness with other believers, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Likewise, John writes, And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. There are others. How much convincing does the proposition take? We are brothers and sisters in the family of God. We are to act accordingly - Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I
will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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 Prophets And God hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, What is fascinating about this passage from Paul’s letter to the saints at Corinth is that he makes it perfectly clear who has done these things – none other than God. This isn’t happenstance or the result of a committee making a decision or even of casting of lots. It is the work and the will of God. According to Strong, "in the religious assemblies of the Christians, they were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak, having power to instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict, and stimulate." The congregation at Antioch had prophets. Judas (not that one) and Silas were prophets as were many others. Then, there is the passage in Acts saying, And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. Obviously there could be, there were multiple prophets within one congregation and women also prophesied. Philip the evangelist had four daughters who prophesied although as Gill points out, they weren’t allowed to do so within the congregations. Prophecy in the first century congregations was not absent or rare but ordinary. There were even rules established to determine the efficacy of such prophecies given. They were "subject to the examination, judgment, and censure of other prophets" and they were subject to the judgment of the entire congregation as well. Not only has God ordained prophets to be in the early congregations, but there is ample evidence they existed. What happened to them? Protestants and Catholics alike studiously proclaim that everything they do (or don’t do) is founded in Scripture. Yet, nowhere do we find prophets in either schism in spite of God’s ordination. Why? The Roman Catholic Church explains their absence in the Church this way, "Finally the Canon of Scripture closes." The Church readily agrees that, "The idea of a complete and clear-cut canon of the New Testament existing from the beginning, that is from Apostolic times, has no foundation in history." Nonetheless, after 120 years of debate within the Church, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) fixed the content of the New Testament. As for the Protestants, there were two Bibles in regular use. The first was the Geneva Bible published in English in 1560. It came about due to an edict of Queen Mary who banned all Scriptures written in English. A number of Englishmen fled to Geneva and translated the Bible that became the Geneva Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew. The King James version was brought about through a conference called by King of England, James I, in October 1603 that culminated in the K.J. Bible being finished in 1611. Please note: nowhere in Scriptures is to be found a Divine command, a vision or a prophecy about assembling such a Bible. Notice as well that these Bibles were the works of men. None the less, each in its turn was declared the final word and that there was no need for further revelation of God’s will. This may also account for the Holy Spirit being "laid-off" by most churches and denominations. Peter tells us that prophecy is the work of the Holy Spirit. Since God is not the author of confusion, it isn’t reasonable to believe a true prophet would say that which contradicts Scripture. Instead he/she would reinforce, elaborate, and clarify Scripture. A prophet would be in a better place to interpret Scripture in light of current world conditions and be helpful in applying Biblical principles to the present. If the theological position is correct that revelation was completed in Christ, one must ask why God called for prophets to be in our congregations after His ascension. If, on the other hand, one were teaching false doctrines, he might well shy away from prophets looking over his shoulder and listening to what he preaches. Prophecy seems to be an infinitely valuable gift. That’s what Paul thought. He said, Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. Gill writes, "a person possessed of this gift could at once, without the use of means, or help of study, preach the word, and open the more difficult parts of Scripture." This sounds totally complementary to any course of study, any version of the Bible one would choose and to the mission of Christian congregations everywhere to worship God and to become better stewards. There could be no better source of Truth than through God’s own anointed messengers. We so seldom hear of prophets and when we do, we regard them with suspicion. We seem to think of such things as "supernatural" (like the occult, extrasensory, magical) without realizing that’s what Christianity is all about. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye
do well that ye take heed, |
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 On Bottles and Needles and Things Return to the page directory
The tragedy of those "Hollywood stars" whose wasted lives are splashed all over the news goes far beyond their broken lives. If there is anything good in all of this it is that such behavior is still "newsworthy." Otherwise, it would be old hat and the paparazzi and other "news hounds" would be sniffing out something else to peddle their newspapers, magazines and fill their TV slots. It is too bad that as a Nation, we are in the least bit interested in such antics. That obsession with this obscene behavior is indication of a deep-seated sickness among us. The warning is that the more gullible among us may take this notoriety as approving these decadent life-styles. Sadly, we are seeing foolish adolescents and even some "adults" emulating this "Hollywood" corruption and seeking "satisfaction" from a bottle, needle or prescription pill. Their dress, entertainment, and life-styles are of the most sordid nature conceivable. The caution is that such corruptibleness does sell newspapers, magazines and television time because people are fascinated with such sordidness. Someone is watching and reading the antics of these debased human beings. Someone is emulating this despicable behavior. Now, what if those of us who profess Christianity would turn a blind-eye to such antics? What if we stopped elevating this contemptible behavior to the level of envy and imitation? What if, instead, we condemned it and refused to have anything to do with it? We are, by most accounts, the vast majority in this Nation. James tells us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. We seem to be a little uncomfortable with his writings because of its emphasis on "works." But Jesus said very much the same thing recorded in Matthew, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Similar passages appear in Matthew 12:50, 28:20, Luke 6:46, 11:28, John 13:17, as well as in many places in the writings of Paul. Not withstanding the seeming contradictions, if we were Christian in deed as well as word, would we still admire the sleazy heroes so much in the news? Its an easy thing to determine ones real desires and aspirations – its what we do. What are we doing with our lives genuflecting to the world or to the Word?Failing or unwilling to recognize that one is the methods of salvation and the other the consequence of the gratitude of being saved, we emphasize the "grace" part at the expense of the expectation of a changed life. Christianity has become a comfortable religion in which little if anything is expected of us beyond attending "church" and contributing to its financial affairs. Preachers teach that we may continue our lives much as before our "conversion" without seeing the need for any change. Since it is comfortable, we see no contradiction and don’t argue the matter. Since the expectation of doing God’s will is a Scriptural fact and of necessity that requires forsaking our worldly ways, the motives for saying we don’t have to are suspect. The only recurring message from the pulpit that sheds any light on the idea that life goes on as before comes from appeals to make the church "seeker friendly" which, in turn, stems from the movement to make the church the major if not the sole instrument of evangelism. Such churches minimize the sin and judgment aspect of the Christian message instead emphasizing God’s love and mercy in order not to "turn people off." Some such churches go so far as to eliminate the Cross from their sanctuaries and minimize any Bible referencing. The rationale for this in the words on one such preacher is, "The ground we have in common with unbelievers is not the Bible, but our common needs, hurts, and interests as human beings." (The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren, Zondervan, 1995, p.295) Without even attempting to challenge such an absurdity, the consequences of investing the church with the dual roles as teacher and evangelist are patently obvious. While the numbers of those baptized into such philosophies continue to grow the impact of Christianity in the neighborhoods and in the Nation continue to decline as witnessed by our contemporary levels of morality. What this leaves us with is increasing numbers of "baby Christians" unable to discern for themselves and even less able to exemplify the Truth for others to follow. Desperate Housewives may come to church because it is a friendly and a cuddly place to be. Unfortunately, they will fail to see the errors in their lives and the need to change and the tacit acceptance of their life-styles encourages imitation.
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Principles for Life Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, A very familiar Scripture. Jesus the Christ ends what we call the "Beatitudes" with this analogy to light. Maybe, sometimes, Scriptures like the lyrics of a familiar hymn are read so often that we no longer pay attention to what they are saying. This short little verse, however, is chucked full of what in the fashion of the day we might call "Jesus’ Principles for Life." Of course, this presumes that only parts of the Scriptures are such. This isn’t the case, but so many writers are cashing in on what we might call "Do-able Faith," how to apply various passages to problem-solving in our daily lives, that we get so used to this "pabulum" approach and simply turn off our thinking processes. So we begin. Certainly the phrase, "Let your light so shine," clearly states that we are to share the good news of our redemption through Jesus the Christ with others. He is telling (commanding) all of us to be plainly communicating to all with whom we come in contact the "spiritual knowledge of the mysteries of grace." He may have been instructing the disciples at this point, but the lessons are for all claiming His name. That this is in any way disputable is the amazing thing in all of this. There is also a question of how as well as by whom. The models we garner from Scripture suggest that the Apostles went about preaching the Gospel. This was the ordained way giving credence to the model predominating today – priesthood preaching from the pulpit. In fact there are 15 different Greek words for the English "preach" found in the King James New Testament alone. However, if we look more closely, "preach" can mean to dispute, reason with, to signify and declare as well as to preach. It can also mean to show or to teach. However, the strongest impression we get is a Paul going about to different synagogues proclaiming the Gospel (Kerusso) formally, with gravity and authoritatively. The word most commonly found in the New Testament for preach is Laleo meaning to utter a voice or emit a sound, to speak, to use the tongue or the faculty of speech, to utter articulate sounds, to talk, to utter, tell, to use words in order to declare one's mind and disclose one's thoughts. Kerusso is used 60 times and Laleo 271 times. Either one seems to leave the rest of us sitting in the pews attentively listening – sometimes. Before we embrace this singular mode of spreading the Word remember, we are reading about the "head table" participants through the Scriptures, not the average Joseph on the street. Like today’s average Joe on the street, had they nothing to do with proclaiming the Gospel? Was it just those who wrote something down that the Roman Catholic Church ordained to be worthy who did anything or are we getting a somewhat slanted view? We will never know in this lifetime. What we do know is that 2,000 years later 2/3rds of the world is non-Christian. We also know that those regions where the Apostles exerted their efforts are now predominately Muslim. Of the Christian population, roughly 18% are Roman Catholic and 4% are Orthodox leaving 11% Protestant. Disturbing facts. How is this to be accounted for especially when the "homeland" of Christianity is overwhelmingly Muslim? Whether or not the Biblical or the contemporary pattern of "letting our light shine" through pastors preaching from the pulpit was ever intended or responsible for the patterns we see is open to question. Whether or not Jesus the Christ intended such a pattern to prevail is also open to question. We know this. When He said to let your light shine, He was speaking to all believers, not just the Apostles or to modern-day "pastors." He would be appalled to see you and me sitting passively in our pews on Sunday morning only halfway paying attention to what was being preached and remembering even less. Introducing the "Beatitudes," Matthew wrote, And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying. Gill and others readily admit that Jesus was addressing the assembled multitudes, not just His disciples. Otherwise, we’d have to accept the fact that the "Beatitudes" applied only to the Apostles and modern-day "pastors." Few would accept that line of thought – especially "pastors." Who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world? What Principles for Life might we discover there? Those who are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, that’s who, that’s what. For from you sounded out the word
of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, |
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Go Into All the World We are to go into all the world with the Gospel, but how are we to get there? For practically the entire history of Christianity, one strategy has been used. The "church" has relied upon a "one-person-distribution-system" for that purpose. From the pulpit and the church, the bishop, metropolitan, pope, priest, pastor, minister, missionary has proclaimed the Gospel to his audience. Since the first century, the missionary paradigm has been for churches to establish churches – essentially duplicating themselves. It has met with a modicum of success, millions of people have been baptized. Entire nations were proclaimed Christian at one fell swoop. Under the auspices of the big "C," and little "c" churches, roughly 25% of the world’s population converted to Christianity. The cost has been enormous and there is a gnawing concern among pastors that their domain, denomination, religion and dogma have become inconsequential in the affairs of the world. As a pastor looks into the rows of empty pews, he must have a growing concern that his message is irrelevant. As we look around us, we must agree Christianity is much less relevant than before. Recognizing that 2,000 years of Christianity has produced relatively few converts and little impact on society today’s church leaders are seeking new methods. Increasingly they are rushing to the strategies so successful in the business and commercial communities -- the techniques of marketing. Marketing strategists tell their church clients they are operating in a cultural vacuum not recognizing the changing needs and interests of today’s people. Church leaders are busily set to the task of assessing the best way to sell their product to the largest possible audience. "To become more successful," they are told, "the church must be contemporary, upbeat, affirming fit the tenor of the times, non-threatening and even entertaining. Change to meet the needs of your customers or find yourselves without members." Just what churchmen dread. In this consumer-driven church, the one-person-distribution-system remains intact –Sunday preaching, congregation listening, television audience watching. Marketing has concentrated on modifying the message making it what is believed to be less threatening to those who are now called "seekers" (vs. the more traditional "non-believers.) The strategy to make Christianity "successful" has made it a chameleon. He said to go into all the world, not to become indistinguishable from it. Perhaps reluctance to do other than preach is in the translation of preach. It "is used thirty-two times in the Gospels, but about half of these are parallel occurrences within the Synoptic Gospels. ‘Proclaim’ is complementary to the more specific term ‘evangelize’ (euangelizomai) or the phrase ‘announce the good news.’ If not marketing, how can modern Christians accomplish the mission set before them? Actually, He gave us the required paradigm. First, His plan does involve preaching and teaching the Word not what is popular or comfortable. Second, rather than relying upon a single leader however forceful and charismatic, His paradigm rests upon every Christian -- a multitude of "living stones," you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5. Here is the true image of the church, the body of saints who are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the preachers, teachers and witnesses for Him. Emboldened by God’s gift of Grace and guided the Holy Spirit, we speak with Christ’s authority. Relying upon the truth and authority of Scripture for His Word, the many will accomplish the task the few have not. Third, we are to live the Word (e.g., Matthew 12:50, Luke 6:46, 11:28, John 13:17, James 4:17.) What better teaching is there than by example? We are the "ye" in Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Jesus didn’t just commission the eleven, or the worldwide apostolic missionary service would have been completed at their deaths. Paul would not have been called or Matthias, Barnabas, Apollos, Silas, Timothy or Junias. It began with Peter and with the remaining ten. Then, like the ripples in a quiet pond disturbed by a single rock, the circles were to expand outward into all the world. Bruce Larson phrased God’s missionary plan this way, "In point of fact, we are still living the Book of Acts. The story of the acts of apostolic people continues as you and I are called to be apostolic people. This means we are as close to the Lord of the church as the twelve were in the first century." Living Out the Book of Acts (p.15). Remember, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; 1 Peter 2:9. It is our commission, our mission.
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The Star of the Show? This could be titled "The ‘I’ gets in the way." Often the "I," in assuming transcendence, takes the spotlight from the real "star of the Show" – Jesus the Christ. Church leaders are particularly subject to the affliction of "self-centeredness" and personal aggrandizement. Caught in the limelight and the adulation of those who should know better, but they are prone to see themselves in charge instead of Jesus the Christ. The "limelight" is a toxin that puts out the lamp of God’s reflected glory in our lives and extinguishes the light upon the hill. Jesus made it perfectly clear that He was the light of the world (John 8:12) and that our task was to exemplify His saving grace. After all, though He was, He refused the honor and glory rightly His and, instead choose to be a humble (if not humiliated) servant. Should we presume to be more? "I-ness" isn’t restricted to church leaders either. In our own way, each of us is subject to the same spiritual ailment. Every time we read the Scripture saying, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid, and start thinking how unique and special we are, we’ve been bitten by the "smugness bug." Actually, what this Scripture tells us is that we have been opened up to the scrutiny of the world starting with our families and those with whom we come in contact – however transient that contact might be. We are in the spotlight and, every act reflects upon our Lord and Savior. Adam Clarke’s Commentary says that this places us "in view, and as a mark, to the malice of carnal men." An important question to remember is what will people think of Jesus when they see Him through me. That’ as effective an acid-test for our actions as "What would Jesus do?" When all they see is egocentric self-centeredness from a church going, tithe paying, "Bible thumper" what are they to think Christianity is all about? Will they think Christianity is made up of loving, kind and caring people or a bunch of smug, selfish hypocrites? When the actor and his personality overshadows his role, the real Star of the Show, the script and the plot are lost. There is a very effective vaccination for this disorder of self-centered smugness. It is called gratitude. Paul summarizes Christian living, worship and the church so nicely saying, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. At the center, the very foundation of it all is gratitude, thankfulness for what He has done and is doing for each and every one of us. Perfection smeared with our sins and nailed upon the Cross for our salvation certainly deserves nothing less. By this He has sealed our salvation. How easily we forget. How seldom we remember we did nothing to deserve His sacrifice – nothing at all; nor could we have. We came before the Throne of Grace totally destitute. What an antidote for egotism. Here are words of "a seven fold praise given to God by the angels." Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. What a perfect antidote for arrogant self-centeredness they are. We should remember them, being spoken by angels as they are. We should remember them when we think we are or have done something grand. We should be saying them every hour of every day of our mortal existence. We should also remember that perfection in Jesus lowered Himself to become human for our sake. Paul expressed it this way, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. When we think of ourselves as a light to the world and a city that cannot be hidden, we should remember that at best we are a reflected light and a city we did not build. It’s an interesting conundrum well established in fact that those who strive most to be in the spot light are trying to make up for deep seated feelings of personal inadequacy and inferiority. The opposite is also true. Those who do not, those who are humble are self-assured and confident in their own personal worth. That’s why Jesus, you see, could be so perfectly humble – because He was absolutely certain of His worth in the eyes of God. Jesus tells His followers that they are the salt of the earth, far more valuable than any thing. Therein lies our treasures, in His loving approval for which He gave His very life, not in people’s adulation or in popularity, wealth and possessions or power. How can any of that compare to His love? Our "light," as was His, should be our humility as a badge of His tender favor toward us Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). |
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Speak No Evil Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that
speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, Return to the page directory Good advice James, Jesus’ half-brother, gave to the "community of believers" – Jewish Christians living outside Palestine according to theologians. According to Gill this involves, "speaking evil one of another; which is done either by raising false reports, and bringing false charges." The purpose for which would be to raise one’s own reputation by diminishing that of another. That would make it especially good advice. Actually, that’s the only way the statement makes sense. To castigate someone for saying nothing about the evil around him fosters that evil – as in the parable evil can triumph only when good men say (do) nothing. Thus, allowing evil to triumph. The Geneva Study Bible makes essentially the same point, "He reprehends most sharply another double mischief of pride. The one is, in that the proud and arrogant will have other men to live according to their will and pleasure. Therefore they do most arrogantly condemn whatever does not please them." Often this and other passages of Scripture are used in an illegitimate way to squelch any and all criticism of doctrine, liturgy and preaching. Just think where we’d be if such a pogrom were successful – still Jewish or Roman Catholic. But today there is a more insidious play on the Brass Monkey theme of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." It is "see no Gospel, hear no Gospel, speak no Gospel." There’s nothing really new about this theme. It is and has been very popular among so-called "liberal" commentators, journalists, TV personalities for many years. What is new is the theatre where it is being played today before large and growing audiences. You guessed it, in the ostensibly Christian community; particularly within the "mega-church" audiences. This isn’t an anomaly, it is the rule. Why? Simply because of the purposes that drive mega-churches – size. Size of the audience and size of the physical plant first and foremost. Is it possible for someone who hasn’t experience it first hand for one to imagine the thrill of being worshipped by tens of thousands of people? It cannot help but "turn one’s head" to hear and see the adulation of tens of thousands of adoring fans intently watching your every move and your every word. That’s what happens to so many Hollywood celebrities – usually with deviating consequences. "Pride doth goeth before the fall." There is another side to this ego-gratification generated by the crowd, it’s the feeling of success stemming from being the manager (if not the owner) of a large corporate enterprise with a large physical plant, a large budget and many employees. That spells success in the business community as well as veneration in the religious community rivaling that of the Pope. One thing is missing, perhaps we should say sacrificed at the alter of this success and adulation – the Gospel. To bring in the crowds that generate the revenue that build the buildings of a successful pastor, the "church" must go through a metamorphosis unknown to Scripture. It must become bland as not to offend or frighten anyone. Remember Christ’s comments to the church at Laodicea recorded in the Book of Revelation? It isn’t pretty. He said to them, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Now how would you like the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God saying that about your church? According to more than one authority, "The church lived within this affluent society and the attitudes of its citizens rubbed off onto the church." Sound familiar? Jesus went on to say to the church at Laodicea, Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Now that is seeing evil, hearing evil and speaking about evil – up front and personal. Sadly the "church" cannot be found in sprawling campuses, among multitudes of adoring fans or in burgeoning bank accounts but rather in the "church" as in Philadelphia, I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Of the church at Philadelphia Gill writes, "Good works, of faith, love, and patience; and which lay much in preaching, professing, and maintaining the pure Gospel, and in acts of charity to one another." Should we be so blessed to worship in a "church where the holiness of life, truth of doctrine, and purity of discipline prevail?"
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
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Lord, Lord When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath
shut to the door, Return to the page directory Five times Jesus speaks of those who call out, "Lord, Lord." Five times He tells us that isn’t enough, that He does not recognize them. It isn’t that he doesn’t know who they are because He knows all of us. He is Lord. He is saying they are "goats," not "sheep" – they are not among the saved. While there is some disagreement among theologians, the prevailing opinion is that not everyone is going to be saved. These five instances certainly seems to lend credence to that opinion. The sadness of this is magnified when we see that He is speaking of those who seemingly recognize who He is – Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior. Today, we would call them Christians, then, they were called Followers of the Way. He is saying they are not. Notice why – because they do not do His will. The prevailing attitude that all we have to do to be saved is accept Him as our Lord and Savior is called into question by these five passages as surely as the words written by His brother, faith without works is dead. What works are they that are required? Love thy neighbour as thyself. Even wonderful works, prophesying, casting out devils, building temples and preaching to throngs of people will not be sufficient while they ignore their hurting brothers and sisters. On this very matter, John writes, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? It’s not the only time, and John is not the only writer to express such sentiments. Luke records that our Master said, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. That seems clear; and what an indictment to a people wealthy as we who allow the poor in our midst to live in hovels if not on the street, dress in rags and haven’t enough food to satisfy their hunger. Instead of this message what we hear from the pulpit is tantalizing iniquities that we are to succeed in amassing wealth while nothing is said about our fellow citizens and the rest of the world languished in poverty. The consequences of such neglect are clear. As recorded in Matthew, Jesus, speaking of the final judgment said, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Of whom was God speaking? Who were those assembled "on the left hand?" Those who had not looked after the welfare of the less fortunate in their midst. No surprise. Isn’t that the lesson of the Good Samaritan? Notice who ignored the stranger. Not much has changed. Jesus said some call out "Lord, Lord," and I do not know them. In so many words, He could also have said, "Others do not call out my name nor recognize me. I don’t know them either." To say nothing of the rest of the world, there is somewhere between 20 and 25% of Americans who do not identify themselves as Christian. That compared to Britain where the figure is 44% and Sweden where 69% aren’t Christian, is a surprisingly large figure for a so-called "postindustrial country. Still, on the low side of those figures, that means for the United States 60,000,000 of our fellow Americans are heading straight for hell unless they are saved. When we consider that only 8% of those calling themselves "Christian" align themselves with the teachings of the Bible and many would be offended with the suggestion that non-believers are going to hell, the likelihood of them reversing direction is slight. Only 10% of those who identify themselves as Christian consider reading (not studying) the Bible important while just 6% were concerned with our declining moral values and inappropriate media content. 18% considered practicing their faith important. It isn’t likely those who do not call upon the name of the Lord will find much help in redirecting their lives from the Christian community. After all, 24% of Christians in America reject the idea that Satan is real. Nonetheless, those who choose not to recognize Him as Lord of all are goats. Something to ponder. "Notional Christians" are those who " do not believe that
they will have eternal life because of their reliance upon the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ and the grace extended to people through a
relationship with Christ." They make up about half of the U. S. adult
population calling Christian. These "LostChurchgoers"
are thinning ranks of Christianity. Not only are the numbers of those
sincerely believing in Jesus reduced, those needing salvation are
increasing. The consequences are clear, the causes are not.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity |
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Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow
shall take thought for the things of itself. Return to the page directory That’s how most of us live our lives as if tomorrows were a chain stretching on endlessly. So we’re content to put things off, not do them now when we should – tomorrow is soon enough. This, the most cruel illusion in the human experience is that this life goes on eternally. It’s the illusion of immortality that afflicts all ages, races and cultures. Some of us even operate under the second most cruel human illusion – that this life is all there is. It isn’t. We say, somewhat glibly about our unfinished business, "Oh well, there’s always tomorrow." No, there isn’t, not in this life. We may not have tomorrow to correct wrongs, injustices and neglect; to verify the truth; reinforce a friendship; express gratitude; display our love. We are immortal, but we have to die before we are. No one thinks of that. Best we do it today. What we put off is our relationship with our God and our human relationships. Invariably, it is one another and our Lord our God whom we ignore. Automatically, such procrastination makes these relationships tertiary in our lives – of little importance. Pray that it isn’t bowing down and asking Jesus to come into our lives that we put off. Chances are very good that it is. The two commandments on which Jesus says, hang all the law and the prophets are about loving relationships – love of God and of one another. The very two we set aside. Paul writes, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. Shouldn’t that put us on notice just how important "charity" (brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence) really is? Then, there is no tomorrow; we die – and we all will. Then, the opportunity for charity is gone. Death ends the illusion of lots of time to make up for lost opportunities. In the final analysis, what is more central, more important to our Christian lives than relationships? It used to be a saying that one can tell what a person values, what they find important, by noting where they spend their money. More correctly, it’s where they spend their time. What is it that distracts us from taking care of our relationships with one another? When we say, "Oh well there’s always tomorrow," what have we neglected to do today and dismissed with the illusion we will be able to correct the deficiency some time in the future? It isn’t our bank accounts, our jobs, our indulgences. It isn’t even our mundane household chores or our leisure – certainly not shopping, or watching our favorite TV programs. Those can’t wait. They must be looked after. Instead of wasting our time accumulating fortunes of things here in this life, the Lord tells us to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where they really count. Some have surmised Him to mean that we are to send ahead of us the same sorts of things to heaven. And, of course, we can do that by what we today call "charitable giving," especially in support of our "local church" in the form of tithes and offerings. That line every preacher graduating from seminary has deeply ingrained in his psyche. Can we buy our rewards in heaven on the installment plan? Is that what He means? That is the interpretation given to Luke who writes, Give, and it shall be given unto you. You know, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over. But, shouldn’t we ask what the "treasures in heaven" actually consist of? Maybe more correctly, what does God treasure most? There is no qualification on Jesus’ statement that we cannot serve two masters – God and mammon. So it wouldn’t seem that "worldly possessions" are either the treasure we are to seek in heaven or the price of entry. However you earn it or how you spend it, worldly possessions are still the lucre of Satan. But wait a minute, isn’t a worker worthy of his keep? Yes he is. But shouldn’t we have the faith of a mustard seed that if we are seeking Him, He will care for us as He does the lilies of the field? And what does He say of that, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. There’s the answer, "confess me before men." That’s a heavenly treasure. What are they, these heavenly treasures – love God, love one another and confess Jesus before others. That is what the Bible tells us. Truly, these things should not, cannot be put off until tomorrow.
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Why Do We Go To Church? But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they
make broad their phylacteries, Return to the page directory If we were to conduct a "truth poll" about this question, what would the number one answer be? Probably there are polite, respectable and truthful answers to the question, "Oh, I attend church because I’m a Christian." or "Well I attend church because I believe in God." Notice neither of these standard responses answers the question. People such as these are being polite, not wanting to engage the matter. More respectable answers would be "It’s my way of witnessing about my faith." or "I feel it’s my Christian duty." Some, many, if the truth were known would say, "Because I always have." In times past, others would truthfully answer, "Because all my friends and family do." In fact, most of us likely don’t even think about it, we just go because that’s what we do. The passage cited from Matthew speaks of ambition, phylactery, hypocrisy, pride, entertainment. How many go to church simply to be seen there and may even pick the one they attend based upon who also goes there – those whom we admire or who can help us advance our careers? Others clearly attend because they are the objects of such adoration. Their "fans" greet them and idolize them. How many of us attend a church because of its fame or, more likely, the fame and status of their "pastor?" Not too long ago, Christianity Today ran a list of The Top 25 Most Influential Preachers. No, Joel Osteen wasn’t even mentioned, probably because those selected were, "evangelical preachers." That would automatically eliminate him and a number of others right away – once they decided what an "evangelical preacher was. Hayford, Hybels, Swindoll and Warren were among the top ten listed. T.D. Jakes wasn’t on that list, but Time Magazine recently nominated him the best preacher in America. Phylacteries are either two small square leather boxes containing slips inscribed with scriptural passages and traditionally worn on the left arm and on the head by Jewish men. Christians often wear the cross or the fish as ornamental charms rather than as reminders of what God does for them or to prompt them how to live. By doing so, some think they are better than others; because they seem more devout. Such motivation is also behind not only going to church, but the church we choose to attend. Like the Pharisees, who thought making their phylacteries bigger and bigger would make them more devout, we often believe the same about churches – the bigger the more righteous. We cannot ignore the "success quotient" when considering why people go to church. Bigger is better because it speaks of success, that thing which we are taught from the cradle on to covet. Its worth noting that of the 115 times the Greek word for church (ekklesia) is used in the K.J. New Testament, it is found only twice in the Gospels. "Church as we know it is entirely an invention of Paul. In his Epistles and Letters, it is spoken of 88 times. So what is this thing called "church?’ The simplest definition is that it is an "assembly of Christians" gathered for worship in a religious meeting." We would think that a "no-brainer" until we stop to realize that increasingly "church" is becoming the primary method of evangelism – " seeker-churches" they are called. No longer are they simply a gathering of Christians – brothers and sisters in the faith. That gives us reason #1. Why do we go to church? We do so to fellowship with other Christians. Reason #2 for going to church is to worship! It’s interesting that sometimes the word worship (Doxa) is translated as praise, glorify. Praise and glorify whom? Maybe God? In other cases it is translated as piety and reverence – (Eusebeo). In church, at least according to the Bible, we are to be pious and show reverence toward God. Then, there is "therapeuo" and "latreuo" meaning service, "proskuneo" which is also reverence, "sebazomai" to honor (technically, to fear) and "sebomai" to revere and worship. Finally, there is proskunetes, a worshipper. Add it up, we should go to church to praise and glorify, to show piety and reverence, to provide service, to honor and revere Him the Lord God almighty and His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. Why we attend church today and why we should attend church according to the Bible are strangely distant from one another; almost unrecognizably different. But there they are, the Biblical reasons. As for me and my house? But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: |
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That’s what one preacher told his audience recently. "God," he said, "want’s you to live like a king right now." His lesson’s Scriptural reference was the 8th Psalm. That’s interesting in itself because this Psalm is regarded as one of the messianic psalms pointing to Jesus – whose reference is Jesus. If that’s the case, it would make the preacher’s statement even more astonishing in light of all that Jesus taught about the corrupting dangers of worldly things. Paul suggests that when David writes, For he hath put all things under his feet, the reference is to the Messiah. John Gill explains the his "which is spoken of [herd] is styled man, and the son of man; and is to be understood not of Adam in a state of innocence." That would make more sense than to have God at one point seemingly lavishing great worldly wealth upon us and at other times warning us about the futile, evil and transitory nature of such riches. However, such teachings do make our faith seem more compatible with our life-styles and sort of "tickles our ears." That makes us feel good. We like the preacher. Our donations increase. God is in His heaven and all is right with the world – wrong. My, is this message popular these days. Isn’t God so warm, loving and generous? Just like Santa Clause. As Paul observed, the time has come. Mustn’t one ask, what have starving Christians in impoverished parts of the world not done or must do to live like kings now? Surely, they must desire and deserve the regal life. The passages in Psalm 8 the pastor was probably using to substantiate his claim that God wants us to live like kings are, For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour and Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, suggest that God intended humanity (collectively, not individually) to rule over creation. Sadly, "in our fallen state, we are profoundly disfigured, a perversion of the majesty God has intended" (NKJ notes). Besides, most commentators interpret these passages as referring to the future Messiah. For example, Matthew Henry’s Commentary states, "This" (speaking of verses 3-9) "refers to Christ. In ( Hebrews 2:6-8 ) , the apostle, to prove the sovereign dominion of Christ, shows he is that Man, that Son of man, here spoken of, whom God has made to have dominion over the works of his hands." The message of prosperity isn’t new, just growing in popularity. That doesn’t make it right. Some of the more notable preachers of this cultic teaching are: Creflo Dollar of Creflo Dollar Ministries and of World Changers Church International, Paul and Jan Crouch of Trinity Broadcasting Network, Marilyn Hickey of Marilyn Hickey Ministries, Benny Hinn of Benny Hinn Ministries, T.D. Jakes leads T.D. Jakes Ministries and The Potter's House, Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Joyce Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Robert Tilton, Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church, Johnnie Colemon of Christ Universal Temple, Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church. Not to be over looked is Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church.. They all agree on one thing that we are to live like kings – now. Thanks to their donors, that’s how they all live. Do we want to listen to the likes of these? A lone voice, that of Charles Spurgeon, said "to live with the object of accumulating wealth is anti-Christian." What ever happened to the idea of servanthood in Christianity? It used to be a cornerstone of the redeemed. It still is in the Bible. In its various forms, just the word "servant" is found 198 time in the KJV of the New Testament. Certainly, not all refer to Christians as servants, but in one of these passages, is the statement by King Jesus, No man can serve two masters a statement repeated in Luke 16:13, saying Ye cannot serve God and mammon. After all, who is king and who is servant? To the Christian in Rome, Paul didn’t write, "But now being made free from sin, and become kings." Rather he wrote, But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. What greater reward than freedom from sin could we possibly desire? What greater prize than everlasting life over that which we so richly deserve, everlasting death? Would we rather be a king of an earthly fiefdom (they have their reward) or a servant in the eternal kingdom ruled by the one sovereign God? Since we can’t have both, as for me and my house, we’ll joyfully serve our Lord and Master Jesus the Christ, king over all. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted . Matthew 23:11-12 |
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If all of us who embrace the Christian faith are disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, what’s all this about "enthronement?" Merriam-Webster tells us that enthronement is, "a: to seat in a place associated with a position of authority or influence b: to seat ceremonially on a throne. 2: to assign supreme virtue or value to: exalt." The latter, number "2" seems most to fit the occasion. From the Greek, it means to place on a throne, it signifies placing a bishop or Pope on his throne in his church (Actually, the Greek word kathedra from which we get the word "cathedral" means throne or elevated seat) from which "he presides, teaches, and conducts worship for the whole Christian community." Until the 13th century, the Roman Catholic Pope was enthroned in the "Chair of Saint Peter to proclaim the new Pope was the legitimate successor of Saint Peter who, in their view is the legal successor of Jesus the Christ – the Vicar of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church now refers to "enthronement" as "installations," but the ceremony is the same. The Eastern Churches, Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican Church have kept the name as well as the ceremony. The ceremonies are as elaborate and lavish as they are perfunctory especially in light of the simple life and ministry of Jesus the Christ and His disapproval of such conspicuous display of opulence. The only sense they make is to clearly illustrate the distinctions between the "average" Christian and those in positions of power and influence within the established, corporate church. How we got to this ostentatious display of authority? Any attempt to determine its legitimacy, needs to seek answers in Scripture. Most turn to Matthew 10: 1, Luke 9:1 that gave the apostles (including Judas) some limited authority and, of course, Peter’s "coronation" in Matthew 16:18-19. Please notice the limited nature of these transmissions in scope and, in the case of Peter, to one person – there weren’t any cathedra, anointing or thrones involved in these transfers of power. Another, less often discussed passage is John 14:12 that says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Here, it is ALL believers that are authorized to do ALL the works that Jesus did AND MORE. The name most used in Scripture to refer to believers in Jesus the Christ is disciple as in (Matthew 10:42; 27:57; John 4:1; 9:27, 28; and other places.) There are passage restricting the designation of "disciple" to the Apostles. The New Advent Encyclopedia, points to (Matthew 10:1, 11:1, 20:17, 26:20, 28:16) as such passages. In Luke, we are told that Jesus called twelve from a larger group of 70-72 disciples, to be his "Apostles." Then, what is an "Apostle?" It is a title that distinguished the twelve "disciples" Jesus selected to be closely associated with Him whom He would personally tutor. The word "apostle" also means "one sent forth," an evangelist or a missionary. In the broad sense an assignment given to every believer – disciple. Scripturally, then, we have a large body of disciples (the number never specified) in which is a much smaller group of seventy or so who, according to Luke, were sent on an evangelical mission and the original twelve disciples. As a footnote, if we look more closely at the "Apostles," we find, they were Slow to accept Jesus, as Messiah (Matthew 14:33.) They forsook Him during His persecution and crucifixion (Mark 14:50.) They did not comprehend His real nature and mission or the nature of the kingdom he came to establish (Matthew 8:25-27; 15:23; 16:8-12,21,22; 19:25; Mark 4:13; 6:51,52; 8:17,18; 9:9,10,31,32; 10:13,14; Luke 9:44,45; 18:34; 24:19,21; John 4:32,33; 10:6; 11:12,13; 12:16; 13:6-8; 14:5-9,22; 16:6,17,18,32; 20:9; 21:12; Acts 1:6.) One of them betrayed Him. In other words, they were just like us until Pentecost. The difference, then, between an Apostle and a disciple is two fold, (1) Apostles were personally instructed by Jesus and (2) they were given a specific evangelical mission by Him. Their empowerment, our empowerment does not come from the robes we wear, a "church" or sitting on a chair in a church. Our "enthronement" comes by authority of Jesus the Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Unless we believe that Jesus’ promise of a home in Heaven (John 14:2), that He will not leave us comfortless in this life (v. 18) applied only to the Apostles, then our enthronement took place when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. There is no greater authority. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is
that loveth me: |
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And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, So much of what we are taught from the pulpit these days sound like a choir warming up at rehearsal – me, me, me, me. It works, what we might justifiably call "Meme-Christianity" packs the pews and fills the coffers. The truth of the matter is that our focus is out of focus. We’re in such a hurry to get to the second of these commandments that we rarely stop to ask what it means, what is involved with loving the Lord our God. To start with, it means loving the Holy Spirit, loving Jesus the Christ and God. Love, according to the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary, is "the tenderest, the most unselfish, the most divine of all affections." That being the case, it is also the most difficult of all affections. Then, to add to the difficulty, we are to love a God whom we have not and cannot see or even comprehend. Being all-powerful, that’s why we say He is almighty, is unfathomable to us. His powers and abilities are limitless. But we aren’t to love Him out of awe of His power, but out of wonder of what He has done and is doing with his limitless power. Accepting His Word as Truth is one expression of such love. Yes, the earth was created in 7 (24 hour) calendar days. He did separate the Red Sea for the fleeing Israelis. Jesus did turn water into wine. Our sins are forgiven unconditionally by the blood of Jesus. What’s our prayer life like? When we talk with Him, are we on a concert stage and make a big production of it (Matt. 6:1-6)? Is it more of the "me, me, me, me" stuff where all we do is ask, if not demand things of Him? Often people seek to deceive Him into making Him think they love Him when they really only have selfish or ulterior motives in their hearts. Is that us? Do we fill our prayers with His name thinking somehow this will make them more acceptable to Him (v.7). Jesus also gave us some other rules on praying: Recognition that He is the author of all things is right at the top of the list (v.9). Giving obeisance to Him is second only to that. The dictionary tells us that "hallowed" means "worthy of religious veneration." Surely He is worthy of our worship, our reverence, our adoration, our awe. Then a seemingly innocuous phrase, we probably pass over without much thought, "Thy will be done." John Gill’s Commentary says this, "The will of God may be said to be done by us, when our wills are resigned to his; when we patiently submit to every adverse dispensation of providence; when our hearts and actions are, in some measure, conformed to his law; when what is done, is done in faith, with a view to his glory, and without dependence upon it." Most of us probably don’t include anything like that in our prayers. Whether we do or not, He knows our hearts. That’s the first half, the God centered part of Jesus instruction on how to pray. Now, we come to the "good stuff," the human centered part – the "give us and do for us" part. In the KJV, this is stated, "give us this day our daily bread." Well, we all know how that terse little phrase translates. It translates into "give us everything, anything we ask for" just ask the "prosperity preachers." The Message translates the phrase as, "Give us the food we need for each day." Now how many of us pray that way and would actually be satisfied with so little from our omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God? The Jews in the Exodus weren’t. Remember manna? That was their daily bread. God was going to rule over the Nation of Israel. They wanted an earthly king instead so they could be just like everyone else. Actually, nothing satisfied them. You see how it all wound up – temporarily. The Message is exactly right, Jesus told us, His disciples, to pray that our most basic needs (necessities) might be met – everything else being equal. Then He, Jesus, told us to pray our debts (sins) be forgiven. Only a few people have declared themselves "debt free" and they were/are wrong. This is a good thing to pray for just as long as we remember the weight of the burden of sin we carry and the price we are asking God to remove it. Next is a seemingly confusing part of our prayer, "lead us not into temptation." Surely God wouldn’t do that or would He. Well, if He wanted to teach us a lesson about the false and illusory nature of Satan’s kingdom, He just might. He did with Abraham and with Job. His Son’s life on earth wasn’t a bowl of cherries either. We know these rules, at least most of us can repeat the appropriate verses, we just choose to ignore them. It is often said that if we really want to know what a person values, watch where he spends his money. In a materialistic world, that’s probably a good measure of worthiness. But is it in Christendom? Surely there is a better assessment. How about this, "listen to a person’s prayers and we’ll know the level of his spiritual maturity – his focus." For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen . Matthew 6:13Return to the page directory |
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Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood Formally," outsourcing" refers to a company contracting with another to provide services that might otherwise be performed "in-house." It is an old concept brought to our attention recently by the extensive use the U.S. military made of it during the Iraq war with such companies as Blackwater. What might surprise many readers is just how old the practice is and who started it. To the first point, it is hundreds if not thousands of years old, perhaps originating as early as the First Century. A good point of reference for it’s beginnings can be found in the developments taking place in the period between 160-190 AD. The fact that it was an unintentional gradual development is one of the reasons why it is difficult to pin down when it started. These are also the reasons why its effects were so unpredictably beguiling. In its early days, the concept of "contracts" and the other formal paraphernalia adorning the idea today, providing services and what-not, were not originally part of "outsourcing" or were present in a much more casual, unofficial, way. Essentially, what it boiled down to was one party doing for money what others did not want to do themselves, thus freeing them to go about their business unimpeded with such unimportant or noxious tasks. Although the practice was not lost in the business world of the day, the development and growth of "outsourcing" was not primarily business in nature though it certainly had commercial overtones. The fact that "outsourcing" allows individuals and whole corporations to turn over less important, even noxious activities and duties to some other group to perform meant it would stay long as the exclusive property of the Christian religion. Yes, that’s where it started as a "catholicism," (universal or general) eventually evolving into Roman Catholicism. Irrespective of the role Gnosticism and Montanism may have played on the formalization/institutionalization of Christianity that ultimately became the Catholic church, its consequence was the "outsourcing" of our "ambassadorship responsibilities" to the official church. Nothing has been the same since. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism have been affected. What are those "ambassadorship responsibilities?" First, the word "ambassador" derives from the German word ambaht or service. When we think of an ambassador, we are usually locked into the most obvious examples around us today that is defined in dictionaries as "an official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government." However, an ambassador is also an emissary, a representative and, finally, a minister. Even the idea of an envoy can be misleading. In addition to our usual way of regarding "envoys," they are also defined as emissaries, representatives, intermediaries. An emissary is also an agent, intermediary or something as simple as a "fill-in." As Christians, we are all of these things. That’s the Great Commission. Nowhere is it written that responsibility can be delegated or abrogated. The Great Commission is the instructions the resurrected
Jesus gave to His disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the
nations of the world. Versions of the Great Commission appears in the
Gospels of Matthew, Luke, John, and in the Book of Acts. Probably, we are
most familiar with the version found in
Matthew 28:16-20,
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen
Therefore, we are His envoys, His emissaries and representatives. We are His
ministers and His intermediaries to the world. We are, each and every one of
us, not just some pastor, "minister," priest, bishop or pope. That we have
done so is to our everlasting discredit. By whatever means, deception, or
dimwitedness, we have "outsourced" one of the most fundamental of our
Christian responsibilities – to be Christ’s ambassadors. Many of us have
simply taken the common practices of our churches (being pew potatoes) for
the Truth not understanding that those customs, inherited from the Roman
Catholic Church, are as far from the Truth as possible. The
Word of God teaches that,
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ. Not withstanding Paul’s writings on
gifts and "offices,"
believing in the veracity of Scripture, we must know that just showing up
for Sunday services is not our commission. We must understand that passively
listening to sermon lessons which we forget before we exit the sanctuary
and, consequently have no effect upon our daily lives is simply not enough.
Even our well intended "volunteer services" at less than essential (not
budgeted) tasks around the church are insufficient. Our sufficiency is of
God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the
letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life.
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 |
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Nothing speaks more directly than volunteerism to the craving for involvement in tour Christian faith. One could well argue that such is the urging of the Holy Spirit. Most church administrators would agree that without their faithful volunteers many activities would cease to exist or would suffer severe cutbacks. Indeed, it is the epitome of Christian community living. Those who volunteer serve out of the limelight, for the most part, in capacities not likely to bring them recognition or reward. They do so out of a sense of loyalty and gratitude rather than for accolades or some potential rewards now or in the future. In small congregations, volunteers undertake everything from the housekeeping duties that keep buildings and grounds presentable to the preparation and serving of Holy Communion and all things in between. They are an example of what involvement was before there was outsourcing to professional gardeners, janitors, the professional and clerical staff we find in most churches today. John Gill says of service, "for the only way to preferment in Christ's kingdom, or in the Gospel dispensation, is humility and meekness, and performing the lowest services to all, with diligence and cheerfulness." Nothing could describe the heart of a church volunteer more accurately. It is interesting that one of the Greek words for servant (diakonos) found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John is also translates as minister. The Greek diakoneo often translated as "minister" is defined as, "a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon, to minister to one, render ministering offices to, to be served, ministered unto, to wait at a table and offer food and drink to the guests, of women preparing food." In John, it is recorded that our Master said, If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. The words translated as "serve" and "servant" are from the Greek Diakoneo and Diakonos – serve and servant. Our Lord and Master said, the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Both the words "ministered" and "minister" are translations of Diakoneo – servant. There, we have our volunteers. And, where are we, masters or servants? Jesus described Himself in many ways, among them as, meek and lowly in heart (Matt 11:29). Many times, He counseled us to be humble (Matt 18:4, 23:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14). To the Corinthian congregation, Paul wrote that charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. "Vaunteth" is simply translated as "braggart" – boasting about one’s self. If Jesus was meek and lowly and He counseled us to be so, why would we seek to be boastful and egotistical? We might even go so far as to ask what right we had to be that way. After all, what have we, ourselves, really accomplished that is worthy of mention? To a greater extent than most anyplace else, these traits, humility, love, meekness and a servant’s heart is found among those who volunteer. What is needed is for the attitude of volunteerism to spread within the walls of the institutionalized, organized church and beyond. Maybe what we should be saying in today’s world is that we are all called to be Volunteers For Christ. If anything should be "grown" in today’s churches, it isn’t the number of people we can crowd into our cavernous stadium-sized "churches, it’s volunteerism. Volunteerism that grows until everyone in the congregation regards everyone else as their personal friend, brothers and sisters in Christ. Is it not written that He said, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another? One mega church recently bragged that more than 30,000 people are studying their new series and 24,000 people attended services on a recent weekend. Just get out of their way when they are ready to go home to keep from being knocked down and exercise extreme caution in the parking lots to keep from being run over. Which is more desirable, a mob of 24-30,000 or a group of 240-300 brothers and sisters who know and care for one another? Of course "pastors" and church administrators prefer the former, it feeds their egos. Perhaps unknown to that army of Christian volunteers, is what has flooded over their lives. It is the Holy Spirit. In his book, Living Out the Book of Acts, Dr. Bruce Larson observes, "we are as close to the Lord of the church as the twelve were in the first century" (p.15) and like Stephen, our volunteers are leading the way. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders
and miracles among the people.
Acts 6:8 |
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Duplicity Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, Return to the page directory Duplicity, defined as "contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action; especially: the belying of one's true intentions by deceptive words or action," is a term we don’t find used very often. Some synonyms might make its meaning more understandable for those unfamiliar with its use such as, "artifice, craftiness, crookedness, cunning, deceitfulness, dishonesty, double-dealing, duplicity, guile, wiliness." A few related words might help as well: "equivocation, prevarication; chicanery, skullduggery, subterfuge, trickery; hypocrisy, insincerity; deviousness, shrewdness; treacherousness, underhandedness, unscrupulousness; covertness, furtiveness, secrecy, shadiness, sneakiness, shiftiness." In short, duplicity, is not a nice thing to do. It fits in with those things Jesus said "defile the man." While duplicity is all of these "defiling" things, it is more. We are deceitful and dishonest when we are duplicitous but, it’s the way we do it that makes it so very sneakily misleading. We "go along with the crowd" as it were. We fit in; we’re one of the gang; part of the "good-ole boys" as it were. That’s what we are doing. Our intentions are no less reprehensible. We keep our job, avoid criticism and retribution. Maybe we are working for one of those "sub-prime" loan companies granting mortgages to families it knows will not be able to keep up the payments. But that’s OK, we all benefit from the deception with our nice salaries and bonuses. If we’d speak out, we’d get fired. So, we keep still and continue to rake in the benefits. We will even go so far as to encourage others to become clients of a dishonest company that will result in their being seriously damaged financially. It’s knowing the truth and telling lies for personal gain. Maybe cowardice moves us not to come forward or at least remove ourselves from such a position of fraud and cheating. We may even realize that our good name is helping the organization continue with its subterfuge and fraudulent activity, but we’re reluctant, we’re afraid to step forward. Co-workers and friends associated with the organization might not like us any more; we might lose our position, our income, our jobs. The opposite of those who hide behind their fears and greed and do nothing are those who expose the fraud and abuse within their organizations, are the so-called "whistle-blowers." They have a higher set of standards, an "internalized moral compass" that shows them right from wrong regardless of what others around them do or think and regardless of the consequences. Matters are worsened if the organization with questionable practices is a church and the duplicitous person is on the pastoral staff. He is well respected by the laity, the other pastors and by the staff and, he is equally well paid. However, he is greatly troubled by what the church is doing. It may be chicanery (A "lack of straightforwardness and honesty in action, craftiness, deviousness, dishonesty, indirection, shadiness, shiftiness, slyness, sneakiness, trickery.") in their financial dealings or in the message they present to the congregation and to the world. For example, the pastor in question may be aware that the excessive salaries of the senior pastor and his family are the primary cause of the financial difficulties the church is in. He may know that the nepotism ("Favoritism granted to relatives or close friends, without regard to their merit. Nepotism usually takes the form of employing relatives.") within the church is producing bad decision making and unfavorable reactions from members of the church as well as in the larger community in addition to its financial drain. Yet, he does not speak up. He may actually vote to dismiss honest, hard-working employees in order to perpetuate the deceitfulness. He is lending his good name to that shameful deceit. His participation validates what is being done. He is duplicitous. He may feel he is confronted with a "moral dilemma" because of the little good the church does which actually is an excuse for doing nothing. For Christians, there are no so-called "moral dilemmas." Just name one. A dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between seemingly equal alternative courses of action. To be such, the choices must be pretty close, the courses of action about equal in attractiveness. In the case of the pastor in question, his "moral compass," the Holy Spirit, is being ignored. As in every instance, decision making has a moral foundation. Why we are doing something is just as important as what we are doing. He, the Holy Spirit, is always there to point us in the right direction – if we so choose to listen to Him, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; |
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And when he had so said, there arose a dissension Return to the page directory Calls for unity in the church are not at all unusual nor are they anything new. Paul makes quite a plea for unity in the congregation at Ephesus (Ephesians 4:1 – 3). So he does with the congregation at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:1), those at Colosse (Colossians 3:13 – 15), at Thessalonica (Thessalonians 5:14 – 15) and even with the congregation in Rome (Romans 14:19). One doesn’t preach or, in the case of Paul, write letters to people about non-events. As difficult as these challenges may be initially, they are most often overcome as witnessed by the record of such struggles throughout the history of Christianity. There is, however, another challenge we face and that is deception – lying in plain English. Paul puts the problem in a straightforward manner writing, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The translators use the term "beguiled" instead of "deception," but the Greek word Exapatao may be interpreted either beguiled or deceived. There are eight Greek words for "deceive." They must have had quite a problem with it back then – not that we don’t. They knew it, we’re still being deceived, so we don’t - yet. Each of these eight words has its own special and unique flavor. One of the more fascinating is Paralogizomai translated, "to reckon wrong, miscount, to cheat by false reckoning, to deceive by false reasoning to deceive, delude, circumvent. Closely akin to deceiver, one might even say a form of deception is "liar." We find liars talked about most forcefully in the Book of Revelation where they are classified with murderers, whoremongers, and idolaters. These, it tells us, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. John records the words of Jesus who makes forceful use of another term to castigate liars; Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Very forceful words and, prayerfully, we are not counted among them. We are reminded who the "great deceiver" really is. Deceivers eat at the very underpinnings of our belief, like cracks in the foundation of a home. As any homeowner can testify, once the foundation of a house begins to crumble, it won’t be long before the rest of the structure collapses. They may be the ones calling for unity and castigating "whistle-blowers" in order to squelch legitimate concerns about what is being preached. They do so with dispensational contentions that God behaves differently – that He is not the same. They deny the account of creation found in Genesis regarding it as allegorical rather than God’s word. "Christian Darwinists" (theistic evolution) try to persuade us religious and scientific teachings about evolution are not contradictory. Other so-called theologians dispute the virgin birth, challenge miracles and question the concept of the Trinity; that Christ was truly man and God. They preach secularism and approve of worldly lifestyles, even championing the so called "natural man." The well reasoned arguments, of those who create cracks in our faith, play with grains of truth molding them into mountains of deception that shade the Truth and cast doubt on the veracity of Scripture. Just as bad as cracks in our foundation of faith, are other pests confronting Christian congregations. Like termites, they hide, working behind the scenes in secret. Their deadly work isn’t usually discovered until it is too late, just like the work of termites. Only these subterranean pests aren’t insects, they’re people – usually in positions of trust and responsibility. One "termite" is fraudulently spending donations. John accused Judas of fraud. Another termite is nepotism lessening job skills and performance as well as setting up competing channels of loyalty and authority. Some termites eat away at the community of worshippers. Termites are favoritism, partiality and flattery whether it is a member (or members) of the congregation toward the pastoral staff or the other way around. Directed toward the pastoral staff, it causes conceit and "swelled heads." Directed toward big financial donors it causes envy and strife. The biggest termite is arrogance. In the church, this termite thinks and acts on the premise that everything it says and does is the absolute incontrovertible truth not to be opposed. Whether these termites are senior staff members, the consistory, elders, Pastors, he/they eat away at the lumber of houses of worship and all of Christianity. And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as
some affirm that we say,) |
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Division And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, Return to the page directory Division in the "church" isn’t new, it’s as old as the "church" itself as testified to by the Scripture quoted above. Recall, Peter taking the Word of God to the Gentiles (that’s us) occasioned this division. The ensuing squabble revolved around how much of Jewish tradition Gentiles would be required to observe. Later, Paul had to confront the problem of division within the Corinth congregation. In one instance he wrote to them telling that they were acting just like the unsaved, the worldly, because they were bickering and quarreling among themselves over one thing and another. Incidentally, he told them this had put a stop to their spiritual growth. The congregation at Rome also had its share of divisiveness over matters of doctrine. Paul wrote to them, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Indeed, the very conversion of Saul/Paul occasioned division with some disciples rejecting his conversion. Recall that Paul and Peter got into it over the matter of whether Jewish and Gentile Christians could meet together socially. Antioch was the major Gentile Christian center and Jerusalem the major Jewish Christian center. This would be like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren getting into an argument. It wasn’t just in the "early church" such divisiveness is found, in modern times as well. Division is what produced the major rifts between Roman Catholic, Orthodox churches and Protestants. Among Protestants, it produced the split between Zwinglianism, Calvinism, Congregationalism, Pentecostalism, Puritanism, Anglicanism the Anabaptists, Charismatics, Quakers, and the hundreds upon hundreds of Protestant denominations. The particular differences behind these splits are as contentious as those that confronted Paul and Peter and are profuse. What accounts for all of this? Were Calvin, Wesley, evil men? Division in the "church" isn’t usually the work of evildoers, sinners or criminals knowingly bent upon evil, Certainly the dispute between Paul and Peter couldn’t be characterized as such; nor could Calvin and Luther. Charles Parham, founder of Pentecostalism, firmly believed speaking in tongues was evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Did that make him an evil man? When James Nayler, a prominent Quaker of the 1600’s, rode into Bristol England along with a handful of people saying "Holy, holy, holy" and strewing their garments on the ground in front of him to imitate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem were they crazy and/or wrong? Seldom, if ever, do we knowingly act in an evil way. Invariably, when we do something, we think what we are doing is right for the circumstances. Luther didn’t split with the Roman Catholic Church thinking what he was doing was wrong. Actually, that wasn’t his intention at all. He meant to reform some of its teachings and practices from within. He thought this was the right and necessary thing to do. The Roman Catholic Church didn’t and still doesn’t think so. In fact, they excommunicated him. This, in their way of thinking, was a condemnation to Hell. Division and divisiveness may well be the work of Christians unwittingly doing evil by thinking their views and their opinions are right. More than one preacher has believed every thought was straight from the lips of God only to bring destruction down on "his" ministry. If our congregations were properly schooled in the Word instead of being served milk, the resolution of divisions within denominations as well as particular congregations could be resolved by a vote of the members after "public" debate and discussion; relying upon their collective wisdom. Jesus spelled out this solution in Matthew 18:15-17. On the matter of circumcision that plagued the early Christians, Luke records in Acts that the leadership, the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. Unfortunately, we have no apostles and if we substitute the "pastoral staff" in today’s congregations for the "apostles" of yesteryear, we’d probably be dealing with the one’s responsible for the division in the first place. As far as those called "elders" are concerned, in so many congregations they are as ignorant of the Word as the rest of the congregation. Paul does seem to come down on the side of taking matters of division to the congregation. He writes, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them – speaking specifically on the matter of those who preach doctrines contrary to the Word – in a word, "false prophets." Under today’s circumstances, the "public" forum seems a better place to consider such issues than in the traditional "smoke filled back rooms" prayerfully without the smoke. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying,
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A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another;
Actually, the "new" commandment Jesus gave to His disciples on this occasion was not new at all. It was first spoken in Leviticus 19:18 by Moses who said love your neighbor as yourself. It appears a second time in Matthew 22:39 when Jesus gave it as the second greatest commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. In the Book of James it is written Christ said, If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. Since in the OT "neighbour" came to be interpreted as "the children of my people" (that is fellow Jews) Jesus clarified the term to mean everyone. In the story of the Good Samaritan, (Samaritans, you may recall, were held in the greatest contempt by Jews.) He made the point crystal-clear that we were to love Jews and Gentiles (the world) alike saying, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. This lesson is elaborated upon in Luke 6:27-35 Then, what is it that caused Him to say this was a "new" commandment? Maybe, He felt they needed to hear that commandment in uncompromising terms and in such a way, they could not mistake His meaning. He had just finished telling them in certain terms that He was about to be murdered. Together, they had just celebrated Holy Communion. He had just finished washing their feet. J. Vernon McGee suggests this; "The world is dying for just a little love." He wanted to be sure his disciples were known for their love. From Christians today, McGee contends unbelievers "hear the gossip before they can hear the gospel!" He quotes from Galatians, But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another and says "this is the type of thing that is turning the unsaved away from the church today." He concludes, "Do you realize that the most important commandment for a Christian is not to witness, not to serve, but to love other believers?" (The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 4, p 456) It seems the lesson sank in because in Acts we read, And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. It may have sunk in, but not for long. Soon, they were at it again. There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. But at least for a time there was peace and tranquility. If we read on a little further (Acts 6:5) when Stephen and others were selected to "serve tables," peace prevailed and the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. Tertullian made this observation about how outsiders regarded early the Christian congregations, "But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another, for themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they are ready even to die for one another, for they themselves will soon be put to death." (Apologeticum ch. 39, 7) Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people would say that about our congregation – yours and mine? What a blessing that would be to the members of the congregation. What an attraction it would be to outsiders; what a blessing to the world. We so often overlook the obvious and make the mistake of looking outwardly for the objects and the means for evangelism when, in fact, the tools are right before us every time we gather – one another. To paraphrase McGee, what if outsiders heard the gospel and did not hear the gossip because there was none to hear? What a powerful evangelical tool that would be. If in the best sense of the phrase we truly regarded one another as brothers and sisters in the Faith, members of the family of God, who truly loved one another that would make our congregations irresistible to a love starved world. If we looked after one another’s physical and emotional needs thus relieving the anxieties of life, how much that would free us to grow spiritually. What a magnet for evangelism that would be. Let us be clear on exactly what Jesus told His disciples at that Pentecost meal, That ye love one another; as I have loved you. He fed them supper, He washed their feet and then, He died for them. That’s why it’s called a "new commandment." Nowhere else, not in Leviticus nor in Matthew, James or Luke is the full cost of loving one another as He loves us spelled out except here in the Book of John. Moreover, a bit later in John records this: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13. Jesus also said, For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. John 13:15 |
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