Nothing Really Matters

Sunday morning, sitting back in a Sunday School room, I heard something that really got my gears spinning. One sentence said offhandedly (I think) had me thinking the rest of the day, and this one little sentence is the inspiration for this post. The fact that this was Easter morning meant that I got to see this lesson put in to practice immediately, which made it all the more poignant to me.

On Easter morning, we sang, we worshiped, we praised and we felt the Spirit move in the church. We heard the words that were said, read the Bible, raised our hands, prayed and did all the other things that go into a church service. As I sat there in my seat I realized that none of this meant anything at all.

Since it was Easter, of course there was a mention of the resurrection of Christ. The depths of the love of God that He would send His Son to die for us was spoken of and was a prominent theme in the songs that we sang. The foundations of Christianity were put on display for all to see and still as I sat thinking it would not leave me that none of this mattered.

Yes, you are reading correctly. I am saying that the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ are totally and completely meaningless. That is until...

"Until Jesus is alive in your heart, that fact that He is alive doesn't mean anything to you."

I may have not got the quote exactly right, but it's close enough and there is so much truth in it. On Easter Sunday there was a clear division of those present and I could see that towards the back of the church sat many people who didn't see the meaning in the singing or in the praise or in the worship. When the pastor spoke, or when the Bible was read or when we prayed, they could hear only words. When we raised our hands and the Spirit moved, all they could see was people acting foolishly. To these people the resurrection is nothing more than just some mythical event to be given no more credence than any fairy tale, the love of God is an antiquated concept germane only to their poor, old, deluded mother, certainly not to them, and Jesus Christ Himself is nothing more than a questionable footnote in the annals of history. None of what was happening bore any significance to them nor held any meaning at all. Jesus doesn't live in their hearts and because of it, none of what was happening really mattered.

There is a chorus that we used to sing that starts "There's been a change in me, a change in me. I'm not the one I used to be." This song speaks of the change that happens when you are saved and Christ inhabits your person, but it just doesn't go far enough, not nearly. The truth about Christian conversion is that more than just you changes. Yes you have become a new creature when you put off the old man, but there are further implications inherent in that statement. I can simplify what really happens into two words: Everything changes.

Those exact same words spoken over the pulpit on Easter morning are filled with a life that they didn't have before. Worship and praise gain a meaning that is impossible to conceive of before you know the Lord. The Bible becomes more than just a book, morphing into the living Word of God and furthermore you realize that He is speaking to you through it. Even the simple action of raising your hands ceases to be a motion to go through and becomes an act of surrender to God.

At the same time, things that mattered so much to us at one time "grow strangely dim" as the song so eloquently puts it. The true significance of what we cared so much about becomes evident and those very things that held sway over our lives lose their grip and are replaced by new things whose value is real. We see life through different eyes and it's only when you've reached this point that you realize the truth in the simple statement, everything changes.

While I'm sure that most of the people who sat in the back of church last Sunday morning were just there to please someone they are related to or perhaps out of some misguided attempt to curry favor with God by showing up to church once a year, I'd bet that there was at least one person who wished that everything made sense so that they would have a reason to believe. There will always be those among us of nominal faith or who really have no interest and that's fine with me, but it is those waiting for something to happen before they take the plunge that make me sad.

While I mean this post to be for everyone, really it is addressed to those who wait. If all you ever do is wait you will never find yourself in any other place than where you are right now. Don't wait instead make a decision. Either decided to ask Jesus to forgive you or don't and then move forward. One way or another discover for yourself the truth that either nothing really matters or that everything changes.

Put Five Dollars Worth In

Everyone has their own reasons for the different actions that they take, but there is one thing that I've seen more than a few people do that has always confuses me. What I'm referring to is when someone goes to the gas station and puts a very small amount of gas in their gas tank. When I see this I really wonder why and for some reason five dollars seems to be the small amount I hear most often so I'm going to stick with that for the rest of this post, but I've seen people put a dollar or less in their tank which really blows my mind. Now I understand that if you can't afford more than a few dollars then that's what you have to use, but in many of the cases I've seen this is just not the case. Often putting small amounts of gas in the tank isn't a result of people not driving far, it's just a habit of bad money management that means they stop at gas stations more often. Why they don't just fill up their tank has always been one of life's little mysteries to me.

In today's prices five dollars of gas would be almost enough for me to make the round trip from home to work and back. It wouldn't purchase a full two gallons, and if I made a habit of putting only five dollars worth in my car, I would be stopping every single day for gas, always running on or near empty and would probably find myself running out of gas quite frequently. Because of this, I fill my car up so that I can go the longest time without having to stop again and I don't wait until I'm running on fumes to fill up again (at least most of the time).

While the amount of gasoline that you put into your car is not really a significant aspect of life there is an underlying mentality that can surface in other areas of our lives and this mentality can have serious repercussions. Specifically, I'm thinking of how much effort we put into our Christian walk.

Do we attend church on a regular basis (Heb 10:25)? When we are there do we participate? Do we get everything out of church that we can? Do we commune with God regularly (1 Thess 5:17)? Do we praise Him? Do we read the Bible? Furthermore, have we meditated on the Bible and made it a part of our lives (Psa 1:2, Psa 119:11)? Even if we do all these, how do we do them? Do we do them heartily, or just enough to get by (Col 3:23)?

What is our attitude when it come to our Christian walk? Are we putting just enough to get us through the day into it, or are we doing more than that? Spiritually speaking, are we running on empty or is our tank full? I've heard a statement that is just good old common horse sense, but it applies here. Serving the Lord hard is easy, but serving the Lord easy is hard. If we are only putting in the minimum we have to, how can we ever expect to get more than the minimum out? How much of our spiritual gas tank do we leave empty on a permanent basis?

Hiatus

I realize that more than half a year has elapsed between my last post and the one before that, so I want to take a minute and address why I was silent for so long. Last August I decided that it would be in my best interest to take a step back and spend some time being introspective. In addition the comments to the last few posts that I wrote were spiraling out of control and as I read them through a couple of times I couldn't help wondering if I wasn't having a divisive influence that was not at all my intention. I want to be sure not only that my motives are pure but also that I'm aware of the implications of my actions, intended or not. This is really the reason that I've not written in so long.

Please understand that I took this action of self censure on my own and of my own accord. I've not been asked to quit writing by anyone, except maybe for whoever is pretending to be Bro. Dyal. A little bit of reassessment is never a bad thing and I would suggest that everyone does it once in a while like I have these last few months.

Even during this silent period though there have been a few subjects that have burdened my heart and I really feel that the Lord has been bringing these thing up over and over in my life as a call to speak the truth to anyone who will hear it (Matt 13:9). Simply put, last week's post won't be my last, although I don't know if I will be posting with near the regularity as I have in the past. It seems that if you have even a moment of down time life finds a way to fill it up, and I have many more responsibilities soaking up my time than I did a year ago, but I expect I will find the time to blog when I can. I hope you are looking forward to me writing again as much as I am.

Systems of Healthy Christianity

The human body is a stunningly complex and amazing machine (Ps 139:14). It is composed of many members but it operates as a unified whole. When we study the body we break it down into logical systems that we can isolate and observe in depth. Some of those systems are: Muscular, Skeletal, Cardiovascular, Nervous, Digestive, Endocrine, Lymphatic, and Reproductive.

Each of these various systems provides a different function to the body as a whole. For example our musculature allows us to move and do work while our skeleton provides us structural support and so on. All of these systems are necessary for the body to operate at it's peak proficiency, and when even just one of these systems isn't working properly, the body's overall function is in some way impaired. Depending on which system is impaired, the body may not function at all.

I'm not claiming that there exists some kind of scriptural one-to-one relationship between physiological systems of life and spiritual systems of new life, but I do believe that there are similarities between the workings of the body and the operations of the church, each being a complex, multi-faceted system. I also believe that much like a broken body where one or more systems are failing, when not every operation in the church is functional, then that church is broken as well.

Many different facets present themselves to those who are willing to look, yet doctrinal teaching seems to be the one everyone focuses on. Why is is that we place so much importance on doctrine that we are willing to split ourselves up into group which we define solely by their adherence to or agreement with a particular doctrinal bent? Doctrine is only one of these integral Christian systems but it is not the only element nor is it the most important. Prayer, praise, worship, charity, brotherly love and the operation of the Spirit are every part as important as doctrine, if not more so. Just to clarify I do not mean this to be an exclusive list, just a representative one.

What good is it to have a perfect doctrine in our group if our churches aren't reaching out and sharing the Gospel to those who would hear it and benefit by being taught that doctrine? What good is knowledge or understanding when we forget charity or brotherly love? What life is there in doctrine itself? The answer my friends is none. Better a man be saved and his understanding remain imperfect than that same man have all knowledge and yet he is dead. I'm not the first person to make this kind of point either (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

When any of these systems are lacking, so to is our overall Christian being; this new life that we have hasn't been realized in all fullness yet. Don't believe me? Stop praying, break that personal connection to your God and Savior and see if your life doesn't get just slightly dysfunctional (I Thess 5:17). Quit praising God and even if every other system of your Christian life were operating at capacity, what would it say about you when a rock takes your place (Luke 19:40)? We need all these facets of Christianity in order to operate in fullness, and it is my observation that there is a least one system of Christianity that has atrophied almost to the point of non-existence in some areas in our group. That area is reproduction.

When scientists classify life, there are a few standards that are set that must be met, not the least of which is the ability to reproduce. Without that simple ability to produce new life, can anything really be said to be alive itself? Oft times the toughest hardship that a married couple could possibly have to deal with is the inability to have children and yet in the church the lack of growth is swept under the rug and conveniently ignored. If the church is not generating new babes in Christ then that church my friend is barren. It is lacking, missing one of the fundamentals of the faith (Mark 16:15).

Furthermore, there are churches out there who understand this particular system of Christianity even if they are lacking in other facets. It seems to me that perhaps we have just as much of a lesson to learn from them as they have to learn from us. Show me in the scripture that there is a second elite church, one that isn't called to spread the good news. How can we not follow in the footsteps of Jesus in this respect (Matt 9:35)? I think we have woefully misrepresented this aspect of Christianity in our lives (Mark 8:35).

Just a clarification here: A generational church that manages to maintain it's numbers through the begetting of natural children fulfills neither the statement "those who should be added" nor the mandate to spread the good news everywhere (Acts 2:47). Children born into the church are a blessing, but there are fields all around us ready to be harvested so I ask you, why are we content to remain in our own backyards? Are we simply to ignore these fields, that mass of humanity that does not really know Jesus because of a barrier that men have put between themselves and God called religion?

A friend of mine once said something very wise. She said that there are only two kinds of people in this world, children of God and potential children of God. Will we who personally know the lovingkindness of God refuse to reach out and chance to extend hope to a fallen man or woman? We are all tools to be used by God, but is our anthem, "Jesus use me, surely there's a work that I can do," or instead, has it become, "Leave me in the toolbox, I think I kinda like it here"?

Every Christian my friend has a great mandate placed upon their lives to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to this world. I'm not saying it will be easy, in fact I believe that years and in some cases decades of neglect of evangelism will make getting back into this practice hard, but remember Jesus promised to be with you always and to fill your mouth with words when you need them. Be bold, be courageous, for you see, my Friend is building a kingdom and he has called you and me to build it along with Him. Lets get to work.

Let This Mind Be In You

Some of the questions that I have heard being asked so much more often over the last few years are things like: What do you think he means by that? What do you think she is thinking? Without coming out and voicing it, we have been asking ourselves what kind of agenda people have for the things they say and do. I'm certainly not immune from this either, as I've been repeatedly questioned as to whether or not it is my place to voice my opinion over anything from the direction that our group is taking to the price of eggs. Truly, none of us are really excluded from this examination.

You see, an agenda is a sticky thing indeed. We question peoples intentions, and I won't say that we haven't had good reason, but it has started to get out of hand as of late. It's becoming harder and harder to accept anything at face value anymore, and that is a sad thing indeed. The reasons that having an agenda is detrimental is that if anyone has one, then it's theirs and you can be pretty sure that any personal agenda deviates in some way from God's agenda. How can we operate under the leading of the Lord when we continue to insist on leading ourselves? This my friends is a sure sign of one thing: Rebellion.

Much of our questioning each other boils down to trust. It has become increasingly difficult for us to trust each other as fully as we once did because we have become a people that are not as trustworthy as we have been in the past. The reason we wonder about each other's intentions is that there have been some who have given us ample reason to question and called them out on their words and actions.

I'm not the first to notice this or even comment on this condition, however I believe that I am among the first to suggest this particular solution for it though. I've heard some say that we need to start trusting each other again, and especially begin to trust and rely on our ministry again in the way that we once did. I disagree with this as the way to regain what we've lost. Instead, it is my opinion that we must become worthy of that trust and do whatever it takes to regain that trust. Trust and respect are earned, not given, and a broken trust takes longer to rebuild than it did to establish initially. Even if it is only a perceived infraction that causes a breakdown it trust, once a trust has been lost it can't simply be recovered with a directive to trust again.

Before we can become trustworthy again though, we must give up our own agendas and leave them firmly behind us, buried in a forgotten past. Instead of operating this way, we must become willing to be used by God. I'm reminded of the chorus that we sing at church, though it's been a while since I've heard it.

Jesus use me, Lord please don't refuse me,

Surely there's a work that I can do.

And even though it's humble, Lord help my will to crumble,

Though the cost be great, I'll work for you.

In order for us to be used, we must recognize what our place really is. Brothers and Sisters, we are merely here to be used for the work of the Lord in any way that He sees fit. Not all of us are pastors or apostles, but all of us have gifts and all of us can be useful. Some of us might sit quietly most of the time, waiting a time when He will have a role for us to fill, but if we are ready and willing to be used, when our time comes, He will use us.

I've written recently about what Jesus would have us do, but in this case I think it's just as appropriate to ask what Jesus would do in this situation. Paul tells us to have the same mindset as Jesus (Phil 2:5). Let's take a look at just how Jesus thought because there is one record of Jesus dealing with an issue similar to the one that we are dealing with (Heb 4:15). In the garden of Gethsemane, in prayer Jesus asked God to take this cup away from Him. He did not want to suffer the way that He knew He would, and yet, in the same sentence, without pause He added, "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done" (Luke 22:42). Paul says that He took upon Him the form of a servant and that He humbled himself and became obedient (Phil 2:7, 8).

Can we not learn from this example? Christ Himself became humble below His true station and became obedient though His obedience conflicted with His desires as a man. If He could do this when He was everything, how can I not when I am nothing? Let us lay aside our agendas, our own will, and instead, in everything that we do, endeavor to be used by God, agents of His will.

Even though it's humble, Lord help my will to crumble, though the cost be great, I'll work for You. Let that be our anthem as we stride forward into a new realization of working within the order that God has laid out for us.

Emergency Post

I want to draw a theme for much of what I'm going to write from Prov. 16:25. There is so much depth to this scripture, and yet I don't believe that we delve into it as much as we should.

There is a way that seems right to a man. A cursory examination of this scripture might lead one to assume that it refers to a man who is out in sin, doing whatever he want to do, but I wonder if there isn't more for us in this scripture than that. With further study it becomes evident that this man is not just reveling in sin either because of ignorance of a better way or simply because of the self gratification of a hedonistic lifestyle. "Seems right" stands out to me, and denotes that this man is trying to do the right thing; his intentions are good. He wants to do the right thing and is doing his best to determine what that is.

The problem that is described in this scripture is that this man is relying on himself to determine what is right. This scripture is describing humanism in its basest form and the arrogance that goes along with it. It is dealing with that ever so natural and universal thought: "I'm right". It is dealing with the condition of leaving God out of our lives and not recognizing His authority over us and His plan for us.

If people lived in total isolation from everyone else, this would be a minor problem at worst. However, add just one other person to the mix and the result is something formidable indeed: an opposing view. I don't care what it is over, opposing views will eventually lead to only one thing: a confrontation. Put it another way, if you have two people, you are going to have differences of opinion, and those opinions will eventually lead to a disagreement. This my friends is something I like to call human nature.

The reason we don't see more fighting than we do is because in an effort to grow beyond our own capacities, we've learned to suppress this just a bit, and have instead chosen cooperation and mutual understanding. However, all too often beneath all of our high-minded ways still lies the thought, "but I'm still right."

The arrogance that accompanies the thought "I'm right" can be summed up with the counterpart of that thought, which is "I couldn't be wrong". Arrogance is at the heart of what this scripture is dealing with, and it is arrogance that I will address today in this post. If I were to take this scripture, and rephrase it, this is how I'd do it. "When you're sure your right, you can be sure you're wrong, dead wrong."

If you are at all informed about the workings of our group then my title is probably not a mystery to you, but for those of you who are not, allow me to inform you. An emergency ministers meeting has been called in one month in Little Rock and the purpose of this meeting is a dire one indeed. It is the intention of some to determine who can be a part of the Body of Christ. If this issue wasn't such a controversial and divisive one, the thought that some element in our ministry actually believes that they are qualified to make this decision would be almost laughable (1 Cor 12:18).

Just a quick side bar right here. I've heard from some that the people today do not want to submit to the authority that God has placed in the church and that is the root of all of the problems that we are experiencing. There is an element of truth in this statement, but to state that this is the whole story couldn't be more wrong. There is another variable that needs to be factored into this problem, namely ministers overstepping their authority (1 Pet 5:3). Some of what we are seeing is a rebellious factor, but if you ignore the impact that just a few ministers who have overestimated their authority can have on a group of people, you are being somewhat naive. I say that with no doubt in my heart there still remain among us those who want to submit to a proper God-given authority. Some of the hesitancy to do so however can be explained by the perception of problems at the leadership level in our group, either corporately or in some cases locally. When there is so much turmoil and confusion, how can you not expect people to be somewhat unsure as what to do or who to trust? But I digress.

At this meeting it is the intention of some to attempt to purify our group from some of it's more liberal elements and yet the simple fact of the matter remains that no person or group of persons has the authority to determine who is or is not a part of the Body of Jesus Christ. God has amalgamated our varied elements into one special whole and His body is not the work of any one man or group of men (1 Cor 12:24). We need to wake up to the fact that we are not called to complete uniformity but instead that there are meant to be differences among us. Is the purpose of this meeting not in direct opposition to 1 Cor 12:23? Instead of distancing or disfellowshipping or whatever you want to call it, we should be seeing to the care of one another, lest there be schism (1 Cor 12:25)?

Schism, that is not a nice word, and yet it is a very real possible outcome of this "Emergency Meeting". Let me be very direct with what I am about to say. No minister has the ability to remove another from the Body of Jesus Christ, however based upon their own actions they are completely capable of removing themselves. What can happen is for a minister to be so sure that they are right that they will stray out from under the covering of the Lord. There is a way that seems right unto a man. Might this not be what is really happening here? Self-righteousness and arrogance creating such a surety of action that on their own a minister or group of ministers will head off in their own direction, trying to pull as many as they can out from under the pillar of God, only to wander aimlessly in the wilderness? I wonder.

I wonder if in fifty years my decendents won't be able to look back at this time as the time when a significant portion of our group got out from under the covering of the Lord? What will our posterity say of us? Will they say that this people was a stiff-necked and rebellious people or will they be able to say that we narrowly averted a split at this time? Will they say of us that those among us who sought to sow discord among the brethren held more sway than those among us who sought the fullness of Christ through the unity of the faith (Prov 6:19, Eph 4:13)?

Don't be fooled, right now we are headed at high speed for a split in this group and if we don't alter our course by changing our attitudes, there will be schism. It completely mystifies me that the very same people who seemingly espouse a greater unity for our group also wish to divide it (James 3:11). I ask myself, how can this be and I'm am left with only one conclusion. Those people who wish to do this are operating outside of the order of the Lord.

How can we avoid this? Paul answered this very question in 1 Cor 12:31, in the last half of this final verse of this chapter. Paul states "And yet I show you a more excellent way". This one sentence should really be the first verse of 1 Cor 13 because it serves as an often ignored preamble to this chapter whose theme is love. Charity my friends is the answer to the problems that our group is experiencing and the only alternative to a very probably split. Unfortunately, it is charity that we are sorely lacking right now, and not just within the ministry, at every level. Charity will not fail us, and yet I despair that we will be able to see it (1 Cor 13:8).

I leave you with a question and my hope. What will our leadership choose? A way that seems right unto them, or a more excellent way? Although I pray for the latter, I cannot say that I expect it. However, I will continue to hold out hope that we will forsake our own ways and will instead humble ourselves, pray for forgiveness and seek the face of the Lord. This way my friends and no other way will we see healing in our group (2 Chr 7:14).

Extended Family Just Around The Corner

I recently came in contact with a pastor of a small church in Saint Claire Shores while trying to sell some stuff on Craigslist. We stood around talking for a while and he told me about the church that he pastors and we started feeling each other out regarding beliefs and such. I'm not sure why initial meetings like this always seem to start with quizzing each other on doctrinal stance, but this instance didn't deviate from the norm. Long story short, I told him that I'd be getting back in touch with him soon and that I'd be inviting him to one of our services that didn't interfere with his own. This was near the end of May.

Well, a few weeks ago, I called Bro. John up and invited him to service, and he came to our Sunday night service the first Sunday this June. It was a good service, and Bro. John spoke briefly, and I'm sure felt welcome. I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention the way this man can play the piano. It was wonderful. Several people mentioned to me that he seemed to fit in very well, and I agree, just like dealing with home people.

I went out for some coffee with Bro. John after the service and we sat down and had a good discussion for a couple hours. We talked about the futures of each of our churches and how we could positively effect our churches. He also told me his own testimony, which I hope he tells at my own church one day, so I won't repeat it here. It was an excellent night, and I gave him my promise that I would visit his church as soon as I had a chance.

This last Sunday I had an opening in my schedule and I visited his church right after our own morning service. I find it more than a little bit ironic just how simple it is to get from my own church to his. Turn left out of the church parking lot, head east about 10 miles, it's on the right. I arrived only ten minutes before the beginning of the service and as I arrived, Bro. John met me at the door and welcomed me in. I sat down and several of the folks in the church came over and introduced themselves and they all made me feel very welcome. I was very much impressed by the people there and their outgoing friendliness. The only person who was late I found out later was late because he was witnessing to people, trying to bring them along to church with him.

The service was very good. The people there were all involved with their worship and the Spirit of the Lord was evident in their midst. I have to admit, I've only heard maybe half of their songs before, but I sang along and so did everyone else. I was asked to say a few words and I spoke on Psalms 34:1-3 for maybe five minutes, partially because it is a passage that I have been trying to implement in my own life more, but because this church exemplified Psalms 34:3 so well.

Bro. John preached an excellent message out of the book of Ruth and drew some interesting points out of it that I'm not sure I've ever really thought about before. He also spoke about Jesus healing the daughter of the woman from Caanan, and his thoughts here were very good also. I particularly liked the references that he made to bread in both passages and overall the message was very encouraging.

After service, I stayed around just a bit and spoke with several people. They all invited me to come back soon and told me they were glad I had visited. Also, I spoke with Bro. John and his parents and it turns out that they had attended a wedding at one time at our old 8 mile church, and that Bro. John's sister is a graduate of TCA, which both myself and my wife are as well.

I don't know exactly what will come of the seeds that Bro. John and I have sown, but my hope is that a mutually beneficial relationship between our two churches is forthcoming. I'm looking forward to visiting his church again soon, and having him visit ours as well. As I said when I spoke at his church the other day, it's always a blessing to meet new brothers and sisters in the Lord, especially when they are practically in your back yard.