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.

It Shall Quicken Your Mortal Bodies

I have to admit that in this post I'm speculating, but I think that there might just be something to this speculation. I'd be interested in your opinions and experiences as well and I encourage any of you who would like to share to do so in the comments.

The question that I'd like to address is "What kind of physiological effect does the Holy Spirit have on our energy level?" I want to take a closer look at Romans 8:11 and get a better understanding of what Paul was saying here. Does the Holy Spirit effect us physically?

I've always considered the effect that the Holy Spirit has on us more psychological and not physiological, but now I question that. Sure, our psychology can have an effect on our physiology, I don't deny that. When we are depressed, that is often accompanied by lethargy and the opposite is also true, but I there isn't more of a direct effect and less of a psychosomatic effect.

I notice that Paul often speaks of the physical effects of the Spirit. He referrs to our mortal bodies in Romans, and when he is speaking to the Philippians, he says that he can do all things through Christ and to me that denotes action, not just how we feel or what we say (Phil 4:13). He told the Corinthians that the kingdom of God is more than just words and he Paul told the Ephesians that God has set his power working in us (1 Cor 4:20, Eph 3:20).

Why is it necessary for us to divorce the spiritual from the physical anyway? This strikes me as resembling Platonism and not proper Christian teaching. To go to far with separating the spiritual from the physical can lead to a poor understanding of doctrine. God created us as an amalgamated being and not separate parts.

One final thought, we very often seek for physical healing but hardly ever for spiritual healing. Is healing the exception, the only area where God physically effects us or is there something to physical blessings in other areas too? What do you think? Is there something else that I need to consider?

The Five Phases of Forgiveness

Seeking forgiveness is an integral part of our lives. It is important not only to the person who was hurt, but also to the person who did the hurting. Obtaining forgiveness can be hard though, and yet it is the path that we need to take to undo the hurt that we have caused.

1. Recognition. In order to be forgiven, the first thing that we must do is recognize that we have sinned (Rom 3:23). It all begins with the ability to be completely honest with ourselves. Sure, we realize that we all have issues, things that we need to correct, however it must be more than just a platitude when we take introspection seriously and identify the sin that lies within us. Nosce te ipsum! Know thyself! The path to being forgiven begins with the recognition that we need to be forgiven (John 3:17). Only this way can we begin to mend what is broken within ourselves.

2. Confession. It is said that confession is good for the soul. In our first step we have in essence confessed our sins to ourselves, however there is more to be done. We need to approach the person whom we have injured and apologize to them. In this step we reveal the sin that we have committed, making it apparent. This tears down the edifices that we have built upon that sin such as excuses, justification and deceit. Only when the underlying sin is laid bare can it be addressed.

3. Excision. When we stand in need of forgiveness, it is because we have sinned against someone. We will never deserve to be forgiven if we do not correct our error. We have to address the root of our offense and correct it, or we have not stopped offending yet. Confession can play a part in excision too as confessing your sin to an authority figure or perhaps a good friend who will hold you accountable will help you stay away from the sin that you have committed. Sometimes this can simply mean avoiding the sin in the future (I Thess 5:22).

4. Consequences. Paul said "Whatever a man sows he shall also reap" (Gal 6:7). There will always be consequences for the sin we commit even after we have recognized, confessed and excised that sin. Yes the wage of sin has been paid for us, but this does not obviate the repercussions of the sin that we have committed. It is a hard thing, but we have to accept this burden. The only way to not garner these consequences is to not commit the sin in the first place.

5. Restoration. You can never go back, but you can move forward. Things can never be the way they were, but they can can be better than they are. It's hard to mend broken hearts and trusts, but what is the alternative? Only shattered hearts and broken promises. It takes much more time to rebuild trust than it does to build it in the first place. This is the part of the process where you make things right. Only here is there any redemption and peace.

So far I've addressed forgiveness solely from the side of the one who needs to forgive, but there is also a promise given for those who forgive. Jesus said that God's willingness to forgive you correlates to your willingness to forgive others (Matt 6:14,15). Forgive proactively, don't hold things against people and don't wait for them to come to you before you forgive them. Whenever you are praying, forgiving others needs to be a part of your prayer or you are missing out one aspect of touching God. (Mark 11:25).

Be a generous forgiver and quick to seek forgiveness.

By the way, I apologize for the alliterative title. I hope you can forgive me.

Another New Beatitude

Blessed is the man who actually says something when he speaks.

Flip A Coin

It seems to me that we've embraced a very narrow view of how things are supposed to be. If we maintain too selective a focus, we can miss out on truth. Enter a coin.

Flip a coin, heads or tails; it's a two sided decision maker, or is it? Is a coin as simple as yes or no, right or wrong, good or evil, or any other example of a dichotomy that exists? Often we complicate things for ourselves, however just as bad is when we oversimplify. Often the truth lies between extremes and is not just as simple as yes or no.

A coin does not have two sides, it has three. The technical names for these three sides are obverse, reverse and edge. Yes the edge of a coin is one of it's three sides. What is significant about that you might ask? Well the edge, much like the truth, is often overlooked, quietly escaping our notice.

For example, in our group there is a very conservative element. If I were to speak out about conservatism, I would be quickly identified as a liberal, which actually I have [1]. If I were then to point out any inconsistencies that exist among the most liberal of us, I would be labeled as conservative, and then as inconsistent myself because I was neither conservative or liberal. Labels like conservative or liberal are just generalities that lend themselves misinterpretation, and are not an adequate method to determine the truth.

An excellent example of this can be found in Joshua. When the Children of Israel were near Jericho, an armed man stood in the way, so Joshua asked him whose side he was on (Josh 5:13). The man didn't choose sides, but instead declared that he was come as the Captain of the Lord's army (Josh 5:14). Joshua could only see two possible positions for the man, either for him or against him. The Captain's stance represented neither of these two possibilities.

When we as a group are discussing something, whether it be standards or anything else, we tend to take sides and then begin defending our position. While this is normal human behavior, we make an enormous error when we do this. We assume that we are right and those who oppose us are wrong and we don't ever consider that we might be wrong ourselves. Furthermore, it never enters into our minds that both sides might be wrong. The logic behind the thought that if one side is wrong the other side must be right is not only flawed, but is responsible for so much misunderstanding between people that it is abhorrent.

I am going to show my point with an simple exposition of dress code. One "side" says that the way we dress it is our holiness and that a dress standard should be rigidly held to with no exception. Another "side" says that the way we dress is only external and that God is working on our hearts and that is all that really matters and a rigid dress standard is really unnecessary. The truth of the matter is is that BOTH of these sides have good things to say, but that BOTH are not the truth on dress.

Just so you understand me, I'm not suggesting compromise either. It is not my intention to declare the the truth of this group's dress standard issue lies somewhere between these extremes either. I will go on record that the truth lies outside of either of these views, and if we were to search for that truth, we would see much of the bickering and consternation that has been so prevalent of late disappear. We must learn to discard the "one of us have to be right" mentality and really search for the truth. You can't find the truth when you're defending your position.

Reference:

[1] http://paulbdyal.blogspot.com/2009/10/root-of-problem-is.html

New Tools Update

Just thought I'd showcase a few new Web tools that I think are pretty awesome. The first one is a website called LibriVox. While not actually a Bible webpage, LibriVox is a collection of audio recordings of books that are in the public domain. This includes all the books of the Bible as well as many other things. I've embedded the book of Lamentations as an example and just to show some of the other books, I've also embedded 1 Maccabees from the Apocrypha.

Lamentations


1 Maccabees


The second tool that I'm going to list is the Interwoven Gospels provided by Biblos.com. The Interwoven Gospels is a chronological presentation of all four of the Gospels. It weaves together, hence the name, passages from all four Gospels and lays them out in an outline that represents chronological order. While I don't think this is a substitute for the Gospels themselves, it can function as an excellent study aid when it comes to understanding the Gospels.

Just a brief word about Biblos.com. It has a host of different study aids and Bible translations available from it's website so I'm giving it a shout out as a good reference website too.

Finally the last site I want to mention is Net Hymnal. This site is an online database of the lyrics of many old hymns and is quickly searchable. The website interface is a little old school, but it gets the job done, and I find that when you are trying to wrap your head around a concept, or how to say something most likely some song writer has already found a way to say it in a way that sounds good to my ears.

Well, that's it for now.

WWJHMD

I remember in the 90's that the acronym WWJD became very popular. It stands for the question "what would Jesus do?" and is based loosely upon a concept from the book In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon. In this book a congregation makes a vow to ask themselves what Jesus would do before they took any action. An entire fashion fad began when bracelets with the monogram WWJD began showing up on wrists everywhere. You don't hear about WWJD all that much anymore even though the principle behind it was excellent.

What would Jesus do? Do you ever ask yourself that question? Would you do the same things and make the same decisions that you do now if you asked yourself this question? The same effect can be produced if you imagine that Jesus is right there next to when you do something. This works exceptionally well when you realize that He is.

However excellent this principle is, there is another level to our Christian walk that can't be captured just by applying WWJD in you daily life. This is the reason for my post today. This other facet can be defined by the acronym WWJHMD which stands for what would Jesus have me do?

What's the difference you ask? In all actuality they are very similar concepts and they sound the same, but there is an element of leading that is missing in the concept WWJD. If all you ever do is ask yourself what would Jesus do if He was in the situation you are in right now, you ignore whether or not you should be in that situation at all in the first place. When you ask yourself what would Jesus have me do you open yourself up to being led by Christ. What will happen is that you will find yourself not only making good decisions, but also in the situations you should be in.

There's also one more little issue with WWJD; you're not Jesus. I don't discount that it is important to make inspired choices in your life, but at the same time you can't live a productive life solely trying to imitate Jesus because if you do, that's all you'll be, an imitation. Please don't misunderstand me, I think emulation of Jesus Christ is a very laudable goal, but the real life application of this is limited. He made choices that you and I are not capable of making. We are limited, He is not. Whether you apply your own limitations to Jesus, or His lack of limitations to yourself, it is a foolhardy thing to do. Instead, a mature Christian is able to recognize their own limitations and will not only be better for it, but also open to the leading of the Lord and His working in their life.

Paul himself asked the Lord "What wilt thou have me do?" (Acts 9:6). It would be better to emulate Paul than Jesus in this case and ask Jesus what He wants you to do. At least that would be comparing apples to apples as the old saying goes. Understand though, I'm not venerating Paul; I've no WWPD in mind. I do however respect the example that he set for us, although he had to come to the end of his rope to ask it.

There is a song that the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings that describes what is missing from WWJD and what is added to WWJHMD, so as a close I'll just include the lyrics for the chorus:

Lead me Lord, I will follow,
Lead me Lord, I will go.
You have called me, I will answer,
Lead me Lord, I will go.

Washed in the water

Cut Flowers and Fallen Leaves

We go to the florist and buy flowers to give to our sweethearts or maybe to our mothers on Mothers day. Flowers are purchased for weddings and funerals or just to keep around the house. No one can deny how beautiful they are or the joy that they give.

Autumn in my area is a wonderful sight to behold. The leaves turn deep reds, browns, oranges and yellows and if you'll travel just a bit further north, you'll see pinks, peaches, golds and purples too. However just a week later all of the color is gone. All that you are left with is the dessicated branches of the trees that will remain bare all winter.

No matter how beautiful the flowers you buy are, their beauty cannot last because the truth of the matter is that from the time they were cut, they were dying. The water that they are kept in and the food that they are fed is only a matter of life support to hold on to what was a living thing before you bought it, but really it never stood a chance.

The branch appears dead and for nearly half the year exhibits no growth at all. It is exposed to the elements and there is nothing about it to make it beautiful (Isa 53:2). However when the spring comes again it will make a glorious rebound, first budding then sprouting leaves that nourish the tree. What was dead is alive again.

Appearances can be deceiving. The flower looks so vibrant and alive while the branch looks so drab and dead. The branch however is full of potential and life while the flower is doomed to whither and rot. So are many things in our everyday lives.

The ways of the world are very attractive and they can be very pleasurable, but their end is only death (Prov 16:25). We as Christians are to involve ourselves with that which is pure and true (Phil. 4:8). God doesn't offer gratification or even justification, He offers redemption and sanctification instead.

Resist the intoxication of those things that just seem good but are not. Test what you are being offered and be sure whether or not there is any life in it. Many are those who will be taken in by something counterfeit and it is a sad thing indeed. Be ever vigilant when it comes to what is true, you do not want to be deceived (1 Pet. 5:8). Remember that He makes all things new (Rev 21:5). Only through Jesus is there any hope for life (John 20:31).

Third Verse - An Observation

Have you ever noticed something that may or may not just be coincidence? I have, and in this case it deals with music. What I've noticed is that many times the third verse of wonderful songs seem to stand out above the other verses, either artistically or spiritually and often both. I wanted to share some third verses with you as an example of what I'm speaking of, and in each case these verses have always been a special blessing to me.

The Love of God
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

How Great Thou Art
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

He Hideth My Soul
With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

Wonderful Peace
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!

It Is Well With My Soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

I'm sure that there are many other wonderful examples of this third verse phenomenon, and these five songs are just some of my personal favorites. Do I have some other deep message for this post? Not really, but if you are inspired to write something like these wonderful verses, I'd really encourage you to do it. Don't stifle what might be the working of God in you.

One Thing I Have Desired

Just read through Bro. Steve Lewis' blog: One Thing I Have Desired. I'm impressed by the humility and willingness to be led by God. I'd definitely suggest the read.

All Things

Our fellowship has known many troubling times through its existence and once again we are experiencing some turbulence. I can only speak for myself and from my own experience, but here at my vantage point I've experienced this shaking not only on the larger level that our group is experiencing, but also on a personal and local level.

The way we travel is a narrow one and at times it is difficult; it's supposed to be. (Matt 7:14 NKJV) If the way we were on was easy, that would only signify that we are traveling the wrong way. (Matt 7:13) There's nothing that says that because we are working under God's covering that makes us exempt from trouble or that we are due an easy life. If anything, we probably have a greater portion of trouble coming to us than some others might. (Luke 12:48) It is not out of character for God's people to suffer and we are called to maintain a proper attitude when we do suffer. (Acts 5:41) Our mindset should always be that we will press on, but when we do get overwhelmed, we will seek the Lord because we know that He will hear us. (Psalms 34:4) Run to the Lord, He will hide us and establish us. (Psalms 27:5)

I know that over the last year when things got hard, I learned to pray harder. When I felt lost, I learned to run to Him, and even though these times were fewer and farther between, when things were good, I learned be recognize God's hand and to be quick to declare that God is good. Now that I can see the beginning of the end of these troubles, at least on a local and personal level, I've still maintained a greater fervency in prayer, a greater sensitivity to the moving of the Lord and remained quicker to give God all the glory for what He has done. Also I've quit taking the good times for granted.

The shaking isn't over for our group yet, but I have something to say about what can come from it, and how we should endure it. In Psalms 40:1 David is reflecting on his trouble. When he says he waited patiently on the Lord, that means that he is confident that God will deliver him. This verse says that God inclined Himself to David, or in other words God looked down on David from on high and heard him. In the next verse David recounts how God delivered him. (Psalms 40:2) We sing a song "When He Reached Down His Hand for Me" and David is saying that God reached down His hand for him and took him out of his troubles and once again established his ways on the Rock. Psalms 116:8 repeats God's deliverance, not only from death but also from lack of assurance as well as the sorrow that goes with trouble. When God takes these things from us, He replaces them with something else: He replaces death with life, instability with a firm foundation and our sorrow with a new song, praise to our God. (Psalms 40:3)

So, in closing I say that we need to be confident that the Lord will strengthen us in our troubles and follow the example of the early church when they were suffering: CEASE NOT! (Psalms 27:14, Acts 5:42) Never forget that all these things that we are experiencing right now are our making, the process of a greater anointing. (Rom 8:28) I no longer question whether or not we will emerge from this shaking, instead I am assured that when we emerge, we will emerge better than we started.

I'm So Thankful

The Fellowship Meeting in Warren, MI, just wrapped up and I've got to say it was great. God met us over and over in a wonderful way. The music and the messages worked together to lift the name of Jesus higher and to bring glory and praise to Him.

I want to thank all of you who have prayed for this church and for this meeting, and to any of you who couldn't make it, I hope to see you at the next meeting, and sometime before that too.

Draw Nigh

What is the one thing that you could do (or in some cases quit doing) that would serve to bring you into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ right now? What are you holding back? What is that thing that you've kept hidden and haven't given over yet? We all have these things, myself included, and right now I'm asking you to be completely honest with yourself. What is that one part of your life that you know you need to give to Jesus today? You know what it is, we all do, and right now I'm asking you to lay it out in the open, if only to yourself. Please don't be tempted to make excuses or misdirect yourself. Instead, just honestly say to yourself, "Where I'm lacking is _____".

Next, decided that you are actually going to give whatever it is over to Christ. It's good to identify where you need more of Jesus, but you need to make a decision to do something about it. You've already been bluntly honest with yourself, so now is the time to decide that you are going to change.

When you've made the decision to change, just do it. Whatever it is that you need to do, just do it. If instead you need to let go of something, do that. What's going to happen is not only are you going to go through a period of improvement, but God is going to meet you where you are and lay His hand on you. Don't quit doing what it is you need to do; God honors commitment.

If we as Christians fail to do these steps in our lives, we doom ourselves to stagnation. It's better to give ourselves over by inches than not at all. This is your Christian walk, just don't stop walking!

When you've completed these three steps, start over. This is not a one time process. Never quit doing this, and don't try to do it by yourself. Rely on God to see you through, and you will draw nigh to Him (Heb 7:19, James 4:8).