Paper Clothes

The other day I was driving home from work, and as I stopped at a red light downtown I saw a really strange site.  A man was walking across the crosswalk.  In the big city (well, in a city like Birmingham anyway), that is not an unusual site.  What made it strange and unusual, however, were his demeanor and his clothes – yes, his clothes.   His demeanor was that of a broken down, oppressed homeless person, walking with a bit of a shuffle as if he were struggling with some physical illness or weakness.  That can be unusual in and of itself, but what made it really strange were his paper clothes.  That’s right, his clothes were paper!  They were the kind of paper clothes you might see in a hospital or doctor’s office – and were blue like that as well.  The thing is, where we were – near the downtown museum and county jail – there are no doctor’s offices and the closest hospital is UAB on Southside.  Had this been on Southside near UAB, I probably would not even have thought twice about it, but here… it was out of place.

As we shuffled across the street in front of my car, he never looked up, but rather just kept shuffling and disappeared down the cross street.  Everything inside of me (at first) wanted to roll down the window and shout “Dude, what’s up with the paper clothes?”  After all, paper clothes?  They are fragile.  A good stout wind and you are likely to be walking around naked.  Let’s not even think about what will happen if it rains.  However, as I thought it over, I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps something was really wrong – that perhaps he needed assistance.  What if those were the only clothes he had?  What if he was a patient somewhere and, because of confusion or some other mental condition, simply wandered out of the hospital? 

About that time, the light changed to green.  I was in the center lane of traffic and (if I were to justify myself) had no other choice but to drive on.  In other words, I was not the Good Samaritan that day.

Since that day, I can’t seem to get that poor guy and his paper clothes out of my mind.  I can easily justify having not taken any action; but like the teacher of the law the day Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, our responsibility is not to justify ourselves, but to go out and do likewise – that is, be a neighbor.   I’m not really sure what I could have done for the paper clothes guy, but I have had to repent of the fact that, rather than trying to figure out if I could do something, I justified myself.  It would have been an inconvenience; it might have even been risky; but it still would have been the “neighbor” thing to do.

Being a good neighbor to the strangest of strangers can be all of those things – inconvenient, risky, and possibly even dangerous – but that is our calling as Christians.  Allow me to give you another example – one in which I did not justify myself, but rather passed the test.

The other day – about a week or so before I saw the paper clothes guy – I received a phone call.  The man claimed to be someone who visited our church back on Easter; and frankly, I only have a vague, back of my mind, shadowy memory of the guy.  He needed to talk because (allegedly) his mother in Florida had been killed by a drunk driver and he was having difficulty dealing with that.  This is understandable as such a tragedy can have a profoundly negative impact on one’s faith.  After counseling with him over the phone for well over half an hour, the shoe finally dropped.  The man was looking for money.  (Allegedly) He and his family were trapped in a small town in Florida after, on their way home, their vehicle threw a rod.  He had enough money to buy a bus ticket for himself and his wife, but not enough for his two little girls. 

Normally, if you contact our church in need of money, we are probably going to refer you to our benevolence ministry partner, Serving You (www.servingyou.org) – unless of course it is an emergency.  Because we are to be good stewards of the resources God has given us, we partner with Serving You because they have the infrastructure in place not only to vet the legitimacy of a person claiming to need help, but the ongoing programs and counseling to help get the person solidly on their feet again.  This way, we are not just giving a handout, but rather are giving a helping hand.  Of course, if it is an emergency, that is a different story – and of course this was going to be an emergency.  The gentlemen needed the money THAT day because the bus only ran through that small town every other day.  If they missed the bus that afternoon, it would be two days before they could catch the next one (which, of course, means more hotel and food expenses as well).  He, too, was wearing paper clothes – at least methaphorically.

To be honest, I had no way of knowing whether this was a legitimate need or (an extremely elaborate) hoax.  So I said a quick prayer asking God for the wisdom and guidance to know what to do.  I even called several folks in the church to see if (a) they knew him or (b) at least remember his visit.  Only one had a similar, vague memory like my own, but no one I talked to that day knew him.  I had to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and so God gave me the peace that – even if it were a hoax – wiring him the money was the right thing to do.  So I agreed to wire the money and asked that he contact me when he got home so that we could get together and talk about his situation further.  Clearly, their family was in both spiritual and physical need so, in addition to spiritual counsel, I wanted to put him in touch with Serving You.  The last time I heard from him was a text that afternoon confirming that he received the wired money.  Since then… silence.

I have texted, but have received no reply.  I have tried numerous times to call him.  However, all I get is a message saying the number is not receiving incoming calls.  My suspicions (at least those that result from having half a brain) are at a pretty high level, although in my spirit, I still have this calm that he was not legitimate, but also that I did the right thing in helping him.  It was a big risk on my part, but my conscious is clear that I followed the prompting of God.  Better to be cheated than to be in disobedience to God.

Here is the thing.  Every day we cross paths with people who are wearing paper clothes.  We all have those times where our situation is so fragile that a stout wind or rain would leave us naked.  And yes, of course, I am speaking metaphorically.  For each of us to be neighbor like the Good Samaritan, we have to love our neighbor enough to be willing to take risks for him (or her) – even the strange ones – even the ones we don’t know.  That takes a great deal of faith on our part, and while we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us, sometimes we just have to step out and be inconvenienced. 

Pray For Your Pastor

This week’s Pastor’s Blog is not about the church, not about our mission, and really it is not about anything I have preached about over the last few months.  In fact, this week’s Pastor’s Blog is a bit self-oriented.  I say it is self-oriented rather than self-ish, because honestly as a pastor, it is not just for my benefit, but for the sake of the entire body of Christ.  And to those reading this who are not a part of my congregation, I say that everything in this blog will apply as much to your pastor as it applies to me.  This blog post today is a plea, and that plea is simply this: PLEASE pray for your pastor.  Allow me to elucidate – to explain the reason for my plea…

Over the last several months, I’ve been putting a great deal of thought into what exactly it means to be a good pastor.  Why?  Quite simply because I want to make sure that I am a good pastor.  A pastor, being an under-shepherd for the Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ), ought to seek and to strive to be a good shepherd himself.  It just seems, however, that everywhere I turn, I see massive failures in ministry on the part of pastors.  I think about the leadership failure that led to the absolute collapse of the Mars Hill movement with Pastor Mark Driscoll and I am saddened.  I think about the moral failure of Billy Graham’s grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, and I am saddened.   I think about any and all ministers of the gospel who may have found themselves outed by the Ashley Madison hack – and I am saddened.    I hear all kinds of stories of pastors who have had some form of failure either from friends or in the media – and I am saddened.  Then I realize that I too have personally known pastors who have acted in the most ungodly manner, who have had moral failures, or who have abused power.  And while justice would suggest that I be glad their true colors have been revealed, I am instead… saddened.  I wish it were not so.  I wish their colors did not have to be revealed.  It makes me think – are there any good pastors left out there? More importantly, how do I make sure I do not become one of these who fail so miserably?

Don’t get me wrong.  I know there are lots of good pastors – and I know many of them.  Hopefully none of my pastor friends who by some miraculous chance may be reading this will think that I am referring to you.  You should know that I am not.  I know there are still armies of good, Godly men out there serving in the Kingdom.  However, sometimes the strife and division that goes on in churches and the leadership failures that become so public have a tendency to weigh me down and make me question how I will avoid the same traps.   It’s not that I am feeling sorry for myself like Elijah was when he was being pursued by Queen Jezebel.  It’s more like a concern – yes even perhaps a moment of weak faith – in which I wonder if I can have what it takes to be a “good” pastor.   You see… I know myself… and I know I am just as capable of failure as the next guy.

This is where my ponderings, however, take a turn.  In musing over this bleak train of thought, I began thinking about the leaders in the Bible and I remembered something very important about them.  They were all human.  That’s right.  Not a single one of them – with the exception of Jesus Christ, of course – was somehow superhuman or divine.  They were all descendants of Adam just as I am.  Consider a few of them and their situations.

Abraham was a liar and a coward – until he placed his faith in Yahweh.  Jacob was a cheat and a thief – until he wrestled with Yahweh.  Moses was a murderer and a coward – until Yahweh revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush.  David was an adulterer and a murderer until he repented and threw himself on the mercies of Yahweh.  Solomon was a philanderer and an idolater until he realized that the chief end of man was to fear God and keep his commandments.  Elijah was perhaps one of the greatest prophets but ran in fear and wanted to commit suicide after his greatest victory!  I could go on and tell of Noah’s drunkenness, of Gideon’s cowardice, and of Samson’s pride – and lest we forget, Peter betrayed Jesus three times.  That’s why I love the Bible so much – it is sooo real and raw and doesn’t sugar coat anything.

Your pastor is no different than any of these men in the Bible – we are all humans capable of failure.  However, there is a very subtle difference in some of these stories versus others.  Many of these failures in the Bible came before these men fully surrendered themselves to God.  As such, they can be said to have experienced a sort of redemption before being elevated into leadership.  I will tell you that I, too, have had many failures before surrendering completely to Jesus Christ and being placed in a position of leadership.  Frankly, there are not enough words to express my gratitude for the redemption I have received.  

However, some of these stories are not so clean.  David was already King when he failed.  So was Solomon.  In both cases, the consequences were catastrophic.  David lost his son and then his kingdom was plunged into a Civil War that resulted in the loss of yet another son.  Solomon ended well, but his failures resulted in the kingdom being ripped from his family and so Israel was forever divided thereafter.  In other words, the failures that came after these men had been placed in leadership did not just affect them – it affected everyone around them.

This is precisely what makes it so sad when a preacher experiences a significant failure.  It doesn’t just affect him.  It affects the entire flock.  I want to avoid that kind of failure with all my heart.  I know that I will never be without sin as long as I remain on this earth.  I also know that at some point there will be something about which I will certainly fail.  However, there is much that can be worked through and not every failure disqualifies a pastor or destroys and divides the flock.    But God forbid that I should ever fail so fantastically that it sends the body of Christ entrusted to me into a tailspin.

Being in ministry means being in a war – a spiritual war.  Satan and his minions will do everything in their power to destroy the effectiveness of the church and, as the flock’s shepherd, the preacher is always his primary target.  I praise God that greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.  I praise God that he has overcome through the cross and the power of the blood.  But I am not so arrogant that I do not accept and acknowledge that I, too, am a man just like Elijah.  I am capable of great acts of faith – just like Elijah.  But I am also capable of great acts of cowardice – just like Elijah.   And every other pastor out there – no matter how high profile or famous he may be – is in exactly the same boat as am I.

Therefore, I plead with you to pray for your pastor. 

Pray that God would put a hedge of protection around him. 

Pray that God would strengthen his resolve. 

Pray that he would remain faithful. 

And then after praying for him, perhaps give him a word of encouragement now and again, because I assure you… he probably needs it. 

And never forget this… if he really is a good shepherd, he is praying for you too.

The Christian and Social Media

IRONY ALERT:  This blog deals with social media and the Christian lifestyle.  Ironically, I am likely to be sharing this blog via social media and in some respects am doing many of the things I discuss here.  It only goes to show you exactly how difficult this issue can be and how fine the line is that we have to walk with it.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the appropriate use of social media for a Christian.  Exactly how ought a Christian to conduct him/herself in the online world and what exactly is appropriate for a Christian when it comes to social media?   Now before I even get started, I have to ask myself how I have been using social media myself – you know, examining the plank in my eye before saying anything about the spec in yours.  So, after a quick review of my “timeline” over the last few weeks I discovered I generally use social media as follows:

• I have cheered on my favorite football team (Roll Tide)
• I posted information promoting the non-profit that I am involved with, Designs for Hope
• I posted pictures of my recent weekend vacation to the beach with some friends
• I “shared” some blogs and articles that I had read
• I “tweeted” some inspirational thoughts and/or re-tweeted inspirational thoughts of others
• I published and shared my blogs, most of which are devotional and/or introspective
• I asked some introspective spiritual questions (didn’t get too many responses to my questions, though)
• I tweeted about a popsicle I ate (really?)
• I shared some videos my son made on his YouTube channel
• I wished my wife Happy Anniversary and a few “friends” Happy Birthday
• I promoted one or the other of the two books I have written in some way (posting a quote from the book, etc.)

That actually sounds about right.  Some of the content or the purposes may vary, but that’s a good representation of my social media life.  The thing is, when I do my “obligatory” daily “scroll” I find a few other uses:

• Parents living vicariously through their children buy posting their exploits online (hey, I’m a proud parent too – I get it)
• The online sharing of one’s free-flowing thoughts about the game, event, or TV show they happen to be watching at the time
• Lots of picture about what people either ate – or want to eat
• Plenty of advertising one’s personal cause (hey, I do that with my non-profit and with my book)
• Vanity pictures (ummm… if you are over 16 and/or not a girl, please don’t post a selfie – its embarrassing for you)
• Bully pulpiting
• Complaining
• Posting about some random things people are doing or are about to do

In addition, I have to think about what I am looking for when I log in and begin my daily scroll.  Am I looking for some good gossip?  Am I looking to keep up with and communicate with people I don’t get to see every day?  Am I looking for a good article to read? Am I a social stalker (always looking but never communicating)?  Or am I just addicted to the scroll and don’t really care what I see, so long as I get my fill of information?

The question is: how much of this is really appropriate?  In many respects, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with social media and there is a good deal of positive that can come from its use.  Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.  Some people either don’t think or don’t care about the implications or the impact of their online conduct.  Some see it as a way to validate their own insecurities.  If they can post something unique or dramatic or shocking enough to get a long list of “likes” or comments then somehow that makes them feel better.

At the end of the day, whether or not any particular online activity is appropriate or not depends upon one’s heart.  In Mark 7, Jesus reminds us that what makes anything we do good or evil depends upon our hearts.

Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

These words apply directly to our online conduct.  When our online conduct is motivated by those things which Jesus says are within our hearts AND are evil, then such conduct is sinful and inappropriate.  Are we being prideful?  Are you angry?  Be careful, because an angry post can easily become slanderous.  Are we being deceitful or envious?  Maybe you just want a platform to complain or to preach from your favorite soap box.  Scripture is very clear that complaining is a sin and there are a lot of folks out there whining and complaining on social media.  Or perhaps we are just being foolish – yes, foolishness is evil – that is (according to the meaning of the original Greek) knowing what is good or smart and foolishly ignoring your own brain’s instructions.

Granted I think there can be a very fine line between appropriate and inappropriate.  Are my picture posts of Patty and me at the beach last weekend vain and prideful or just a courteous way to share with our friends about something we enjoyed? It can be a tough question to answer.  If I were to try to lay out some guidelines for a Christian in how to conduct themselves on social media, I think I would have the suggestions listed below – most of which are prohibitions on certain types of uses.  It may seem like I am being legalistic about this; but when you think about it, the suggestions are mainly just common sense.

Don’t post angry.  Scripture warns us against being angry or doing anything rash when we are angry.  There is a good reason for this because where anger exists, sin is not far behind.  If you find yourself drafting a social media post while you are angry, stop, take a moment to catch your breath, and then walk away.  Give yourself the time to calm down.  Perhaps you won’t want to make the post then and it will certainly save you some regret later on.

Don’t complain. Complaining is a sin. Period.  We all (myself included) need to work on being more joyful and complaining less.  Social Media is more than just a passing verbal complaint.  You are putting it in writing.  Just don’t do it.

Don’t bully pulpit.  Once again, there is a fine line between expressing one’s views and trying to push an agenda across the social media platform.  When the issues are politics or personal pet peeves or the like, I can easily suggest steering away from it.  However, it is harder when we get to spiritual things.  By nature as evangelicals, we believe we should be sharing the message of salvation through any means we can.  Some can interpret our use of social media to spread the gospel as engaging the bully pulpit – especially if you have been engaging the bully pulpit for all your other causes as well.  If we steer away from using social media as a bully pulpit for other reasons, the online world will probably give us some measure of grace on the spiritual things.   I wrote a blog a while back on this very subject of sharing the gospel with social media.  You can read that at "The Gospel in 140 Characters".

Don’t be vain.  Again, the line is very thin between being “social” and being vain.  However, I think you and I both know when we are posting something for prideful or vainglorious purposes.  Remember that 1 Corinthians 10:31 says to do everything for God’s glory – not for our glory.  If you hesitate to post something because there’s something in the back of your mind telling you “this is vain,” – don’t post, because that is your conscious guiding you to purity.

Don’t get your validation from the online community.  Our self worth is found in the fact that we have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ and adopted as children of God.  We don’t need eleventy-seven “likes” to validate our self-image.  We don’t need to look to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or whatever other social platform to get our self worth.  We just need to look to Jesus.

Don’t waste the time you have been given.  This may very well be the most dangerous of all of the inappropriate social media habits.  Exactly how much time are you wasting in your daily scroll?  The worst part is, the more “friends” we have, the longer we tend to spend perusing statuses.  After all, we don’t want to miss anything “important,” right?  Think about it this way.  We have been entrusted with a precious gift from the master – our time.  We will be held accountable for how we use that gift and if we are not good stewards it, we will have to answer to the master (see Matthew 25, Luke 19, and 2 Thessalonians 3).  Spend the time instead in God’s Word or in prayer or in doing good. 

These are just a few guidelines I thought about – thoughts I had for myself more than anything else, but perhaps they can help you as well.  You may have other thoughts on the subject. I would certainly like to hear them.  Please comment here - or - on my social media link to this blog...  Of course by asking, I realize that I am encouraging your use of social media.  Oh, the irony.

Grace or Truth: The Ministry of Compassion vs. The Ministry of the Word

Most of you who know me well enough know that I am very intimately involved in a non-profit ministry called Designs For Hope (www.designsforhope.org).  Designs for Hope is a compassion-based ministry that designs innovative technological solutions that empower struggling pastors and church leaders in the poorest areas of the world to more effectively spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Recently (last night as I write this, in fact), I was meeting with a pastor at a local church telling him about what all God was doing through Designs For Hope.  My wish was that Designs For Hope could be a resource to that church as they go about their missions activities.  Now I realize that what Designs For Hope does will not always apply in every mission venue and so I would not have been surprised for him to say that his church’s mission objectives did not align with Designs For Hope’s.  However, I was somewhat surprised by the pastor’s fairly straightforward rejection of the very idea of what Designs For Hope was doing.   Don’t get me wrong, he was extremely gracious and Christ-like in his rejection, but there was no mistake in my mind that he did not believe that the mission of Designs For Hope was very beneficial to Kingdom work.  In fact, by his own words, it was fairly clear that he believed our work created not only a mindset of dependency upon foreign help, but also opened the door to envy between the pastors we help and the people we did not (or could not) help.  To put this in its right context, Designs for Hope helps these pastors and evangelists by providing bicycle or solar powered generators so that they can have just a tiny bit of lighting in their small homes.  We also provide water filtration systems so that they can have safe, clean water to drink.  In this pastor’s view – at least as I understood our conversation - mission efforts should be about sharing the Word of God and planting churches, not about handouts and aid.

As a point of clarification, I know enough about this pastor to have a considerable amount of respect for him  – enough respect that I took his words very seriously and to give them significant weight and consideration.  Indeed, I have to admit there is truth in what he said. In the past 50 years or so there has been billions of dollars in foreign aid sent Africa with little or no impact other than creating a greater dependence upon foreign aid.  To make matters worse, we have actually experienced some of what he alluded to in our work at Designs For Hope already.  As an organization, we have to work very hard not to be just another handout, but to truly empower church leaders in their gospel ministry.  We are also very diligent about making sure that we create opportunities for the Word of God to be taught and preached as part of what we do.   Even still, we have experienced the politics this pastor mentioned - politics associated with the pastor receiving such amenities while the flock still struggles.  Our goal is not to give them a handout that sets them above the congregants, but rather a help-up that enables them to serve the congregants. Admittedly, that is a difficult task and so his words lingered in my thoughts all evening.  Is it really true that mission efforts that focus on compassion are a waste of kingdom resources?   No one wants to be accused of throwing good money after bad, or worse, being poor stewards of what God has entrusted to us.  These thoughts were even more exaggerated by the fact that my own personal passion is preaching and teaching the Word of God – compassion ministries come very hard for me, but the ministry of the Word comes very easily for me.

It is a good thing to have your motivations and your mission challenged every now and again.  As I prayed over this, a number of scriptures were brought to my mind that reminded me that we cannot focus too heavily on one approach versus the other.  Yes, my greatest desire is for God to instill faith in every person on the planet.  The truth of the Word of God is so important and the temporary comforts brought about through mere altruistic endeavors will do nothing to forego eternal pain.    In my meditation over this, however, I was reminded of James chapter two.

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (ESV)

Similarly, 1 John 3:17-18 says: 

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (ESV)

“Sharing” our faith is an essential part of every mission effort.  If we do not have this, we are nothing more than a Social Gospel.  However, we cannot just focus so exclusively on the gospel that we ignore the very real and urgent needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ – especially of those who are doing Kingdom work.  Those of us who live in the “first world” have been richly blessed by God.  Even the poorest among us are wealthy in comparison to the millions and millions who live on daily wages that would not even buy us a cup of coffee.  Why has God given us those blessings if not for the purpose of blessing others?  Did not Jesus tell the Rich Young Ruler in Luke 18 to sell his riches and give to the poor?  Did not Zacchaeus in Luke 19 do precisely that?   I’m not saying that God necessarily wants you to sell everything you have and give it away (although you should not make the mistake of presuming that he does NOT want that for you).  What I am saying is that the ministry of the Word of God cannot be separated from the ministry of compassion.

The first chapter of the gospel of John tells us that Jesus was the WORD incarnate.  The Word of God is crucial and essential in all mission efforts.   Without the Word of God, there can be no faith.  Paul asks in Romans 10 how they can believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  He then says that faith comes by hearing and that hearing comes through the Word of Christ.  However, the first chapter of John also tells us that Jesus was filled with BOTH grace AND truth.  Jesus was not solely about being the incarnate WORD of God, he was also about being the incarnate NATURE of God.  A simple examination of his life and ministry is evidence enough that compassion ministries are a vital part of the Christian mission and true to the very nature of God.  In the ESV version of the English Bible, the gospel speaks specifically nine times of the compassion that Jesus had for the people.  Three more times it speaks of how he was moved by the people’s circumstances. At other times it says he took pity on them.  In each of these situations, his compassion and pity led him to take action to relieve their suffering.  These actions were not without the same kind of risks that my pastor friend warned about – and not always were they directly tied to a spiritual lesson.  When Jesus fed the 5000, the spiritual lesson was not for the masses, but for his 12 disciples. For everyone else, it was just a miraculous dinner.  In fact, the impact on the 5000 was exactly what my pastor friend warned about – the crowds just sought Jesus all the more – what can YOU do for ME - and, in John 6, Jesus has to rebuke them for seeking him solely to be fed physical food.  Those risks did not stop Jesus from showing compassion and they should not stop us either.

The purpose of this article is not at all to malign my pastor friend (he probably will not even read this and most – if not all - who do read this will have no idea who I am talking about anyway).  As I said, I have great respect for him and gave very serious consideration to his words. In the end, however, I think that in some respects he may have been right, but that in other respects he was wrong.  Yes, I agree with him.  There is a risk and a responsibility associated with compassion ministries.  It takes great effort to make sure that such ministries are being faithful and true to the gospel and not just mere benevolence.  That is why Designs For Hope partners with organizations who are engaged in the evangelistic efforts, and that is why Designs for Hope’s Partnership Covenant lays out clear expectations that its products are to be used as a tool to advance the gospel and not for profiteering.  However, I don’t agree with him that engaging in compassion ministries is hurtful to the people.  if Jesus could engage in compassion ministries even with the reality of it being misused by some, then I think we ought to consider ourselves open to those ministries as well.

Why Christians Should NOT Be Concerned About the Supreme Court Decision

It seems that everybody and their brother now wants to weigh in on the implications of this week’s Supreme Court decisions regarding same sex marriages.  Whether you support it or you find it an abomination, everyone has an opinion; and it is becoming such a divisive and controversial issue that it has the potential to seriously polarize our country – check that – it has already seriously polarized our country.  I have really struggled as to whether or not I should weigh in on the situation for several reasons.  First, I don’t want to be just another contributor towards the din and cacophony.  There is enough of that out there already.  Second, it’s only been a day (at least at the moment I write this) and already there are so many posts and blogs and editorials out there that adequately articulate my views that another blog would do little more than add accession to the ones already out there.  More importantly, though, I am not sure I want to contribute towards the divisive tempest that is already out there.

Instead, I would rather take a different approach.  I think we ought to see the reasons why Christians should NOT concerned about what happened.  I am not suggesting that the ruling is bad for our country.  Indeed, I agree with so many others out there that this is a watershed moment for our country and represents a tremendous turning point in the direction of our country.   Similarly, I am not suggesting that we ought to acquiesce to what has happened and pretend to be happy and joyful about it.  Jesus has called us to be salt and light in this world.  That means we have an obligation to perverse the Judeo-Christian moral culture and shine the light of truth.  We are apparently failing in that regard and that is a reason to be concerned.  However, we are salt by being a pleasant seasoning and we are light by being an illumination of truth.  We are not to be an overpoweringly bitter flavor or a light that blinds.  So while we don’t stop doing what we can to influence our society, we simply can’t force society into our way of thinking.  That has thus far been (and will always continue to be) met with anger, hatred, and resistance.

So exactly what am I advocating?  Why is this admittedly dreadful situation something we should not be so terribly concerned about?  I see several reasons why.  First, we should not be so terribly concerned about it because we should expect nothing less.  We like to think of our country as a godly, Christian country, but let’s be honest about that.  We are not really a Christian country.  Sure there is a large number of people in this country who claim Christianity as their stated religion, but the percentage of true, fully surrendered, Christ-following believers is becoming less and less every year. More and more, those who claim the name of Christianity demonstrate no difference in their lives than those who claim no religion at all.  As a result, more and more are rejecting Christianity altogether.  That may be partially our own fault because we have failed to evangelize our own.  Part of the reason we have failed to evangelize our own is precisely because we have looked at our country as “Christian” so long that we presume there is no need to evangelize our own.  Look around your own neighborhood and ask yourself how many people go to church.  Look around your church on Sunday and ask how committed to Christ those sitting next to you really are.  Ask yourself how committed to Christ YOU really are.  As a country, we are far less “Christian” than we like to believe.  As a result, why should we expect anything less than for the direction of our country to go in a way that we feel is un-Christian?  Even amongst ourselves, we argue as to what it really means to be a Christian and we disagree on the moral absolutes.  If we disagree amongst ourselves on the moral absolutes, why are we surprised our secular government would come to any other conclusion than it has?  We should expect nothing less than for our godless government to move in a godless direction.  It is the natural progression of the ungodly.  If you do not agree with that, just read Romans 1:18-32.  God is pouring out his wrath on our ungodliness by allowing us to become even more ungodly.   This should not be a surprise.  What is happening in our country is precisely what the Bible says will happen in the last days.  We must expect our world to get worse and worse as we hurdle towards the coming of the Lord.  As Peter says in 2 Peter 3

(1)    This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

(2)    that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,

(3)    knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

Likewise, as Paul told Timothy in his 2 Timothy 3

(1)    But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

(2)    For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

(3)    heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

(4)    treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

(5)    having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

How well does this describe even you and I, who claim the name of Jesus?  The world – our country – is headed exactly where scripture says it is going to head.  I get it; you want our country to turn back to its roots and become “Christian” again.  I want that too, but I can’t help but think about what Paul goes on to tell Timothy in 2 Timothy 4

(3)    For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

(4)    and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

I wonder sometimes if our desire for our country to return to Christ en masse through legislative or judicial action is not one of those myths.  Everything in scripture points precisely to the contrary.  That is not to say we don’t keep trying, but it is to say we shouldn’t be surprised when it does not happen.  In fact, scripture points more to the fact that we should expect our Christian liberties to dwindle away and to experience greater and greater persecution.  Again, not to say we continue to work against it… just to say we shouldn’t be so surprised by it.  Instead of setting your hope on the President or Congress or the Supreme Court, set your Hope on the Almighty, the only Sovereign God – which leads me to the second reason we should not be too terribly concerned about this.

I agree, just because we shouldn’t be surprised by it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be alarmed by it.  I am alarmed as well.  However – believe it or not - what has happened is all part of God’s plan.  Yes, God intended for this to happen.  Sometimes when things go in a direction we do not like we tend to forget that we are supposed to be living by faith every day, trusting God.  God is timeless.  He is eternal.  He is omnipotent.  He is omniscient.  He is completely sovereign.    We forget that nothing happens that surprises God.  Nothing happens that that will thwart the purposes of God (Job 42:2).  Regardless of the plans that man may have, it is God’s purposes that ultimately prevail (Prov 19:21).  We may rail against our government for such godless acts, but we forget that it was God who put this government into place (Romans 13:1).  After all, it was God who called the godless Assyrian king, Cyrus, his “anointed” one to carry out his purposes. I realize we could get into a big theological debate about God’s will – his permissive will versus his perfect or his revealed will versus his hidden will.  At the end of the day, though, God allowed this to happen because somehow it fits into his perfect and holy plan.  That thought may offend our sensibilities, but our calling is to live by faith, not question the Almighty.  I have no idea what God’s plan is for our country, but I do know that if it were not part of his plan, he would not have allowed the Supreme Court to make such a decision.  God is working out his plan and his purposes in a way that we may not fully understand, but it is his plan and he is in control of it.  Our world is hurdling through time towards a rendezvous with the triumphant return of Jesus Christ.  How all of this plays out in that plan has yet to be revealed.  However, one thing is certain: the world must get darker and darker as we approach that rendezvous. 

So what shall we say about all of that?  I say we trust God.  We continue being salt and light in our world.   We do everything in our power to continue to influence, flavor, preserve, and shine the light of truth on our culture – without becoming a bitter flavor or a blinding light.  We stop holding to the myth that we can force our country to return to Christ and start obeying the command to call individuals to repentance – making disciples for Christ.  That is how we influence our world  – not by whining and complaining about the fact that same sex marriage will ultimately be the law of the land – but by telling just one person that Jesus can save them from their sins… and then by telling another…and then another…  Our country will return to Christ when the people return to Christ.   Spiritual change happens from the inside out in the person and so it will happen from the inside out in our country.  Stop pretending we live in a Christian culture and start introducing Christ to the culture.

Yes, we should be concerned about what happened this week in the Supreme Court.  But our concern should not be over the fact that same sex marriage will soon be legalized. Instead, our concern should be that there is all the more reason to proclaim to truth of the gospel.   We don’t need to scream and holler about whether or not homosexuality is or is not sinful.  We need to proclaim that ALL men are sinful and in need of a savior.  When someone comes to Christ, Jesus himself reveals to him what is true and what is false. We will not convince the world otherwise until the world has Jesus.  So… same sex marriage gets legalized.  So what?  Is it a bad thing?  I think so, yes.  Does it indicate problems for our country?  Again, Yes - but I know that God is in control.  Trust Him in that.  Does it change you?  No. Does it change your mission in Christ?  No; rather, let it be a wake-up call not to neglect that mission – the mission to evangelize the world.  Listen to what God is saying (paraphrased): “Don’t worry.  I got this. Just go make disciples.”

The Gospel in 140 Characters

Social media has seriously “dumbed down” the average modern reader.  While the amount of communication taking place is quickly reaching a singularity, the average size of the communication is becoming smaller and its content is become more destitute. Between Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and the plethora of other social media sites, our social communication has been reduced to a series of quips, memes, social media shorthand, and photo commentary.  Seriously, when was the last time you actually sat down and wrote someone a real letter?  For that matter, even emails that actually communicate are becoming less commonplace.  They have been replaced with texting and instant messaging – both of which are reduced in scope and content due to the limitations of the medium.  As a result, proper grammar and spelling have become nonexistent and the art of communicating through the written – or spoken - word may be in danger of becoming extinct.   

Hopefully, that will never take place.  Nevertheless, the world is quickly becoming filled up with the noise of social media balderdash. The virtual sphere of the internet is brimming with tweets and posts of “Checking in at” and “Look what I ate” and “See how cute my dog is” – most of which the rest of us (except Grandma and perhaps Aunt Jilian) could care less about.  We are reaching more and more people, but we are actually communicating less and less meaningful content.  Let’s not even talk about the narcissistic tendencies that social media is uncovering as we all strive eagerly to see how many “likes” we can get (for the record, there is absolutely nothing sadder – or more disturbing - than a middle aged man posting a “selfie” – I’m just saying).

Within that abominable pandemonium of substandard vocabulary and second-rate grammar has risen a new genre of literature that can only be described as Pithy Philosophy – the “art” of divulging one’s own philosophical ideals in 140 characters or less.   In the midst of all the megalomaniacal posts there are actually those using social media to promote their personal philosophies.   A short tweet here or perhaps a post there and before we know what has happened, everyone is an expert in something. It has become too easy for people who only a few decades ago would never have been able to garner an audience of more than 5 or 10 people to have tens of thousands of “followers” or hundreds if not thousands of “friends” who have philosophical and metaphysical commonality with them.   Is there anything wrong with this new genre of literature?  I would say no.  If social media can be used to get out whatever message you want to promote, and if people are willing to read what you post, then more power to you and your cause. 

Christianity is not immune to this modern cultural phenomenon. We love to post Bible verses – which is admittedly a fantastic way to get the Word of God “out there” – and to espouse our personal versions of Christian Philosophy through either our own quotes or those of our favorite Christian or inspirational figures.  I am personally “guilty” (if guilt is the proper term) of this myself.  My personal favorites are A. W. Tozer, C. S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, and of course quotes from my own books (www.amazon.com/author/joeldison) – not that I am vainglorious or anything.   :/

However, the question must be asked: Can we really be true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by spouting off self-contained 140-character epigrams?  There was a time in days gone by when the title or by-line of a work of literature would be as many characters as most of our modern day tweets.   Our would-be profundities on the Love of God and the work of Christ would not even suffice as an introduction to the masterful theological dissertations of days gone by.  For example, the English translation of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion is over 1800 pages long.  Similarly, Augustine of Hippo’s City of God was broken down into 23 separate sections or “books” because of its length.  Sure, there are good books being written today – perhaps more books now than ever before.  However, when we spend all our time scrolling through our timelines, who has time to actually read a real work of literature anymore?

More and more, we are reducing the message of God’s word into smaller and smaller bites.  This may have been good when we children, but we are (educated?) adults who are supposed to have the capacity for something greater.  Admittedly, social media has created a greater and greater opportunity for exposure to the gospel – and that is most certainly a good thing – but one has to wonder whether or not the bigger picture of God’s word is being missed due to the brevity of the message being presented.  I’m not trying to say that posting the “verse of the day” is a bad thing, but if our daily devotional time is reduced to hitting “like” on a couple of bible verses posted by our friends or re-tweeting an inspirational quote from Billy Graham then we have somehow strayed from the path. True discipleship requires in-depth study of and meditation upon God’s word.   If we are not careful, we will fall into the same trap as the readers of the author of Hebrews, who in Hebrews 5:12 chastised them for still feeding on spiritual milk when they should be maturing and teaching the deep mysteries of the Word of God.  That’s what I think most of our Pithy Philosophy is at best – milk.  I believe it was mega-church pastor David Platt who once said that 15 minute sermons make 15 minute Christians (how is that for Pithy Philosophy?).  If that is true, though, what do 140-Character sermons make?

With that said, I asked myself (just because I was curious) whether or not the gospel really could be shared accurately in 140 characters or less.   The depths of the gospel may take a lifetime to discover, but the gospel itself is quite simple.  Can the message of Jesus Christ be condensed into a single tweet and carry with it everything needed for eternal life?  I am still not sure about the second half of that question and would love your thoughts on it.  However, as to the first half of the question and after careful consideration, I did manage to get what I believe to be the full gospel into a single tweet.  And so without further commentary, here is the gospel in 140 characters (actually it is 137 characters, but who’s really counting):

Jesus was God, but became a man. He lived perfectly, but died unjustly. He arose to grant eternal life. Repent of your sin. Trust in Him.

By the way, I tweeted that before publishing this blog.  @jjdison

LOL >>> by the way... a good friend of mine read this post and reminded me that John 3:16 is less than 140 characters. ***FACE PALM***

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Faith versus Belief

Does what you believe make a difference in your life?   I suppose the answer depends upon what you believe.  For example, for each of the following statements, decide first if you believe it.  Then, whether or not you actually do believe it, ask yourself how it would change your life if you did believe it:

·         The sky is blue.

·         You cannot breathe under water.

·         If a police officer sees you run a red light, he will give you a ticket.

·         Flowers are pretty.

·         The person sitting next to you right now has a deadly, contagious disease.

·         You car is faster than my car.

·         George Washington was the first president of the United States.

·         The Zombie Apocalypse will break out tomorrow morning.

There are lots of things we believe (or don’t believe) for various reasons.  For some of those things, believing or disbelieving really makes no difference whatsoever in our lives.  On the other hand, there are other things that if we really believe them would actually change the course of our lives and/or modify our perspective and our behavior.  To me, this is the essence of the difference between BELIEF and FAITH.  Consider these verses (emphasis added for effect)

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (ESV).

Ephesians 2:8 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (ESV).

So, is there really a difference between faith and belief?  According to some dictionaries, a belief is an opinion or a conviction.  According to other dictionaries, belief is synonymous with faith.  Similarly, according to some dictionaries, faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing.  However, other dictionaries speak of faith in terms of a belief system.  The implication is that while there may be nuances between them, ultimately there is very little difference between faith and belief.  I could not disagree more.

The Bible gives us a very clear definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1, which says “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (NASB).  The Bible, therefore, defines faith in the context of two principles – the “assurance of things hoped for” and the “conviction of things not seen.”

The Assurance of Things Hoped For. 

This very statement is an oxymoron.  How is it possible for us to be assured for something we hope for?  If it is something we cannot prove, then by definition it is something we hope for.  There is no assurance in it.  Faith, however, says that our belief in this unassured, hoped for thing is so strong that in our minds it is absolutely certain.  It is so certain in our minds, in fact, that we actually consider it to be fact – even though it cannot be proven.

Consider the following examples.  I might hope that I will win the lottery and as a result go buy a ticket, but do I really, really believe I will win?  For me personally, the answer is no.  The odds are just too much against me. There have been too many experiences by people buying lottery tickets and not winning to convince me this is something I want to place my faith in.  I might hope for it to be true, but I don’t believe it.  If I did believe it, not only would I go buy the lottery ticket, but I would quit my job and go on a big spending spree.

On the other hand, I hope that that the sun will rise tomorrow.  I don’t know for certain that the sun will rise tomorrow, but I believe that it will.  There have been enough examples of the sun rising – every day in fact -  to convince me that the sun will rise tomorrow.  I believe it so strongly that I don’t go around ringing my hands saying “oh, I really hope the sun comes up tomorrow…”  No, for me, it is as good as fact, so I never give it a second thought.  Rather, I make plans for tomorrow as if there were no question as to whether or not the sun will rise.  It will rise.

Faith in Jesus Christ must be like the latter not the former.  With the witness and example of so many who have come before us, we have more than enough evidence to show that Jesus can change our lives.  Do we know it with certainty?  No.  However, we believe it so strongly that we are willing to commit our lives to him and follow his teaching and his commands in the hope that his promises will be kept.

The Conviction of Things not Seen.

This is also something of an oxymoron.  A conviction is something that we believe “deep down” inside of us.  It is something so deep and so moving that it changes how we see and act.  For example, one of my convictions is that abortion is wrong.  I believe this “deep down” inside.  In fact, I believe it so much that I cannot vote for any politician that supports abortion.  Some people have the conviction that killing and eating animals is wrong.  This significantly changes their behavior.  They are vegetarians.  Some will not even go to a restaurant that cooks meat.  When we have a conviction in something, it changes our actions. 

Our conviction as Christians, however, is in something that we cannot see or proven.  We have faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation.  We believe he can forgive our sins.  We have hope that he will save us and that we will one day see heaven.  However, not only do we not physically see Jesus, but we cannot physically see heaven.  In fact, we will not see the fulfillment of the promise until after we experience physical death (that is, unless Jesus returns first – which is also something we hope for).

How can we have conviction in something that seems so out of reach and unattainable?  That is the real essence of faith.  I might believe Jesus existed, but until belief in his teachings and promises change my perspective and my behavior, they are not really convictions.   I might believe that Jesus has the power to forgive sins and grant me eternal life, but until I behave as if such is assured, my hope in it is false.

True faith means we have assurance in our salvation.  We don’t just hope for it like I might hope to win the lottery.  We believe it so strongly that it might as well be fact, like the rising of the sun.   We hold so strongly to the conviction that Jesus can save us that it changes our behavior.  We live like the things he taught us actually matters.

There is a difference between faith and belief.  Some things, if we really believe them, should change our lives.  On the other hand, it is absolutely possible to believe that Jesus can save you and still reject God. The Bible says that the demons believe – and shudder. Similarly, it is absolutely possible to believe that Jesus can save you, but not place your faith in Jesus.

We are saved by grace – THROUGH FAITH… not through belief.

In fact, in the Greek, the word translated “believe” in John 3:16 is actually the verb form of the word faith.  In the English, we don’t have a verb form of the word faith.  John 3:16 is better translated as

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son so that whoever has faith in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Here’s the question:

Do you believe Jesus can save you?

Or

Do you have faith that Jesus can save you…

If you have faith that Jesus can save you, then it will change your perspective and you will be convicted to live the way he taught.

John 8:31 - If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples…

John 13:35 - By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 15:8 - My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

For more information about how to live by faith, please try my book – Faith Beyond Belief (Available at Amazon.com)

Stuff God Hates

Are we even allowed to say that?  The very statement itself -  “Stuff God Hates” – seems to be a taboo these days.  The very thought that there might be hate within God’s character seems almost heretical. We are all about God’s love.  After all, “God is love.”   In fact, according to some, “love wins.”   How could God be the embodiment of love and still hate?

  

Certainly, love did win at the cross and scripture itself says that God is love, but does that automatically mean that there are not things that God hates.  Truthfully, scripture tells us that there are things that God hates and it is more specific than just a generic “God hates sin” (which he does).  The question we have to ask ourselves, though, is how we are to respond when we find out about something that God hates.  If there is something in my life that God hates, what does that mean to me?  Certainly God does not hate me – but He hates that particular thing in me?  That seems harsh, but it is true to scripture.

If God truly is the embodiment of love and if there really are things that God hates, then those things must be so horribly bad for me that it is more loving for God to hate those aspects within me than to love me in spite of them.   What that means to me is that my response should be to also hate that particular thing about myself and to trust in Him to remove them from my life.

What, then, are these things that are so bad that a loving God would display hatred towards them.  It turns out that Proverbs chapter 6 identifies 7 of them by name.

Proverbs 6:16-19

16 There are six things that the Lord hates,

seven that are an abomination to him:

17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that make haste to run to evil,

19 a false witness who breathes out lies,

and one who sows discord among brothers.

Haughty eyes

We do not often go around saying someone has haughty eyes.  In fact, some of us might not even really know what haughty means. According to the dictionary, haughty means to be disdainfully proud, arrogant, snobbish, or scornfully arrogant.  Haughty eyes, therefore, would be defined as showing arrogant superiority to others.  Are you always trying to be better than other people?  It’s one thing to strive to do your best – we should all strive to do our best at everything we do – but it is another thing to always think we are the best and better than everybody else. When we look down on others or think we are better than others, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. Psalm 118:27 says “For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down” (ESV).   Instead, we are to consider others as being more important than ourselves. As it says in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (ESV).

A Lying Tongue

I used to watch the TV Drama, House, before it was discontinued.  Dr. Gregory House used to always say “everybody lies.”  Of course we would all agree that being hurtful or intentionally deceptive for our own benefit and gain is wrong, but what about a little white lie?  Shouldn’t we lie if it is in the best interest of the other person? The answer might surprise you. When we lie, we are speaking the language of hell.  When he was speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said in John 8:44  “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (ESV).  Personally, I do not want to be caught dead speaking the language of hell. Instead, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:10, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit” (ESV).

Hands that Shed Innocent Blood

When we think of “hands that shed innocent blood” we immediately think about killing an innocent person.   The most egregious act to fit this description today of course must be abortion.  So many millions of innocents are being slaughtered each year.  However, there is more to this than just killing the innocent.  This is really referring to any act of violence taken against another innocent person. This could include random acts of violence, bullying, spousal or child abuse, etc.

A Heart that Devises Wicked Plans

Have you ever noticed that every good story has an evil genius – that is, someone who crafts the most intricate, deceitful, confusing plan to accomplish some wicked end?  Why do we love such stories? Is it because we like seeing good win over evil or is it because we love to see the intricacy and genius of the complicated plans of the wicked?  Let’s be honest with ourselves.  Who hasn’t thought about planning the perfect crime – in jest and fun of course?  I love crime dramas such as Bones and Castle.  I like where the intro to Castle speaks about how murderers and crime novel writers sit around thinking up the perfect crimes.   This, however, only points out the darkness within us.  Indeed there is much wickedness within all of us. Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (ESV)   God hates this.  Evil thoughts become evil desires.  Evil desires become evil intent.  Evil intent becomes evil plans.  Evil plans become evil actions.  Instead, we should take Solomon’s advice in Prov 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV).

Feet that Make Haste to Run to Evil

Unfortunately, one of our biggest problems is that we like being bad.  Teenage girls love the “bad boy.”  Teenage boys want to be the “bad boy” so the girls will love them.  We grow up thinking “Bad is Cool” and “Good guys finish last.”   By contast, Psalm 1:1-2 says “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  It may not make us cool, but it is what God wants from us.  Instead of running to the evils things, we should run away from them. 1 Timothy 6:11 says “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

A False Witness Who Breathes out Lies

Bearing a false witness is similar to lying in general, but it is about lying for the sole purpose of hurting another person.  This is essentially injustice, which is another thing that God hates.  Additionally, this is actually one of the 10 commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” Exodus 20:16  (ESV).

One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers

This is one I want you to really pay attention to.  God considers a person that thrives on strife and likes to create division and controversy an “abomination.”   If you are the type of person who likes to stir up trouble or manipulate other people into getting in trouble, this is talking about you.  Titus 3:10 says “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him” (ESV).  By contrast, Matthew 5:9 says “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (ESV).  Likewise Romans 12:18 says “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (ESV); and Hebrews 12:14 says “Strive for peace with everyone” (ESV).

What I find most interesting about these seven things is that at least two of them, a false witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers, are referring to people and not to abstract ideas.   Likewise, the other five could be argued to be referring to a type of person and not an abstract idea as well.  That makes this really problematic because the implication is that God hates those people and considers them an abomination.

I cannot begin to try to address the potential paradox of the fact that God can both hate and love at the same time.  It is certainly beyond my theological capabilities.  However, what I can say is that I have no desire to be even remotely associated with anything that the God of the universe, the creator of all things, whose wrath is awesome and fearful, might even possibly hate.  Will he forgive me for it if I display these characteristics?  Actually, since my faith is in the blood of Jesus Christ he already has.  Nevertheless, I want it gone.

Lord, help me to remove any hint of these abominations from my life!

Christianity and Moral Relativism

“One must sacrifice oneself utterly to God’s purposes, even to the point of possibly making moral mistakes” (Metaxas, Bonhoeffer, 447).

  

How would you respond to that statement made by the biographer of one of the most daring theologians of the 20^th Century?  Would you side with those of the more fundamentalist persuasion who would argue that moral absolutism – i.e., right and wrong are always black and white - is the only way to live?  Or would you side with those of the more liberal persuasion who would argue that moral relativism – i.e., sometimes the ends do justify the means – can have merit?

Most of us would probably move quickly to one of those two extreme views.  Although in most respects I consider myself more of an evangelical than a fundamentalist, I would have to say that on this issue my gut reaction would tend to lean more towards the fundamentalist view.  I tend to believe that right is right and wrong is wrong, regardless of circumstances; and I would be quick to argue that the ends never justify the means.  To be clear, I am not speaking here of war-time killing.  I understand the difference between murder and killing, particularly during a time of just war.  Scripture is full of circumstances where God directed his people to engage in war to accomplish his purposes.  What I am speaking to here is the idea that immoral methods are justifiable to accomplish moral ends. To what extent is this permissible in the life of a Christian who believes that he or she is acting on behalf of God?

  

With my conservative leanings, I am admittedly more apt to say that such questionable behaviors are not permissible for a child of God.  However, in my own personal reading this week, God led me to 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. King Ahab of Israel was a man of pure evil, perhaps more evil than any other king of Israel.  In response to his evil, God determined to bring an end to his life by sending the King of Syria against him in battle.  The prophet Micaiah saw in a vision how he accomplished this.  With all the hosts of heaven standing before him, Yahweh asked who would entice Ahab to go up and fight against the king of Syria.  After considerable discussion in heaven, a “spirit” came forward and volunteered to entice Ahab by placing lies into the ears of the prophets so that they would believe Ahab would be victorious in his venture.  Of all the prophets, only Micaiah knew the truth – and he was arrested for speaking the truth.

  

I don’t mind saying that this particular scripture (which is recorded not one, but twice – 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18) gives me pause.  Scripture is very clear that deceit is the natural language of Satan not God (John 8:44).  Paul says in Titus 1:2 that God never lies.  The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 6:18 that it is impossible for God to lie.  Peter tells us there was no deceit in Jesus and twice tells Christians to put away deceit from our lips.  Paul clearly labels deceit as an act of the sinful nature.  Yet Yahweh (Jesus) allowed – even ordained perhaps – for a spirit to put lies into the mouths of those who believed they were speaking for him.   How is this possible?

  

To begin with, we do not know whether this “spirit” was an angel or a demon.  Scripture does not say.  However, one can say that God uses all things – even evil things - to accomplish his good purposes.  If you have ever studied about the philosophical concept known as The Problem of Evil, you would know that in God’s Sovereignty to create beings in his own image, God allows those beings to make their own moral choices.  Those choices include good ones as well as evil ones.  Ultimately, the evil ones must be punished, but in his sovereignty he is even able to use that evil to accomplish his good (Romans 8:28).  By no means, however, does that mean he promotes or even condones such actions.

  

Sin is sin and God must judge sin.  Fortunately for those who have received Christ, that judgment finds its ultimate home in the cross.  As Christians, we know that we have forgiveness for any sins which we commit.  However, as Peter says, we are obligated to live in holiness, putting away such sinfulness from our lives.

  

I honestly do not know how to respond to 1Kings 22.  There are many things in scripture I still do not understand, but I personally do not believe that God would intentionally direct his people to commit evil acts.  God may allow demonic forces and godless men to do things that, ultimately, he may use for good, but they would still be sinful acts.  Similarly, it is possible for well-meaning Christians to believe they are acting for God and yet be acting in sinful ways contrary to God’s directives.  The prophets believed they were speaking for God, but they were being deceived by (I believe) demonic forces.  This, too, can be used by God for his purposes.

  

That brings me back to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Eric Metaxas’ assessment of his decision to participate in the assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler.  Bonhoeffer believed he was being obedient to the will of God by participating in the conspiracy and openly admitted to being blatantly deceitful in the process.  Regarding his actions, he said that “it depends upon a God who demands responsible action in a bold venture of faith and who promises forgiveness and consolation to the man who becomes a sinner in that venture.”  In other words, as Christians we are to walk by faith – even when walking by faith seems to be walking in sin.  With respect to Bonhoeffer, one must ultimately look to the unsuccessful results of their actions and so question whether the conspiracy were truly from God or were the mistaken beliefs of well meaning but still sinful Christians.  God ultimately did bring down the Nazi regime in Germany, but it was not through the numerous deceitful conspiracies against them.  It was through a foreign army in much the same way that God used the Syrian army against King Ahab or the Babylonian army against Judah.

  

At the end of the day, I must remain firm in my own belief that the ends never justify the means.  Christianity must always remain faithfully about moral absolutism and never embrace moral relativism.   Sin must be called sin where it exists and Christians must pursue holiness in their lives by putting away sin wherever it may exist in their lives. That is not to say what I might do if I found myself in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s position.  I might just act precisely as he did if I firmly and confidently believed that God was directing me to do so. Like him, I would step out in faith to do what I believed was obedient.  I might, however, be wrong and I might, however, be acting sinfully.  Fortunately God can use all things to accomplish his purposes; and fortunately there is grace and forgiveness in the blood of Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus, for the grace.  Thank you, Jesus, for the blood.  Give us all wisdom.