another observation…

The Gospel, the Word of the Lord, has its own integrity.   It needs no defense.  It has it’s own convicting power.

It is true whether it is believed or not.

It does not need to be explained.

It simply needs to be spoken.

Peace

speaking the “truth” and preaching the “word”

I read yesterday that a new version of the scriptures is being prepared.  This one will be the “conservative” version.  It will embody conservative values and concerns and it will be “conservatively” correct.

I went to their website; http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page, to check it out.  Part of me wants to applaud them for taking on such a task.  The other part of me wants to slap them silly for being so narrow minded, hypocritical and ignorant.  But I will let you come to your own conclusion.

You know what mine is; I think.

Peace

 

Speaking the truth “in love” means we let the Gospel inform what we say and how we say it.

The Gospel is the truth about God.  The “word” is the truth of the Gospel about what we are called to do.

a warning…

I read this a few years ago but I think it may still be appropriate with all the demagogues on the left and right clamoring for attention this year. It is the final observation of a spy who was on the “winning” side and what guided him through the confusion of those days and what may guide us through the confusion of our days.

“I only ever cared about the man. . . . I never gave a fig for the ideologies, unless they were mad or evil. I never saw institutions as being worthy of their parts, or policies as much other than excuses for not feeling. Man, not the mass, is what our calling is about. It was man who ended the Cold War in case you didn’t notice. It wasn’t weaponry, or technology, or armies or campaigns. It was just man. Not even Western man either, as it happened, but our sworn enemy in the East, who went into the streets, faced the bullets and the batons and said: we’ve had enough. It was their emperor, not ours, who had the nerve to mount the rostrum and declare he had no clothes. And the ideologies trailed after these impossible events like condemned prisoners, as ideologies do when they’ve had their day. Because they have no heart of their own. They’re the whores and angels of our striving selves. One day history may tell us who really won. If a democratic Russia emerges, why then Russian will have been the winner. And if the West chokes on its own materialism then the West may still turn out to have been the loser. History keeps her secrets longer than most of us.”

Smiley’s last warning about the real enemy:...”It’s the over-mighty modern State we’ve built for ourselves as a bastion against something that isn’t there any more. We’ve given up far too many freedoms in order to be free. Now we’ve got to take them back. . . . So while you’re out there striving loyally for the State, perhaps you’ll do me a small favour and lean on its pillars from time to time. It’s got a lot too big for its boots of late. It would be nice if you would cut it down to size.”

from “The Secret Pilgrim”
John LeCarre’

Peace

the wild, weird god of the hebrews

Long ago groups of people began to encounter a God who was very different from the other gods they had heard of or worshiped.

• He acted in strange ways:
  He made promises.
  He kept His word even if the people did not keep theirs.
  He did not act like any of the other gods.
  He was not at all like the people He chose to encounter.
  He wanted to be close to the people.
  He was unpredictable and inscrutable in His mercy.
• He was always concerned about ways to benefit people.

 

These people began to tell stories about Him. Hebrew is primarily a language of pictures. The names are pictures of Him; descriptions of His character. They are specific descriptions. They gave Him really strange names to describe His character:

• YAHWEH “I am because I act.”
  YAHWEH-ROPHE “I am the One who heals you.”
  YAHWEH-NISSI “I am the One who goes in front of you and stands above you.”
  YAHWEH-M’KADDESH “I am the One who will make you holy just like Me.”
  YAHWEH-SHALOM “I am the One who makes Peace with you.”
  YAHWEH-JIREH “I am the One who provides; who sees the need.”
• El Shaddai “The One who dwells on the mountain.”
  El Elyon “The One who dwells above us.”
  El Rohai “The One who is our “Shepherd,” who guides us.”
  Elohim “The Magnificent One. “
  EL “The First One.”

 

They saw Him as a person. All of these names are ways of describing God by His actions. He is not a philosophical abstraction. He is not a concept. He is alive…He acts.

Many people believe in God. They believe God exists. They are looking for the God who acts…who does things. They need help and they are looking for someone to help them. An abstract God is useless to them.

The Scriptures are NOT primarily concerned with proving God exists. They are telling us what He does…how He acts. He was active then. He is active now. He is doing things…now.

Peace

listening…

I like to listen to people who are not believers (and some who are) talk about what bothers them with God. Apparently many ministers do not have the same disposition. I think it is part of ministry to find out how people are doing spiritually. If things are great then we have very little to speak about.

But if things are messed up then the table is really open for a dialogue. Most of the discussion will revolve around their irritation (or anger) with the way God is managing (or mismanaging) the world.

It is a major mistake to argue or reason with people who have these “issues.” Explanations do not solve anything. It does not accomplish anything, it irritates them and it takes away their voice. They need to be heard; especially if they do not think God is listening. These people are not idiots. They are struggling. I they could figure it out for themselves they would not be speaking with you. They would be listening to you whine and moan. Now we KNOW that God is always listening…but very often WE secretly wonder if He is paying any attention to what is really going on.

I will ask people to tell me what God’s face looks like at this moment. They will look at me in a strange way; as if I have lost my mind or have asked them to walk across a barbecue pit. But I persist. “Tell me what God’s face looks like to you right now.” It is really amazing what they will say if they think you are really interested.

REMEMBER: DO NOT ARGUE !!! JUST LISTEN !!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PSYCHOANALYZE THEM !!! Just listen !!! Do not take notes. Just listen. This is the moment you have been waiting for. They will tell you what they are struggling with and then you will have earned the right to speak with them. Maybe they will shed some light on dark places in your heart and mind…you know…the places YOU hide from everyone; including yourself.

Be courageous and try it out. Remember the questions and we will find a way to publish them so other people will know they are not alone in asking these things. Remember there is enough loneliness and isolation in the world it is time to break the walls down.

By the way…God likes it when we do this. Read Job or some of the Psalms. He is thrilled when we become curious. It is “Proof of Life.”

Peace

to be a saint…

We see too much dishonor in our world. Honor is always being sacrificed (or is in danger of sacrifice) at the altar of pragmatism. I have heard the arguments: It is senseless. It is too expensive. It is inconvenient. It is not profitable. It cramps my style. (The movie “Wall Street” comes immediately to mind.)

But we see a great deal of honor. I have seen people suffering terribly and still able to be happy; even blessed. You know people who have been terribly wronged and will not become vengeful or bitter. This is honor. It is self-respect married to respect for others. It is the spirit of Christ.

Three movies come to mind; two true and one fictional; “Schindler’s List’” “We Were Soldiers Once” and “Saving Private Ryan.” People were brave in the midst of horrible circumstances. They look fragile in the midst of it…as though a breath would blow them away. But they endure. No. They are triumphant (John 16:33). They overcome the uncertainty, the pain, the horror and the hopelessness and they give others courage. They give others life; a reason to live. They give hope. They make us want to be honorable; to be brave and noble. They tell us that sacrifice and nobility endure and embolden people.

This cynicism; this realism as it is called, is the wrong perspective. It is an ignoble and evil perspective. What happens to us when we have no honor? What if honor becomes a casualty of our culture? What if we decide it is too expensive? We become less than human. Our bankbooks may be full but our souls are barren. We may be alive and well but we are broken and hopeless…and we know it.

Jacques Ellul and T. S. Elliot had much to say about this but my money is with Albert Camus. He was an atheist. He frankly confessed he could not believe. Yet, he fought the Nazis in WW II. He confronted hopelessness in its most pernicious and despicable forms. He stood against it, wrote against it, spoke against it; lived against it. His writings challenge us to be honorable; to be noble. You may believe his honor was an illusion but he maintained it in the face of a world he could see no hope in. His respect for people would not allow him to give in to cynicism.

In “The Plague” Camus wrote of an atheist, Tarrou, who speaks with the doctor, Rieux, about this honor; this respect. Bubonic plague is devastating the city where they are living. Day after day they wage a quiet war against death. The doctor has a clear purpose; he is a healer. But Tarrou is a mystery. What makes him take on this horrible enemy day after day at mortal risk to his own life? One evening Tarrou says, “It comes to this…what interests me is learning how to become a saint…Can one be a saint without God? …that’s the problem, in fact the only problem, I’m up against today.” (p.237, Vintage Books)

To be a saint? Maybe it means to respect others. Maybe it means to respect oneself. Maybe it means to have honor in the face of helplessness, hopelessness or uncertainty. “Death before dishonor” say soldiers and they serve and some die. “Honor all men…” (1 Peter 2:17) said the apostle who knew honor and dishonor and made a choice. We call him a saint. Now the choice is ours. Can we be saints…with God?

Peace

the most dominating religion in the world

What is the most dominating religion in the world? 

…not the western world or the eastern world… 

…not the christian or Muslim world…

 This religion is dominant in every single corner of the our world.  It dominates every religious tradition.  It informs every denominational structure.  It has been the dominant religion in every age. 

I asked some friends this question about 4 months ago.  They had some great ideas and did some great research for which I am grateful.  They surfed the World Wide Web.  They looked in books.  They racked their brains.  I am extremely grateful.

I told them about 2 months ago that I had reached a conclusion.  I got some more feedback.  Not everyone agreed but they were all aware of the persistence of this mindset.

What mindset?

The most dominant religion in the world is “self righteousness.”  This does not mean everyone is arrogant, insufferable and self-important.  It does mean that most people think that they are “OK” with God and that they have done enough to have earned His approval.  They think they have a good idea of what righteousness is and they ARE righteous.

And this is a big problem !!!

C. S. Lewis called pride the “complete anti God state of mind.”  No one think pride is a good thing.  But self righteousness is a different matter.  It is OK.

Self righteousness is the “complete anti-Grace, anti-Gospel state of mind.”  It asserts our ability to handle anything that comes our way with little help from God (or anyone else).  We are the focus of our salvation.  We can be good enough on our own. 

Grace then means that we call on God when we are in trouble; when we are in a temporary “tight spot.”  We need a little of His help for a while and when the temporary difficulty is over we can go back to handling things ourselves.  Many christians think this is the Gospel;  that God helps us when we cannot help ourselves and then turns things back over to us when the issues become manageable again. 

“God helps those who help themselves.”

“Hey…God!!! I will call you if I need your help.”

I cannot communicate how bad this is.  It is not “good news.”  It was the persistent challenge Jesus faced in His ministry.  Self-righteous people are NOT pleasant people.  They can become intolerable people.

Christians are called by the Gospel to be loving people; accepting people; merciful people.  Love and acceptance take us outside ourselves.  They strike self-righteousness at its very root because they take us beyond our self-interest.  

The chief “virtue” of our present culture is “Tolerance.”  Tolerance feeds self-righteousness.  It reminds us that we are superior to those we have to “put up with.”  They are the weak ones that we are superior to and it is our superiority that gives us the ability to “tolerate” their failures.  But it minimizes our own failures; our own sins.  Matthew 23 is Jesus’ statement about “self-righteousness” and what it does to us.  Our intention is irrelevant.  If  we choose this path we will have this disposition;  we will be intolerant, arrogant and selfish.  We will be Pharisees.  We will become what we despise.

Read the book “unChristian.”  See what it says about how unchurched people see christians…about how “dechurched” people see christians.  Think it through.

Read the Scriptures and see how relentlessly it attacks “self-righteousness.”  (Matthew 23 comes to mind.) 

Do you want to be known as a “tolerant” person?  Someone who puts up with people who need help until they “shape up?”  Or do you want to be known as loving, accepting and merciful person?  People who give aid to those in need, who accept people in their present condition without disrespecting them, people who give mercy to those in trouble simply because they need it.

It really is our choice.  We really will be held responsible.

Peace