The other evening I heard the words of Jesus in my spirit - Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."
I opened the scriptures to read and re-read the surrounding events that frame the account. When Jesus spoke these words, He was interacting with the Pharisees. He responded to their accusations, accusations that were spawned by their efforts to find fault with Him.
For the past several days, I have repeatedly returned to these words. This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me - what a sharp indictment! As I pondered the implication of these words, I asked the Holy Spirit how the Pharisees got to the point of honoring with their lips only. I am certain that they would have assumed that they were honoring God completely. In my own life; how do I know that I am not in the same place?
The answer came in the next phrase - And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. The connection was and is clear. When I put forth man-inspired teachings and present them as God's mandates, I become like the Pharisees, honoring God verbally only.
My mind travelled back through my personal journey with God. I realized how frequently I clung to paradigms that were contrary to scripture, especially as they had to do with God and the church. It feels like a dangerous proposition to honestly compare my own belief system with the truth of scripture. I have noticed that when we are confronted with a conflict between our own belief system and scripture, it is much easier to cling to our own paradigms and reject scripture. Now, we would never freely admit to our decision. Therefore we hold on to our belief systems all the while presenting them as truth from God. We even search the scriptures to discover a verse or two that will lend credence to our man made perceptions.
I have also discovered how dangerous it is to point out the difference between between our man-inspired teachings and the truth as revealed in scripture. If you dare to make mention of the differences, you will be viciously attacked by those who are most deeply invested in their own paradigms. The Pharisees resisted the exposure brought by the person of Jesus. As the exposure continued, they became increasingly vociferous in their attacks until eventually they betrayed Him to death.
Regardless of the cost, we must follow the example of Jesus. He did nothing of His own. His teaching was not His own. His words were not His own. His belief system was shaped, not in a self-centered intellectual manner, but in the place of submission to the will of the Father. If we freely allow our paradigms to be challenged by the Holy Spirit and scripture, we can expect that our worship will not be in vain.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
the image of God
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
These words describe the creation of the very first people. In the image of God – our species bears the likeness of God, something that can not be said for any other living being. What a privilege!
Several years ago I had a conversation with an older gentleman, a complete stranger, about God and about our creation in the image of God. To this day, his words still resonate in my heart as truth. “We were created in the image of God but the problem is that ever since our creation we try to create God in our image”.
You see, we somehow assume that God is like me. In Isaiah 44, God speaks to His people. He points out the foolishness of their created idols and images carved out of wood. The craftsman cuts down a tree. With some of the wood he builds a fire with which to bake his bread and cook his meat. With the rest of the wood he carves an image according that reflects his ideas of god, sets it up and calls it his god. What foolishness!
Yet before we cast stones of criticism, it might be helpful to examine our own tendencies. While today we are too sophisticated to carve an image out of wood to worship, we still create our own image of God. Not surprisingly our image of God looks remarkably like us. The writer of the Proverbs speaks to the outcome of our created images - There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 16:25).
Is there any wonder that the ministry of restoration, healing and life can so rarely be found in the church world today? Is it any wonder that true transformation is more theoretical and less an actuality in those who call themselves Christians? Is there any wonder that believers, wounded by their entanglement in sin, have repeatedly told Bev and I that they find more death than life in their interactions in the church world.
How do we deal with our inborn tendency to create a god in our own image? The answer can be found in the person of Jesus. Look at the words of Paul to the church at Corinth - …lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord…(2 Corinthians 4:4-5). Jesus was the only man that ever fully lived in the image of God. He was “God with us”.
The problem with the person of Jesus is that He to this day is a controversial man. When we approach Jesus apart from our preconceived notions of who He is, we discover how frequently His words and actions assault our personal paradigms. At the point of offense, the choice we make will determine whether we cling to the way that seems right to us (that will lead to death) or whether we allow the Christ to be formed in us that allows the image of God truly shine forth.
These words describe the creation of the very first people. In the image of God – our species bears the likeness of God, something that can not be said for any other living being. What a privilege!
Several years ago I had a conversation with an older gentleman, a complete stranger, about God and about our creation in the image of God. To this day, his words still resonate in my heart as truth. “We were created in the image of God but the problem is that ever since our creation we try to create God in our image”.
You see, we somehow assume that God is like me. In Isaiah 44, God speaks to His people. He points out the foolishness of their created idols and images carved out of wood. The craftsman cuts down a tree. With some of the wood he builds a fire with which to bake his bread and cook his meat. With the rest of the wood he carves an image according that reflects his ideas of god, sets it up and calls it his god. What foolishness!
Yet before we cast stones of criticism, it might be helpful to examine our own tendencies. While today we are too sophisticated to carve an image out of wood to worship, we still create our own image of God. Not surprisingly our image of God looks remarkably like us. The writer of the Proverbs speaks to the outcome of our created images - There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 16:25).
Is there any wonder that the ministry of restoration, healing and life can so rarely be found in the church world today? Is it any wonder that true transformation is more theoretical and less an actuality in those who call themselves Christians? Is there any wonder that believers, wounded by their entanglement in sin, have repeatedly told Bev and I that they find more death than life in their interactions in the church world.
How do we deal with our inborn tendency to create a god in our own image? The answer can be found in the person of Jesus. Look at the words of Paul to the church at Corinth - …lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord…(2 Corinthians 4:4-5). Jesus was the only man that ever fully lived in the image of God. He was “God with us”.
The problem with the person of Jesus is that He to this day is a controversial man. When we approach Jesus apart from our preconceived notions of who He is, we discover how frequently His words and actions assault our personal paradigms. At the point of offense, the choice we make will determine whether we cling to the way that seems right to us (that will lead to death) or whether we allow the Christ to be formed in us that allows the image of God truly shine forth.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
hymns
As I get older, I noticed that my music choices change with the passing years. I deeply appreciate the hymns written hundreds of years ago. While not every hymn is theologocially correct, many of them are written from the perspective of people whose struggles in life gave rise the words and music.
Perhaps another reason for my appreciation for hymns has to do with me. As a young and insecure pastor, I was drawn to "cutting edge" music. My insecurities gave rise to the desire to be cool. While I deeply enjoy the music written from the hearts of young followers of Jesus, I am also acutely aware that today's "worship" songs are at times an effort to write the latest "cool" song. They are written, less from the heart and more from soulish motivations.
To sing the songs that thousands of believers have sung for hundreds of years makes my heart glad. To be part of "the great cloud of witnesses" (see Hebrews 12:1) gives connection to those who have gone before me. I am not an island, disconnected from the saints throughout the ages. My voice joins with them in praises to the Creator.
Perhaps another reason for my appreciation for hymns has to do with me. As a young and insecure pastor, I was drawn to "cutting edge" music. My insecurities gave rise to the desire to be cool. While I deeply enjoy the music written from the hearts of young followers of Jesus, I am also acutely aware that today's "worship" songs are at times an effort to write the latest "cool" song. They are written, less from the heart and more from soulish motivations.
To sing the songs that thousands of believers have sung for hundreds of years makes my heart glad. To be part of "the great cloud of witnesses" (see Hebrews 12:1) gives connection to those who have gone before me. I am not an island, disconnected from the saints throughout the ages. My voice joins with them in praises to the Creator.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
restoration
This morning I read the words of Paul penned to the church in Galatia - Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
My mind went to the religious elite of Jesus day. The example set by their actions opposes the words of Paul. Several times we find them eager for judgment, not caring a whit about the one caught in sin. At least twice they attempted to use someone in bondage as a tool to trap Jesus. Their concern seemed to be more about religious protocol. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Should we stone a woman caught in adultery as the law of Moses required? Furthermore, when Jesus ate a meal with the sinners, the religious leaders complained about His association with those who were "less than".
The title of my last post several weeks ago sums it up pretty well - Some things don't change. Beverly recently had a conversation with a person who finds herself in the midst of a web of deceit and sin. Her comments to Bev was this - the church does not know what to do with people who have become entangled in sin. She also spoke of people, people that she knows, that struggle for freedom from sin. The judgmental attitudes of the religious hinder the open confession of sin that brings healing. As a result, their bondage strengthens.
I believe our attitude toward sin ought to be more like Jesus attitude. Jesus spoke harshly to the religious elite. Why? Because they attempted to hide their prideful judgmental attitude behind a facade of godliness. They were more interested in the preservation of their religious systems than in the restoration of people. In their mind, people that threatened their appearance of goodness were expendable, people to be discarded and rejected. Jesus rebuked them for the fact that they were a hindrance to people entering the realm of God.
On the other hand, the "sinners" elicited a differant response from Jesus. While Jesus always freely pointed out their bondage, He also always spoke of restoration. He had no interest in the appearance of goodness. He had no concern about His reputation with religious elite. His stated purpose for coming was to seek and save the lost.
Since the sinners freely admitted their "lostness" they became candidates for abundant life. Conversely, the religious elite, in their smug goodness, had no need of a Savior. Anyone whose actions violated their religious code became a candidate, not for restoration, but for rejection.
In the past number of years, Bev and I have been involved in the restoration of a number of people. In every case, instead of working at restoration, the religious elite in the church opposed the restorative work of God. As I read the words of Paul this morning, I had to think of the words of almost everyone with whom we have been involved with God's restorative work. To a person they have communicated with us that it is the church that has been most hurtful and judgmental toward them.
Truly the harvest is ripe - If the realm of God is to be expanded, then let us heed the words of Paul.
My mind went to the religious elite of Jesus day. The example set by their actions opposes the words of Paul. Several times we find them eager for judgment, not caring a whit about the one caught in sin. At least twice they attempted to use someone in bondage as a tool to trap Jesus. Their concern seemed to be more about religious protocol. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Should we stone a woman caught in adultery as the law of Moses required? Furthermore, when Jesus ate a meal with the sinners, the religious leaders complained about His association with those who were "less than".
The title of my last post several weeks ago sums it up pretty well - Some things don't change. Beverly recently had a conversation with a person who finds herself in the midst of a web of deceit and sin. Her comments to Bev was this - the church does not know what to do with people who have become entangled in sin. She also spoke of people, people that she knows, that struggle for freedom from sin. The judgmental attitudes of the religious hinder the open confession of sin that brings healing. As a result, their bondage strengthens.
I believe our attitude toward sin ought to be more like Jesus attitude. Jesus spoke harshly to the religious elite. Why? Because they attempted to hide their prideful judgmental attitude behind a facade of godliness. They were more interested in the preservation of their religious systems than in the restoration of people. In their mind, people that threatened their appearance of goodness were expendable, people to be discarded and rejected. Jesus rebuked them for the fact that they were a hindrance to people entering the realm of God.
On the other hand, the "sinners" elicited a differant response from Jesus. While Jesus always freely pointed out their bondage, He also always spoke of restoration. He had no interest in the appearance of goodness. He had no concern about His reputation with religious elite. His stated purpose for coming was to seek and save the lost.
Since the sinners freely admitted their "lostness" they became candidates for abundant life. Conversely, the religious elite, in their smug goodness, had no need of a Savior. Anyone whose actions violated their religious code became a candidate, not for restoration, but for rejection.
In the past number of years, Bev and I have been involved in the restoration of a number of people. In every case, instead of working at restoration, the religious elite in the church opposed the restorative work of God. As I read the words of Paul this morning, I had to think of the words of almost everyone with whom we have been involved with God's restorative work. To a person they have communicated with us that it is the church that has been most hurtful and judgmental toward them.
Truly the harvest is ripe - If the realm of God is to be expanded, then let us heed the words of Paul.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
some things don't change
This morning I read the account of Jesus' interaction with people as recorded in John chapter eight. Interestingly, these were people who believed Him. As Jesus speaks words of truth, the interaction begins to deteriorate rather quickly. His words began to expose the condition of the heart of the listeners. In the place of exposure they searched for a way to discredit His words, for an excuse to discount the truth He spoke.
Their excuse for discounting the truth of which He spoke was his out of wedlock conception. Initially their comments rather vaguely alluded to the fact that Joseph was not his father. As the conversation progressed and Jesus words of truth continued to prick them, they became more pointed, accusing Him of being a Samaritan. (The implication was that He was not even a full-blooded Jew; that his mother had slept with a Gentile.) Instead of embracing the truth that could transform their heart, they chose to attack Jesus in an effort to validate their rejection of the truth.
And so it still is today. When pricked by transformational truth, people frequently look for a reason to reject the truth. Usually the reason for rejection is that the messenger is flawed, therefore his flaws allow for the rejection of the message. The flaws of the messenger do not change the truth in any way. Truth is truth. If we are to be transformed, then we must embrace the message in spite of our perception of the messenger
Their excuse for discounting the truth of which He spoke was his out of wedlock conception. Initially their comments rather vaguely alluded to the fact that Joseph was not his father. As the conversation progressed and Jesus words of truth continued to prick them, they became more pointed, accusing Him of being a Samaritan. (The implication was that He was not even a full-blooded Jew; that his mother had slept with a Gentile.) Instead of embracing the truth that could transform their heart, they chose to attack Jesus in an effort to validate their rejection of the truth.
And so it still is today. When pricked by transformational truth, people frequently look for a reason to reject the truth. Usually the reason for rejection is that the messenger is flawed, therefore his flaws allow for the rejection of the message. The flaws of the messenger do not change the truth in any way. Truth is truth. If we are to be transformed, then we must embrace the message in spite of our perception of the messenger
Monday, September 27, 2010
Posers
Jesus tells an interesting story in Matthew 13. As a read it today, once again I was struck by the severity of His words. He starts it by saying “the kingdom of God is like…” He tells the story of a farmer who plants seed in his field and of the farmer’s enemy who sowed tares (literally “false grain”) into the field while the farmer slept. The tares grew along with the wheat and in the process raising questions about how to deal with the situation.
Jesus goes on to explain the meaning of the story later in Matthew 13. The field is the world. The wheat plants are the sons of the kingdom. The tares are the sons of the wicked one or the sons of wickedness. There will come a time of reckoning, a time of separation. In the meantime however, the two types of plants grow simultaneously.
We must understand that the two plants, while sown almost simultaneously and grown simultaneously, are fundamentally different. They have two completely different sources and two completely different destinations. At the core, at the root of their DNA, a basic dissimilarity exists.
I have noticed recently how fashionable it has become in Christian circles to use the following phrase – “he is still a brother in Christ” or “she is still a sister in Christ”. Really now?? Jesus clearly and repeatedly states that not everyone who names His name abides in His kingdom. The wheat and the tares have nothing in common except being in close proximity to each other. Wheat is wheat. Tares are tares. The kingdom of God has no fellowship with the kingdom of darkness.
Interestingly Jesus, in His explanation of the story, told the disciples that the tares are those who “practice lawlessness”. The implication is that the tares are those people who do things outside of ways of God. This is not talking about people who become ensnared in sin and need and desire restoration in their place of brokenness. Based on other scriptures where the word is used, it indicates that this lawlessness is most likely a conscious choice to live and act outside of God’s ways, usually while still attempting to put forth a façade of goodness. For instance, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were full of lawlessness.
If it quacks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, it is a duck. Posers are still posers, regardless of their efforts to present themselves as something else. Tares are not wheat. In the same way, those whose self-centered attitude keeps people from entering the kingdom of God are neither brothers nor sisters to the children of the Kingdom.
Jesus goes on to explain the meaning of the story later in Matthew 13. The field is the world. The wheat plants are the sons of the kingdom. The tares are the sons of the wicked one or the sons of wickedness. There will come a time of reckoning, a time of separation. In the meantime however, the two types of plants grow simultaneously.
We must understand that the two plants, while sown almost simultaneously and grown simultaneously, are fundamentally different. They have two completely different sources and two completely different destinations. At the core, at the root of their DNA, a basic dissimilarity exists.
I have noticed recently how fashionable it has become in Christian circles to use the following phrase – “he is still a brother in Christ” or “she is still a sister in Christ”. Really now?? Jesus clearly and repeatedly states that not everyone who names His name abides in His kingdom. The wheat and the tares have nothing in common except being in close proximity to each other. Wheat is wheat. Tares are tares. The kingdom of God has no fellowship with the kingdom of darkness.
Interestingly Jesus, in His explanation of the story, told the disciples that the tares are those who “practice lawlessness”. The implication is that the tares are those people who do things outside of ways of God. This is not talking about people who become ensnared in sin and need and desire restoration in their place of brokenness. Based on other scriptures where the word is used, it indicates that this lawlessness is most likely a conscious choice to live and act outside of God’s ways, usually while still attempting to put forth a façade of goodness. For instance, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were full of lawlessness.
If it quacks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, it is a duck. Posers are still posers, regardless of their efforts to present themselves as something else. Tares are not wheat. In the same way, those whose self-centered attitude keeps people from entering the kingdom of God are neither brothers nor sisters to the children of the Kingdom.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
discipline
The older I become, the more I recognize the truth of Jesus' words as they apply to life in general. This morning I read the following in Matthew 7:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The word "narrow" implies focus and discipline. Interestingly, in Proverbs, we discover the following wisdom:
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
The phrase "train up" in the original Hebrew means "to narrow". Parents have the responsibility to bring raise their children in a disciplined (a narrow, focused place) manner. Now before you react to word discipline, let me explain the concept of discipline. Discipline is not arbitrary punishment although at times punishment may be part of discipline. Discipline is usually painful in some manner but the purpose of discipline is not to inflict pain.
My daughter coaches high school girls soccer. During preseason, the coaching staff worked on conditioning. The forced the girls to do sprints beyond what they thought possible. Was the coaching staff cruel in their requirements? It would have been cruelty had there not been a goal in mind - to prepare the players to outlast the competition in a soccer match.
In the second and third games of the season, the painful conditioning drills paid off. They had a game on a Friday evening against a team that they had never beaten. The game ended in a draw after two periods of overtime. At the end of the game, the girls still had the stamina to play well. The very next day they had one of the most important matches of the season against the team picked to win the league. Once again they went into overtime, this time to come away with a win.
In August, the coaching staff provided a narrow, disciplined place for the players. Of course there were complaints, without a doubt there was pain. The coaching staff could have been considered mean-spirited, forcing the girls to abandon what they wanted to embrace the rigors and pain of disciplined conditioning. Yet the discipline was for a purpose.
The realities of high school girls soccer parallel the realities of the kingdom of God. Far too frequently, people miss the supernatural realm of God and his overwhelming goodness because His way of discipline feels too narrow. If we are to discover life, we must submit to the disciplinary hand of God. To the god of self, the hand of God feels far too restrictive. The broad way feels much more comfortable. Unfortunately, it never leads to life.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The word "narrow" implies focus and discipline. Interestingly, in Proverbs, we discover the following wisdom:
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
The phrase "train up" in the original Hebrew means "to narrow". Parents have the responsibility to bring raise their children in a disciplined (a narrow, focused place) manner. Now before you react to word discipline, let me explain the concept of discipline. Discipline is not arbitrary punishment although at times punishment may be part of discipline. Discipline is usually painful in some manner but the purpose of discipline is not to inflict pain.
My daughter coaches high school girls soccer. During preseason, the coaching staff worked on conditioning. The forced the girls to do sprints beyond what they thought possible. Was the coaching staff cruel in their requirements? It would have been cruelty had there not been a goal in mind - to prepare the players to outlast the competition in a soccer match.
In the second and third games of the season, the painful conditioning drills paid off. They had a game on a Friday evening against a team that they had never beaten. The game ended in a draw after two periods of overtime. At the end of the game, the girls still had the stamina to play well. The very next day they had one of the most important matches of the season against the team picked to win the league. Once again they went into overtime, this time to come away with a win.
In August, the coaching staff provided a narrow, disciplined place for the players. Of course there were complaints, without a doubt there was pain. The coaching staff could have been considered mean-spirited, forcing the girls to abandon what they wanted to embrace the rigors and pain of disciplined conditioning. Yet the discipline was for a purpose.
The realities of high school girls soccer parallel the realities of the kingdom of God. Far too frequently, people miss the supernatural realm of God and his overwhelming goodness because His way of discipline feels too narrow. If we are to discover life, we must submit to the disciplinary hand of God. To the god of self, the hand of God feels far too restrictive. The broad way feels much more comfortable. Unfortunately, it never leads to life.
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