No Uncertain Trumpet

I loved to watch “The American Sportsman” when I was a kid.  Curt Gowdy and Grits Gresham would go to exotic (to me) places to hunt and fish.  I always dreamed of going to some of those places and doing some of those things, but in the back of my mind I figured they were probably out of my reach.

We also went once or twice to the circus.  I saw that you could keep a lion or tiger at bay with a whip and chair and wondered why the lion hadn’t figured out that he could charge past the whip and through the chair and have a piece (literally) of his tormentor.  I also saw trapeze artists and figured that what they were doing must have been fun because they were always smiling.  It looked scary to me, though.  When I asked, my parents told me how dangerous it was and how they practiced all the time and how much work it was.  I decided I’d stick to my backyard swing.

I’m older now and have a little bit better grasp of vicarious satisfaction and the entertainment industry.  I still like to watch some of that stuff, and I sometimes still root for the lion.  I’m no longer interested in swinging from a wire.

Over the years some of us Christians have come to think of our relationship with the Lord like I viewed the circus and Grits.  We think that all that spiritual stuff is interesting to watch but it is beyond our ability, so we get our satisfaction from watching others.  We have even gone so far as to hire folks to sing, visit, teach, and do other feats of dangerous spirituality that we have convinced ourselves are beyond our capacity.  To add to this misconception, we even think we are doing something commendable by paying others to do what the Lord requires of us.

There is a biblical place for pastors, evangelists, and the rest of that list in Ephesians 4.  We are not all supposed to do what they do. However, read it carefully; they are supposed to be helping us do what we are called to do, not doing it for us.

Christianity is not entertainment or a spectator sport.  Grab you chair and whip and get to it.  This time I’ll root for you!

Bible Stories are funny!  I would have loved to have been there to watch as they actually happened.

I think the story of Zacchaeus is humorous, a dignified man hanging onto a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus.  How about Jonah being vomited out of a large fish?  (It doesn’t say whale in the Bible.)  That would have been a great time to be hanging around the beach.  What is proper first aid to a vomit victim?  The one I really enjoy is Balaam’s talking donkey.  Not only does the donkey talk, his argument and logic were better than Balaam’s.  That story is not only funny, but it provides hope to all of us who purport to speak on God’s behalf.  Even a donkey can be used!

Yet Bible stories are more than just stories.  I’m afraid that years of Sunday School lessons have inoculated us from the reality that these were real people.  They had hopes and dreams, fears and loved ones.  These are not fairy tales but real accounts of God working in people’s lives and how they responded to Him.

The account of Joseph is one of the more compelling in scripture.  It is a rags-to-riches, root for the underdog, the good guy wins in the end epic.  There is high drama, danger, sex, revenge, violence and most of the other stuff we see on our TV screens each evening.  Joseph has long been a hero because he stayed faithful to God in spite of all he went through.  He is exalted in the end and in some ways is a type of Jesus the Messiah.  Yet Joseph was clueless about what God was doing.

Joseph was faithful not so he could be number two in Egypt.  He knew nothing of that.  He was faithful because that is what God required and expected.  Because he was faithful, God could bless him and promote him.

It is easy to miss the point for our lives.  God wants us to be faithful.  You won’t rule Egypt, probably not even your neighborhood organization, but you will be exalted in God’s eyes.  As in Joseph’s story, there will be a time for each of us when everything is made known.

I bet Joseph’s brothers’ eyes bulged when they realized who he was.  They probably strained to see, could it be him.  They were happy, sad, afraid and relieved all at the same time.  What they meant for harm, God used for good.

I would have loved to have seen that!

I’ve stopped going to church.  I’ve mulled over the decision for years and tried to contemplate all the ramifications and nuances of my choice.  Critical mass was reached and there is no turning back.  I’m done!

Don’t misunderstand; I’m still meeting with believers on Sunday and other days, but it’s not church and I won’t call it that.  It might be a gathering, a meeting, a fellowship, a swarm or a gaggle, but it is not church.

I’m the church; so is every follower of Jesus.  The old Greek word we translate “church” took on a new meaning when Paul got done writing about the followers of Jesus.  He elevated it to describe all those who lived in union with the Son of God through the agency of the Holy Spirit.  When he was done, its old meaning of political and  community group activity was transformed.  It now described the Lord’s Body, His Bride, those who were His and shared His life and death.

Words have meanings; and without a common understanding, we cannot communicate.  Words can also change meaning over time.  I just used the example of how the New Testament changed the old Greek word “ecclesia”.  Some have even purposefully redefined words in order to bring about social change.  I’m reminded of that each Christmas when I sing about donning gay apparel.

Over the years the meaning of the word “church” has morphed into something not supported by scripture.  I am a part of His church 24/7, at home, at work, at play and even meeting with other believers.  God doesn’t live in a building, and I don’t need an appointment to meet with Him.  We, God and I, live together.  He is as close as my skin and breath; and beyond that, we will be together when skin and breath are gone.

Protestant Christianity has become so enamored with numbers, crowds and programs that more energy is given to meetings than to everyday living.  The morphing of the word can and does lead people to believe that attending a meeting is the same as a relationship with Jesus.  The Bible teaches us that the Lord lives within, that our hearts are His dwelling place, that our bodies are His temple.

Meetings are still important, and we are warned against abandoning gathering with other believers.  However, what goes on when we meet and what we think about that meeting needs to be brought under the authority of scripture.

Christianity is not a meeting!

Partial Thinks the Sequel:

Here are some more of those things I think about but just can’t get final enough to write a book about.  You do think about things, don’t you, and ask questions like “Why?” and “Why not?”  Well, I hope so!

Counting the cost.  Jesus told a couple parables about folks who needed to figure out if they could finish before they started.  Good advice that is often overlooked today because we think someone will bail us out.  We even think God will rescue us from our ill-conceived, erroneous and presumptive actions.  When it comes to the essentials of His message, I don’t think so!  When He told the parables, he was talking about following Him and being willing to give up everything to do so.  If we are not willing to pay the price, we cannot follow.  This seems pretty simple to me, yet some want to add all sorts of contingencies to the contract.  Sorry, but that is not allowed.  He is God; they are His rules; no one can change them.  Whatever you are clinging to, turn it loose … He is worth it!

Little words can make big confusion!  The church is people — the Body of Christ. We are animated by His Spirit, and we have life.  We are a living organism, and He is the Head and gives direction to the individual members.  We are organized, yet we are not an organization.  His Church is a living thing.

How then do we go to church?  The gathering does not make us; we make it by our presence.  That is a huge difference, and in that difference is the power of grace.  Understand that difference and you are free from the fantastic idea that you can by your actions make yourself acceptable to God.  Fail to understand and you are locked into a religion and may well miss the basic meaning of the Gospel.

Meeting-centered stuff.  Where in the Bible does it say that unbelievers are to go to a meeting of believers (don’t say church) to begin a relationship with God through Jesus?  Rather, aren’t believers of every shape and age to be telling others how to have that relationship all throughout the week?  In the New Testament, the meetings were for believers to study God’s Word, pray together, and share in a covenant meal.  Usually it is easier to be what we should be when we quit trying to be what we are not.

Turkish Delight and other terrible things for which we trade our souls.

In the Christian classic and movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund is so obsessed with his favorite treat, Turkish Delight, and so angry at the world for his mistreatment that he betrays those he really loves.

Perhaps the most tempting and deadly of all these sumptuous treats is the idea that we are special, that the world revolves around us.  This misconception doesn’t rob from us all forms of compassion or selflessness, but it does cause us to put ourselves in a special place that can only be granted to us by others.  This aura of specialness that we surround ourselves with produces a creeping selfishness that infects the way we see the world and relate to one another and if left unchecked will erode our love for others as we sink into a deepening maelstrom of self-infatuation.  The good things within us, our humanity, derive from our closeness to the Lord, not our absorption in self.

Jesus is our example of selfless living.  He said he came not to be served, but to serve others (Mt 20:28).  He also told us that our leaders should be those who serve the rest (Mt 20:27).  There are scores of other references to Jesus and the apostles that deal with love and selfless giving.  We are commanded to love one another, serve one another and put others before ourselves.  We are told to discipline our speech so that it builds up others in their faith in Christ.  We are also reminded not to eat or drink to purposefully offend someone weaker, nor flaunt our religious practices.  On the other side, we are not to expect others to meet our standard of diet and religious piety, but to let the Lord direct them as we labor to restore while maintaining a sense of self-distrust and humility.

As we approach Easter, you can change the atmosphere in your home, job, class and wherever you find yourself, if you will see where you are as a place to serve.  The sweet-tasting candy called “me” will destroy us as sure as poison.   The antidote is to be like Jesus.

Myths and Manipulations

Every once in a while my head gets clogged up with things and I have to clear them out so I can move on. I believe the things I’m going to tell you are errors.  They are either passed on in ignorance or deliberately used to manipulate people. Let’s look at a few of these myths.

Jesus was a wimp.  He was not!  Most of the pictures show Jesus with deer eyes and soft hands.  I don’t think so.  In His livelihood He was a builder, probably a stone cutter or mason, not a carpenter.  His hands were calloused.  He was physical enough to chase the crooks from the temple with a whip made of cords.  He used violence when He did that and turned over their tables.  He was a man’s man.  He had enough courage to look a man in the eyes and ask him to give up his most important possessions.  He was humble but he was no sissy.  Real men like fishermen could relate to Him.  Real men still can!

Self-defense is prohibited in the New Testament.  Sorry, but it is not.  Loving your neighbor does not mean you have to let him take your life, life that God alone can give.  Revenge is forbidden; so is striking out to protect your pride.  That’s what “turning the other cheek” is about.  You can choose not to defend yourself, which will be between you and Him alone, His will for you, not necessarily for me or anyone else.  If you are just cowardly and want to believe nothing can happen if you don’t think it, be that on your own head.  But don’t call someone else to do what you lack the physical and moral will to do yourself.  Want to read more?  Check this out:  http://davekopel.org/Religion.htm or contact me for a list of resources.

Churches should listen to the un-churched.  Myth!  We have had too many polls where people who don’t know Jesus from Derek Jeter are telling us what they don’t like about the church.  C’mon, let’s think for just a minute.  Believers are supposed to have a relationship with God, and the Holy Spirit is supposed to live within them and guide them.  I believe this is true in spite of the problems the church has.  So, why not ask Him what His church is supposed to be like.  Pastors, really all believers, are supposed to read the Bible, God’s Word, and get direction there.  Maybe the reason the church has some of the troubles I mentioned above is because we have made it a haven for folks with no relationship with God and who give no priority to His Word.

Thanks, I feel better!

Question: How do broken, sinful people govern themselves?

Answer: The way porcupines make love, very carefully.

Political commentators have used bales of print and bushels of words since the election last month to convince us that what we really want is for everyone in Washington to get along. I couldn’t disagree more, and I believe the founders of this land shared my opinion.

The founding fathers knew what an unbridled ruling elite could do to personal liberty because they experienced it and rejected it. Their experience caused them to design a system where power was never to be concentrated in the hands of an agreeable few. They (founders) knew that man was fallen and prone to selfishness, so they proposed to use the conflicting self-interest of elected officials and ordinary citizens as a system of checks and balances.

Our system of government pits state against state and the combined states against the federal government. The federal government itself has conflicting powers, the Congress against the Senate and the president against both, with the Supreme Court acting as referee and using the Constitution as a rule book to keep each in line. In each of these powers there are financial interests, issues of ambition and power, as well as regional preference and a multitude of political complexities that stand in the way of “getting things done” and bi-partisanship. Each in the pursuit of his own goal would run into some conflicting goal of another, and the resulting standoff would result in lack of action. Doing nothing is ok; it is the way it is supposed to be. In those rare situations like invasion or some other incident that affects a large portion of the population, there would be agreement on a common solution driven by the several interests involved.

The Tower of Babel illustrates the power of sinful man to rebel against God and do as he pleases. The system of regional self-interest as a curb to man’s godless ambition that our founders used was first used by God. The New Testament tells us to avoid legal agreement with unrighteousness. I’m praying for godly gridlock.