Religious "Entertainment"

And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it."

Ezekiel 33:32

When I cam upon this passage during my morning Bible reading, I was struck by its relevance to modern Christianity.  The speaker in this passage is God Himself, speaking to the prophet Ezekiel.  He observes that, although people come to hear what Ezekiel has to say, they do not take seriously Ezekiel's words as being the words of God, or at any rate they do not see the need to obey them.

It reminds me of much of Christendom, which seems to be in search of a "cooler" religious experience, but the effect of their search seems simply to produce something of an odd Christian subculture rather than winsome, loving service to God and people.

When people come to hear a man - or woman - of God speak what is on the mind and heart of God, but not for the sake of obeying God; when their only response is to evaluate how well the person spoke, and to discuss how eloquently he put forth his arguments, it resembles mere religious entertainment.  It is as though they look to the speaker primarily to make what they see as an obligatory religious exercise a bit more tolerable; that is all.

Evidently things did not change, even in the early Christian church.  James, the brother of the Lord, writing during the first decades of the church's existence, exhorts us: 

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, her is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty , and perseveres being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." - James 1:22-25

If we really want to present to the world a credible witness to the reality of Jesus and His gospel, let's drop the emphasis on whose church has a latte bar, or which church has the most kickin' praise band, or whether the pastor has a faux and wears sandals, and attend to the preaching of God's word with the intent of taking it to heart and doing it.

Happy Reformation Day!

While the world around us is busy today with Halloween festivities, followers of Jesus have something far more significant to celebrate! On October 31, 1517, a German Catholic monk named Martin Luther protested against the tactics employed by Pope Leo X in raising funds to pay for the reconstruction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Frustrated by huge debt, Leo was unsuccessful in obtaining necessary funding from the Venetian bankers upon whom the Church had come to rely. He therefore seized upon the idea of raising the money from the faithful of the Church, by guaranteeing that their payments to Rome would effectively purchase an early transport from Purgatory to Heaven for deceased relatives. The basis for this was the authority believed to be inherent in the Pope's position as successor to Peter, to whom Christ had given "the keys to the kingdom."

Luther objected to this, finding no scriptural grounds for the practice, nor any justification in the annals of Church tradition. He formulated his objections in 95 statements, now known as his 95 Theses, which he posted on the town bulletin board, which happened to be the castle church door in his town of Wittenberg, Germany. Students of Luther subsequently used modern technology - the printing press - to reproduce Martin's objections, and then spread them throughout Germany. Popular response was strong, creating the beginning of an uprising now known as the Protestant Reformation.

Over the ensuing decades, Luther's initiative resulted in significant reforms within and outside of the Roman Catholic Church, most particularly the placing of the Word of God into the hands of the laity in their own language. You and I - and all of Christendom - benefit today from this wonderful gift!

SO, as you read your Bible this week, you might say a prayer of thanks for a humble German monk who insisted that the Church both adhere to and unleash the Word of God. In a very real sense, Luther's efforts led to you having the Bible in your hands, and as a result, in your heart.

Happy Reformation Day! You can read Luther's 95 Theses here:

http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/ninetyfive.html

Sola biblica,

Larry

"Let not your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also." 

John 14:1-3

Jesus says, "Let not."  It's difficult to tell whether this is a command, an invitation, or both.  Certainly Jesus intended to comfort His disciples in view of His coming suffering, death and departure from them.  His words intend to bring us comfort as well.  Yet they also indicate that we have some ability to obey - or not.  "Let not."  Do not allow.  Do not permit it. We can choose, either to "let" our hearts continue to be troubled, or not to allow our hearts to be troubled.  How?  What is the mechanism by which we are to deal with the pain in our lives?

The rationale for choosing the path of "untroubledness" - the bridge over troubled waters, so to speak - is a belief in God which includes belief in His Son.  God is not just the majestic, eternal, all-knowing and fearsome Creator-God, distant and elusive; He is the God of love and compassion who condescended to take on human flesh and "move into the neighborhood."  He was here, walked among us, experienced what we experience, right down to the temptations we face - temptations to sleep in, to give in, to give up, to coddle ourselves, to justify ourselves, to condemn and criticize others, to "circle the wagons" and let the world go to hell - He experienced all that, but without giving in, without choosing to sin.  He did in fact keep the whole Law and it is a source of tremendous comfort that He did, for in His keeping the Law, He kept it on our behalf.

Most of us have read the poem, "Footprints in the Sand."  The gist of it is that an individual had a dream in which he and Jesus reviewed his life as represented by footprints in the sand.  His belief that Jesus always walked with him through life appears to be confirmed as he observes two sets of footprints.  However, he suddenly notices that during periods of the greatest difficulty, there is only one set of footprints, and his shocked reaction is that, in the moments of greatest need, Jesus left him alone.  The "punch line" of the poem is then delivered by Jesus, "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you."

While this is a touching sentiment, it contains a glaring theological flaw.  The flaw is the notion that Christ only "carries" His people in their moments of deepest emotional need.  In fact, He carries us all the time.  In the economy of God, in the mercy of God, there is always, only, one set of footprints, and they are those of Christ.

So, as Jesus says goodbye to His friends, He says "Don't let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in Me."

"And because you believe in Me, because you believe in one set of footprints, I am going to also prepare an eternal dwelling for you.  This dwelling is not like your house on earth, no matter how nice it is.  No matter how much work you put into painting it, decorating it, no matter how much you adorn it with gardens and flowers and gold letters that announce its street address, no matter how many square feet you have, no matter whether you have wall-to-wall carpet or hardwood floors, the finest tile or linoleum, your house cannot compare with the one I am going to prepare for you.

"And it won't take long," He says.  "I'll be gone a few years perhaps, but in the timekeeping of eternity, it will only be a moment.  Actually, I'll be right back!  I'll be right back when the time is right for you, and I'll tell you that your place is ready, that you will be more comfortable - most comfortable, actually - in your new place, your new home, prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

"O yes, I knew you back then - before you were born, even before I was born on earth - you were in my mind, and I knew when you would be conceived, when you would be born, when you would take your first steps, when you would marry, where you would work, the struggles, the victories, the failures, the pain and heartache you would experience.  I knew them - intimately - for you see, they were mine as well.  I came to live your victories and to pay for your failures.  And, like Nathaniel, I saw you - when you were under the fig tree, or the apple tree, or the oak tree, even before  that - and I chose you for My own.  And because I chose you, you came, you followed, and your life has never been the same since.

"Together we have walked and talked and you have listened, some days better than others, but always - there have been but one set of footprints.

"So don't let your hearts be troubled.  Believe in Me, even when you can't see Me.  As I said, I'll be right back, and even while I'm gone from your sight, I'm not really gone.  I'm keeping my eye on you - not to criticize of condemn - but to bless you, and keep you, to make my face shine upon you, and to be gracious to you; to lift up My countenance upon you, and give you peace.  And I'll be back shortly, to take you to My Father's house, for good.  There - in a place that is more of a mansion than anything you have ever seen, or could conceive - you and I will walk and talk and live together forever and ever.  And oh, by the way, even in that day, in  that eternity in the forever of heaven, there will still be only one set of footprints!"

REFLECTING ON REFLECTIONS

Reflecting on yesterday's post, I could see where some might have gotten the mistaken perception that I might have been suggesting that difficulties - like the fire- only come to those 

who choose not to live near the Lord.  

Not at all!   

Trials come to all in this broken world, and some trials are huge and painful beyond describing.

 My point is that events are never out of control.  For those who place themselves under the loving authority and care of their Heavenly Father, He permits trials to mold and shape them in the likeness of His Son.

Proverbs 18:12 teaches that "humility comes before honor."

Like a loving earthly father, our heavenly Father "disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10b).  In tenderness He promises to be with us in our trials, with the purpose of bringing us through the crucible of humility, that we might come forth refined and purified.  And those who have borne His discipline He will honor, that they may more perfectly serve and glorify Him.

Yet most certainly, "for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant."  But our great confidence is that, "later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).

So then, those who suffer - and all will suffer sooner or later - are left to choose whether to try to tough it out alone, with those who choose to live apart from God; or with those who put themselves in His care, trusting in His pruposes for them, and His promise to do them good.

REFLECTIONS ON THE FIRE

from Psalm 148

Praise the LORD from the earth,

You great sea creatures and all deeps,

Fire and hail, snow and mist,

Stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Vs. 7,8

All the creatures and elements of the earth have a common call: to praise the LORD.  The animate and the inanimate are commanded to glorify Him: even the fire.   The LORD is sovereign over the fire, and it must obey His command.  As it does so, He is glorified.  As the stormy, raging wind obeys Him, which it must, it glorifies Him.  As He is exalted, man is put in his place, and we are reminded that God is God, and that we are not.  The raging elements, though they appear to be out of control, are not, but serve to remind us of our humanity, our mortality, our limitations, our dependence upon a Higher than ourselves.  They remind us to depend upon Him, to fear Him, to serve Him, and to labor together as His children to overcome the challenges of living in this temporal, fallen world.

He has raised up a horn for his people

Praise for all his saints,

For the people of Israel who are near to him,

Praise the LORD!

Vs.14

The fact is, God has His favorites.  Some people are near Him, some are not.  His hand is on His people.  No surprise there.  It has always been so.  There are some who are close to the LORD in their daily living, in their awareness of Him, in their fear of Him, in their obedience of Him.  They live under His authority, and under His mantel.  He loves them, He cares for them, He disciplines them for their own good, with the loving purpose that they may share His holiness.

There is another, larger group – and always has been – who are not close to the LORD.  Perhaps they give Him lip service, a tip of the cap - or not - but they  have no real interest in being under His care and authority.  They are the independent ones who might attempt a semblance of interdependence or community in order to survive or overcome the challenges of life, but their attempts bear only as much authenticity as does a statue to a living, breathing human.  There is no true life, no hope of discovering true meaning, purpose or fulfillment apart from a proper connection with the Living God.  We were made to live in a dependent relationship with Him.

LORD, I want to be among those who are near you, near you in truth.  I want to behold you, I want to gaze upon you, I want to live in communion with you and your people at all times.  As the fire has revealed only so clearly the very temporal nature of this world, which is passing away, I long for the eternal, the authentic, the true.  I am not saying I desire to die, but there is great hope in the thought of being eternally with you, though my finite self does not comprehend that.  As I observe the rage of nature and the fallibility of human systems, I realize there is no real hope in them.  My only confidence is in you.