Self-interest or selflessness in dark days.

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." From Paul's second letter to Timothy as translated in the NIV.

"The darkest hour is just before the dawn" ~ Thomas Fuller

It is a truism that we are drawn as humans to focus on those things that are horrifying. Social media and the news media in general flood us with all the horrific things that are happening in the world and feed fear of "the other." Right now, at this very moment in history, the world is full of horrors. We have news of a disease that may or may not be highly infectious, we have people fearing death at the hands of government officials, we have rioting in the streets due to terrorist groups infiltrating protests causing even more fear of death, and we have hateful and angry speech being hurled back and forth mostly about who is to blame and how awful the "other side" is. That is only what is happening in the United States. In other parts of the world, there are even more horrors to be found, but the issues here in the U.S. are enough for the purposes of this writing. 

Human beings, by the very existence of sin in our hearts, are incapable of making any decisions on our own that are not tainted with self-interest. From the investment banker who thinks, "what if I just take a little bit here or there, no one will notice," to the man or woman who says to himself/herself; "I like what I see, so I'm going to take advantage of this other person and use them for my own physical pleasure," in spite of consent, outside the bond of marriage, or even outside the legal restrictions of age; to even something seemingly as innocuous as the person who says to themselves, "I see something happening over there that doesn't seem right, but I may be hurt in some way if I intervene, so I will not," all are acting in percieved self-interest. 

The believer in Jesus Christ should be different by nature of the "renewal of our minds." (see Romans 12:2) We are changed by the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and this, through prayer, Bible study, and meditation on God's Word; subdues the natural human inclination toward self-interest. Our focus must be centered on others rather than how we feel about a situation. It is natural to form opinions, but will the opinions and the sharing of same be beneficial to those who hear? (see Ephesians 4:29). 

Another application is to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger (See James 1:19). Part of wisdom and maturity in Christ is knowing when to listen, especially when to listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. When we, as Christ followers, rush to judgement and speak the first thing that comes to mind, we fall into a dangerous trap. The world is watching. They know what we claim to be, and when they see us act exactly like them (and sometimes worse), we blend with the darkness and they see no difference. 

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 NASB) A light shines in the darkness, and our light is the light of Christ. We do not have it of our own selves, it comes from God through the Holy Spirit, and when we let that light shine we share the Spirit of God with others. Only the Light of God can overcome the darkness of this world. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." (John 1:5 NLT)

When we live as light, we show love to our neighbors. We know who our neighbor is, that particular illustration has been reiterated so many times that any American Christian who has not heard of the good Samaritan, has been hiding in a hole somewhere with no human contact. The instruction to love our neighbors is antithetical to self-interest. The Apostle Paul even goes so far as to say we should consider others as better than ourselves. 

Then there is the Apostle James, who tells us that the tongue (a metaphor for our speech, i.e. what we say), is like the rudder of a ship, which can either keep it on course, or scuttle it. 

We all have feelings, and there is a reason the Apostle Paul said, "be angry but do not sin." Our feelings need to be put under the submission of the Holy Spirit. We cannot let them control how we react or interact with others, but rather we should excercise compassion in all our interactions. Compassion, agape love if you will, is more than just a feeling; it is a pattern of behavior. 

So before we speak or post the tweet or facebook comment that will "show the other guy," we need to stop, take a breath, and make sure that it meets the following criteria:

1. Is is true? If yes, go to #2. If no, stop and do not post or say it. If uncertain, stop and do not post or say it. 

2. Is it compassionate or is it loving? If you are certain it is, go to #3. If the answer is no, or you are not sure, go to prayer and seek counsel from scripture or someone wise in the faith.

3. Is it beneficial? If I say what I am thinking, will it lead people closer to Christ or might it push them away? 

I hope this is helpful to those who read it. If you are touched by what God has given me, please share it. Let us encourage each other toward the Light. 

What's in a name?

Read Acts 2:42-47

Christian.

We use the word a lot. We call ourselves by it. If someone asks what we believe, we say that is what we are. Are we?

The word started nearly 2,000 years ago as a slur in the city of Antioch in what is modern day Syria. It is literally translated; "little Christ" and was intended to mock the believers in the newest religious movement of the time. Over the years, it came to be embraced by believers as a badge of honor. More years passed and it's meaning has changed to a more ambiguous moniker for any person or group even loosely associated with a church. Many of us, especially in the west, who use the name to describe our faith, don't really resemble anything close to Christ Himself, not even a little.

For this reason, I personally don't prefer to refer to myself as a Christian. I know I don't deserve such a title: I just don't measure up.

The believers in the early days of the Church were active neighbors. This is, after all, the second greatest commandment; "Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself." They sold possessions and used the money to care for the needs of others. They shared what they had with those around them.

There are grand cathedrals in Europe which sit empty on a Sunday, or have been repurposed because no one bothers to go anymore. Here in North America, congregations of Bible preaching Churches continue to shrink. We're comfortable. We're Lot in a land of indulgence.

Lot lived in a land of selfishness, Godlessness, and excess. He was comfortable. His faith didn't spill out to those around him. He lost his home, his wife, and the innocence and integrity of his children. In the end, God spared his life, but even then he didn't really change.

So too do we live, surrounded by excess and indulgence, even surrounding ourselves with those who tell us what we want to hear instead of what we need. These voices tell us that we deserve to indulge, while the Christ of the Bible was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief," who Himself said, "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Religion isn't about what I can get, or how I can benefit. The Apostle James wrote that "pure religion" is to care for the less fortunate (paraphrased). James spends a good bit of time telling his readers not to elevate the rich over the poor, but here we are, doing just that in western society. For certain, having wealth is no sin, but loving wealth, as the Apostle Paul wrote "is the root of all sorts of evil."

If our faith is real, we will step out of our comfortable spaces, love our neighbors, and focus not on what we want, but what is best for those around us. Lot's failure wasn't that he didn't speak out about the excess and indulgence around him. Lot's failure was indulging in that excess. He was comfortable.

So, I pray that god will work in me so I can seek to touch the lives of those around me in a tangible way, not judging their actions since that is not my place, but rather showing them they are loved. In time, God will work to correct their self-destructive behaviors, but I am called to love my neighbor, to be a "little Christ", and to live a life of service, not a life of selfishness. I pray that others who may read this would be convicted in much the same way.

I'm worn...

Read 1 Kings 19
 Sometimes I feel alone. I feel...worn. I was listening to the song by that title by Tenth Avenue North, and it really touched my heart tonight and got me to thinking about Elijah. The Prophet Elijah was tired. He'd been fighting for Jehovah, and still someone wanted to kill him. In fact, he had just come down off the mountain where he had called on the Almighty and had been rewarded with fire from heaven to consume his worthy sacrifice.  

We find him as he's run away to the wilderness. He feels God has abandoned him, yet miraculously, a bird brings him food every day. Even then he fears for his life at the hands of a human queen. 

But don't I do that too? Don't I run and hide from those who trouble me and threaten me and try to hurt me, forgetting all the while that God is all powerful. He is the power of the wind, and the small voice. 

In the words of the song linked below; I want to see redemption win. I want to see the power of God manifested in an undeniable way. Then, He shows His power, He does a great work, and I am in awe...for a moment...

Until the next struggle...

And I run to the wilderness...

And despite my lack of faith, God nourishes me from the stream of His spirit and the bread of his Word, and takes me up onto that metaphorical cliffside to teach me yet again that He is there in the stillness...

When I am quiet...

When I rest in Him...

While the winds of life wear me down, He is the quiet whisper of reassurance...and I can carry on. 

 

Finding peace

^{John 14:23-27
 
23} Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

This is probably the time of year I dread the most. No, not winter. Winter I actually enjoy. No, the time of year I dread the most is tax time. Taxes are an unfortunate part of life. Even Jesus paid taxes, and in one instance had help from a fish.
 
Just the same, every year, the same fears assail me. Will I make a mistake on my taxes? Will I owe money? Will I owe more than I can afford? And so on and so forth. The peace I generally have little trouble grasping, suddenly flees like an elusive wisp of fog.

But then, I force myself to take a deep breath and call on the One who has always been faithful and little miracles happen; like the check I found locked in my safe yesterday that will pay for an eye doctor appointment, or the check that a kindly gentleman at church always gives to my wife and I every Christmas, or an encouraging word from a friend when I'm feeling the most lost.

this weekend is the ninth year for the annual men's retreat of the Bible Fellowship Church of Terre Hill. I've been there every year, and this year I have the privilege of sharing the blessing with my son. And there's another worry on the list; will my son embrace all the things I've tried to show him, or will they be forgotten whenever the road gets difficult?

This I know and have found to be true; God is faithful. Even when things seem at their darkest and even when I cannot see the road ahead, He has always been there and has always made a way. I look back on all the dark times in my life and every single time, He has brought me through, perhaps bruised, and perhaps crawling on my knees, but always into the Light.

There is no time so dark that the Spirit of God cannot give us light; no pit so deep that He cannot reach in and pull us out.

Spirits...testing, testing...

1John 4:1-6
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

An intelligent young man with whom I am friends on Facebook, pointed out something which I have mentally chewed on for many years. Denominationalism; or perhaps better put; why do we argue so much about things that don't really matter in the long run and get caught up in divisions that tear apart people of faith rather than building them up?

The apostles spent a fair amount of time fighting just that in the early Church. Early divisions occurred around the topics of circumcision, meat sacrificed to idols, etc. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul nearly came to blows with Peter about the latter apostle's treatment of gentiles in the church. Later issues came up with groups like the Nicolaitans, and the Gnostics. 

The apostle John, dealing with early gnostics in the Church, wrote about the "Spirit of Antichrist" and its presence in the world. The Gnostics believed several things that were out of line with the core teachings of scripture. These teachings, based on the thinking of man and heavily influenced by the Greek Sophists, detracted from the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles.  

Having grown up in an ultra-conservative Baptist environment where legalism was a way of life, I've seen that same spirit at work up close and personal. It's not a pretty thing. Consider that the greatest commandment of scripture, according to Jesus Christ Himself, is "Love God with all your heart soul and mind, and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself," well, it seems God's greatest commandment is a "do" command, not a "do not" command. Legalism is by its very nature a denial of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it assumes that we must do more things on top of what Christ already has done.

The Apostle Paul, who called himself a "Jew among Jews" due to his training and early devotion to the Jewish faith, spent a lot of time in his letters to the early Church, correcting the erroneous thinking that what we do not do, or what we abstain from, is what makes us people of faith. Not at all.

There is only one thing that makes us people of faith: "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 NIV). That's it. Nothing else. Yes, after receiving God's forgiveness, He does a work of grace in us to produce good works (See Ephesians 2, or James' letter), but that is not our doing, it is His.

I'm not saying here that it's not important for one to know what one believes; on the contrary, understanding at least the basics of theology is helpful for spiritual growth and not knowing at least those basics is a recipe for being led away into various traps that the spirit of antichrist will lay for us (including legalism). What I am saying is that we should know the most important teachings of Jesus Christ and His apostles, carry them with us in our hearts and our minds, and live them in such a way that others will see Jesus Christ living in us, rather than us living in a downward spiral of infighting and hypocrisy.

So, we test the spirits. We watch, we pray, and we do...we love.

To quote the great Yoda: "Do, or do not...there is no try"...Ok, well, that doesn't really fit, but he's green and muppetty, so we will let it slide.

Faith's refuge

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

The other day, I woke in a panic. I realized I had misjudged when a bill would fall and was unsure if there would be money in the right account to cover it. I'd been praying for peace, and for a provision of some sort, but I couldn't push the fear aside. But then, I woke, and above my panic, the above verse played itself over in my head just out of the blue, and the peace was there, and the bill didn't fall until the next day, when the money was there to cover it. 

The work I do is a ministry. It's not easy and the pay is not great, but something I've learned over the years is that God takes care of those who serve Him; those who take refuge in Him, if you will. There is a joy to be had in watching the Heavenly Father provide, and when you work in any kind of ministry He has to provide a lot. 

Earlier in the same passage, the psalmist writes:

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

This promise is huge! I've seen it again and again. If we are faithful, God's provision is vast. Working in any sort of ministry can require seat of the pants faith, but God loves us so much and is such a great deliverer, He rewards that faith and sends his angels to protect us. It's so amazing to live in the middle of God's provision.

This isn't anything like the "God wants you to be rich" message some folks preach. No, it's a "God wants you to rely on Him," message. Do His will, trust in His grace, and He will provide. 

Enjoying the moment

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


About a week ago I referred to the writings of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Thinking of that passage and the wisdom Solomon shared, I'm struck by the joy we can find in the moments of life that God gives us.

As recorded in Matthew's gospel, Jesus taught the disciples and others on the mountain with him, to set worry aside. God's provision is such that we need not worry.

It's so easy to worry. It's certainly something with which I struggle. There are so many things that creep in to our lives. Money, relationships, work, any number of things can grab our attention. This time of the year it gets worse, for me at least. 

Then I come across a family in worse straights than mine, and I stop and think, "wow, look at that. They have nothing, but they are so joyful just the same." And I suddenly feel like a heel.

I grew up in poverty. I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that my dad told me how bad it really was. He worked three jobs, and my mom, despite her college degree,  worked as a waitress when I was very young, and later as a Christian school teacher. By the time I was ten, we pulled just over the top of the poverty line,  but it didn't matter. We were happy, healthy, clothed and fed. 

I look at my life now. My wife and son and I have a house (sure it's a townhouse but it's warm and dry), two cars (both are actually quite nice, if a bit on the high mileage side of things), a scooter each for my son and I, a tv (its tiny by today's standards, but it works), internet, a computer, tablets, phones, and so on. We have so many blessings, including a job that I love.

But I forget to see the joy in those blessings. I forget to look back and see what God has done and thank Him for the way He has provided. 

He has provided so much, yet I still worry for the future. Ok, so I'm not a millionaire.  I'm not working at the top tier of a fortune 500 company. I don't have a house with a five car garage and a Jaguar in the drive (scratch that, I do have the Jag, but I got it on the cheap). I don't wear Armani, my wife doesn't wear Prada, and my son doesn't have the pair of Jordans that came out next month. We don't have a 500 inch television,  or a pool, or a helipad on the roof.

But...

we have family, we have love, and we have faith.

It's enough.

Stretched faith

Matthew 17:20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 

Ahh the mustard seed illustration. As I've mentioned before, sometimes I see connections after thinking about things for a long time. I know the principle of brokenness applies to faith, and people of faith will struggle, but I never really understood the depth of the simile.

If one watches the process of a seed growing into a plant, one can imagine that if a seed had a nervous system, there would be a fair amount of pain involved. It struck me that this is indeed a vivid picture of faith. As a seed germinates and grows, the shell breaks open, the little shoot has to push up through the soil and it will die if it isn't watered or if the soil is too dry, or any number of other factors aren't in place.

Similarly in the growth of a child, there can be a lot of pain involved. It isn't constant, of course, but it is sometimes difficult to get through when it happens. I remember when I was young, I would wake at night with excruciating pain in my joints. My mom or dad would let me sit on their lap and would try to comfort me. It was horrible.

There are painful moments in our faith journey. Some more painful than others. In these times we need to seek the comfort of our Father. Not any earthly father, but the Heavenly Father. We need to be willing to let the Father help us through the tough times.

One way we can do this is to fall into the earthly arms of brothers and sisters in the faith. Fellowship is so important for dealing with the pain involved in the growth of faith. If we have no one to lean on, we will struggle all the more.

Faith is not a journey we can make alone. We need others to lend us their strength and comfort. Just like a rubberband, faith can only stretch so far before it breaks.

Stop hatin'

This is one phrase I can't begin to understand.  

Over the years words seem to be given different meanings. It seems western society has allowed the terminology of the uneducated,  or as the Romans would have said; "the vulgar masses," to direct the use of the English language into a downward spiral.

Sounding uneducated is currently fashionable.  Perhaps uneducated is the wrong word. Some of the most eloquent speakers I have heard barely have a high school diploma.  Perhaps a better word is just plain stupid.

Getting back to the original premise here, what is hate, really? A pure dictionary definition places it as "an intense dislike or distaste for someone or something." Currently, one can't even disagree with someone else without being accused of hatred, or prejudice.  Disagreement isn't hatred.

Hatred is groups of youths gathering on city streets to play a game with the object of knocking out another person of a perceived "racial" heritage.  

Hatred is churches burned because they don't fit in with the predominant faith in a given country. 

Hatred is singling out an ethnic, religious,  or socioeconomic group and targeting them for violence and oppression.

The key teaching of Jesus Christ is love (see prior blog post). Love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13:6). Love speaks truth in ways that will be profitable to another (Eph 4:15,29).  Love doesn't fear (1 John 4:18).

We aren't perfect. Just the same, we need to wake up and see that people are confused on what hate is, but maybe they've forgotten Who Love is. Maybe the people who say we love God have forgotten the other half of that command.

So, don't be hatin'.

The state of the faith

I'm a simple man. 

I love my wife and my son. I have a few friends and only one or two whom I would call close. I'm not terribly complicated.  I suppose that helps when life becomes complicated.

It helps to have a simple faith.

Through the years, puzzles have held me in thrall. I don't mean the cardboard puzzles or the strange blacksmith's puzzles. I mean the puzzles of life and faith. Perhaps it's a spiritual gift, or it may just be a talent I possess,  but I can see connections that other people seem to miss. It took several years, but the whole of the scriptures has finally become clear: love God, love others. (See Mark's gospel, chapter 12, vv30,31). It's not complicated.

Yes, sin exists.  We all struggle with something.  Some people refuse to acknowledge sin for what it is. Some people overthink and see sin where it isn't. 

Let's start at the simplest point, then move on from there.