The Canary in the Church Mine

We have heard the expression, "the canary in the mine."  Miners would carry these birds in cages down into the mines.  If an invisible gas in the shaft built up, such as carbon monoxide, and the birds clearly were suffering, the miners would leave the shafts quickly.

The canaries reacted to a force that the miners did not see.  The miners themselves had not yet reacted to the gas; but without the canaries' early warning, many men would have died, not even knowing how bad it was until it was too late.

The focus of many churches right now seems to be, how do we respond to the LGBTQ community?  Only a few years ago, churches had to navigate their position on gay marriage; now, it is how do the  churches respond to transgender people? 

In the early 70's, the Catholic church maintained its unwavering stand against abortion.  When Roe v. Wade hit the culture with the force of a tsunami, the Catholic church stood resolute.  The mainline Protestant churches were rather silent;  individuals has opinions, but Protestant protesters taking to the streets was not common as it would become later. In an interview with Andrew R. Lewis, whose book, Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars, (2018) says, 

It really was not until the end of the 1970s and early 1980s that conservative Christians moved decidedly in the pro-life direction. More popular groups like Baptists for Life and Christians for Life were created in the mid- to late-1970s, for example. I draw attention to Francis Schaeffer’s books and documentary films, which were popular among churches, pastors, and lay leaders. Schaeffer’s works also influenced Jerry Falwell, who helped elevate abortion activism on the national political stage. In 1980, the SBC passed an unequivocally pro-life resolution. 

He goes on to say,

So what has happened? Well over the past three decades the cultural influence of conservative Christianity has declined. In the process, conservative Christian politics has adapted its approach to public life. The Moral Majority is no longer. Instead, conservative Christians are a minority, and they often speak the language of pluralistic politics. This includes the language or rights and liberties with a heavy emphasis on the rights to free speech and the rights to religious freedom. In the process, the emphasis on biblical public reason has largely disappeared, replaced by a large measure of liberal, individual rights, pluralistic reasoning.  [emphasis mine] 

Well said. The bold type is exactly my thesis.  Somewhere along the way, the Bible lost the center stage as THE reason for our politics, our response to social issues and our worldview.  Somewhere along the way, the Bible was seen as what, outdated?  out of touch?  no longer a rock to build upon? 

When I was a young Christian in the 1970's, the Word was the only foundation we stood upon to face the world with and navigate the issues.  We were like the man who built his house upon the rock (Matt. 7:24-27) that Jesus indicated were Him and His very words.  The waters slammed into us, and we kept standing.  Issues such as gay rights, abortion, pre-marital sex, drug use and living together came roaring down the cultural wash and slammed into my church, and churches everywhere. The waters drove us deeper into the Word and made evangelism all the more important, because the Lord must change the heart before we can expect any changed behavior. 

I was concerned that our church wasn't handling the gay issue very well at that time, however.  Standing on the Word did not replace personally reaching out to gays who walked in the door of our church.  Perhaps the leadership didn't think there were any gay Christians.  Overall, I think the evangelical church was not really engaged in that issue in the 1970's. 

Sadly, this was an egregious error. 

What I now see, after many decades of seeker-friendly churches aimed at making people comfortable, and Jesus portrayed as a cosmic Life Coach, the Bible has been reduced to a few passages and must compete with videos, stories, skits, props, rockstar pastors and a rockin' worship team. 

Yup: the Bible isn't going to have much of an impact for changing lives, because it is not central to the preaching. 

The Word has not been central to preaching in a long time.  And it shows. How so?

Well, first off, let the Word of God define itself: "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." (Heb. 4:12)

The Word calls us out.  It shows God's standard and reveals His Son.  It shows where we are falling short; either out of ignorance, disobedience or both, it tells us the right path, promises the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk it and how to please the heart of God. 

Without the centrality of the Word, sola scriptura, then we can go down a path that seems right, but it leads to destruction.  (Prov. 14:12)

If the Bible is God's words to mankind, then it is enough to provide the only basis by which we navigate this world.

But in response to the abortion debate, the church in America became political, not more Biblically literate.  Christians took a political stance, and the Moral Majority, Ronald Reagan and to some extent, George Bush, became the answer.  The evangelical church was caught off guard, but seem to re-establish its footing. 

But did we?  Did this stance change hearts?  Save babies?  Show compassion to the women involved?  Political involvement is always subject to change, but Jesus brings eternal results: a changed heart. 

Over the decades, I have seen the number of abortions climb, the divorce rate skyrocketing and gays demanding equal rights. 

Did all that earlier political involvement make a more moral country? 

I do not see how it did. 

After decades of de-centralizing the Bible and chasing after fads, the church was hit with gay marriage.  That's when the canary keeled over and dropped dead in its cage.  This issue showed us how illiterate we were in Biblical teaching. 

We scrambled to come up with a position and trying to be tolerant and trying to maintain some kind of biblical position.  We came across as weak and ashamed of the Bible's unyielding stance. We    undermined the passages about how we are all born sinners and need a heart change; instead, we told people that they were "born that way" and need not change. 

Show me a scripture that supports that and I will withdraw my thesis.

Now, the churches are hit with the demands of the transgendered community.  Some pastors are standing tall; I am so glad that pastors like John MacArthur are not allowing the culture to decide identity, but standing on the Word's definition.

Abortion was not the problem.  Gay marriage was not the problem.  Transgendered people are not the problem.  The problem is the church's failure to deeply know the Word, deeply know the One who gave it, and to build the church upon that rock. 

The winds, rains and water have shown us how unwise and flimsy our stance is. 

The canary in the church mine is dead because we didn't uphold and stay well-grounded in His Word.  Peter puts it so well:

But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! (1 Peter 3:14-17) 

Being gay, having an abortion, or being confused over personal identity are not unforgivable sins and do not automatically send someone to hell. 

What does?  Not knowing Christ, accepting Him into your heart, and being cleansed of your sin, that is the path to hell. 

God sent His Son to save us:  from ourselves, from sin, from death and from deception.  Let me end with this:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Eph. 2:10)

The 11th Commandment: Don't Get Caught

When Princess Diana went on television to discuss her marriage and Charles' infidelity, I remember a comment made by one of the royal experts:  "She violated the 11th Commandment.  She got caught."

The Royal Family has behaved less than sterling over the years; it isn't until years later that we find out about their infidelities and other sins.  Diana short-circuited that: she wanted the public to know how broken this family's behavior was, and some of them never forgave her for it.

But the Royal Family aren't the only folks that misbehave in the shadows and work hard not to be caught.  Our churches are filled with folks who live a double life.  Here are some grim statistics from Pure Desire's website:

"33% of all Americans seek out porn at least once a month"

"68% of Christian men struggle with unwanted sexual behavior"

"25% of Christian women struggle with sexual dependency issues"

How many of us come into church each week and sit next to someone who looks at porn?  Abuses their wife?  Has an alcohol problem?  Abuses children?  Uses an illegal substance?  Is angry, unforgiving and prideful?  Thinks the pastor is an idiot?  Condemns the worship team for being too loud and sends nasty text messages to the worship leader every Monday?  Gossips about the pastor?  Gossips about other people?  Is relentless in condemning the President?  Is having an adulterous affair?  

Whoa!  Hang on!  Abusing children is not the same as sending nasty texts or gossiping!  

If we are talking consequences, yes, you are right, but if we are talking about sin, then, sorry, sin is sin.

The above list has people doing their thing in the shadows.  They are hiding their sin at home, justifying it and then walking into church looking like everyone else--a God-fearing, Jesus-loving Christian.  They don't wear a scarlet letter on their shirt.  They smile, sing, shake hands, listen to the message and then go home, where the ruler of their heart takes precedence over God.

Maybe this describes us.  

But what about the gay person that walks into church?  The drug addict, whose appearance shouts aloud about their addiction?  The trans person who comes in and shakes your hand?

Their sin is obvious.  So we zero in on their sin because they can't or won't hide it.  We condemn such blatant sin and all the while, those who haven't broken the 11th Commandment--they haven't gotten caught--smile inside, knowing their blatant sin is hidden away.  

Paul has an interesting trajectory he plots in Romans 1-2.  In summary, despite the beautiful testimony of the creation about its glorious Creator, people were not grateful and glorified Him not; they grew foolish in their thinking and their darkened wisdom led them to create idols. Their truth was a lie and out of that, they engaged in shameful behavior, with sex being perverted way beyond God's holy design. 

Now, we, who attend church, upon seeing such egregious sin, would close the Word and say, "See!  Your orientation is not biblical!  Look at Romans 1!"  

OK.  But, open up that chapter once again, and keep reading:   

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (verses 28-32) 

Now that hits closer to home.  Paul could have ended with the behavior section, but he kept going, showing how ideas beget behavior and behavior beget ideas.

Now, if you were a good person, you would read Romans 1, and say, Well, I may occasionally slip here and there, but I am not like that!

Keep reading.  Go to Romans 2.  Paul launches into the good people:  his Jewish readers.  They probably (like us good folk) read the first part of Romans and thought, Of course the Gentiles--those disgusting and godless people--act like this.  They are not, well, us!  

OK.  So Paul takes us on: 

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness,forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (Rom. 2:2-4)

Uh-oh.

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: 'God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.' (verses 17-24) 

Uh-oh.  

When Christians act as if they have it all, and then fall short and are caught in sin, why would the world take us seriously?  I believe there is a crisis in the church, and it's not gay people wanting or being granted full inclusion.  It is the failure of God's people to live lives that reflect Him.  Yes, we struggle.  Yes, we sin.  But we must view sin as something to move away from, and moving deeper towards God is our deepest desire.  We also must be willing to have full disclosure with the Lord and with each other:

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:17-21)

Why have Christians lost the battle, so to speak, with sin?  We condemn the big sins, but those change over time as cultural mores shift and more and more people no longer avoid the sin.

For example, back in the 1970's, when I was a new Christian, being divorced was the big sin.  Getting an abortion was the big sin.  Being a drug addict?  The church had compassion for those folks.  Alcoholics?  Well, they went to AA.  Gay folks?  Nope.  That big sin wasn't even on the radar.  

Today, divorce is not considered a sin; is it a moral failing?  Perhaps.  But with the huge numbers of pastors and Christians having experienced it, it no longer has any impact on how we see someone.  We now have programs to help people deal with it.  It is no longer an impediment to being in the pulpit.  

Abortion is still a big sin, but we are more compassionate towards those who have had one. 

Drug addicts and alcoholics have programs in the church to help them recover.

Gay people?  We are trying to sort this one out; is it a moral failing?  Born that way?  Recovery?  No judgement?  

Today, calling an attitude or behavior, "sin," just doesn't seem to have a moral impact on people.  Instead, they grow angry and storm off.  Others start the eye/plank/speck argument.  Repentance is a word that echoes at revivals and crusades; but in church, because we take a more therapeutic approach to a person's condition, that word is replaced with "recovery," "felt needs" or "support." 

Jesus becomes your Life Coach; Cosmic Buddy; Eternal Therapist who will help you live your best life; Your Wealth Manager, who blessings are waiting to drop all over you; Your Healer who will never let you suffer; the One who loves you as you are and doesn't judge you.  

I am on a journey here, trying to understand that as the church has redefined sin as a psychological missed opportunity that the church must remedy, we are no longer on our way to becoming holy people, set aside for God's use.  We are on our way of aligning with the world's values, and looking surprisingly like the world in how we conduct our lives and how we conduct church.  

More to follow.

Blessings, fellow travelers. 

 

  

We Are All Rescue Dogs

I had a sad day yesterday.  I had to return a rescue dog that I adopted a while back.  I cried throughout the day.  My last moment with her was her huddling in my car, eyes dilated with fear as the assistant reached in to take her out of my car.  Her fear was a stab to my heart, for I had lavished love, toys, snuggle time, play time, a safe yard (I had to put up a fence), a good buddy (my Springer spaniel), walks, runs, hikes and treats on her every day.  I sang her songs, played games with her and tried to make her a part of our family, with no holds barred.

But she wouldn't stop barking, growling and acting threatening (would she actually bite someone?  I don't think so...) towards people in my house.  A visit from my grandchildren set her off and they had to stay in the bedroom the whole visit. 

A visit from my husband's family resulted in chaos the whole week they were here.  Lots of treats, love and cajoling were the order of the day, yet she never could overcome to need to bark and growl at them.  His other sister visited and she did a bit better, but it was still hard to predict how she'd react with each encounter with our guests.

She even went into the guest room, for days after they left, growling and acting upset.

She grabbed treats from my Springer.  They played fairly well together, and had fun running around the yard.  She sometimes bullied my Springer, who is a mellow one year older dog, who seemed to take it all in stride.  But overtime, my Springer became rather mopey.  She seemed to sense the neediness of her new partner, and pulled away from me. 

Then came our Sunday walk.  We had a lovely time, for Idaho in the spring is worth the long wait of winter.  All was going well until she pulled out of her harness.  I managed to catch her and relocate the leash to her collar.  She pulled out of that, and thus began our two hour odyssey of trying to catch her.  People along the greenbelt tried to help, advise, criticize and remind me of the leash laws.  She chased people, barked, growled, and frankly frightened people.  I managed to lure her out of the traffic areas, and into a large meadow.  I prayed and prayed and prayed. 

Finally, I approached her as she was drinking from a stream, distracted her with a promise of tug-of-war, and grabbed her by her scruff.

I carried her to the car.  She weighs over thirty pounds, and I was exhausted.  The day was over and so was this relationship.

I am sure I could have done things differently. I acknowledge that.  But I did the best I could in a situation that was spiraling out of control for me, my family, and our other dog.  What rang in my ears in addition was that over this weekend, my daughter bought a pop-up trailer, and the first thing out of our grandchildren's mouth was, "Maybe Grandma and Grandpa could camp with us!"  Then I thought of this dog running off at a campsite, growling and barking at other campers, or worse, running off, never to be found and thus traumatizing me and our family.  Not to mention a terrible fate awaiting her out in the wilderness.

What made me cry when the young man at the shelter took her was the utter fear in her face.  It seemed as if all we had tried to do had never happened; and yet, with just me, she was a loving, happy, spunky dog.  If we could have lived on an isolated desert island, she and me would have been  BFF's.

With good times and bad, I try to look for the Holy Takeaways:  What do You want me to learn from this, precious Jesus?  It was a hard, hard decision.  I listened to my son, my daughter and son-in- law, and a dear friend's wisdom.  All of them said that she was not fitting into the rhythm of our lives.  She needed more than I could give.  So, after wise counsel and prayer, I gave her up yesterday.  The tears fill my eyes as I write this.

So, here is what I have processed so far:

We are all rescue dogs.  We all have a story, and not every part of that story gets told.  I didn't know her story; all I could see was her behavior.  Same with us.  I may not know why you do the things you do, and judging you is so easy.  Offering advice--"Hey!  Do this!  Do that!" seems so helpful.  But, do we really know each other's heart the way God does?   He gently works with us in a way that no one else can.  Yes, people can be agents of His, but the deep work in the heart has to be done by Him.  We have to be willing to offer our heart.  He is more than willing to take it and remake it.

We may be adopted and loved in God's family, but our brokenness still exists.  Do we run from others, growl and bark because our fear wells up in us and takes over?  Perhaps this is why one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience.  We meet others who love the Lord but draw back time and time again.  We offer love, friendship, prayer and conversation, and they respond.  Then they don't.  They act as if we are the enemy, not a fellow traveler in Christ.  Or we act that way, and see the hurt in others' eyes.  "Why can't you get it?  Why do you draw back in fear?"  We wonder that too...why don't I get it?  Why do I draw back in fear?  We may not have allowed God's touch in our lives in that area yet; we have yet to trust that He really does know us best. 

Sometimes, we have to let someone go.  We have done all we can for someone, but we have not seen any fruit.  Perhaps we need to relinquish them to God.  We may think, "Just one more thing would have made the difference!"  All the way home, I kept thinking about other strategies I could have employed.  Like a loving pastor who goes many, many extra miles to the detriment of his family and himself, or a sister who year after year, keeps investing into a person's life, we keep saying, "Oh...I will be the one to make the difference in this person's life!"  Pride in our ability is in operation here. It is not a vicious kind of pride, but it is getting in the way of  the One who alone can truly make someone whole.

My daughter commented that this dog needed more discipline than I could provide, because I identified too much with her to be effective.  True.  I hurt because of her past and I tried love alone when what she needed was both love and discipline.

God disciplines us in His love, for He knows our ways are not good.  Our ways come from our sin, our brokenness and our need to be self-sufficient.  But in a world where the wilderness is not safe, our running away, our sense of "freedom," is really a road to a lonely or brutal end. 

I prayed for this dog to get a family who can meet her needs and give her the loving boundaries she so needs to feel safe in this world.

I have that reality myself:  "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." (Romans 8:15)

God hurts for those of us who run away, growl, bark and have fear in our eyes.  He tries to bring us back to His side, safe and secure.  But we have to be willing. 

He will relinquish us to our choice of not drawing near to Him.  But He waits.  And He hurts.

Easter Message

We are approaching Good Friday. We will imagine--the best we can--Jesus carrying His cross, resolutely following His Father's will to undergo torture, pain and death to redeem us.  We have Easter before us. It's the day where we proclaim, "He is risen! He is risen indeed!"

What about Saturday?  We have no name for that. 

I do. I call it Silent Saturday. Death is quiet. The tomb is silent. 

But it was silent beyond the tomb. It was silent in the court of God the Father. 

Throughout eternity, God was in loving fellowship with His Son. They created the world together: "Let us make man in our own image..." They laughed at the antics of the animals swimming in the seas, and rejoiced in the song of birds. They loved to watch the horses run across the fields and smiled at the beautiful wings of a butterfly.  They smiled at the man created from the dust, and enjoyed the praises that fell from his lips.  

Never was there a time when the Son was apart from the Father. Except on Silent Saturday. The Son's laughter had stopped. He no longer smiled. No more words escaped His lips. The Father, for the first time ever, was alone. 

Earlier, the Son talked to His Father on the cross, anguished that He felt His Father had abandoned Him.  Matthew records His last words as being, "Father, into Your Hands, I commend my spirit." John records His last words as being, “It is finished.”  

Both were said. 

An obedient Son, an observant Jew, He commended His spirit to His Father, but only after having declared that redemption's work was finished. Jesus was following His Father until His last breath. Then the Son fell silent.

The Father was alone.  But the Father waited. Anguished, pierced to the heart, alone, but the Father waited. For the Son would not stay silent. The heavens would ring once more with the Son's laughter and His praise to His Father. 

Perhaps you are in Good Friday, with pain that pierces you to the heart with a sense of abandonment. Perhaps you are in Silent Saturday, alone and waiting. This is what He meant when He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

He told His disciples exactly what the week before His death would bring, with its final devastating conclusion. They would quickly forget, in the midst of their confusion, astonishment and fear that He also told them of His triumph.  Our overwhelmingly painful Fridays, our silent Saturdays, cause us to forget the triumphant Sundays promised to us by our Savior.  

The stone will be rolled away.  The sun will rise.  The Son of God rises in our heart and hope is once again the air we breathe. He overcame what the world threw at Him, to show His love has no limits, and His forgiveness is just one prayer away. 

May your Easter be rich and blessed.

Bill Johnson's Compassionate Theology?

The quote about sickness and the gospel made by Bill Johnson of Bethel Church is everywhere on the Internet.  He has his detractors and his proponents.  I am not here to analyze Bill's theology, for others have done so.  But I have served under a pastor who listened to Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn and who definitely believed in a gospel where sickness is not allowed or even acknowledged. 

Bill Johnson is quoted as saying, "I refuse to create a theology allows for sickness."  Is this a quote out of context?  In a longer clip where he says that, he then goes on to say that this gospel is the real one.  He implies the ones that disagree with his premise fall into the category of a "false gospel" as Paul declares in Galatians 1:6-10: 

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

The question here then is, what is the true gospel?  In other words, is the gospel we are preaching one that honors God or ourselves?  The one that honors God is what He has already revealed in His Son.  The one that honors ourselves makes us feel good and those who listen to us feel good.  We all bask in human approval. 

I believe Bill, like some false teachers, are not motivated by personal gain and deception.  He seems to want a more "compassionate" gospel, one that faces illness and says, "be gone."  He wants his listeners to feel good.  Sickness and death make us feel uncomfortable, and like Job's friends, we want to distant ourselves from that reality, lest it befall us. 

So, deeply hidden in this more "compassionate" gospel is fear.  Job's friends were trying to find out what Job did to avoid falling into his trap and ending up like him.  Their seemingly compassionate advice was predicated on a fear that said, "You must have done something Job.  'Fess up!"  Then once Job confessed his fault, his friends could say in their hearts, "Now that we know what he did, we won't fall into that same trap!"  Fear leads to pride. 

"Look at me!  I don't and I won't get sick!  I have figured out what causes believers to fall prey to illness, and I will avoid that (pardon the pun) like the plague!"  The focus is on me, my formula and my success.  I then enter a world filled with suffering and I go forth, banishing sickness by decreeing its removal.  All the while I am feeling good about myself and those who think as I do. 

This deep inner pride is pernicious.  This pastor I served under once said, "I never get sick," implying he was far more spiritual that anyone else.  He refused to comfort those in our church who became sick, and when one of our members died, he would not go and comfort the family. 

Why?  Those that are sick haven't found the kind of faith I have; I want to be compassionate, but my pride will take over when those I pray for do not become well.  I will begin to see them as spiritual losers.  I will shake the dust off my feet and move on, all the while my heart is hardening against those who don't fit my formula, and give me the approval I desire.  

Thus, a more "compassionate" gospel leads to disillusionment from the very ones we are called to serve.  Does service always mean healing?  Only if God says, "Heal them."  Our service can be meals, prayers, cards, and time spent crying with those who hurt.  But that's not very spiritually exciting.  Does God always say, Heal them!"  According to Bill and those who think like him, yes.  But is that the mandate from Jesus? 

Look at one of His parables about the sheep and the goats:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’" (Matt. 25:34-36) 

Look at what people call "The Great Commission":

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'” (Matt. 28:16-20)

I don't see healing as an essential part of serving Him.  Yes, it is part of our service to Him, but not each and every time. 

Bill leads off his teaching where the quote is, by saying that in Hebrews 1, the prophets were "for them" and the Son is for "now."  He suggests that yesterday's anointing is "not for today." 

That right off is problematic.  Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the prophets, not cast them out as an old anointing.  The only Bible Jesus had was the very Testament that Bill implies need not be heeded  today.  Today demands a new anointing appears to be Bill's message, which includes healing sickness.

Bill seems to want a gospel that is more humane, more compassionate.  Understandably--sickness and death are aberrations of God's original design.  Life in the Garden didn't have either of those horrors--Adam's sin brought them in and Jesus came to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. This more "compassionate" gospel and the gospel of Jesus seem to lose common ground when it comes to atonement.  Did Jesus' death on the cross redeem us from sin and death but also from illness? 

It sounds very spiritual to make that claim.  The key Scripture that my pastor and many others use is,  "By His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) But, wait a minute... wasn't that yesterday's anointing?    According to Bill, we need new manna, new anointing.   Peter was inspired to use the old anointing for his argument about how to endure suffering: 

"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

'He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.'

"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.' For 'you were like sheep going astray,' but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Peter 2:21-25) 

The immediate context here is not suffering for doing wrong--that should happen--but suffering for doing good.  Jesus did good and He suffered.  So will our lives.  The even larger context Peter was writing in was to those scattered in the pagan world and who were suffering.  He says their suffering is as fire to their faith--refining it and showing the beauty of Christ in their lives. 

How would Bill's more "compassionate" gospel play out in the third world, with the voice of the martyrs crying out in prisons as they are beaten and tortured?  It's fine to preach a gospel where sickness is not allowed with hospitals, ambulances, antibiotics and medical procedures are available and become Plan B.  

In the third world, there is no Plan B.  There is only Jesus and His compassion.  

Bill starts his talk by citing Hebrews 1.  Let's go a bit further in that book and see what is says about a gospel that includes suffering:  

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  (Heb. 4:14-16) 

The King James Version translates the word for "weaknesses" as "infirmities."  Strong's Concordance gives this definition of the Greek: 

ἀσθένεια asthéneia, as-then'-i-ah; from G772; feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty:—disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness.

Jesus suffered as we suffer, and that would imply all kinds of suffering.  

Our bodies were subject to the Fall and thus lost their pristine condition.  Our DNA miscodes, bacteria and viruses invade and we are subject to all kinds of maladies.

What was Jesus' response?  He was recapturing the creation from the Fall, one soul at a time.  Everything groans under the curse and He demonstrated that He was the D-Day invasion from heaven to this war-torn planet (thank you, C. S. Lewis for that analogy!).  

Wars and war zones are terrible.  We can stand in our safe streets and cry, "Peace Now!" and march against war's injustice.  Or we can acknowledge that this planet needs to be rescued from sin and death.  We can't do that.  Only Jesus can.  So, carrying Jesus into the streets and preaching the Good news of the Gospel won't make the war go away--but it will redeem those caught in its crossfire.  

We can bring Jesus.  The Kingdom will come only when the New Heavens and the New Earth are given by the Father's hand.  Until then, we pray and follow our Savior's example:  we will suffer but as we do, we proclaim the hope of Christ.  

Next time, let's discuss whether Jesus healed everyone in His ministry.  

The American Dream Infiltrates the Church, Part I

In America today, we measure the success of a church by its size, influence and popularity.  As someone put it, we have Americanized the church.  We have taken the values of the American Dream and applied them to church.  The American Dream is not hostile to Christianity, but it is not Biblical and the Bible alone is our measure for how we go about the Lord's work. 

What is the American Dream?  Its values, as I see it, are: 

• Work hard for you will be successful
• Don't stand still, keep moving forward with new ideas, new paradigms
• Measure success by increased influence, pay and responsibility
• Life should be better every decade
• Cars, houses, country clubs, disposable income are accurate indicators of success
• Hide the bad and display the good--success covers all areas in your life, right?
• It's ultimately up to you and about you; a few broken relationships or cut corners are just part of moving on up--ends do justify the means

I watched my dad embody these values his whole life.  He served in Korea and when he returned, he climbed the corporate ladder with no looking back.  He gladly obliged society's expectations.  Two broken marriages, an estranged drug addicted son and an alcoholic wife later, he still didn't look back.  No regrets.

When I asked him to tell me his greatest accomplishment in life, he said, "I joined a country club."  My dad grew up during the Depression and remembered having only 83 cents in a drawer to his family's name.  So, he was certainly a poor kid who made good, with his expensive cars and country club membership. The American Dream gave him tangible values that translated into lifelong goals.  

But my dad was not a follower of Christ.  He accepted Christ on his death bed, as he lay dying of melanoma cancer.  He said he was "afraid," and we prayed together.  He passed soon after.   

I saw the bait and switch in his life.  The American Dream and its values were a kind of religion for many of his generation and beyond.  He worked hard, made the grade and then was reduced down to a man dying of cancer.  All the material acquisitions meant nothing; his son would have nothing to do with him; his third wife could not emotionally cope with his decline, and his friends and co-workers were nowhere to be found.

The bait said, "Do this and you will be HAPPY!"  The switch was, "You will have lots of stuff, but your life will be lonely, without true meaning and a sense that you have not quite arrived, 'cause  there's always some guy ahead of you with more!" 

The truth is quite simple:  The American Dream was no substitute for a relationship with Jesus Christ.  A person's purpose is not material success but a heart filled with peace, sins forgiven and a power to affect change wherever God leads.

How does this tie in with false teachers?  Many of them truly are wolves, knowing full well they are fleecing those who follow them.  How they justify it is beyond me.  They will have to answer to Christ.

But many leaders today are using models that while not openly hostile to Christianity, will, once implemented in the church, lead to man-centered definitions of success.        

The American Dream is not a worthy model for the church.  Why?  Because it is not centered in God.  It is a man-centered value system.  Let's break down the values and see how they are contrary to Biblical values, not because they are inherently sinful but because they keep man front and center.

Work hard for you will be successful:  OK.  Not a bad idea, and it plays out most of the time. 

But, you must figure out what "hard" means.  Late nights?  Six days a week?  Hire more staff?  Pay more?  Pay less?  More contemporary music?  More tech?  How many churches today have staff and pastors working longer and longer hours to meet the needs of an ever-growing congregation?  They believe that if they word hard (defined by the organization) they will see more success (again, defined by the organization) for the God's Kingdom.  

But is this the model Jesus offered?

Jesus heals one man at the pool of Siloam.  One man.  He doesn't set up a Pool Healing Ministry. 

He doesn't go around and touch a bunch of people and then ask them to contribute to His ministry. 

He doesn't set up a small gathering area near the pool and share His words of comfort and healing. 

He heals one man. 

To most churches today, He wouldn't be deemed as "successful." 

After being accused by the Pharisees of working on the Sabbath, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed." (John 5:19-20)

Jesus' ministry was centered solely on His Father and His instructions.  The need was great, but Jesus' obedience to His Father was greater.  

Jesus, in His teaching about Him being the Bread of Life, says, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)

No more and no less. 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)

Churches today tout bigger and better programs!  More tech!  Theater seating!  A sanctuary is now an "auditorium!"  See how many people are hearing about Jesus with highly entertaining and high-tech sermons!  Of course, this is God's will!  How could it not be!  Look at all those people!

But we need to be  humbled by this verse.  

God must be at the center of all we do, large or small.  How many churches, if the staff sat down and really called upon God, really read His Word, and really sought His will humbly and earnestly, would look with some horror or consternation on how their church is operating?  They would see how they have metaphorically taken over the "Pool of Siloam" and gone big!  Tent revivals, bottled water and monogrammed towels (for a fee, of course) would be available to one and all!  Lots of traffic, lots of people getting saved (how deep this really goes or how deep the commitment really is, no one asks) and lots of statistics about growth are everywhere!  Posters of vision statements and mission statements are happily hung near the pool.  We now hear about a new church Pool Ministry plant coming to a city near you!  

Wow!  This is huge!

But is it God's? 

Indulge me while we have a quick interview with our Lord about that day: 

Why just the one man, Jesus?

That's the only one my Father wanted Me to heal today.

But look at all that need!  So many people!

But I did not come to just heal the bodies of people.  I came to seek and save the lost.  The one man's heart was ready because My Father told me it was.  I came to do only His will.  At that moment near the pool, that is what I did.  Later I found him and warned him to stop sinning.  That was the real reason I came.  Sin and death separate My Father from His children.  I came to change that forever.  

Oh, OK.  We would have done more.  No offense, Lord, but we have a go big, or go home mentality.  Somehow, we are at odds with You, but I don't know why.

I do.  Working in My name and truly knowing Me are two different things. 

We will continue to explore these ideas in the days ahead.  

The Final Woes

Jesus is going through a list of seven woes, aimed at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. We are on the final stretch. Because the prideful human heart does not change, no matter the era, these woes absolutely ring true with false teachers today. If you think Jesus is being harsh, remember, Jesus knows all too well the nature of the human heart: "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man." (John 2:23-25) 

Jesus knew the verses in Jeremiah 17:5-10:

"This is what the Lord says:
'Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.'
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
'I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.'”

Do you notice how a person who relies on others to lead and guide him will end up in the desert, as it were?  The council of the flesh will give people a sense of confidence on what they hear or see.  They move in a world of sight--not faith-- and their strength comes from what they receive from others.  

Why then rely on the Lord when I have someone telling me how to go?  The teacher tells me if I do this, then this will happen... This teacher has verses to back up the teaching, so why not?  The teacher is teaching me to depend more and more on the teacher than on the Lord, because, well, this person is so spiritual and it's a whole lot easier to just tune in and watch!  This teacher knows his Bible way more than I do!  The more I learn, relying more and more on externals, the more distant God becomes, and I have to rely on what I know, rather than on an developing an increasingly intimate relationship with Him!
Jeremiah teaches that the such people will not see true blessings when they come, because they are so focused on themselves.  He later, after contrasting those who rely solely on the Lord, sees the heart as "deceitful."   

Full of deceit.  That is what characterizes a false teacher in spades.  It also characterizes those people who abdicate their personal responsibility to seek God and wait on Him for guidance.  It characterizes who trade in their Bible for a "Bible teacher."

Both parties are deceived because their hearts have turned away from the Lord.  But Jesus zeroes in with these passages on the teachers, who should know better, because they have the Word right at their fingertips. 

Here we go:  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.  You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." (Matt. 23:23-24)

Plucking some herbs to tithe is no big deal and takes little effort. But justice, mercy and faithfulness?  That takes work!  The Scriptures brim with passages on those topics, but it takes an honest personal evaluation to say, "Have I been just?  Merciful?  Faithful?  Uh-oh.  No.  I must seek the Lord's forgiveness and make amends to those I have wronged."

How often did the Pharisees do that?  They probably more often than not said, "Nah.  I don't have the time.  My herbal tithe should be good enough."  For who?  You?  But we are not here to please ourselves.  We are to serve God in the beauty of holiness.

A modern false teacher would argue that his or her focus on healing, prosperity, or some other single item focus is biblical. 

But what about justice?  Are you funding organizations that promote justice in those parts of the world where it is sorely lacking?  Rescuing those caught in sex trafficking?  Providing shelter, food, potable water and other basic human necessities rather than buying yet another jet?  Or a bigger house?    

Do you serve with mercy?  Are all those who seek you in a healing crusade healed, or do you shun those whose illnesses might call into question whether or not you actually heal people?

What about faithfulness?  With all that money you collect, do you further the work of God's kingdom, or do you benefit yourself?

In other words, do you honor the whole Word of God, not just cherry-picking those verses that benefit you?

Next up:  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." (Matt. 23:25-26)

Blindness seems to be a drumbeat through these verses.  Blindness to the reality of who these teachers were inside.  Blindness to the real need of others.  Blindness to the real attitudes that God desires and how we are His hands and feet, enacting justice, being merciful and being faithful to Him, no matter the cost. 

Do you not see how your version of Christianity is a satanic ploy to discredit it?  You will go and tell everyone it's their biblical right to have wealth, health and prosperity.  You will preach it, live it, demonstrate it and for many, such a belief will merit credence.  You will make your followers hunger and thirst after this world, but not after righteousness.  Then year after year, when the healing doesn't come, the bank account does not overflow, and life seems to be unceasingly hard, people will give up:  their love for God, their love for each other and their commitment to seek the Lord.  The road to prosperity will be littered with bitterness, unbelief, heart-wrenching disappoint and pain.  Your followers will be crying.  Satan will be laughing. 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." (Matt. 23:27-28)

Satan brings death. I bring life--abundant, overflowing, fulfilling life. I demonstrated how that abundant life works: I utterly surrendered to My Father. His will brought Me joy as I fulfilled His will, spoke His words, and touched humanity with His love. I sought Him each morning, asking Him how I should walk in His ways this day. One day came, and we both cried. But it was the day for which I came. I showed what true surrender looked like My whole life, even when it meant death on a cross. But it also meant resurrection. The same power that brought Me to life is the same I give to you. I am the greatest gift you could ever have. Moths, time and thieves destroy what the world gives. I will never leave nor forsake you.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. (Matt. 23:29-36)

Self-righteousness, grandiose displays of supposed wealth from My hands, no humility and no honoring of My Father and His Word, will lead to judgement. You won't listen to My people who long to take you back into the Word and show you, in love, the errors of your ways. You have your own gospel, laced with pride and deceit. You will not allow opposition in your own organizations. You surround yourself with people who labor with a "touch not the Lord's anointed" mentality, which is just another way of saying that you and you alone have the truth. Whose truth? The prophets of old, whose words still ring true today? Sages? People whose knowledge of the Word utterly dwarfs your own, but you will not listen, for you are convinced of your own superiority in such matters. Your failure to allow the whole counsel of God to live in you will bring judgement.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matt. 23:37-39)

Judgement will come, because My Father is righteous, faithful and just. My words are His mercy to you: to guide, warn and bring life. If you choose death, by glorifying the self, the stones of your ministry will fall, crushing those who have supported you. I come in His Name; I ride into every city of the heart, and greatly desire that you honor Me in everything you say and do. But, sadly, those whose greed, ambition and deceit pervert My Word will one day receive My words, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matt. 7:21-23) 

Amen.