A Paradoxical Situation

When reading the different Christian blog sites we are confronted with the writings of a multitude of people, both bloggers and the responders, expressing their own thoughts, and often an accumulation of the thoughts of their teachers, the authors they read, as well as their understanding of the Biblical texts.
The question must be asked,

How do we know whether the words written are from the mind of a false teacher, or a faithful one?

In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 7, Jesus was teaching the crowds. One of His teachings was how to know the true from the false, but He warned them that things were not always what they seemed. In verse 15 He tells them that there are “ravenous wolves” amongst those who are His sheep. These wolves actually appear to be sheep, apparently pious, sincere, truthful, and with the best interests of His sheep at heart.

It is not necessarily so!

So He tells them, in v. 16, that

You will recognize them by their fruits

.
He then uses a very reasonable analogy, which He presents in question form,

Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Of course the very reasonable response to His very reasonable question, must be a resounding

No!

Reason, based upon evidence must be involved in forming these opinions,

So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit

.
So Jesus identified what we ought to look for, a mark of distinction.
Without this mark, we would find ourselves having a question mark hanging over all who express an opinion, whether as a teacher, a blogger, or a responder to a blog.
It is important that those we ascertain those who are trustworthy, and faithful sisters and brothers. Christ’s advice encourages us to form our opinion, or make value judgments, of the words coming from the mouths or keyboards, as to whether the authors are uttering, or writing falsehood. According to Jesus words, we are to make that assessment based upon their fruits.
What kind of fruit is being displayed when I read statements, directed towards a sister or brother, which are void of any evidence of grace?
Seems to me that such words as comparing a brother with “human excrement”, or claiming that a brother has written, or spoken heresy (with the juvenile disclaimer that the brother is not charged with being a heretic), or a sister or brother is “stupid” for what they write, are rather the expressions one would find coming from an unredeemed, pagan mind rather than Christian.
G.K.Chesterton was describing this paradoxical situation of Christians who don’t evidence grace, when he said,

It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong

.
True generosity of spirit towards those who think differently to us only comes as we are abundantly aware of our own unmerited receipt of, and continuing need for God’s grace.
Paul described the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit to look for in the lives of all followers of Christ, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Theological education and knowledge, or conviction, will never convince anyone if not accompanied by a humble awareness of one's own propensity to be pridefully wrong.
Is it only I who cannot see the evidence of grace in the kind of statements I’ve mentioned?

WHO DESIGNED YOUR CLOTHES?

Thanks Lionel for the inspiration!

Reading several blogs recently, which I won't link to for reasons which will be obvious, I am made vividly aware of the dangers of allowing ANYTHING to be added to the utter completeness of what God has done for sinners like me in the establishment and inaugurating His New Covenant, by the finished work of the Lord,Jesus Christ.

It is reported that one man made a substantial donation with the hope that his gift will make him more visible to God. Another argues that those who don't teach tithing are close to being heretics. Another argues that some believers are more important to God than others.

What do these people imagine the Lord of Glory is impressed by? Do they really believe that Christ's work was imperfect and has to be completed by their meager efforts? Does He have favorites amongst His own?

I must confess that I have nothing which I can add to the great design of the "clothes" I now wear, will wear until eternity, before my Savior God.

Nikolaus L. von Zin­zen­dorf understood it well:

JESUS THY BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
MY BEAUTY ARE,MY GLORIOUS DRESS;
’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,
Who from the Father’s bosom came,
Who died for me, e’en me to atone,
Now for my Lord and God I own.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which, at the mercy seat of God,
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.

Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.

When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.

- Nikolaus L. von Zin­zen­dorf, 1739

Joy and Sadness

The current holiday season is always one of mixed emotions for us. It’s such a joyous time as we think about the most important part, the Incarnation and what that means for the brethren in Christ. Then there is the hugs and kisses with family who gravitate to our home, and the special once-every-twelve-months hours spent with children, their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Then the emotions of the experience swings the other way; they begin to leave for their several homes, 2000, 1400 kilometres away, then 250, and thankfully, one only 80 kilometres. All but the latter, a single daughter, whom we see regularly, we hug and kiss on an annual basis, because we are now not able to travel to them. How precious those hugs and kisses are, they have to last twelve months!

This time was extra special, because they very carefully sprang a belated, surprise 70th birthday celebration, something which I had sternly told them not to do. Of course, like children everywhere, they had a well-reasoned excuse for their disobedience, “You didn’t forbid it for four months later!”

Two sons and their wives, who are unable to be with us for Christmas, made the effort to join in this forbidden celebration.

I thank God for such earthly exhibition of love and gratitude.

Even more so, I thank God for His majestic exhibition of love towards this most undeserving creature, and that my wife and children, with me above, have also received of that heavenly love, “by grace through faith”, and celebrate with us. I pray that will be true for our grandchildren, as well as our great-grandchildren with Valerie and I in the photo above.

CELEBRATION!

We celebrated! We couldn’t help ourselves when our poinciana tree bloomed in such an amazingly magnificent manner, as the picture shows. Forgive the superlatives, but it was stupendously beautiful. We both said we had never seen a poinciana flower so magnificently before. We are biased! It is OUR tree, which we planted six years ago. And look at it now.

We who are followers of Christ get excited every Christmas season, and we celebrate with all kinds of traditional and non-traditional ways. Some of us seem to forget that, here in Queensland, we live in a hot climate. Consequently our traditions rule our behavior and we celebrate the same way our brethren do in the colder parts of the world, with many eating sumptuous hot meals in celebration!

I’d rather cold meats and salads any day! Everyone to his/her own liking!

We also give gifts, which I trust,help to remind us of the greatest Gift of all, the Almighty Creator, God incarnate (becoming man) as the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What an amazingly stupendous and magnificent act of love and grace. There are no superlative sufficient to describe the wonder of it! Mind boggling in both its complexity and its simplicity, especially when we understand God's intent.

As with every Christmas, this year I cannot help but wonder why those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ,don’t celebrate the fact that Christmas has far greater implications: This incarnation event had far more purpose than simply a stunningly amazing entrance into the world. It's powerful purpose was for Jesus Christ to live the life we cannot live, AND to shed His life blood until death overtook Him, to satisfy His own justice,revealing the indescribable love and mercy that our God has towards all who would receive Him in repentance and faith,.

But death could not hold Him. On the first day of the week He defeated death and hell. It was on this day that His earthly work was finished. He had sealed His place as our New Covenant Savior, brother and friend. His resurrection was the guarantee of resurrection to all who are His, and for whom death has no fear.

Why don't those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ, celebrate every first day of the week, Resurrection Day? It was on this day that His earthly work was finished. He had hung on a cross to pay for my sin and all who would receive Him in repentance and faith.

Let’s think beyond the tradition, the emotion and warm feelings about a baby in a manger, and think about whom this baby is, and why He came to this earth in the miraculous way He did, and why EVERY day of the week is a day for reflection, rejoicing, and celebration.

Is our relationship with the King of Kings, which He paid for, worth only Christmas and Easter, two days a year of happiness and joyous celebration? Why do we separate the two as if there is no connection between them?

I give thanks to our heavenly Father for His provision and blessings during this past year, and, with you celebrate!

Have a happy, and reflective Christmas!

ANOTHER ROAD?

Recently, in a local newspaper, was an article explaining the angst being caused in surrounding homes by the ultra-loud music (noise) coming from some large groups calling themselves "churches".

One church representative said,

There are definitely a significant number of our churches that use modern, contemporary music. This is one of the reasons we are growing through attracting young people

So the appeal of the church is to be to the senses, not to the heart and mind? Another gospel?

Reading this brings to mind the words of another leader who said,

Much of the gospel being proclaimed today has become a caricature of the biblical message, exaggerating certain parts and greatly diminishing (or eliminating) others. There has been a tragic shift from a God-centered message of grace to make the gospel a man-centered human endeavor. God is often made to be an anemic old grandfather begging his children to come back to himself with no ability on his own to gather them. Or he is presented as the great Santa Clause with a bag of goodies to get people to acknowledge him. The truth of the mighty power of the Word of God with the effectual working of the Holy Spirit to raise the dead is lost in a quagmire of humanistic methods and enticements.

Jesus plainly says, No one can come to me, except the Father who has sent me draw him. The ‘outer’ work of the gospel is the proclamation - the preaching of Christ and his saving grace, but the inner work must be the enlightening enlivening power of the Holy Spirit through which the Father draws men to his son.

Seems as though there is a growing tendency to believe that there are many roads to our eternal Father, with those paved with ease and that which excites,

the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions

, being the most travelled.

There seems to be a common blindness today which causes folk to not be able to read the large road sign which says the alternate routes are NOT FROM THE FATHER BUT IS OF THE WORLD.

A Fifth Column?

Seems like centuries ago now, but when I first came into the ranks of those seeking to serve churches as a pastor, I came with high ideals regarding that person.

Naive? Yes! I wouldn't have thought so then.

Idealistic? Yes! Still so!

Realistic? No! Long way off!

My first pastors conference started to sort out my naïveté and my view of reality!

I can't help but commend Dave Black on his honesty about himself,and his awareness of his own weakness and struggles, a very rare quality, indeed!

Then I came across this quote by J.C. Philpot from a sermon preached at North Street Chapel, Stamford, on March 6,1859:

I have ever found myself to be my greatest enemy. I never had a foe that troubled me so much as my own heart; nor has any one ever wrought me half the mischief or given me half the plague that I have felt and known within. And it is a daily sense of this which makes me dread myself more than anybody that walks upon the face of the earth!
Keep a watchful eye upon every inward foe; and if you fight, fight against the enemy that lurks and works in your own breast!

I wonder what gives me the impression that not too many in leadership today would agree with Mr. Philpot?

Why do I get the feeling that Pogo was right when he said,

“I've found the enemy and he is us.”

Have You Ever Wondered?

Have you ever wondered about Peter’s motives when he sought to prevent Jesus predicted suffering? Jesus rebuke makes me wonder,

You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of man

(Mark 8:33).

We can conjecture, and come to some logical conclusions, but are we right, or, more to the point: What do we learn from that moment in time?

Peter’s reasons are reflected in the other disciples’ actions in the ensuing couple of chapters. In Mark 9:33-34, we find the disciples had been disputing about who was the greatest,

Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept silent, for on the road they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

Then, in 10: 35-37 we see the heart of the matter, which is displayed so eloquently in much of the traditional church scene today; with ignorant temerity, induced by an over inflated opinion of their own importance, James and John asked Jesus to place them in a position of great honour.

Again, illustrating what we see commonly happening across the churches today, the other ten disciples get themselves involved in these ugly proceedings. We find them showing great concern that Zebedee’s two sons may be placed in a position which will have negative impact on their own selfish aspirations.

Notice the way the ten, after hearing Jesus initial response, try to squirm out of their implication in this farce, as they turn His attention to James and John ( v.41 ), but, Jesus continues in a way that must have been a solid blow to their regal ambitions for prominence amongst followers of Christ.

Their cherished desire , and strong drive, to be recognized as successful and influential, is rebuffed by Jesus, who compared their behaviour with the way the Roman political overlords functioned. He likened them to the very people who oppressed the Jews, who took advantage of them, and who would put Jesus to death in the very near future,

You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them.

The sinful nature of man was made very evident amongst the Roman political traders in power and oppression, and here were the disciples actually imitating them!

Can you tell me that the same attitude isn’t common amongst Christians today, amongst leaders who clamour for recognition, who love titles, and bask in the supposed glory of being seen as the top dog in the pack, often reminding congregations of their “authority”?

Jesus repudiated and reversed this Adamic human behaviour. To be a leader amongst the people of God is to eschew the enterprising, dominant spirit of religious political power. To be a leader in the family of God is to shun the obnoxious control and subjugation of people for narcissistic glory, the manipulation of congregations for ones own career ambitions. To be a discipler of disciples is to be a truly sacrificial servant and lover of others, who puts the interests of others before ones own.

This is what Jesus modeled, as the mark of greatness! He did so by His own life, teaching, death and resurrection.

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many

(10:45).

Surely that must make those who have a penchant for regularly reminding congregations of their “authority” and “office” to think ?

Maybe I’m living on another planet!