Containers and Contents

In the church today we tend to confuse methods and message, style and substance, or container and content. The issue of style in church has been a contentious one for a long time. It even goes back to the very public condemnation of Isaac Watts as a heretic because he wrote his own words to be put to music instead of limiting himself to the common practice of putting music to the words of the Psalms.

I want to put this discussion into the terms; container and contents. Imagine a person dying of thirst coming to your front door with an empty gourd, the container they have always used to carry water, and asking to fill it with water. Your response is to say, "We don't put water in gourds around here. We believe it is wrong to drink water from anything other than a glass." You send them away thirsty, unwilling to give them water in a gourd.

This seems like a ridiculous story yet I believe it illustrates the way many churches respond when they are confronted with a new way to deliver the gospel. When we make the container too important people die of spiritual thirst because of our stubborn pride concerning the container we have always used.

On the other hand some churches are flexible with containers but the contents are tainted. They have taken the gospel and colored it and sweetened it so that more will drink it. In the process they don't realize that the contents they have offered has become poison Kool-Aid.

The contents are the important thing. Presenting the pure gospel, being faithful to the word are the contents where life giving water is given. In fact the Word Himself, that is Jesus, said,
" ... but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

We come to Jesus with all kind of containers, gourds, glasses, ladles, bowls, even open hands to receive the living water. Lets stop arguing about who has the best, most correct container and be happy that people are receiving life giving water in any container!!!  

The Power of Weakness

"`...Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." Zechariah 4:6b

I looked over the pasture with a hoe in one hand and a pail in the other. I had been given the task of eliminating thistles from this pasture. My dad hates thistles and there were way too many of them on the hobby farm we had recently moved to. The task seemed insurmountable. I was paid five cents per thistle. It was hot and I was thirteen years old. In the end it was more efficient and effective for my father to use other methods to eradicate the thistles in his pastures.

We have all had circumstances that set a seemingly impossible task in front of us. In my experience the most common ways of dealing with this kind of thing is to say that because it is impossible for me to do, it must not be meant for me to do it.  Zerubbabel was facing such a situation when he was tasked with rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. The prophet was given this word from, God to give Zerubbabel as both exhortation and encouragement that the completion of the temple wasn't dependent on Zerubbabel's natural abilities or resources.

It seems many churches will go one of two directions here. On the one hand a church - or believer - will look at what God is asking them to do and say, "its too big" or "we're  too small" or "its not in the budget". The emphasis is not on what God can and wants to do but on the ability of a church or person to accomplish it. At the heart of this is either a belief in a small, weak or unwise God, or, that we will only do what we can receive credit for. If all that is ever done is limited what humanity can naturally do, humanity will always get the credit. I read an author several years ago who said something like this, "Unless it is impossible for man to do, God will never get the credit." This leads to what's on the other hand.

Sometimes we can see God's provision in an endeavor and we can watch as the Holy Spirit moves in equipping and enabling  for His purpose. However, in the end, as others admire the results, it is way to easy for us to take at least some of the credit thus diminishing the glory God gets.


The apostle Paul was faced with this when he asked God to remove a "thorn in the flesh" three times. God answered him by saying,

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
(2  Corinthians 12 : 9a)

Paul, instead of whining like I usually do, responded with the following statement,


"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
(2 Corinthians 12:9b,10)

How cool is it that it is when we are weak, when the task seems too big, that God's power, through the Holy Spirit, rests on us and we can do whatever it is that He calls us to. What a comfort to know that what God wants to accomplish doesn't depend our competency, ability or resources. He just asks for our willingness to take part in what He is doing and allow His Spirit to use us for His glory!!! 

Lessons from a Computer Game?

Finally, I made it to level 9 in Bubbletown. For a long time I have not been able to get past level 7. Today I not only got past level 7, but level 8 as well. As I leave the game I am reminded of how our spiritual lives can be similar to that of a computer game.

Have you ever felt 'stuck' on a certain level spiritually? I know I have. There are two ways we can respond when we find ourselves in this position. The first is that we simply become satisfied that we have gone far enough. This is like saying that because I have completed level 2 of my game I have completed the game all the while denying the fact that there are 8 more levels to the game. The writer of 'Hebrews' addresses this response when he says,

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." (Heb. 5:12-14 ESV)

The writer's audience had become satisfied. They apparently didn't want to admit that there was another level. The writer tears away their smug contentedness by referring to them as immature children who fall far short of what they should be as teachers. We all need that challenge, not to be satisfied. This brings us to the second response.

The Apostle Paul helps us here when he describes his response this way,

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way." (Philippians 3:12-15a ESV)



Paul's response is to 'press on'. He says that pressing on has two parts. First we must forget what is behind. Whether it is a level of achievement or certain failures we must stop being preoccupied with them and look to the future. Then we must strain forward toward what is ahead. This approach doesn't leave us the option of being casual or nonchalant about our spiritual life. It requires both effort and intention. An athlete can intend to be great but without effort it will never happen. Without intention there is no need for effort.

Every endeavor has a level of 'press on' connected to it. At what level in our growing relationship with our Savior and Lord can we say we no longer need to 'press on'? Do we recognize the value of the prize, being everything that God intended us to be to be, as great enough to motivate us to keep 'pressing on'?

Which response are we choosing when our spiritual life seems stagnant; satisfaction or pressing on?Tomorrow, level 10!! 
 

Oak Tree or Acorn?

Why is it that Christians seem to be so content with so little of what Jesus offers. Its kind of like an acorn being content with being an acorn though it knows that it could be an oak tree. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:12ff Do we really believe this? I sometimes think that when we don't see the power of God in healings, deliverance, or provision that we believe that Jesus must be kidding when he said the words above. Could it really be true that we could do 'greater things' than Jesus? The context here is clearly referring to the miracles Jesus did. Maybe we don't see 'greater things' because  we don't really take Jesus at His word, even if we took Him at His word we don't expect Him to do them through us and because maybe He knows that all to often we would steal His glory if He did do them through us. So we go on living an acorns life when we could become the oak tree God created us to be.

The Father's Poem

I've been thinking about a verse that sometimes gets neglected because of the two verses that precede it. Ephesians 2:8,9 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

These are critical verses in  understanding the relationship  between grace, faith, and salvation. But the next verse, often omitted, is critical in understanding who we are as God's creation. It says,
"For we are his workmanship,..." The word 'workmanship' can mislead us. It can give us the impression that God was toiling,  hard at work when He created you and me, hardly enjoying the process. This couldn't be further from the truth .Recently I attended a conference where Len Sweet was a speaker and he pointed out that creation is the result of a Creator at play, not work.  Think about it, when are we most creative? We are far more creative when we are free from the pressures of work. It has been said that if one enjoys what they do, they will never work a day in their life. You see, in the original language the word 'poiema' is used. This is the same word from which we get the English word  'poem'. This is huge. We are the lyric written by the Master lyricist and we are the result of His playful creativity. Any true artist will tell you that their masterpiece was a labor of love and enjoyment. None of us are an accident. The reality of our birth means that we are the product of God's labor of love. He created us with aptitudes, personalities, gifts and environments that are unique to each one.

Since God wrote the lyric that is each one of us, I think He gives us the freedom to supply the tune by our attitudes, word, and actions . A song's tune can make the difference between a song that brings people joyful tears or one that is painful to listen to. We have all heard the national anthem sung done by professional musicians and jr. high choirs. One is generally much easier to listen to than the other.

When I look at my own life I see times when  the tune I supplied was angry, or without hope, or sad, or confused or defeated. My life was out of tune. It doesn't matter how beautiful the lyric, or how perfect the tune fits the lyric,if it is sung out of tune, it is difficult to listen to.These times didn't reflect the faith I professed. As I practice with the Master as my teacher, I sing more and more on-key and my life sounds more of contentment, hope, joy, victory and trust. Maybe you can relate.


It is amazing to me that He wrote the lyric of our lives for His pleasure, purpose and enjoyment. Like the parent of the novice musician beams with pride and joy at the recital even when there are missed notes, so our heavenly Father beams with the same as He hears the recital which is our life. He is not surprised by our missed notes and being off key at times. He knows that it gets better with time and practice. Most of all He knows that there is coming a day when the tunes of all of those who love Him will blend in perfect harmony as we sing His praise before His throne. How cool is that!!! 

Evidence

I like  CSI/NCIS shows and something I have noticed is how often the word 'evidence' is used. There seems to be two kinds of evidence; hard evidence and circumstantial evidence. Hard evidence is what is needed to offer some certainty of guilt while circumstantial evidence may suggest guilt but doesn't prove guilt.

Likewise, our lives as followers of Jesus are proved by evidence. Too often the evidence we offer is merely circumstantial. We attend church regularly, behave as good citizens, practice good hygiene, and give to good causes. All of these and more are just circumstantial evidence. So what is the hard evidence of a relationship with Jesus? The apostle Peter tells us...

"... always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, " (1 Peter 3:15)


It appears that hope is hard evidence. For someone to ask about our hope they must first recognize it in us. Do our attitudes, words and actions reveal hope or fear. Do they suggest confidence concerning the future especially when circumstances would allow otherwise. I'm afraid that many who claim the name of Jesus have put more of their hope in their wealth or a political stance than in Jesus.

Jesus gives us another piece of hard evidence when he says...

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
(John 13:35)
Love is the other key piece of hard evidence that proves our guilt as followers of Jesus. Why are so many telling of how they have been hurt by the church? The bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves yet this is interpreted to mean send a check to someone far away. How many of us  would rather turn away from someone who is hurting rather than risk getting our hands dirty and our reputations tarnished loving someone who, by most accounts, doesn't deserve our love. (see the parable of the Good Samaritan) We seem to forget the we are undeserving of His love for us. You see love is a great evidence because we can't generate this kind of love. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4) We have the ability to love the unlovable because we have experienced His love for us!

With this in mind the question  has been suggested by another, and paraphrased ' If we were on trial for being a follower of Jesus would there be enough hard evidence to convict us?'

I wonder...

Gotta go, CSI is on.

Community

When was it decided that taking care of the poor, sick, and underprivileged is the government's reponsibility. The bible I read tells me that it is the local church's responsibility.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
James 1:27 (ESV)

"...all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need."
Acts 2:44-45 (ESV)

For all it's talk about community the local church isn't very good at doing it. The church is good at getting people to gather at a given place and time, but gathering and having coffee and cookies does not equate to experiencing community. The bible's word for community is koinonos which means, " a sharer, i.e. associate :- companion, × fellowship, partaker, partner." (—Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary) If the church is going to model true community it is going to have to come along side of the poor, sick and underprivileged which means being involved in their life in a way that exhibits the love of Jesus on a very personal, incarnational level. It seems like many christians have chosen to deal with these people by writing a check, (or using a card). Funds are important to meeting needs yet I wonder if sometimes writing checks is way to avoid getting one's hands dirty. It is certainly more convenient. How will they see Jesus if they never get to see the person who wrote the check. They will not experience His love until we invite them into our homes for lodging and meals. They will not understand His provision until the His body takes upon itself the responsibility for physical care of their body as well as their soul.

Maybe if our local churches would have kept doing biblical community, the health and human services department either wouldn't exist or be a fraction of its current size, there would be no health care debate and we would not be living in what is considered post-christian America.