Real Revival and Spiritual Warfare

"In repentance and rest is your salvation,

in quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have none of it." 

Isa. 30: 15

In the past couple of days, I was re-reading a book for the first time in years.  Actually, I had picked it up several times in the past five years, but I have not been able to get "into it."  The book is The Adversary by Mark Bubeck.  Overall, I have heard it said that it is a "classic" on spiritual warfare.  Classic indeed.  I was struck as I was reading the first few chapters how much emphasis was placed on what we do to keep pure. Without our purity and wisdom, we will fall headlong into the devil's schemes.  These schemes come from the totally corrupt "world system" and many hapless Christians have fallen prey to worldliness thus losing their salvation (23-24).  The last part can only be inferred as he does not come right out and say it, but the context dictates it.

Perhaps the greatest idol of all religion and Western Christianity is our fascination with self.  We do not need to be lured by the "world" into a self-centered life because the church and our own flesh does a fine job encouraging it.  Of course if you have an accurate understanding of "the world" that includes all non God-centered thoughts and philosophies as "worldly" such a declaration will not shock you.  You will realize that much of what passes for Biblical religion is really rehashed worldly thought.  Instead of promoting faith and trust, we often promote self-righteous dependence upon our own efforts.

One test of spiritual truth we should teach in every evangelical church: Our life must be God-centered, Christ-centered, and dependent upon the Holy Spirit-centered in its thought and application.  Does my faith promote a trust in myself or a dependence upon God?  Do my religious thoughts promote authentic humility, which is confident trust in God and despair of self, or do they promote self-effort as a means of growth?  These are questions we should constantly ask God as we read His word and pray each day.

In today's passage from Isaiah, we see God's take on self-centered religion as opposed to authentic spirituality.  On the one side is Israel rejecting God's ways and running off to Egypt for help against her enemies.  To those folks, God declares they will get what they want.  They will trust in Egypt and Egypt will fail them.  

On the other side is that of authentic spirituality.  "In repentance and rest is your salvation."  Repentance means crying out to God for help.  We have the promise that God "longs to have compassion on us."  He will be our teacher if we just repent of our self-effort and rest in Him.

Furthermore, "In quietness and trust is your strength."  God is able to save from Israel's enemies.  The same promise applies to the believing people of God.  Do we believe it?  I have heard it said recently that Christian spirituality believes, "If it is going to be, it is up to me."  Really?  Anything lasting and real must come from God and His work.  We can trust him and quietly depend upon Him.  Such humility is our strength.

So, how do we do it?  How do we "train" ourselves to live this way?  I call it active passivity.  We must actively repent of our self-effort and attempts to control our situation.  Such repentance runs contrary to our sinful nature.  It seems like death to us!  Yet, it is the doorway into true life and into God's power.  We actively repent and believe in what God has done and will do.  This is resting in and under God's righteousness given to us in Christ.  It passively receives Christ's righteousness and power as its own.

Do you long for God's reviving hand in your life?  Do you wish that God's power would flow through you to bring about His kingdom?  Do you desire to see your friends, family, church, and community changed by the power of God?  

Repent of self-effort to bring this about and believe the gospel.  Ask that God would open hearts and opportunities.  Rest in His mighty power and love for you and others.  Trust in His love and power.  Actively quiet yourself before Him.  As you do, you will find that you are participating in what God is doing instead of asking Him to bless what you do.

Spiritual Warfare, Writing, and Prayer

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6: 10-13

In the past four months, I have read widely on the topic of spiritual warfare.  After all of that reading and research, I am completely persuaded that I have something new, fresh, and needed to say on the subject.  November 1 begins my concentrated time of writing on the topic.  I signed up for the "write a book in a month" initiative, and the month is November.  I believe I am ready for the effort, but I really need some help!

What type of help?  Well, C.S. Lewis declared that the worst six months of his life were during his writing of The Screwtape Letters.  This book concerning the ways of spiritual warfare and the “devil’s schemes” is a classic on the subject.  If he has such a difficult time, what can I expect?

Since I began studying this topic, I have learned much.  I have come to value even more the power of prayer and walking in dependence upon the Holy Spirit as I have wrestled with Satan's schemes and attacks against my family and church.  So far, these attacks have not been directly at my health, mind or walk with God (thanks to your prayers!).  Instead, they have been directed at the "weak links" in my life that are easy targets of temptation, lies, and unbelief.  Unfortunately these schemes take much of my time and energy!  

Please join me in praying for God's protection and grace as I write.  Pray for peace and purity in my life, the life of my family, and the life of my church.  Pray for the Lord's hand to be upon me and my family as I write.

I also pray for God's wisdom and grace to guide my thoughts and writing.  This topic is broad and the writing on the topic is full of strange twists and turns.  Please pray that I avoid these strange tangents!  

Pray that I write with clarify, power, grace, and a gospel-centered approach to an important but neglected topic.

I begin by saying that in this world, we occasionally see glimpses of the spiritual realm, though most of us do not know what we are really seeing.  In other parts of the world, spiritual warfare is much more intense and out in the open.  In America and the West, it is much less visible though just as prevalent.  The truth is that we live in a spiritually alive universe.  

There is only one God, and His power, majesty, and sovereignty are not in question.  The evil one is not another God, though he seeks to take God’s rightful glory.  He is a usurper who steals glory and praise not due him.  He is a fallen angel given the earth as his home range  until Christ comes back to set all things aright.  He lives on a short lease: a lease held by the sovereign Lord.  He has under his command an assortment of fallen angels (demons) who seek to destroy God's work and Kingdom.  We know that these evil beings will not prevail!  Yet, in this life, we need to be aware that we have an enemy seeking both our destroy our life and to keep us out of Kingdom work.

In the midst of the working out of God's victory in Christ, I ask again, would you pray that the Lord will protect my walk with Him, my family, and my Church.  Please pray that He will give me clarity as to what the scriptures say on the subject.  Joining with Paul’s words, please pray that I be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Pray that I would put on the armor of God, which is Christ’s righteousness, so I can take my stand against the devil’s schemes.  Pray for clarity of mind to write well and quickly.  Pray that I would cut through the many knots found in this subject to compose something worthwhile and helpful.  As Jesus told us to pray, ask the Lord to “not lead Dr. Greg (his family and his church) into temptation, but deliver him from the evil one.” (Matt. 6:13)

This blog has been so helpful to me!  I do appreciate my readers from around the world.  Please join me in prayer and share these thoughts with your friends and colleagues.  

Changing our habits and heart

In yesterday's post, I discussed the "sluggard."  I confessed that all too often, I have been that man!  I know that all of us often put off to tomorrow what we should do today.  In a fallen world, it is our condition.  Today I wanted to keep with the theme of laboring in the world for the Lord.  In particular, I wish to repost elements of a former entry that several folks told me was helpful.  

The key question is how do we change our habits so that we can honor the living God with our use of time?  Our habits become so ingrained that they become our character.  I know that many of us hate this idea!  We wish and hope for the grace to change.  We might even pray for inner transformation.  Yet, we stay the way we are or only make slight changes to our basic character. 

At this point, many people give us looking for the gospel and Jesus to really change them.  They resign themselves to letting the past dictate the future.  Some give up going to church for fear of being found out as hypocrites.  Why can they not change!

I believe one reason people do not change is they have never thought through or been taught how to change any behavior.  In today's culture, we are often told that what is is what should be.  In other words, don't hope for something better, but make the best of what you got.  I find this advice crazy.  I want to fight against my fallen nature and against the fallen world!  I want God to be honored with my life, behavior, and heart.

So, how do we change?  In my experience, it takes three days to make most surface changes.  To change your diet, three days.  To change exercise patterns, three days.  Three days of will-power and you can change many patterns.  The key is that you really have to want to change.  

I also have found that three weeks of pattern change often changes our character.  In other words, keep doing what you change for three days for three weeks and you will find your desires for the old behavior are lessened.  

Many say they want to lose weight.  Yet, they eat horribly.  The reality is that they like junk food more than they wish to lose weight.  Three days and you can change patterns!  Three weeks and you are different!

If you fall off the wagon, remember it is only three days of will-power.  Remind yourself of your goal.  Stop yourself from your destructive patterns for three days.  On day four, it will be easier!

So where does God fit into all this?  I ask Him constantly for the will-power to make it three days!  I talk with Him constantly about my desire to give up the donut for better health.  I ask Him to change my desires.  In other words,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight." 

Proverbs 3: 5-6 

In the process of making surface changes, I also ask the Lord to help me see why I do what I do.  What really motivates me?  What truly causes my surface sins?  I have to admit the answers to these questions are often elusive.  I need God to reveal what is going on under the surface.

Let me give an example.  Why do you eat wrong foods?  Do you like food or do you hate your body?  The first can be cured with will-power, the second needs the gospel to deal with your heart.  So many folks believe deep down that they deserve to be fat and unattractive.  Such a belief is both untrue and destructive.  In Christ, it needs to be identified, confessed, repented of, and the truth of the gospel needs to be applied.  At this point, you may need help of a trusted friend or counselor to help apply the love of God to your heart.

Let me give another example, are you controlling in your relationships?  Why?  Ask for the Holy Spirit to be at work revealing the truth.  Do you want others to serve you?  Is it selfishness?  Is it a desire to be right?  Do you doubt that God could be at work apart from your desires for the other person?  Repent of your actual heart sins.  Ask for the Lord to heal those places deep within.  

So how do we change?  Ask the Lord for mercy, grace and will-power to change some basic habits.  Remember in three days you can change many habits!

Also, ask the Lord for mercy and grace to see that your surface behaviors/sins are caused by a heart that needs grace.  In my walk with God, I use the three day will-power trick to force myself to come before the Lord in repentance and then faith.  By day four, it is much easier to come into His presence in repentance and faith.  My guess is that such behavior also could help you!  Remember, in three weeks you will find changes to your heart.

Remember growth is a process.  Real heart change often takes time and there will be ups and downs.  If you fall off the wagon, repent and begin again.

Every day is a new day of grace!

A Really Long Trip

It has been a long time since I last wrote!  Last night, I returned from a 10 day trip that included 2800 miles of driving, two conferences, a visit to my mother's, and much time trying to figure out what to eat that is gluten free while traveling.  I figured I would write during my second conference, but the internet connection was so bad and the pace of the conference so steady that I did not get a chance.  It will take me days to get caught up on all my e-mail!  Alas, I do believe I am ready for the challenge.

"I passed by the field of the sluggard, and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense;

and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles,

its surface was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down.

When I saw, I reflected upon it;

I looked and received instruction.

'A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest.'

Then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want like an armed man." Pro. 24: 30-34

Each day I read a chapter of Proverbs.  It is a very practical book in the Old Testament that gives pithy statements of general truth.  In the ancient near eastern cultures, such statements amounted to understood and passed on cultural intelligence.  To know these proverbs well and to apply them in life illustrated good education.  Solomon was the wisest man in the world because he knew, composed, and passed on these proverbs.

I read a chapter in Proverbs each day because there is one for each day of the month.  I have read a  chapter in this book each day for over 20 years!  You would think I have them memorized.  Instead, I find that the Holy Spirit applies them to my life each day.

Today, even with my weariness, the Lord impressed upon me that this trip was a good following of His leading.  I lead two sessions of a Sonship retreat in Pennsylvania, and His Spirit rested upon the time.  I also lead devotions on Wednesday for the CRC retreat and emphasized the gospel as the center of all we do as a denomination.  I shared that it is so easy for individuals, churches, and groups of churches to get caught up in theological rightness, moral correctness, and personal preference instead of proclaiming the freedom found in the gospel.  Again, the Spirit of God rested upon my feeble words.  In this case, it helped shape our final recommendations concerning ordination in the CRC. 

I know for years of my Christian journey I have not been so faithful to following the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I have been the "sluggard" talked about in Proverbs.  How so?  

I have a horrible tendency to put off to tomorrow what I could do today.  Each of us are given 24 hours to live each day.  No one has more time than others.  Why do some of us get more done than others?  They use their time wisely!  As I look back on the first half of my life, I sure have wasted a ton of my God-given time!  I have spend it on amusements, laziness, and non-Kingdom based activities.  I have folded my hands in rest and said to myself, "Tomorrow I will start."  The problem is that tomorrow never comes!

When I was a kid, we had an old bar called the Trading Post where we loved to eat dinner.  It had great food and homemade pies!  It also had a sign outside that said, "Free Beer Tomorrow."  If asked about it, the owner would say, with a sly smile on his face, "Come back tomorrow and all the beer is free."

Tomorrow never comes.  Take the five minutes to start that new project today!  Be in motion for the Kingdom.  Call that friend the Lord lays upon your heart.  Do not put it off!  As you follow the Lord's leading He will give you more strength to face the day.

Our characters are formed by repeated choices.  We can be transformed by God's grace and by asking the Spirit to apply what we hear from the living God.  Ask Him to use you!  You will be amazed what He can do!

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory..." Ephesians 3: 20-21

Real Faith

"True faith, strictly speaking, does not do anything; it does not give, but receives.  So when one says that we do something by faith that is just another way of saying that we do nothing- at least that we do nothing of ourselves.  It is of the very nature of faith, strictly speaking, to do nothing.  So when it is said that faith works through love, that means that through faith, instead of doing something for ourselves we allow some one else to help us.  That force which enters our life at the beginning through faith, before we could do anything at all to please God, and which then strengthens and supports us in the battle that it has enabled us to begin, is the power of the Spirit of God."  J. Gresham Machen, What is Faith?  Eerdmans, 216.  Found in the Sonship manual, 133.

In our discipleship class this week, we discussed the two natures of the flesh and how they interact with each other.  The two sides of the flesh are sensuality and self-effort.  We discussed how the "Christian" community condemns and identifies sensuality as a sin, but we rarely see religious self-effort (or self-effort of any sort) as true sin.  Why?  The answer is too varied for one post!  Today I will share some thoughts concerning the flesh, self-effort, and the nature of true faith.

Have you noticed how the churches and individuals who speak out the strongest against sexual sin are often marked by sexual sin?  Have you ever wondered why those who build large ministries or "successful" Christian businesses are often undone by greed, embezzlement, sex scandals, or some strange deviant behavior that was kept hidden until it appeared and suddenly destroyed their lives and  testimony for Jesus?

I have often puzzled over these questions!  I know there are always many reasons for every event, but I believe one of the clearest issues is that many of us do not understand the gospel nor do we understand the way our religious self-effort cannot "kill" sensuality within us.

What do I mean?  Most of us have been taught that if you struggle with some outward sin, let's say over-eating, we must have the will power to overcome it.  If we are strong people, we can do this.  Some of us can keep our New Year's Resolutions for months on end.  Others give up quickly.  But the strong keep going.  Our churches are often full of "strong" people who can act the part demanded.  Through self-effort they can change their behavior- at least for awhile!

So, we exercise and eat right.  We read books about diet.  We do well.  Then the Little Debbie snack cake appears in the middle of the afternoon when we are hungry.  We take a bit.  We eat the rest.  It is so good!  The sugar does great things for our attitude.  We now start thinking about food and sweets again.  We might talk the talk with our friends and family, but we are secret eaters!  Then at a barbecue, a vacation, or a buffet we finally throw off the act and eat like we wanted to.  We keep it up.  Eventually we have regained our weight.  We envy those with the strength to keep it up.  

What happened?  When it comes to over-eating, we never dealt with our heart issues.  Why do we over-eat?  Does it give us comfort?  Do we really hate ourselves?  Do we believe we deserve to be unattractive and fat?  Or do we just like food?  Is our eating a good good and balanced desire for God's good gifts?  In other words, we rarely ask why we have these desires?

Deep within us is a very real need to find our core affirmation and love in our relationship with God.  John Calvin tells us that faith was one of the items completely lost in the fall.  I have often found this observation intriguing.  Don't we all know that God exists and call upon Him in need?  Yes, we do.  The problem is really believing and resting in His love for us.  Such a faith is radically different than calling upon Him in a time of trial.  It is not momentary and fleeting but abiding.  It is based upon repentance of self-effort and trust in the completed work of Christ.  

Ultimately, it is life-changing because such faith is heart-changing.  With the flesh, we cannot defeat the flesh.  It will always work behind the scenes to undo us.  The only way to defeat the flesh is to allow the Spirit to deal with our heart.  We cannot deal with our heart on our own!  When our internal desires change, our behavior changes in healthy and good ways.  It truly changes.  We do not have to "keep up the appearances" but we truly want holiness and God's presence.  We find our deepest needs met in the Lord and the sensual sins are no longer attractive because they do not satisfy!

Such a faith is receiving Christ's finished work and His love.  It is actively passive before the Lord.  May true faith and trust mark each of our lives today!

Gospel rightly taught

Today I am chasing too many issues to think clear enough to write something new.  Please be praying for me as I prepare to travel much, speak in a variety of venues, and visit a bit with old and new friends.  

This post was given several weeks ago, but it had precious few hits.  From this I have learned not to put "Duck hunting" in a post title if I wish to gain readership!  The information in this post is important to think through.  In our Grace Leadership Training this morning, we discussed it further.  Please join me in thinking about the marks of the true church!

I will begin with a quote from an early Protestant confession called the Augsburg Confession (1530).  It states,

A true church is the “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments rightly administered.” Augsburg Confession Article 7

The gospel rightly taught.  So what does this mean?  Luther's understanding of the gospel includes the full-orbed explanations that I share on this blog.  It is not distilled down to "what will get you into heaven," but it is marked by a life of repentance and faith.  Such a life impacts every dimension of a believer, and it propels the believer to trust in Christ alone for all of life.  

A true church will teach, preach, and hold dearly to Christ alone as the source and securer of our salvation.  It will cling to salvation by grace alone, and it will emphasize faith alone as the means of living in right relationship with God.  It will also cling to the proper understanding of scripture alone as the revelation of God's will for faith and practice.  I say proper understanding because it will emphasize that one must interpret scripture within and from its proper historical, grammatical, and lexical context while keeping the whole of biblical revelation in mind as one interprets each passage.  Such an interpretation takes thoughtful exegesis and careful application.  Finally, a true church will also be committed and involved in spreading the gospel to all.  It will not just talk about reaching out, but it will challenge both believers and unbelievers to live a life of repentance and faith.  The result of this challenge will be changed lives and conversions.  The true church is never a club for religious insiders, but instead she is an outpost for mission to a lost and hurting world!

I was sharing with the folks in the meeting that I would gladly travel 45 miles on a Sunday to attend such a church.  I probably would even go further!  I would hope that I could find one closer, but in Maine we do not have that many choices of gospel- and grace-centered churches.  We have churches that hold some of these principles, but few that make all of these principles central to their faith and practice.  I encourage all of us to find these churches and join them to make them stronger!

What are the practical implications of what I am saying?  First, if you are looking for a church, do not settle for one that has "great youth programs" or anything programmatic.  The most important element of a church is not that the music makes you feel great.  First and foremost look for a church where the gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered!  Upon these two factors we should judge the suitability of a church.

Second, if you are part of a church that holds some of these traits but not all of them be very careful!  Try to help the church repent and change.  Yet realize that a system like a church is very hard to change once it becomes set in its ways.  This is particularly true if you are not the leader of the church!  If you cannot move the system back to gospel- and grace-centered, it might well be time to leave.  Why?  The true church needs your help.  Gospel- and grace-centered churches have always been the minority of churches in the land.  Their witness needs to expand.  Join with them and be part of what God is doing!

Growing in Grace

It has been a very busy past couple of days with a promise of more effort in the near future.  Even as I posted about the need for a Sabbath rest on my Sabbath, I wrote a long blog, prepared a wedding, did a wedding rehearsal, and then participated in a small group at Grace.  Not smart!  Today, I will be reflecting upon and living this blog post from the summer.  May the Lord use it to bless all of our lives!

"For my days to remain healthy, I needed this silence.  For to be renewed in strength I needed to come before my God.  It is amazing how a few minutes with our God can so energize us and empower us to return to our daily work.  To miss out on this time of quiet is to deny ourselves our birthright as daughters and sons of God.  If I am to speak meaningfully about God to others, I need to spend time in his presence and learn of his love.  In the same way, if I am to talk meaningfully to God about others and his world, I need to be immersed in the world and relate to others." Adam, The Road of Life, 109.

I have so enjoyed reading this book.  I have taken the time to ponder, to pray, and to meet with God as I read it.  In my years of walking with Christ, I have also found this message to be so true.  If you desire more of God in your life, there is no way to get it except to pursue Him!  

I am always amazed by those who will then argue theologically with me on this point.  They will claim, often with a dismissive and condescending tone, "Don't you know that you have every spiritual blessing in Christ?  You do not need more of God!"  To this I must say, "Really?"  I find that I need more of God's presence and work in my life!  The older I get the more I find I need Him.  To argue theologically about this reality illustrates an aversion to the gospel, to God's presence, and to our need.  As I read scripture and church history, everyone who really walked with God has sought His presence and grown in an awareness of need.

Let me give one example, the Apostle Paul.  Paul writes early in his ministry that we are to be imitators of him, just as I am of Christ.  In what ways do we imitate him?  I believe it was in his humility as he came to Christ for mercy and grace.  At the end of his life, Paul writes "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost of all.  And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." 1 Tim 1:15-16.

The key to this verse is that Paul uses the present tense to describe his life.  He is the chief of sinners.  I know some will argue that he was using to present tense to show past participation.  I find that argument hogwash.  As Paul matured in the faith, he understood he had a growing need for Christ.  He understood his sinful self-sufficiency and pride as more and more real.  Christ came into the world to save sinners, and he knew himself to be the foremost sinner!  

This should give us so much hope and encouragement.  We do not have to minimize or fake the reality of our sin.  We should confess it, repent of it, and seek Christ's help to grow deeper.  As we do this, we find God's presence.  We also find wisdom, power, grace, love, and mercy.  All of this leads to peace and joy.  Why?  Because we find fellowship with Jesus.

Take a moment to think of the opposite way of growing.  I believe this is completely hypothetical because it does not match anyone's experience even as we try to make it match our vision of the Christian life!  It has a slight resemblance to the truth, but it ultimately untrue.  

Here is the vision of maturity.  Believers grow more and more holy as they become more and more immersed in the Christian community.  We learn how to put aside sin more and more as we mature in the faith.  How?  By growing in knowledge and by escaping the evil World.  The result of such separation from evil will be that we will grow in our knowledge of God and this leads to us knowing Him better.  As a result, we put away our sinful tendencies and grow into Christ.  You can tell mature Christians by their personal holiness.  

The problem with this vision is not in the goal of personal holiness.  The problem is the means of getting to this goal!  If knowledge will make us grow, seminary professors and the academic Christians would necessarily be the most holy.  Anyone who has been around these folks know this is not true!    Perhaps it is those who are strict separatists who declare all worldliness to be the problem?  I have also not seen much authentic personal holiness from this crowd.  Instead, I find a group of people that deny the power of the gospel to transform their hearts even as they cover up the true condition of their soul.

The real problem with this form of spirituality is that it denies to continued struggle against sin because of the fall.  It declares that through self-discipline, we can put aside sin.  In its logical conclusion (which few are willing to admit), it leads to a place where we do not need a savior because we now have it all together.  Now Jesus is our equal, as we are just like Him.

Such thought does not match the experience of the Apostle Paul.  Nor does it match the testimony of anyone I would trust throughout church history.  The only folks that believe this embrace the Enlightenment ideal of progress through education (Isn't this ironic given the fundamentalist/separatist hatred of "secular humanism").  Often these well-meaning folks deny the effects of original sin and in the process deny their desperate need for a savior.  What is missing in this vision of the Christian life is the gospel.  Because it misses the gospel, it is nothing more than bad self-help advice.

So where does it go wrong?  The hint of the truth is that maturity will be lived out in personal holiness.  As we grow, we do put aside many of the obvious sinful tendencies that marked us.  The problem is that our cultural vision of the Christian life dismisses the very power that can change us.  If we are honest, we find that as we come to know the real God, we find ourselves struggling more and more with real and damaging sin.

Let's give some clear and concrete examples of what this looks like in real life.  At one time, our problem was pornography.  Now it is a heart and mind that just thinks of sexual sin seemingly without cause.  With just a little nurturing, these heart sins can dominate a person's life.  Such a person does not look at porn, but their life is marked by lust.  Outwardly, through self-effort, they have become a "victorious" believer over their sin of lust.  Inwardly, they have a heart problem that they dare not confess because that would illustrate immaturity.  Such a person is setting themselves up for a major fall!

Another common example would be that once our life was marked by outward fighting, brawling, and a rebellious heart.  Now we have put aside these outward, immature actions.  Unfortunately, our current struggle is with a heart and mind that cannot stop judging others and looking down on those who are different.  We become a person who is self-righteous, judgmental, and not loving.  We have a major heart issue, but we gather into a community of folks who think like us, so we never see our need for God's grace!

Others have grown to recognize and put aside materialism.  They complain about the worldliness and materialism of the "evil people out there" and their fellow believers.  Yet, now they find their heart and soul are so captured by temporary comfort and the pleasant events in this life that they take our eyes of Jesus.  Soon they wonder where the joy of walking with Christ has gone.  As a result, they immerse themselves more and more their hobbies, their families, their vacations, and their daily life.  Again, their heart needs a savior, but they are blind to their real need.

So what does this mean?  Most of us are completely unaware that our outward actions are driven by our inward, seemingly innate, heart desires.  Some of us can, through discipline and self-effort, change our outward actions.  The problem is that we cannot change our hearts!  Only God's grace and transforming power can change our heart.  

Paul's example tells us that as we grow in maturity, we grow in our understanding of our need for a real, gracious and loving savior.  Why?  Because we grow in our understanding of our rebellious and wandering heart.  

So what should we do?  Do not pretend that these inward thoughts, desires and sin tendencies do not exist.  Do not pretend that you have it all together.  Confess your need for a savior and find the mercy and love of Jesus is real and heart-transforming.  In other words,

Maturity means that from the outside people can see us growing more holy, but inwardly we grow to understand our need for repentance and faith.

Confess your struggles with others.  Pray, seek God's face, have others pray for you.  Slow down and seek God in solitude.  Most importantly, remember that the gospel is central to all of life.  It is not merely a ticket to heaven, but it is the foundation for authentic living in a fallen world.

Will you quiet yourself enough today to listen to the power yet still small voice of the living God?

God's glory through the Church?

"Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."  Ephesians 5: 25-27

In this passage, Paul compares the husband and wife relationship with that of Christ and his bride, the Church.  What I find interesting about this passage is that so many of us do not see the church as beautiful and worthy of such treatment!  No wonder we are so confused on how to love each other in a husband and wife relationship.  

Today's post is an attempt to clarify what Paul was seeing in Christ's love for his beautiful bride.  To begin we have to be honest that almost all of us have had at least one bad experience with the church.  The results is that we look at church through a different lens than Paul.

How do we see and judge the church?  We often use our personal feeling and experiences with those in the church as our guide.  We might like the people or we might not.  We might like the worship or we might not.  We might feel like the church meets our needs or it might not.  When a church does not meet our perceived needs, we might give up on Church or we might look for another.  Furthermore, some of us have been taught that there is only one true expression of the Church (like the Roman Catholic tradition maintains about itself as well as many Pentecostal and fundamentalist churches), and we have found that lacking in gospel-focus, purity, life-transforming power, and engagement with the real world.

Let's be honest, it is tough to see or even believe hypothetically that the church is beautiful!  Why do we experience the church in this manner?  I think there are several reasons.  

First, we often have incorrect expectations about the local expressions of the true Church.  All of us have a longing to be accepted and be part of a utopian society.  "Why can't we all get along?" is a question that resonates within our soul!  I believe we have this longing because we were made for something greater than life in this fallen world.  In fact, our longing for perfect relationships and perfect love is one of the greatest proofs of our need for a real and repaired relationship with God!  Our greatest issue is that all of us are not perfect.  We are selfish, inward-turned individuals struggling to live authentically in this fallen world.  

What does this mean for the local church?  In this world the church is a mixed group.  All churches are composed of people struggling against their tendency toward selfishness, self-reliance, and self-righteousness.  This includes the professed believers in Christ!  All of us continue to struggle against our sin tendencies.  In addition, in a healthy church there will be those who are not yet redeemed struggling with their sin tendencies.  The result is that a close look at any church will reveal hypocrisy, doubt, anger, and every other sin under the sun.  For many of us, this is a complete turn-off.  How could "holy" people do such things!?

This leads to the second reason we have trouble seeing God's glory in the church.  We have an incorrect understanding of God's glory in this world.  As people we are learning/relearning how to walk in faith with and through Jesus.  Faith is what changes us and teaches us to love.  We are all so self-centered and turned in on ourselves!  We should not be surprised when others hurt us or act in a selfish manner.  We should not be surprised when we judge "church" by our feelings and immediate desires.  Instead, we should be people who repent quickly of our sins and who forgive quickly the sins of others.  Let us confess sin as sin, but not be shocked we live in a fallen world!  The Church is truly the only place on earth where we can experience and extend grace that allows us to be real about our struggles, sins, and lack of faith.

The final reason (for today) as to why we have trouble seeing God's glory in the church has to deal with our experiences with dead churches instead of with the living true church.  Any local expression of the church is beautiful when it works well.  It is beautiful when it preaches and lives out the gospel.  Such a church includes the mark of Christ-centered worship that promotes true humility and authenticity.  Authentic living includes a real recognition of our tendency to wander from the path of life with the Lord.  Instead of places marked by a fake "niceness" (whatever that is!), such a church will be marked by individuals who are quick to repent from their sin and who foster a living dependent faith in Christ for forgiveness and the power to love.  Such a church, and the individuals within the church, will also be marked by outreach to a lost world through word and deed.  Such action is the only hope for this world.  Such action is beautiful and lovely.  Such action is also rare in a day and age marked by self-concern and self-centeredness more than God-centered living working itself out in love for others.

All of this to say that we do not see the church as beautiful because we, and our churches, often confuse the true glory of God on earth.  We want heaven now, but in a fallen world this is not possible.  The glory of God in this fallen world is the restoration of that which has been lost through sin and death.  We should look for and enjoy seeing new people come to the freedom of the children of God (Romans 8).  We should look for and enjoy seeing fellow believers grow deeper in love with God so that they can walk with Him in fuller ways.  This means that we should look for and enjoy seeing love in action.  The church is a place to learn how to love and how walk with Jesus by faith.  We need to take our attention off of the sins of others or ourselves and place it instead on the love and faith that are expressed.  So much of seeing God's glory is about having eyes to see the expressions of restoration instead of focusing on sin and death!

The true Church is a place where the living Lord, Jesus Christ works through the Spirit to purify His people so they might know Him better.  He draws us all to deeper repentance and living faith.  He demonstrates incredible patience and mercy toward His often wayward people.  He sends prophets and priests to keep His people on track, though they often failed in this task.  The church is meant to be the "city on a hill" and "light to the world."  It shines the light of God's grace and truth into the dark world.  Light in the midst of darkness is beautiful.

May we have eyes to see the glory of the Lord in our faith communities.  May we seek out such places and join them so we can grow deeper in repentance and faith to the glory of God.  

Sabbath Rest in the Ministry

The old joke runs that preachers have the best job in the world since they only work for an hour on Sunday.  In my experience, that is far from the truth.  Being a pastor is like running a small business.  Most pastors work at least 50 hours a week, and they still feel like there is so much more to do.  (why?  because there is much more to do!)  Many pastors are people pleasers, and they work to prove to themselves and others that they are worth their pay.  While there are some ignorant people out there who do not believe pastors should be paid well, most understand that pastors have a difficult job.  They are worth every penny they are paid (with their skill set, what would they be paid in the business world?), and congregations need to safeguard their pastors from burnout and fatigue.

How can we do this?  Insist that pastors take a Sabbath rest.  As I said, most pastors feel like there is more to do, so they cheat and work through their Sabbath.  There is always someone to help, so they keep on working.  Unfortunately and I think incorrectly, others feel like Sunday is the Sabbath so that is their day off.  I know I often work 15 to 16 hour days on Sundays.  How is that a day off?  How is that rest?  Ironically, God's word, the very thing pastors are supposed to defend and protect, has much to say about the Sabbath.  It is even one of the big 10!  Today we will look at Exodus 20: 8-11.

In Exodus 20 Moses gives the following rational for keeping the Sabbath.  He states, "For in six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; ... for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."  What does this mean?  Why is this really important?  Is it just another seemingly arbitrary rule?

No, here in Exodus, Moses tells us to rest because it illustrates our trust in God.  We can rest assured that the Lord will complete all the work, as He did in creation.  We follow His example because He is able to finish all his work and make the seventh day holy or set apart.  Why is it so hard for pastors and all work-a-holics to believe this?  

Here is the root of our sin.  We think God could not do without us.  Thus, we have to "help" people because without us, the Kingdom would fall!  Of course this is crazy, but our actions show us what we really believe.  Repent and rest in Christ as the one who builds the Kingdom.  As you find yourselves itching for work, repent and ask for mercy and grace to enjoy the Lord's complete control of the universe.  After all, He made it all!

For those who claim that Sunday is the Sabbath and it is a rest.  I say hogwash! (with all the full Jewish implications)  We need a rest!  As Jesus tells us, "The Sabbath was made for Man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)  If you labor on Sunday, take another day and set it apart as holy unto the Lord.  Repent of your hard-heartedness which denies that God can and will work without you.  Learn to enjoy Him.  Again, as you find yourselves itching for work, repent and ask for mercy and grace to enjoy the Lord's complete control of the universe.  After all, He made it all!  

A New Lamb and the Gospel

Yesterday was another first for the Selmon ranch.  We got our first lamb!  "Franny" is a six-month old male lamb.  He was given to us by a woman from a local store who purchased him at less than a week old, bottle fed him in their basement for two months, and now had this growing brute out in a small pen with her chickens.  He is a cute little bugger.  

Franny, who we will name Dirty Harry, comes to us as an answer to prayer.  About a month ago we were out at a local fair.  My children just loved the sheep.  They asked several different times if we could get some sheep.  Furthermore, my two year old loves the show on Netflix called Shawn the Sheep, which details the adventures of a flock of sheep, led by scrawny but smart lamb named Shawn, in their barnyard.  I say my two year old loves it, but so does the whole family.  I told them we should pray about finding some sheep since we have the room.  I was also looking forward to having sheep so I could learn first-hand some of the biblical analogies concerning sheep.

Well, last week this woman I know from the local store approaches me to ask if I will take her young lamb.  They are moving and he has outgrown their chick coop.  I said I we would be happy to take him.  I knew about this addition for a week, but all I told the kids was I had a surprise for them on Tuesday.

Yesterday, the boys and I made a pen for Harry.  I told them what was happening and with great excitement they helped get the electric fence run.  I chose electric because a worker at the local Tractor Supply store told me he had sheep and that electric fencing is the way to go if you only have one or two.  It is also the cheapest way to fence anything since I have all the components already.  

I just wish we had told this to Harry.

After the fence was run, the boys and I took our new/old horse trailer down to pick up Franny.  With his owners, Franny comes when called, almost like a dog.  He loves to be pet and will bound over to see new people.  So far so good!  His owner opened the door to the pen, called him, and he walked over and went up and on our trailer with only a slight push and the leading of some sweet feed.  We closed the back gate, they said their farewells, and we were ready to go.

It was an eleven mile trip back to our place with the lamb.  Something happened to the poor critter in those eleven miles!  By the time we got here, he was making funny noises and moving all around the trailer.  My boys got in their with him and pet him.  He loved it, but he did not calm down.  My youngest was thrilled to have a lamb.  We drove out to the pen, took off the electrified gate, backed the trailer in, and we were ready to let Franny out.  Slowly the heavy back door came down.  Out came Dirty Harry.

The first thing the lamb did was attempt to go out between the trailer and the fence.  He touched the fence, was shocked, and he started running in the pen.  We called him.  He looked at us, went back up to the fence and was shocked again.  Now in a complete panic, he bolted through out closely woven fence into our field.  Not good.

First biblical lesson learned from Dirty Harry: scared sheep will not obey anyone.  They run around on their own, and they will not respond to even gentle and loving leading.  A gentle voice, the offer of good food and nourishment, calling their name, nothing will work.  Why?  Because they run away and will not get close to anyone!  Poor Harry had a wild and scared look in his eyes that betrayed a heart and soul in turmoil!

After about forty-five minutes to an hour, Harry finally calmed down a bit.  He noticed all the hay we had in the pen and the temporary shelter that was build.  Finally, he would finally approach us, though at first he was tentative and ready to bolt if you held out your hand.  Slowly, he regained trust in us and let us stroke his head.  He ate some of the grain we had in a bucket for him.  Then suddenly, he ran right into his pen.  

By this time it was almost dark, and I was late for a bible study at church.  We prayed he would survive the night and not escape.  The good news is that he is still in his pen this morning!  Please pray that Harry continues to adjust well.

"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant, for I do not forget Thy commandments." Ps 119: 176.

Another Counterfeit- the moralistic gospel

Today I will be picking up my writing concerning Kevin Wax's book, Counterfeit Gospels.  I apologize it has taken so long to get back to these survey of fake gospel presentations.  I encourage you to look back in my September blogs to see the first two of these counterfeits.  As you read these blog posts, you will see that I do not agree with everything Wax shares, but I do believe his presentation is helpful in thinking about the true gospel.

Today we will look at the moralistic gospel.  Wax describes this counterfeit as a fake in regard to how we are made right with the living God.  The first two counterfeits we investigated dealt with the gospel story.  The moralistic gospel and the quietistic gospel are counterfeits regarding the gospel announcement.  As Wax describes it,

"Graeme Goldsworthy has defined the announcement this way: 'The gospel is the word about Jesus Christ and what He did for us in order to restore us to a right relationship with God.'  We need the gospel story in order to know why we need a right relationship with God.  We need the gospel announcement in order to know how to escape the storm of God's wrath.  You can't tell the gospel story without making the announcement of good news; neither can you properly make the announcement without telling the story." (89)

The point of Wax's treatment of the gospel announcement is that unwittingly many have forgotten that the gospel announcement is all about what Jesus has done.  Instead of the emphasis on Jesus, many have made the gospel announcement about what God has done for me.  This change to personal testimony instead of the announcement of Jesus, the savior of sinners, has truncated authentic Christianity.

So what is the moralistic gospel?  Wax lists a host of counterfeits.  He describes how the evangelical church can often be guilty of proclaiming good advice instead of the good news.  He also describes how many begin the Christian journey with Grace, but then turn back to the law.  I believe this counterfeit is the primary moralistic presentation in my area.  Unfortunately such thinking leads to great frustration, shallow expressions of spirituality, and communities that do not attract the lost to Christ.  

Are you captured by this counterfeit?  Wax gives a great description of this version of the gospel:

"To many times we think, Of course we are saved by grace, but ... That 'but' is deadly.  It indicates that we think something other than grace will bring life transformation.  It doesn't matter what good activity you put after that 'but' (now you need to tithe, now you need to give up this or that, now you need to evangelize).  The 'but' bogs the operating system down in upgrades.

Life transformation doesn't follow 'but'; it follows 'so now'.  You are saved by grace so now you are free to live for God in this way or that.  Life change is grounded in the gospel alone, not in the law's updates.

The Christian life will never run the way it is supposed to if the law is the fuel.  The gospel alone has to be the engine.  All our good works must flow from sheer gratitude, not an updates-based system that keeps tell me to reboot and start again." (113)

So why would we be attracted to this counterfeit?  Wax explains that the moralistic gospel is safe.  It helps us develop sin lists that are easy to manage so we stay in control.  

He also explains that the moralistic gospel appeals to our longing for universal morality.  Unfortunately, in our fallen state our ideas of universal morality often include only that which is important to us!  It is ironic how we will ignore the true law for a law that we can live by and enforce on others.

This counterfeit also emphasizes the need for transformed character.  It is so true that many profess Christ, but their lives are not marked by holy living.  Thus, what we need to do is teach how to live.  This is so seductive, but it ends in frustration, shallow forms of spirituality, and Christian communities that do not attract the lost!

So what can we do?  How about emphasize the true gospel!  Authentic spirituality is about repentance and faith.  Mortification of sin is found with a changed heart.  Such change only occurs through the grace of God transforming us.  Unfortunately, most character change found in Christian circles today is from religious self-effort instead of dependence upon Grace.  

The true law will point out our sin.  When we see it, we need to confess, repent, and believe God's love for us even as law breakers.  We do not need to minimize the Law.  We need to see it for what it was meant to be: a tutor pointing us to our need for Christ. (Gal. 3:24)  In response to very real sin that inhabits our hearts, we should look to Christ for mercy and grace.  Lord help me a sinner!  

As we relish in His love and mercy, our heart is changed by grace.  I can only speak for myself, but I find that the fleshly sins and thoughts I struggled with years ago are not so dominate in my life today.  My struggles with pride and arrogance have changed considerably!  I praise God for this.  God has changed my heart, which has changed by actions.

Yet, I am not now free from sin's entanglements.  In fact, I now see other areas of pride and self-righteousness that are even more pernicious than what I struggled with before.  I cry out for mercy.  I bask in His love as He give it!  I look forward to seeing how God changes my heart.  I give Him all the glory for this change, because I surely cannot do it on my own. 

May the true gospel dominate your thoughts and prayers this day!

Fasting and Prayer

"This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer and fasting." Mark 10: 29

This week at Grace, we will be engaging in a week of prayer and fasting for the Church.  Overall, the Church in central Maine is not strong.  The Christian witness in the area has been lacking for generations, and the individual churches are often weak and troubled.  In the past few months there have been issues at a number of local churches that are troubling and sad.  We need the renewal and power of the Holy Spirit!

At Grace, we have seen four or five families move over the summer, and the typical pattern of new people arriving has not occurred.  For the first time in years, we are not growing.  Why?  Is there no need?  

Furthermore, some of our strongest individuals and families have endured health issues, family issues, lack of faith issues, and many distractions.  Some of our weakest members have come to practically renounce the faith through their discouragement.  Why?  I believe we are under spiritual attack.  The goal of this attack is to minimize our witness, to cause division and discord, and to hinder the growth of the Kingdom of God.

The good news is that handled properly, all of these attacks can be repulsed and dealt with.  In fact, before a great movement of the Spirit, there is often a time of intense attack that draws the people of God to prayer and fasting.  Such prayer and fasting casts the true believers upon the mercy of the living Lord, drawing them deeper in repentance and faith.  Through this movement, the Spirit flows outward.  At this movement of the Spirit, the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18).

Will you join me in a time of prayer and fasting this week?  

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that involves renouncing some good thing for a short period of time to focus our heart and mind upon the gospel and prayer.  The best things to fast from are those that tie us so closely to the world.  Food is a good example.  If we do not eat often, we get hungry.  In fasting from food, we give up for a short time the pleasure and substance of meeting one of our most basic human needs.  Each time we feel hungry, we come before the living God in prayer asking for His mercy and help.  We remember those in need.  We reflect upon the gospel and how it is to be our spiritual food.  We pray for the witness and ministry of the Church.  We also come to realize through the experience how much we need the living Lord.

We can fast from anything.  I would recommend fasting from TV or some sort of media for the week.  Instead of reaching for the remote, reach for the Bible and meet with the living God.

Please join me in praying that the Lord will clear the spiritual climate of central Maine to bring about His Kingdom.  Pray for revival and renewal.  Pray for new converts and that the gates of Hell will be knocked down to set people free.  Pray for your friends and family.  Pray for yourself that you would know the love and grace of the Lord.