Why Politics Rarely Changes Things...

"I was asking hard questions: 'How do we make a just society?' 'How do we look at the immorality in our world?'  I had tried to make life better through social reform and psychological reform and educational reform and political reform," he says.  "After I got to a certain point, I began to understand that the undergirding of all of those principles has to be spiritual, not something that Freud said but something spiritual.  So that's when I went to seminary."

Gerald Durley in "Pastor and Activist," Leadership (Summer 2000), 54.

In politics, the law of unintended consequences always wins.

What does this mean?

As a group of people, we seek to solve one problem, and we cause at least two more.  We think we can easily solve these two problems, but now we have four new ones.  Before long, we make an unintended problem that is bigger than any issue we tried to solve.

Why does this happen?

We live in a fallen world while we long for a perfect world.

In other words, the primary problem in this world is a spiritual problem.

I agree with Gerald Durley, who has lived an interesting life as a civil rights activist, a political activist, and a pastor.  At its root, the problem in our country, the problem in every country, the problem with every "system" is its tendency toward decay and ruin by running away from God's ways.  

We should never be surprised when we see injustice and immorality.  It is a mark of a world turned in upon itself and away from God.  As the world system pulls further away from how God made it to be, more injustice and immorality will come to pass.  It will become codified into law.  It will be enforced by the heavy hand of the state.  

What is the answer and cure to all these problems?

Believers of every stripe have taken up the cause of politics, education, psychology and other social answers.  In particular, we have aligned ourselves with political parties, and we live and die mentally and spiritually by who wins elections.  We fight by using political means to change our culture, our educational system, and every other system thinking that the arm of the state can make things right.  Then we are disappointed when every political solution has more harmful unintended consequences than helpful results.

While we are called to pursue God's Kingdom by promoting justice and love, our embrace of politics as  "God's primary means" of changing the world is wrong-headed.

Why?

Humans as individuals and humans collectively are a fallen lot!  Our biggest problem is spiritual.  The more fallen people who get together to create a "system" the greater the possibility of corruption and evil to become the new law.  This goes for our political system, our educational system, and even our local churches.  It is a fact that should not be ignored.  If we choose to ignore it, as our culture does, we do so to our own peril.

As a culture, our system is broken.  I believe no amount of tinkering with the fringes of the system will cure the problem.  In fact, I think because the heart of the system is in rebellion against God, the entire system will only grow worse no matter what political party or powerful group tries to take control.

What is truly our greatest need as a culture?

We need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as individuals and as people involved in a cultural "system."  Instead of claiming "Bush did it" or "Obama is the problem" we need to confess that selfish pride and independence from God because of unbelief are the real problems in our culture.  

Our system is broken because the heart of the system is bad.

Our biggest problem is spiritual.  I am thankful that none of us as individuals is beyond redemption.  Take hope.

I also think that culture is constantly reinventing itself, so perhaps out of the ashes of our consumeristic Western culture will arise a new culture formed on the anvil of repentance and renewed faith.  But just as "bleeding" or "leeches" were once thought as  the best medical cure but later proved to be false, we need to look to the true cure of our individual and cultural woes.

We are sinners in need of grace.  God's ways and truth should not be ignored but recognized.  We recognize God's ways by repenting our our sin against Him and others and believing in Jesus Christ as our source of forgiveness and power for transformation.  We must live this truth as individuals and pray it through and for our country.

Remix: Stress, Friendship, and the Gospel

As I graduated from high school, one of my friends was asked the meaning of life.  His response, "To find out who and what are true friends."

This is a great observation.  We are made for companionship.  We are made to love and to be loved.  Yet, we live such lives of quiet isolation.

My guess is the C.S. Lewis was correct in his observation that hell will be marked by isolation and complete self-regard.

Today, I repost (with corrections) my second most popular post from 2014.  May the Lord use it in your life.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the Lord has been good to you. 

Ps. 116: 7

I have been reading an interesting book on the consequences of stress on the human body.  In particular, the author was commenting on the relationship between bad stress, which raised various "flight or fight" hormones in the body, and heart disease.  He argued that feeling trapped in a job or a situation where you feel powerless leads to increased stress chemicals in the body, which eventually lead to heart disease, strokes, and other major problems (such as death).  

To me, all of this makes sense.  The question is how do we avoid such stress?

To begin, we should make some obvious life-style changes.  If you are in a job that makes you feel trapped and not respected, change.  Also, increase your exercise levels as this makes a major positive change in the body's response to stress.  He also recommended the drinking of wine with dinner, as moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to lower the stress chemicals in the body.  If you have listened to the news, all of these positive factors have been mentioned for quite some time even in popular media.  These are changes that we can and should make.

What I found interesting was his emphasis on developing good social networks and friends.  He observed several groups of people with what we would call horrible eating habits who have very low levels of heart disease.  He argued that these people have one thing in common: they are well integrated into a community where they have love, support, and fun.  

In the past thirty years, studies have shown that Americans increasingly are not integrated into authentic communities.  We isolate ourselves from others while retreating into time with only our families.  I believe we do so to our own harm.  The problem is that friendship and community take time to develop and nurture.  With all the kid's activities, work responsibilities, and general busyness of life, how do we find the time to develop and nurture friendships?

First, we have to admit and confess that we need real friends and community.  We need to ask God to help us find real friends and true community.  Most of us do everything we can to live in denial of our need for others.  We remain so busy, and we allow our children to be part of every activity under the sun so they are not deprived.  Even at church, we go and leave without really engaging people.  This is one great draw of the large church in that it facilitates the "feelings" of having many friends and fellow travelers without causing real engagement with others.  I believe it is also the draw of Facebook and other social networks that promote "connectedness" without really helping us connect.
We need real friends.

Second, we have to be intentional in searching for friendships and community.  We have to find people that we can "be ourselves" around.  Wow is this hard.  Where would we find such people?  How about in our church communities?

This presupposes that we will develop church communities that are not fake or shallow.  Places where it is O.K. to be known with all of our issues, needs, and strengths.  We will find people in these churches that we do not "click with," but we should continue to search until we find folks who will love us and relate to us where we are.  Again, ask God for wisdom in finding friends and companionship.

Third, we have to continue to develop and nurture friendships and community.  This takes commitment on our part and on our friends part.  Get together and laugh.  Enjoy time together not necessarily "doing stuff" but being.  I think this is becoming a lost art.  True friendship and community is found in spending time.  In today's age, time is our most precious commodity.  We horde it to our own detriment.

Spend time with friends and lower your chances of heart disease.  It lowers your chances of sudden death.  It also increases joy, freedom, and creativity.  

With that in mind, what can you do this week to nurture true friendships?

Replay: Is it time to leave your church?

Today I wish to repost from last September 17.  This was my most read post from last year.  It also got me in hot water with folks at my current church who thought I was trying to tell them to leave.  To the life of me, I can't understand how you can get that from this post.  It was truly never my intention.  I was writing about a common occurrence in the fall of each year- people change places of worship.

Here is the backdrop of the story.  Everyone who asked about my motivation for writing heard this.  Most did not ask.

I wrote this post in response to a man who had read this blog, listened to my sermons, and then approached me to talk.  He attended a church not far from here.  He was wondering if it was time to leave the church.  He was frustrated with the direction of the church.  He felt like he was stagnating in his growth.  He felt helpless to help.

I encouraged him to talk with the leadership.  I encouraged him to share with leadership what he saw, what he could do to help, and see their response.  We worked out a strategy and he followed through in talking with the leadership and offering to help.

In the end, he stayed at his church.  He affirmed that the following criteria were not met so he had no basis to leave.  Ironic.

A true church is the "congregation of saints in which the
gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered."

Augsburg Confession, Article 7.

A change in seasons always brings many transitions.  As a family, we have changed out our summer wardrobe for more hearty fall clothing.  The kids are getting back into their school routine.  We are getting our home and our cars ready for the long winter.  In fact, for some strange reason, I am beginning to crave soup and stew (I know that is weird).  Times are changing.

What does all this mean?  For many, this is also church changing season!

In my experience, the late summer and early fall are the most likely time for people to look for and find a new church.  Why?  I think there are many reasons.  I offer two that come up often.

First, fall comes right after summer.  Many people have missed at least several weeks of church.  Others have missed several months!  With this lack of relationship comes a perfect time to "try something new."

Second, in many churches, the beginning of the school year begins a new ministry year.  Perhaps a family attended some summer ministries like VBS or other outreach activities.  They were invited by folks they knew or they met some new friends at these events.  As they attended, it just felt like home.  They liked what they experienced, and they want more of it.

I know there are always folks who think that duty and commitment to a church outweigh any other considerations.  Each of the above reasons sound like nothing more than consumerism applied to a church community.  In some ways I agree.

Yet, just as Pastors can be led to change churches to go to another ministry, so I believe God can people in the pews to make a change.  In fact, changing places of ministry can invigorate and encourage incredible growth and transformation.  It can result in a great increase in fruitfulness.

So, how can one tell if it is time to go someplace new?

This is a very good question.  I cannot offer a definitive answer to it.  Yet, I think there are several guidelines to encourage a proper change.

First, why do you wish to change?  Is it merely to have your needs met?  Is this change all about you?  Is your lack and desire because you want "the gospel rightly taught and the sacraments rightly administered" or because you want more lively worship, a better children's program, or some other cosmetic reason?

I grew up in a mainline denomination where the gospel was not clearly taught or believed.  I think they did OK with the sacraments because they had a form to follow, but the gospel was missing.

If I wanted to grow deeper in the truth of scripture, I needed to leave this place to find mature believers who could instruct and disciple me in the faith.  Thankfully, I found such people!  Unfortunately, it meant changing churches.

How about you?  Do you need to move somewhere so that you can hear and grow in the truth?  I hate to say it, but many large "bible-believing" churches don't do so well on helping people grow deeper in the gospel.  Can you find a place and a means to grow where you are, or do you need to move so you can be confronted and encouraged by the truth?

I believe changing churches for the gospel rightly taught and the sacraments rightly administered is exceedingly valid.

My second point is like the first, but a bit different.  Are you wanting to use your gifts in ministry, but the doors are closed to you where you are?  Have you tried to get the leadership's blessing and support to do ministry, but it is lacking?  Do you have a strong compulsion (some would say leading by the Spirit) to do something but your current church environment will not allow you to do it?

Notice how I asked each question.  Each question assumes that you have talked to people at your current church who are in leadership and they have not really been onboard with your ministry leading. I think many people change church to do ministry without asking such questions.  This is harmful in many ways!

Yet, if you and a church are moving in different directions, it is important for the peace and purity of the church for there to be a blessed parting.  Seek out the advice and guidance of wise folks to make sure such a parting is really necessary.

Why?

Leaving a church community always impacts our relationship to folks within that community.  Relationship matter.  People matter.  Leaving for the right reasons and in the right way are important for maintaining relationship and being a blessing to people.

In my next several posts I will outline some positive steps for how to leave a church.

How to Leave a Church pt. 2

Yesterday I began a two-part post on how to leave a church well.  As I have stated this week, there are proper reasons to leave one church to go to another.  Yet, how you leave will determine whether you leave in a way that honors God just as much as it honors God to follow His leading to a new place of worship and service.

The following continues the article I pirated years ago from a seminary professor.  It was written by Richard C. Nichol.  The first section was in yesterday's post.  Copy and paste them together and you have something to hand out to folks who desperately need instruction on how to leave well.

THE ISSUE IS SIMPLY HOW TO CHOOSE TO LEAVE.  THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAMPHLET IS TO HELP YOU LEAVE PROPERLY BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T, MUCH HARM CAN RESULT.

WHO GETS HURT WHEN YOU LEAVE WRONGLY?

1.              Leaving your congregation in the wrong way leaves people who remain holding “the emotional bag.”  They have loved you and prayed for you.  Your absence leaves them feeling abandoned and hurt.  This can be avoided by leaving the right way.

2.              Leaving the wrong way can leave the jobs or ministries in which you were involved left undone.  God’s work can suffer because of your haste to get out.

3.              Particularly if you had relationships with the children of the congregation, they can be hurt by your leaving wrongly because they just don’t understand why you had to go.

4.              If you leave wrongly, valuable insights for the congregation may be lost because you may have not personally, clearly, and completely discussed areas of your concern with the leaders of the congregation.

5.              Your future relationships may be damaged because people who don’t “say goodbye” well often are not willing or able to “say hello” well in another congregation.  This can result in your endlessly switching congregational homes without ever really getting close to one group of people.  Great loneliness is usually the end result of such an approach to life.

6.              Leaving wrongly usually precludes the possibility for the congregation to say thank you to you for your months or years of service.  Proper closures on relationships (called rites of passage) are vital for all concerned.

7.              Leaving wrongly makes it much more difficult to return in the future.  Yet, after visiting other places to worship, you may find that your original congregation was the best for you after all.  You may want to return.

The better way is to take the time to work through problems so it may not be necessary to leave.  But, if leaving is inevitable, do it while following these important principles.

BEFORE CONSIDERING LEAVING HAVE YOU FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH THESE PRINCIPLES?

1.              Are you letting frustrations build? The right thing to do is to talk them over with the Pastor and other leaders early on.  Most problems in a congregation are the result of miscommunication or misunderstandings.  These should and must be worked through.  What did Jesus say?  “Blessed are the peacemakers because they will be called the children of God.”  In the case of serious problems, these must be talked through early on as well.  Often, the motivation to leave can evaporate as good-willed people work through the issues, which trouble them.

2.              Be realistic.  No congregation is perfect.  Before leaving, face squarely the fact that almost any group may look “perfect” or “fantastic” at first.  The early days are usually easy.  People’s faults only become apparent over time.  But, covenant relationships (the kind the Scriptures demand of us) require us to love others despite their imperfections as they are to love us despite ours.  And having realistic expectations can help us love and be loved.

3.              Don’t just drop the ball.  If you promised to teach Sunday School for a semester, fulfill your commitment.  Or, if this is absolutely not possible, exert your best efforts to help the Director find a replacement for you.  If you have other responsibilities in the congregation, work with the leadership to see to it that a smooth transition can occur.  You may need to do some training to help your replacement get started.  This is right in God’s sight.  Why should his work suffer so you can leave a few weeks earlier?

4.              Say good-bye.  Call the people you have been friends with in the congregation and share our plans with them.  Don’t justify your leaving at the congregation’s expense. Don’t indulge in “an evil tongue,” that is blasting leaders and others in the congregation.  Just share your intentions in a truthful way, endeavoring to “maintain the bond of peace” in the congregation.  And if you desire for personal relationships to continue, tell your friends this is your desire.

5.              Let the children you have related to know in as positive, optimistic way as possible.  The pain caused here is usually far less intense than the feeling of just not knowing what has become of you if you don’t say goodbye warmly.

6.              Join another congregation as soon as possible.  This is God’s will for all believers in Jesus because true faith is never only a private affair (Hebrews 10:25).  How easy it is to give into the impulse of just leaving without adequate preparation!  But the poor fruit of hurt feelings, frustration, anger, and burned bridges make this a poor choice.

The better way, the godly way is to take the time to work through problems so it may not be necessary to leave.  But, if leaving is inevitable, take the time and make the effort to follow the above steps.  After all, we really do all belong to one another if we name the name of Jesus Christ.

The world is filled with pain born of misunderstandings, loneliness, and anger.  Jesus will one day banish all these from the earth.  But in the meantime, we can lessen these slightly but meaningfully and replace them with understanding, deference, kindness, good will, love, graciousness, and peace by leaving our congregational homes when we must in the right way.  Should you ever choose to leave the congregation of which you are part, will you do if the right way?

How to Leave a Church pt 1

Yesterday commented on the natural phenomena of people looking for new churches in the fall.  Today and tomorrow I wish to post an article that I came across almost 20 years ago while in seminary about how to leave a church well.  I believe this article is helpful, and I have often looked for ways to include it in my new member's classes (I am a strange bird).  

Why?

How we leave can either bring glory to God or it can damage the work of the Kingdom.  If one leaves well, they can even leave for differences in direction and vision without being a hindrance.  I would love to know what you think.  Part 2 will come tomorrow.

How to Leave a Church

Richard C. Nichol¹

Four Stories

1.              Jill had been bothered for months about what she felt to be the lack of the Spirit’s moving in her congregation.  She decided to write a letter of resignation and express her feelings.  She mailed it on Monday, determining that the previous Sunday was her last.  “Quick and decisive” was her thought.  “Like removing a Band-Aid.”  The shock was felt by all, but especially the children in the Sunday School class she had taught for two years.

2.              Marty was upset about the lack of an emphasis on Evangelism in his church.  But not wanting to make a big scene, he began showing up every other week, then once a month.  When asked if there was a problem he smiled and answered, “No.  No specific problem.  I’ve just been busy lately.”  Now, Marty is not returning phone calls from people in the congregation.  His time at the congregation is fast becoming a memory.  The people miss him but no one really knows what to think.

3.              When Rachel first came to her fellowship she was sure she had come home.  She told everyone how fantastic the congregation was.  Now, three years later she’s not so sure.  The Pastor really hurt her by his unkind comment about her singing.  And people just don’t seem as friendly anymore.  “Maybe it’s time to leave,” she muses.  She began visiting another congregation in town.  “This is the one,” she has been saying.  “People here are truly loving here.”

4.              Steve and Carol have been furious lately because their seven year old son, Mark, is constantly being labeled as “rude and disrespectful” by the Sunday School’s teachers.  And Mark has told them that the reports about his hitting and biting the other children are not true.  His parents can no longer support any such congregation that demonstrates so little love for their child.  They believe there is nothing to talk about,  They are leaving.  Period.

These stories illustrate three truths:  1) People leave the congregations with which they have been members.  2) Leaving can be entirely justified but doing so in the wrong way causes pain and confusion.  3) Leaving for the wrong reasons is especially harmful.

LEAVING CAN BE OKAY

Change is part of life.  American culture is dynamic – always changing.  This is positive in some respects.  For example, our ability to move easily to other cities has been a great blessing to people looking for suitable employment.  And just as it may be justifiable to switch jobs or move to another city, it may be justifiable for a Christian to leave the congregation he or she had been a member of.

Some reasons for change:

• The congregation has gotten into trouble ethically or doctrinally,
• You may find traveling long distances to services may not be feasible over a long period of time,
• You may feel he or she has outgrown a congregation.  That is, the values of the congregation may no longer reflect your deepest beliefs.

There are other legitimate reasons to leave.

Is it time to change churches?

A true church is the "congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered."

Augsburg Confession, Article 7.

A change in seasons always brings many transitions.  As a family, we have changed out our summer wardrobe for more hearty fall clothing.  The kids are getting back into their school routine.  We are getting our home and our cars ready for the long winter.  In fact, for some strange reason, I am beginning to crave soup and stew (I know that is weird).  Times are changing.

What does all this mean?  For many, this is also church changing season!

In my experience, the late summer and early fall are the most likely time for people to look for and find a new church.  Why?  I think there are many reasons.  I offer two that come up often.

First, fall comes right after summer.  Many people have missed at least several weeks of church.  Others have missed several months!  With this lack of relationship comes a perfect time to "try something new."

Second, in many churches, the beginning of the school year begins a new ministry year.  Perhaps a family attended some summer ministries like VBS or other outreach activities.  They were invited by folks they knew or they met some new friends at these events.  As they attended, it just felt like home.  They liked what they experienced, and they want more of it.

I know there are always folks who think that duty and commitment to a church outweigh any other considerations.  Each of the above reasons sound like nothing more than consumerism applied to a church community.  In some ways I agree.

Yet, just as Pastors can be led to change churches to go to another ministry, so I believe God can people in the pews to make a change.  In fact, changing places of ministry can invigorate and encourage incredible growth and transformation.  It can result in a great increase in fruitfulness.

So, how can one tell if it is time to go someplace new?

This is a very good question.  I cannot offer a definitive answer to it.  Yet, I think there are several guidelines to encourage a proper change.

First, why do you wish to change?  Is it merely to have your needs met?  Is this change all about you?  Is your lack and desire because you want "the gospel rightly taught and the sacraments rightly administered" or because you want more lively worship, a better children's program, or some other cosmetic reason?

I grew up in a mainline denomination where the gospel was not clearly taught or believed.  I think they did OK with the sacraments because they had a form to follow, but the gospel was missing.

If I wanted to grow deeper in the truth of scripture, I needed to leave this place to find mature believers who could instruct and disciple me in the faith.  Thankfully, I found such people!  Unfortunately, it meant changing churches.

How about you?  Do you need to move somewhere so that you can hear and grow in the truth?  I hate to say it, but many large "bible-believing" churches don't do so well on helping people grow deeper in the gospel.  Can you find a place and a means to grow where you are, or do you need to move so you can be confronted and encouraged by the truth?

I believe changing churches for the gospel rightly taught and the sacraments rightly administered is exceedingly valid.

My second point is like the first, but a bit different.  Are you wanting to use your gifts in ministry, but the doors are closed to you where you are?  Have you tried to get the leadership's blessing and support to do ministry, but it is lacking?  Do you have a strong compulsion (some would say leading by the Spirit) to do something but your current church environment will not allow you to do it?

Notice how I asked each question.  Each question assumes that you have talked to people at your current church who are in leadership and they have not really been onboard with your ministry leading. I think many people change church to do ministry without asking such questions.  This is harmful in many ways!

Yet, if you and a church are moving in different directions, it is important for the peace and purity of the church for there to be a blessed parting.  Seek out the advice and guidance of wise folks to make sure such a parting is really necessary.

Why?

Leaving a church community always impacts our relationship to folks within that community.  Relationship matter.  People matter.  Leaving for the right reasons and in the right way are important for maintaining relationship and being a blessing to people.

In my next several posts I will outline some positive steps for how to leave a church.

True Truth in a Age of Debatable Perspectives

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win the Jews.  To those under the law I because as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."

1 Corinthians 9: 19-23

Today I wish to continue a thread of thought I began yesterday in my post "Three ways of understand ing our Spiritual life experience."  In that post, I described three means of understanding truth and reality found within my congregation and within our culture.  These understandings were summarized by the following statements.

Of course, everyone knows that!  
Prove it!  
Whatever.  Who really cares?  

These three statement summarize three ways of viewing truth found within our culture today.  My guess is that these three ways of understanding the nature of truth and reality have been found in every generation, but now we see each competing for how to understand reality.  This competition is found in our politics.  It is found within our school systems.  It is found within every segment of culture.  That means they are also found within the church!

How do we balance this understanding of our current context with ministry that is both edifying to believers and compelling to unbelievers?

First, we must not deny that our world is confusing and difficult.  Proclaiming Christ crucified as the only cure for sin and death does not match the cultural assumptions of many within our context.  In fact, I would not be surprised in the near future if it became a "hate crime" to make such outlandish claims.  As we proclaim the biblical gospel, we are declaring that there is one God, people are sinful and separated from God, and only faith in Jesus can change our situation.  All of these claims are offensive to many within our culture including the cultural elites who set policy.

I find the above paragraph to be great news!  Our current cultural context is closer now to the first two centuries of the Church than it has been at any previous time.  As a post-Christian culture, we can no longer assume that folks just "know" the story of Christ, that they know they should live right, and that there are negative consequences for living apart from God.  The gospel radically changed individuals and entire segments of society during those first two centuries after Christ.  It is ripe to do so again!

In other words, this is an age of opportunity.  For those individuals and churches who hold to the eternal truth of the gospel while presenting it so people can hear will thrive.  Those who do not or cannot will slowly or perhaps quickly perish.

The coming generations are marked by an almost universal post-Christian worldview and agenda.  They do not know about Jesus except for what they have heard about him on Family Guy and sit-coms.    They will not listen to nor do they have patience with moralizing or logical, detailed arguments.  

Yet, they are hungry for authentic community, authentic living, and the real Christ who answers their greatest needs and satisfies their thirsty souls.  

Presenting the eternal truth of the Gospel in experiential and living ways is not compromising, but it is necessary to reach our post-Christian culture.  Developing authentic community is essential.  A community where life is understood as messy, but Jesus is seen as the answer.  A community that loves and serves its neighbor.  Such a place, such a message, such a life is compelling, winsome, and transforming in our post-Christian cultural context.  The hunger and thirst for this message is growing daily.  Thankfully, Jesus continues to proclaim:

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 

"Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

John 7: 37-38

Independence, Freedom, and the Gospel

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; 

therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." 

Gal. 5:1

Happy Independence Day America!  Today we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  It is a national holiday full of summer fun, fireworks, and barbecues.  I would like to ask us to celebrate by thinking about the meaning of freedom and independence.  

Most of us like to think we are truly free people.  Yet, there are so many constraints on all of our lives.  We have work, family, and other social responsibilities.  We have physical, mental, and emotional limitations.  We also have so much fear and doubt that clouds are ability to choose a different path.

This is what makes the first 4th of July so incredible.  Even with their limitations and their fears caused by an occupying army, these men pledged their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor."  Such bravery is amazing.  To face the fear of the unknown, but to hope in a better future is inspirational!

I wish to offer that walking with Jesus in a full and engaging faith has many similarities to the bravery needed to sign a Declaration of Independence.  Faith means that we reject the known and safe for something better.  In this case, we reject the idols that held us fast as false, shallow, and unsatisfying.  Instead, we embrace the love, care, and presence of Christ, by and through the power the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, so that we regain a renewed and growing relationship with the Father.

So many times people have argued that faith in God is a crutch for the weak.  They argue that strong people like them do not need a far off God to "prop up" their life.  They are willing to make their own meaning and live with the consequences.

To such thought, I say, "Good luck with that."  Deep within I know they sense a need for freedom from their selfish pride.  They know they fall short of their own ideals.  They sense a break in their relationships that they cannot explain.  Yet, they are too afraid of losing “control” so they reject the one sure cure for their unease: faith in Jesus Christ.

You see, all of our feeling of being bound should help us realize how much we need renewed and growing relationship with God.  Without knowing our need, we will never fully trust in the cure.  Thus, the law of God is important because it battles our pride that leads to self-righteousness, and it casts us before Christ alone for mercy and grace.  As we repent of our self-effort and our other sins, we find joy, grace, and power to live a life of freedom.

Some people say this message is too negative.  I have heard it said often that the message of the gospel is not encouraging since it focuses too much upon our sin and need of God.  I am always amazed at this objection.  It is so short-sighted!  

In reality, ignoring the real gospel message means we replace it with something false.  Instead of learning to rest in the solid rock that is Christ, we prefer to trust in ourselves.  Consequently, we give up our freedom and joy found in Christ for bondage found in trying to keep ourselves satisfied while maintaining our undeserved reputation.  

In scriptural language, we reject the spring of living water for broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jer. 2:13).  Is it negative to speak the truth?  Each of us need God's love and mercy daily!  We so quickly give up our freedom in Christ for bondage to self.  Confess, repent, and believe.

In the same way, our freedom here in America came by God's blessing, but it also came through the blood and service of those in our military and those who came before us.  America is a social experiment in personal liberty and freedom being granted to each individual.  This liberty gave each person the freedom and encouragement to pursue their own good, as well as the responsibility of working toward that end.  The result has been the greatest civilization the world has ever known (though the Chinese and other civilizations would disagree!).  

It is amazing how we as Americans take this for granted.  We give up our freedom for "peace" and "security."  At least these are the code words we use.  What we really want instead of freedom is comfort and ease.  Friends all of these words are not synonyms for the same concepts!  Freedom always comes with a price, and it is maintained by diligence.  

As Americans, I fear we have become too self-absorbed to keep up the fight for liberty, opportunity, and freedom.  We give lip service to freedom, but we prefer bondage with "security" to freedom with responsibility.

What a parallel to the individual spiritual condition!  May we live and believe as free people this independence day!