Obeying God

 February 6, 2023

In our Men’s Bible Study group this evening, we were discussing Peter’s testimony before the high priest in Acts 5 when the apostles were warned to not speak of Jesus. Actually, it was a bit stronger than a warning. They were commanded. Peter’s reply was classic: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

As we discussed at what point we need to take such a stand, and what it might cost us to do so, I wondered about my own timidity when it comes to sharing my faith. Would I have stood tall like Peter, or would I have caved to the demands of the authorities? 

I grew up in an era when Christianity was acceptable. Even if society didn’t always live by our standards, Christian morality was supported by the culture. Allegiance to God was at least given lip service. No longer. Our culture has become increasingly hostile to Christian faith. It doesn’t mind if we give lip service to it, but if we actually live out our Christian beliefs, the masks and the gloves come off. 

Years ago when Linda was applying for a teaching position, she was asked about her faith. They knew I was a preacher, and they were worried she might use her position as a teacher to proselytize. I’m sure Christian teachers today are under even more pressure to keep their beliefs to themselves, even as other teachers are allowed to foist all sorts of depraved ideas upon children. I got to wondering if we wouldn’t be better off today if we had taken Peter’s stand back then. The barn door is open and the horses are long gone.

So the question remains: Where do we draw the line? When do we say, “We ought to obey God rather than men?” Or in Luther’s famous declaration before the Diet of Worms, “Here I stand; I can do no other!” The day is passing when we can accommodate the culture. From a baker in Colorado to a florist in Oregon, the pressure is mounting. “You will be made to care,” is the new mantra. 

Peter’s stand led to a beating. We aren’t there yet in this country, but that day may not be too far off. Our government’s mandates of vaccinations, renewable energy, etc., are but first steps. Jesus’ parable of the Sower is instructive here. I used to read this and wonder if I could stand firm in the persecution represented by the seed sown on rocky ground. One day when reading this parable, God spoke to me. “You aren’t seed on rocky ground. You are the seed in the thorns where the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are choking you till you are unfruitful.” (See Matthew 13:1-23)

The last time I was in Cuba, I witnessed the difficulties my Christian brothers and sisters are living with every day. Shortages abound. People are so desperate they’re selling everything they have so they can fly to Guatemala where they join the caravans to our southern border. Yet the desperation is fueling a revival such as I’ve never witnessed before. So how do I pray for Cuba? Do I pray that the economic situation will ease up so they aren’t so hard-pressed? Or do I pray for the revival? And how do I pray for us here in the USA? Do I pray for prosperity, for the continuance of the blessings we have inherited, or do I pray for revival knowing that it may only come with economic and social collapse? 

If I am unwilling to rip out the thorns of my wealth, what makes me think I would stand in the hot glare of persecution? Persecution isn’t my field. Thorns are. It’s past time to be talking about these matters. I need to start living them. God, rather than men; it’s a word for today.

Conviction

 February 5, 2023

Conviction of sin is never pleasant. It lays bare the corruption of the soul, the weakness of faith, and hardness of the heart. Our pastors have been preaching the past few weeks about discipleship, and God has been using their words to uncover things in my heart I’d rather keep hidden. 

Today pastor Joe spoke from 2 Peter 3 where Peter speaks of Jesus’ return and how knowing about it informs and shapes our lives. He began by asking how many of us believe Jesus will return to this world. I said nothing audibly, but in my head I said, “I believe.” Pastor continued reading: 

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” —II Peter 3:8-10 

As pastor Joe continued speaking, I couldn’t get these words out of my mind. If I believe Jesus is coming again, and that the day is coming when we all will stand before the judgment seat of God, why am I not warning people of their spiritual and eternal danger? I had to conclude that I have believed this doctrine of the return of Christ more as an academic truth than as something that will really happen.

I believe in Christ’s second coming, but apparently not enough to let it make much of a difference in how I interact with people. The magician Penn Jillette is an atheist, but some years ago posted a video in which he declared that although he is an unbeliever, he has great respect for those who go out of their way to talk about Jesus, but had no respect for Christians who don’t proselytize. His words continue to haunt me: “How much do you have to hate someone to believe they are going to hell without Christ, and fail to warn them?”

If it were only this area, that would be conviction enough, but God continued to hammer me with areas where I have been pretty much hypocritical. Through the afternoon, I’ve been in prayer, and know I’m forgiven. But such forgiveness means little if I don’t follow up with concrete actions in real life. That’s where the rubber hits the road, for our faith is meant to be lived out in the context of our relationships with others. Getting right with God doesn’t mean much if I don’t also get right with others. So pray for me. I’ll do the same for you, for I suspect I’m not the only one in this boat.

Rhythm

February 4, 2023

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” —Exodus 20:8

This Saturday is almost over. It’s been a bit slower for me than many. After rising and working out, I built the fire in the stove, had breakfast, and took time to read and pray. Then the phone rang. A neighbor’s pipes froze and somehow knew I have a torpedo heater, so she called. With two feet of water in her basement, she needed more than a heater, so she called the fire department. I joined Linda for a high school basketball game while waiting for her basement to get pumped out. A bit of plowing, dinner, and now I’m writing. It’s been an odd way of honoring the fourth commandment.

The heart of the day’s work was unexpected, but got me to thinking on how easily we rationalize away this commandment. Whether it’s Saturday or Sunday, we tend to fill our weekends with activity, crowding out any time we might have for reflection and rest. I don’t think our frenetic activity is helping us much. It’s almost as if we believe God’s work would grind to a halt if we slowed down for a day. We’ve focused on what we do for God instead of who we are for God, to our detriment. 

On the other hand, there are plenty of people who ignore the rest of this commandment:

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work…” Our bureaucratic and welfare state has made it possible for people to live without ever lifting a finger to actually work. In some places, this mentality is generational, passed down from parent to child to grandchild. While some would decry this as laziness, I think the greater damage is to self-esteem and dignity, neither of which is possible when one is always on the receiving end. Being able to contribute is a matter of belonging. 

There is a balance here that we often miss. Those blessed by the ability to work can miss the blessing of rest, while those who never work miss the blessing of labor. Today was supposed to be a rest day; perhaps it will be tomorrow. The rhythm of life continues. Work and worship, rigor and rest. I’m looking forward to the latter.

 

Hide and Seek

 February 3, 2023

In Acts 9, we read about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. One of the interesting things about his conversion is that he wasn’t seeking Jesus; Jesus was seeking him. Some years back, “seeker-friendly” worship was all the rage. Perhaps it still is. Highly successful, it was heavily influenced by Bill Hybels and the Willowcreek Church and Association. Many people who were turned off by traditional Christian worship came to Christ through this innovative approach, both in Hybel’s Willowcreek church and in those who followed his leadership. I myself learned much from him and others who were of the same mindset.

The term “seeker-friendly” however, is somewhat of a misnomer. The Bible says, “There is none who seeks God” (Romans 3:11, quoting Psalm 14). The Gospel story is of a God who isn’t sought, but is himself the seeker. Saul wasn’t seeking God, and my own testimony is similar. I was quite content in my lost condition; my mother decided one day that we were going to start attending church, a decision which wasn’t at all what I wanted. I was dragged to church, unwillingly, I might add. There is no way I could have been called a “seeker.” That was God’s job.

Instead of looking for people who may be sensitive to the Gospel, we should be seeking the lost. Fact is, most of those who seem to be sensitive to the Gospel are in fact de-sensitized to their sin and oblivious to their need. I don’t want to raise any unnecessary barrier to someone’s salvation, so speaking the language of ordinary people instead of religious jargon makes sense to me. The same goes for music. I love the old hymnody, but am not willing to let antiquated terminology and musical meters get in the way of someone needing Christ. But much of the debate around how we worship stems from a misunderstanding of how the Church is intended to operate. 

Worship is what God’s people do. Even if they are familiar with Christian religion, an unbeliever—one who hasn’t surrendered to Jesus Christ—cannot worship “in spirit and in truth” as Jesus commanded. The Biblical pattern isn’t “bring the unbeliever in,” but “send the believer out.” If we as Christians were doing what Jesus told us to do, we would be going into our world with the Good News, winning people to Christ. Only then would we bring them in so we can finish the work of making disciples. 

In Scripture, God is always the protagonist. He is the seeker; we are the ones he seeks. Once we are found, he seeks others through us, just as through Saul who became Paul, God sought countless others who were lost and seeking all sorts of things except God himself. God’s plan and program hasn’t changed in 2,000 years. He is the seeker; we are the sought.

Two Words

 February 2, 2023

I listened to a sermon this morning that really caught my attention. The preacher was expounding on Matthew 26. 

“Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.”” —Matthew 26:21-22, 25 

Did you catch it? When the disciples asked Jesus if he were the one who would betray him, each one addressed Jesus as Lord; “Lord, is it I?” Asking the question in any form is more than most of us would do today. In the constant stream of political sewage coming out of Washington these days, not once have I heard anything that could remotely be construed as self-awareness with the possibility of culpability. Finger-pointing has been elevated to an art form. Peter didn’t ask Jesus if John would be the betrayer, and Matthew didn’t suspect James. Even Judas asked, “Is it I?”

But there is a subtle but important difference in how Judas asked the question. He said, “Rabbi, is it I?” The others by this time recognized Jesus as their Lord; Judas only saw him as a teacher; one with great ability and authority perhaps, but still only a teacher. The difference in their naming of Jesus seems insignificant, but it marks the difference between denial and betrayal, between human weakness and human resistance. 

There are many who see in Jesus Christ a great teacher alongside Socrates, Buddha, or one of our great philosophers, but few are willing to acknowledge him as Lord because that involves bending the knee which in turn requires a recognition of sin and the need for repentance. Our pride balks at such a thought. Two different words reflecting two different loyalties. 

Two words. That’s all; but this small difference in wording is the beginning of a great divide that in the end leads one to either heaven or hell. Two words and two destinations. Which one we speak makes all the difference in the world. And the next.

Quiet and Peacable

 February 1, 2023

Have you ever thought about the connection between ordinary life and salvation? It’s there, although we usually miss it.

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,”

—I Timothy 2:1-6

In his first letter to his protégé Timothy, Paul makes the case for ordinary life as being foundational to salvation when he recommends prayers be offered for…“kings and those in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” Paul knew that though anarchy may drive many to their knees, they would not stay there long. We’ve observed this many times during great crises. Churches were filled immediately after 9-11. It seemed the entire nation was praying for Damar Hamlin after his near-fatal injury in the Bills-Bengals contest. In both cases, when the crisis was past, everything went back to normal. And for any who are “saved” in such times, there are perhaps scores who lose what little faith they had.

Crises provoke the realization of the need for salvation, but doesn’t provide the context in which it can grow. Paul says for that, we need a quiet and peaceable life, which is only possible in a politically stable environment. He makes his case by following up his desire for stability with, “this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It is beneficial for the cause of salvation that life be stable.

Lest anyone think that stability or quiet and peaceable lives are the end-all and obtainable by political harmony, he clearly states that it is the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all, this man is the only mediator between God and us, and it is through his death on the cross that this is accomplished.

The fact remains that social stability is desirable for the Gospel, and that to this end we are told to pray for our leaders. God knows they need it! Too often, we do more complaining than praying. We criticize their character and policies, but fail to hold them before the Lord who alone can change their hearts. 

Do you pray for friends, neighbors, family members to come to Christ? Then pray also for our government leaders, lest we descend into a bureaucratic morass and a social anarchy that would be a hindrance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What You See

January 31, 2023

A prison is not where we would normally go for encouragement. Encouragement is usually given from a place of relative comfort. Effective encouragers usually have been through difficulties themselves, but are somewhat distanced from it at the moment they are offering comfort to another. This is not always the case however. 

Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian Christians from a Roman prison. It wasn’t a pleasant place to be, but there isn’t a hint of complaint to be found in his letter. The only time he mentions his current situation, he tells how being in jail has given him opportunity to witness to his faith in Jesus and how he hopes his imprisonment will encourage others to be bold in their faith. Philippians is one of the most joyful books of the Bible, ending with the words, “Rejoice in the Lord; again I say rejoice.”

The apostle John wrote the Revelation while exiled on a small rocky island in the Aegean. Tradition tells us he was boiled in oil and somehow survived. So here is aged, scarred John penning his vision of the end times when violence and suffering and persecution increase exponentially. But there isn’t even a hint of dejection. His words soar with songs of praise and worship, of joy and hope.

John Bunyan was imprisoned in the Bedford jail for twelve years for preaching the Gospel. During this time he wrote two books, “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners,” and “Pilgrim’s Progress,” two of the most influential Christian books since the Bible itself. 

Bad circumstances don’t have to lead to a bad mood, depression, or anger. The biggest factor in life is not our circumstances, but our response to them. What is inside us is far more important than what surrounds us. Too often, we react to circumstances instead of responding to them. There is a world of difference. When we take medication for an illness, we hope our bodies respond to the medicine. We don’t want them to react to it. 

I’ve known people with big problems who exhibit great joy and optimism, and I’ve known others with minuscule problems who complain and whine their way through life. 

There is a story of a little girl who was promised a pony for her birthday. When her parents took her to the farm, the first thing she saw was a huge pile of manure. She grabbed a shovel and began to energetically attack the pile. Her father asked what she was doing, and she replied, “As big as this pile is, there has to be a pony in there!” Most people would see the pile; she saw the pony. That’s the kind of faith I admire. It’s the kind of faith I desire.