8 Reasons Why Christians Are Jerks

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably a jerk.  Let’s face it, you probably are.  I know I am.  Lately it seems that I’ve been confronted with the unkindness of Christians more and more, whether in person or through online experiences (never read YouTube comments, or you will undoubtedly end up needing to find a corner and have a good cry).  This continual reminder of how callous and angry we can be has caused me to do some soul-searching, and to figure out why I am so prone to act in the exact opposite manner as Christ would have in many circumstances.

Recently, God has given me the wonderful privilege of preaching through the book of Galatians in church, and I am so blessed as I study to continue to be convicted in my life of my own sin.  Coming up here soon I have the joy of preaching Galatians 5, one of – if not absolutely – my favorite passages in the whole of His Word (I know, we’re not supposed to play favorites … sue me).  I love the concept of ‘walking by the Spirit’ that Paul discusses so gloriously.  I love his discourse on what it is to be under grace, and living through the Holy Spirit of God in order to walk in righteousness instead of sin.  And one section in particular continues to stand out to me:

“You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  The entire law is summed up in a single command:  ”Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”
-Galatians 5:13-15

I think that it is so easy for us to take the freedom and the blessings that Christ has given us, and rather than allowing them to result in His glory and our continued sanctification, we instead use them to indulge in sin.  It paints the picture for me of going into a room in my house to hang a picture frame on the wall with a screw, and pulling out a hammer and beating it into place.  The freedom that we have in Christ was given to us for a purpose, and when we take that freedom to engage in sin we have completely abused the blessing He has lavished on us.  God has done some amazing things for those who are found in Christ.  Here are eight things that God has done for us that when viewed from the wrong perspective cause us to look down on others, and ultimately make us act like jerks.

1.     We Are Holy

The word ‘holy’ means to be sanctified, to be set apart for a specific purpose.  In dealing with the ‘holiness of the believer in Christ,’ it is being set apart from sin and unto righteousness.  Scripture says that those who are in Christ have been made holy – have been sanctified.  It says that we are no longer in bondage to our sin, and no longer ‘owned’ by our sin, instead we are owned by God and set apart to live righteously.

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
- I Corinthians 6:11

Unfortunately, we have this natural inclination to forget that what God has done for us rests on Him and not on us.  We forget that before God sanctified us by the Holy Spirit through the work of Christ, we were dead in our sins, slave to the desires of the flesh.  We forget that we were, as Ephesians 2 puts it, “by nature children of wrath.”  We forget that we have been saved from such a great debt.  And so we look down on others who owe debts, because in Christ we are eternally debt free.

2.     We Are In Truth

One of the joys of being a follower of Christ is knowing the Truth.  Jesus defined truth when He was praying to His Father in the garden, “Your Word is truth” (John 17:17).  He also defined truth in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 1 clearly teaches that Christ is ‘the Word,’ through Whom all things came into existence, and through Whom salvation was made available to sinful men.  As believers, we know that we are in the Truth.  Colossians 3 says that we are “hidden with Christ in God.”  We can stand confident that the Word of God is truth, and that our salvation is truth – that ultimately, Jesus is Truth.  The result of this ought to be that we proclaim Him passionately to a world in which “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (II Corinthians 4:4).

The reality of a world blind to the truth and the freedom of God should move us to compassion and empathy, not to anger and unkindness.  Yet so often we allow our knowledge of the truth to result in arrogance and arguments, coupled with judgment and put-downs.  Now don’t get me wrong, we are called to stand firm in our doctrine and in the Gospel.  But so often we fight and argue out of our pride, not proclaim the Truth of Christ out of our compassion.

3.     We Are Changed

As believers, we are no longer the same as we once were.  We are Holy, we are in the Truth, and we have a new purpose.  Our purpose is to serve God and to bring Him glory.  Paul says several times in Ephesians that our salvation and God’s plan is “to the praise of His glory.”  This is what we, as believers, are to strive toward.  Bringing Him glory.  In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about the purpose of salt and light (which He says we are), and that others are to see our good works, and praise our Father who is in heaven.  This is our purpose:  that we make God look good; that we bring Him much praise, honor, and glory.

We have a new purpose in Christ, and no longer aimlessly going about our lives seeking the next big thing, or the next thing that (we think) will satisfy us.  We are satisfied in Jesus, and no longer need to seek these things.  Our hearts are to be consumed with the glory of God.  Yet so many of us, liberated from the daily grind of trying to figure a way to make things work in this life, have taken this liberty and freedom and used it to look down on those who are still stuck in that place of seeking something to bring fulfillment to their lives.  We scoff at their petty attempts at finding happiness, and laugh at their futile efforts to find worth in the things of this world.  Again, we ought to have compassion.  We proclaim Christ not out of duty or pity, but out of joy and empathy.  Remember, we were once in the same place.

4.     We Are Trying

Living a life that is displaying the righteousness of God is hard work.  Many times it seems like impossible work.  Constantly, we are called to strive to live a life of holiness.  Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  James writes about the futility of faith without actions accompanying it.  It is not that good works bring about salvation, but instead that salvation brings about good works.  As believers, many of us are striving to do everything we can to come under the Lordship of Christ.  Sometimes it can be so frustrating to see others (especially other believers) are not trying so hard.  David understood this well.  Psalm 73 is the retelling of David’s frustration with the prosperity of the wicked, and the suffering of the righteous.  He asks questions that are all too familiar to us, as he tries to understand why God allows those not trying to live righteously before Him to continue without being smitten.  In verse 16-17 he says that this issue was oppressing him, until he “entered into the sanctuary of God; then [he] understood their final destination.”

Our hearts should break for those who have no desire to serve God, as we recognize that their actions have consequences.  When we see those who aren’t trying, it’s easy to be angry and frustrated, feeling like we are continually striving (sometimes feeling like it is in vain) to eliminate sin from our lives.  It’s easy to become judgmental of them and to desire for them to suffer – to desire God’s justice to fall on them.  But we must recall that our ability to live in righteousness before God comes only through the Spirit of God!  It is not us who lives righteously, but the Holy Spirit inside of us!  Everyday a battle wages inside of us, between our old nature and our new nature in Christ.  When we fail, it is us – when we succeed, it is Him.

5.     We Are Forgiven

What a blessed truth in our lives, that for those who are in Christ “there is now no condemnation” (Romans 8:1).  Through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary, we are free from our sin!  We have been forgiven!  We can know this, as we know that God is faithful to forgive the sins of those who confess and repent, and to cleanse them of unrighteousness (I John 1:9).

There is no greater parable of forgiveness than the one told by our Lord in Matthew 18, and no greater practical observance of forgiveness than in the Gospel.  In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the story of a servant who owed a vast debt to the king.  The servant could not pay, and the king graciously forgave the servant of his debt.  The servant then went out and demanded that one who owed him a mere pittance of what he had owed the king, pay him immediately on punishment of prison.  The king revokes the forgiveness of the debt, and throws the first servant in prison for what he owed.  Consider this story practically for a moment.  Had the king not forgiven the debt of his servant in the beginning, the servant would have had no choice but to demand the debt from the one who owed him.  He would have needed to receive the payment owed in order to give it to the king.  It would have been impossible for him to let go of the debt given that he needed every scrap of money to pay off his own debt.  It was the forgiveness of the debt on the part of the king that allowed him the opportunity to forgive the debt of the other servant!

It is the same in our lives.  It is the forgiveness of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that allows us – that gives us to the freedom – to forgive others.  Apart from the forgiveness of God, it is impossible for us to offer true forgiveness to others.  But because of God’s great grace, we are able to respond in like kind – that is, to offer forgiveness “just as the Lord forgave [us]” (Colossians 3:14).  How often we, as believers, take the opposite approach, and use the forgiveness of Christ in our lives as an excuse to make demands of others.

6.     We Are Convicted

What a glorious thing it is to have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside of us.  Galatians 4:6 tells us that as sons, God has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts, and that we can come to Him in confidence.  However, it is also the role of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin in our lives, and to lead us in righteousness (John 16:7-11).  It is the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that leads to our continued sanctification in Christ.  However, we must understand that the conviction of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is for our continued sanctification.  We are not to then take the roll of the Holy Spirit in making sure that everyone around us is convicted of sin.  Now this does not mean that we are not called to confront sin.  We are certainly called to confront sin.  II Timothy 2 tells us that it is the role of the Lord’s servant to gently instruct when believers are in opposition to the truth, hoping that they will come to repentance, because they have been taken captive by Satan to do his will.  The Lord’s servant must confront sin in this way, but he is called to do so gently.  On the other hand, confronting a non-believer who is in sin and expecting them to eliminate their sin is like expecting a baby not to cry, a dog not to bark, or a toddler not to ask the question ‘why?’  It is contrary to their nature!  A non-believer can no more eliminate sin than they can grow wings and fly their way to heaven.  Apart from the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to live righteously.  Instead, the Gospel must be clearly portrayed so that the understand the freedom in Christ that is offered through His work on the cross.

For many of us, it is easier to take the conviction that we experience and use it to go after everyone around us than it is to actually deal with the sin our lives.  When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we should share that openly in hopes that all glory goes to God!  But we are not to use the conviction of the Holy Spirit in arrogance, thinking that we are somehow ‘better’ or ‘more advanced’ than those around us, or in thinking that it is God’s personal permission to us to judge everyone else.

9.     We Are New

II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”  Galatians 2:20 says that we have been “crucified with Christ, it is no longer [we] who live, but Christ lives in [us].  And the live [we] now live in the flesh, [we] live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave Himself up for [us].”  We are no longer the same person we once were, completely conquered, defeated, and demoralized by sin.  We are now free children of the Most High God!  But sometimes, we begin to take pride not in the work of Christ, but in ourselves.

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus talks about a pharisee who was confident in his own righteousness.  Now granted, the pharisee had no righteousness, but still … !  The pharisee goes into the temple to pray, and basically loudly thanks God that he’s better than everyone around him.  Jesus then contrasts this with a tax collector, who simply asks for the mercy of God and recognizes his own sinfulness.  The pharisee looked at what he thought was his righteousness, and lorded it over everyone – considering himself as better than them.  We do this so often!  I do this so often!  It is so easy for me to look at the newness of life I have in Christ, and to compare myself to those who haven’t experienced the freedom of God.  I come away looking at myself as pretty awesome, and everyone else as pretty wretched.  But no!  It is the tax collector who is right before God, who instead of looking at everyone else’s sinfulness, looks at his own!

Rejoice in the fact that you are a new creation, and use that to model a life of righteousness and freedom in Christ to the praise of His glory!  Don’t use it to roll your eyes at those who are still slave to sin and (like us) in desperate need of a Savior.

8.     We Are Able to Act Like Jesus

As new creations, made holy, convicted by the Holy Spirit, we are called to live as Jesus lived.  He is our ultimate example of a righteous life.  By the power of the Holy Spirit of God, we are able to walk in righteousness as Jesus did.  I Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God has – through Christ – given us the ability to overcome sin in our lives, just as Jesus did!  Hebrews displays Jesus as a great high priest who has experienced every temptation that we have, and yet was without sin – then goes on to talk about the confidence we have in Him!  As followers of Jesus, and God’s adopted children, we are able to live in righteousness as He called us to (even if we continue to fail at it regularly because we are weak!).

Once again, this phenomenal gift of Christ is often used by believers (stupid me!) as an excuse to judge those around us.  It is used to look down on those who struggle.  We began to believe that it is by our power that we are able to live righteously, not by God’s – and then we fail all the more.  We must continually recognize that our ability to please God comes only from God, and we must praise Him accordingly.  Scripture warns over and over again about pride, and for good reason.  Day in and day out, I struggle with the arrogance of self-righteousness, thinking that “I’m pretty good,” or some other such nonsense.  All praise to God!  All glory to God!  It all belongs to Him, and shame on me for thinking that any of it is mine.

“Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.  I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever.  For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.”
-Psalm 86:11-13

Your Story Isn’t Yours

You’ve been there before.  Like me, I’m confident that you’ve also experienced the battle between what is ‘easy’ and what is ‘right.’  The reality is that our lives are simply one struggle for obedience to God after another … a daily battle that I’m ashamed to say I probably lose more often than He wins.  But I know I’m not alone.  In fact, I don’t think that there are any believers that I know who wouldn’t readily stand up and say that they fail daily in the task of obedience, and that many times the reason for their failure is what was easy at the time.  And of course, doing what is easy instead of what is right is – simply put – sin; it’s selfishness at its most succinct.

While virtually every Christian I know would admit that they fail regularly (even those who couldn’t tell you how they fail which is another blog altogether … ), somehow we have this disconnect when it comes to how we use those things.  Somehow, we have transitioned in our churches today to have a very ‘personal’ faith.  Our faith has become about us.  It has somehow become ‘private,’ it’s our business and ours alone.  No one else needs know the trials we face or the triumphs we experience.  Don’t ask me to talk about it, because it’s personal.  I’ve struggled with this.  I remember when I was first married and my wife would ask me tons of spiritual questions; questions ranging from how my daily devotions were going to what areas I was experiencing victory in my life through Faith.  The response welled up from inside of me:  That’s none of your business, dear, that’s personal.  Of course, it was wrong – as well as stupid, no need to point that out please! – and I recognize that now.  But the reality was that I had missed something crucial.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”
-1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is what I missed.  Here in the passage, Paul is dealing specifically with the issue of sexual immorality.  But the implications of this passage extend much, much deeper.  I read this quote from a pastor regarding this passage:

“Your salvation was not purchased with gold or silver, but with something infinitely more precious: You have been bought with a price—the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a most blessed fact and should not be regarded lightly.  This blessed fact also has a plain consequence: You are not your own.  This hardly needs to be argued. If you have been purchased by the blood of Christ, you have ceased to be your own property. You belong to Him who purchased you.  The blessed fact and the plain consequence belong together. You cannot be redeemed by the blood of Christ and then act as if you have no Lord. You cannot share in the benefits of redemption and, at the same time, shun the implications of redemption. You are not your own. You have been bought with a price.”

I love this.  The reality is that I had missed the fact that my story isn’t my story at all; it’s God’s.  He purchased me, and the story that is unfolding in my life is not for me, it is for His glory.  When I hold back what God is doing in/for/through me, I’m holding back something that God has given me in order to use for His glory.  In referring to his weaknesses, Paul says it this way:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

 Paul says that he will boast in his weaknesses that the power of God may rest on him.  He boasts in his weaknesses to bring glory to God, as that was the aim of everything that he did.  Jesus talked about how our story is to be used when God changes us in Matthew 5:

“You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
- Matthew 5:14-16

The result is the same:  Our story – what God is doing, where we’re weak and His strength is being perfected – is not for us personally, it’s for God’s glory.  It is something to be used to the glory of God!  Somewhere along the line our Faith has become all about us – we are so selfish, refusing to give God the glory through proclaiming His greatness!  God has given each of us a story to tell, and He wants us to tell it so that people can praise Him for what He has done – but we hold back the story, refusing to tell it.

I wonder what things would change around us if we all recognized that our stories aren’t ours, and we started using them for Him.  I bet God would receive more of the glory that was due Him.

The Slippery Slope of Criticism

In my previous blog regarding Jefferson Bethke’s poem, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus,” I mentioned that something that is often times an error of mine is to be overly critical.  It’s something that God has been disciplining me on lately, so I thought I’d expand on that a bit.  I am by nature a rather critical person; not necessarily in the sense of judgment or contempt, but more so in the nature of looking at everything and trying to figure out what is wrong with it.  Now, to an extent that is not a bad thing.  There are some things in life that we need to look at like that.  As believers, we come at everything with a unique worldview, and certain presuppositions that inform how we receive information (by the way, that in itself is not unique to believers – everyone does that).  Example:  I read scripture with the presupposition that it is without error.  Therefore, if I see something that seems to be a contradiction, I know that it is not a problem with the Word of God, it is – in reality – a problem with me, and how I understand it.  So, I go back to the text and prayerfully study it out in order to understand where I went wrong.

It seems the last few months that I have been absolutely surrounded by people who are being so critical of others.  You can’t go anywhere on the Internet without some blogger listing out different preachers as “wolves,” and attacking the message that they preach. Really, it has caused me to sit back and ask the question, “Is this really what I look like?”  It’s embarrassing.  One of the processes by which God has been sanctifying me lately (yes, our sanctification is not only a completed work in that we are set apart, but also an on-going process as we are being made more like Christ; see 1 Thess. 4:3-7, 5:23-24) is by the Elephant Room.  If you’re not familiar with what that is, it is a conference set up by James McDonald through Walk In The Word Ministries, where a number of pastors from around the country come together and talk the nuts and bolts of ministry and the Gospel.  One of those pastors was a man by the name of Steven Furtick.  Not wanting to be ignorant of the people involved, I googled (and youtubed, to my dismay) Pastor Furtick.  What I found left me with a sour taste in my mouth, and judging him as a man not worthy of his calling.  Then I listened to what he had to say on the Elephant Room, and found myself repenting.

Steven Furtick is a man with a heart and a passion for God that I would readily pray for.  He’s not perfect, he’s said some dumb things – who hasn’t?  But the man loves Jesus, and he loves the lost, and he loves his church.  He also, by the way, loves his wife and his children and strives to preach in such a way that brings glory to God.  Several of his quotes stuck out to me.  One of which had to do with proclaiming false teachers – calling out wolves.  ”It’s easy to say shoot the wolves, until someone calls you a wolf.”

Pastor Furtick has been called a wolf more times than once.  Go to youtube and you’ll find so many video’s accusing him of heresy, calling him a false prophet, calling him a wolf, a false teacher – it’s literally sickening.  And who is posting these video’s?  Is it God-centered preachers with a deep understanding of scripture that comes through a firm relationship with God?  No, it’s viral internet bloggers who don’t have the first idea what the scriptures they’re using to condemn actually mean!

Just today I found myself on a blog “pointing out false teachers,” but all it did was find funny youtube video’s making fun of men who are serving God (and … well … some who probably are false teachers).  No explanation of why, just that they’re wrong and they’re leading God’s sheep astray.

Pastor Jay informed me yesterday that we have been receiving letters from a gentleman in the community in which he lays out false teachings of the church around the world, and calls Christians to the truth.  The letters – which he gave to me – are an amalgam of soap boxes and poorly worded rebuttals to doctrines that have been misunderstood.  And in the letters, he refers to the ‘false teachers’ who teach anything different than what he writes.

Again, as I stated before, God has just been beating me up on these things.  Another one of Furtick’s quotes said this (paraphrased slightly, because I don’t remember it word for word – sue me!):  ”I’m sick and tired of Christians being known for what we’re against, instead of what we’re for.  It makes us look foolish.”  He’s right.  The majority of Christians are so caught up in the things that we don’t like, that we fail to preach the grace, mercy, and humility of Christ!  The Gospel aught to be our central message, not sin!  Now, don’t misunderstand me – that doesn’t mean we don’t preach on sin.  If you preach on the Gospel, you have to preach on sin.  But the central focus of the Gospel is Jesus!  There are a number of pastors who I am friends with that I don’t agree with on every point of our faith. We have disagreements in a number of areas – but we all agree on one, clearly defined, incredibly essential thing – The Gospel.  For example:  ultimately, while I have my preferred method of baptism, it doesn’t really matter!  As if one day when we stand before the Throne of God he’s going to say to someone, “You dunked people in water wrong, so you’re going to go to hell – as is everyone you dunked.”  Ridiculous!

I don’t want to be known for the things that I hate.  The Bible emphasizes God’s goodness far more than His wrath.  That is not to say that His wrath isn’t real, but the focal point is His love and His glory.  That’s what I want my focal point to be.  After all, it is by our love that all men will know we are His disciples, right?

“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.  Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another.  Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”

Romans 14:12-13

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

Romans 14:19

“Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”

Alright, so the latest viral video is by a guy named Jefferson Bethke, entitled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.”  If you haven’t watched it, you are welcome to click the link and check it out.  I don’t know about you, but my Facebook page has absolutely blown up with this – I think I have over 50 people on my friends’ list who have posted it to their walls or someone else’s … and I’m not one of those 1000 friends people, so I think it comes out to like a 13% ratio of my friends.  That seems like a lot to me, I don’t know.  At any rate, I’ve watched it, and several of the responses to it (including one from a very angry atheist with a chip on his shoulder … ), and thought I’d throw my $0.02 into the pot.  Why?  Because I know the four people who read my blog would love to see what I think about it.  They were, in fact, probably checking my blog daily to see when I would post my feelings on the video.

By the way, please comment on it – I want to hear your thoughts, too.

So the video.  I have to start by saying a thanks to Brian Orme – who won’t read my blog, because he barely knows who I am, but heck, I can name drop right? – who posted a link to an interview with Jefferson, conducted by ChurchLeaders.com.  That article can be found Here, and is an amazing read.

For those who don’t feel the desire to watch the video (or if you live under a rock … ), below is the transcript of Jefferson’s poem:

“What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?
What if I told you voting republican wasn’t his mission?
What if I told you Republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian?
And just because you call some people blind, [it] doesn’t automatically give you vision?

I mean if religion is so great why has it started so many wars?
Why does it build huge churches, but [it] fails to feed the poor?
Tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever had a divorce,
But in the Old Testament God actually calls religious people whores.

Religion might preach Grace, but [it's] another thing they practice.
[They] tend to ridicule God’s people – they did it to John the Baptist.
They can’t fix their problems and so they just mask it,
Not realizing, religion’s like spraying perfume on a casket.

See, the problem with religion – is it never gets to the core.
It’s just behavior modification, like a long list of chores.
Like, let’s dress up the outside – make it look nice and neat.
But it’s funny, that’s what they used to do to mummies while the corpse rots underneath.

Now I ain’t judgin’, I’m just sayin’ – quit puttin’ on a fake look.
‘Cause there’s a problem if people only know you’re a Christian by your Facebook.
I mean in every other aspect of life, you know that logic’s unworthy.
It’s like sayin’ you play for the Laker’s, just because you bought a jersey.

See – this is me too, but no one seemed to be on to me.
Actin’ like a Church-kid, while addicted to pornography.
See on Sunday I’d go to Church, but on Saturday gettin’ faded,
Actin’ like I was simply created to just have sex and get wasted.

See I spent this whole life building this facade of neatness,
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness.
Because if Grace is water, then the Church should be an ocean.
It’s not a museum for good people – it’s a hospital for the broken.

Which means I don’t have to hide my failure, I don’t have to hide my sin,
Because it doesn’t depend on me, it depends on Him.
See because when I was God’s enemy, and certainly not a fan,
He looked down and said, “I want that man.”

Which is why Jesus hated religion, and, forward, He called them fools.
Don’t you see it’s so much better than just following some rules?
Now, let me clarify – I love the Church; I love the Bible; and yes, I believe in sin.
But if Jesus came to your Church, would they actually let Him in?

See, remember He was called a glutton and a drunkard by religious men.
But the Son of God never supports self-righteousness, not now, not then.
Now, back to the point, one thing is vital to mention.
How Jesus and religion – are on opposite spectrum’s.

See one’s the work of God, but one’s a man-made invention.
See, one is the cure – but the other’s the infection.
See because religion says do – Jesus, says done.
Religion says slave – Jesus says son.
Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you free.
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see.

And that’s why religion and Jesus are two different clans.
Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man.
Which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own.
Not based on my merits, but on Jesus’ obedience alone.

Because He took the crown of thorns, and the blood dripped down His face,
He took what we all deserve – I guess that’s why you call it grace.
And while being murdered, He yelled, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Because when He was dangling on that cross, He was thinking of you.

And He absorbed all your sin, and He buried it in the tomb,
Which is why I’m kneeling at the cross saying, “Come on, there’s room.”
So for religion – no, I hate it.  In fact I literally resent it.
Because when Jesus said ‘It is finished,’ I believe He meant it.”

There it is – the written transcript, so that you can simply read the poem.  The first time I watched the video, I enjoyed it and was moved by this guy’s passion.  I mean, any time someone stands up and talks about their love for Jesus I get a little excited.  At the same time, there was a bit of apprehension on my part about his approach.  Now, disclaimer time – I’m a screw-up.  An absolute mess with a bona-fide sin nature.  Sometimes I am too critical of things because of my immediate reaction.  That’s not always a good thing, and I have to confess that now.  The reality is that Jefferson Bethke loves Jesus, and has used his ability to write poetry for the Glory of God.  That’s a good thing.  We should encourage that.

But what everyone is getting hung up on (or loving, in many contexts) is the bashing of ‘religion.’  Now for those of you who read the article by CL, you have a heads up on the rest.  In the interview, Jefferson gives a definition of what he dubs ‘religion.’  He is equating ‘religion’ to self-righteousness and hypocricy, or legalism.  His view of religion in this context is the idea that it is what you do, or where you are, that brings about the ultimate saving grace of God.  As if going to a church and not cursing is the ultimate method of salvation.  Now, given that definition of religion, I can totally get behind this.  The reality is that there are so many people in this world (and, God forbid I say it – in our churches!) who believe that simply being a part of the ‘in-crowd’ is what is going to result in their salvation.  There is no regeneration, and that’s what the Bible sites as an evidence of our faith.  Get close to Jesus, and you can’t stay the way you were.  FACT.

The context in which he wrote this poem is not the same context in which I live.  The definition he uses for religion is not necessarily the same that I would ascribe to it. But that doesn’t make him wrong.  At the absolute worst, it means he could have used a better word.

Here is my one criticism.  Jefferson, you’ll never read my blog because I’m a nobody, but this is for you, dawg (I think he’d like that).  In a day and age in which the ‘Church’ has such a poor reputation – some deserved, and some not – and which our generation especially is so angry at the Church, what is your contribution?  Jesus didn’t come to abolish religion, he came to abolish sin and death.  He came to start His Church, and He set in motion specific practices that were to be observed (i.e. – baptism[Matt. 28:19], communion [Luke 22:19], regular worship services [Hebrews 10:25], appointment of deacons [Acts 6], appointment of elders [Titus 1:5], feeding of the flock [2 Tim. 2:2], etc … ).  Now religion in the sense of ‘trying to do it yourself,’ yes – Jesus absolutely came to abolish that.  But if we’re not careful, we end up with a whole lot of people who want to be ‘spiritual,’ without being organized.  That sounds great to some people, but it’s un-Biblical.  From the point of view of God’s Word, Christianity was not only meant to be lived individually, it was also meant to be lived corporately.  You said you love the ‘Church,’ and I believe that whole-heartedly.  Want to know why?  Because I can clearly see your love for Jesus.  And you can’t love Jesus and not love what He loves.  But your poem was scathing toward the Church.  You rebuked the Bride of Christ.  And not really the true Bride of Christ, but Satan’s cheap imitation.  The Church is a beautiful, wonderful mystery that Satan tries to corrupt every day.  We need to be careful not to rally people to Jesus by using their anger and frustration with something that is supposed to be good.  We need to rally them with the Gospel, and by showing them how it is supposed to be.  The answer to the ‘Church Problem’ is not to start more churches, it’s to affect change within the Church by living a life that is honoring to God.  A lot of people have latched onto your video as a justification for their anger toward the Church and their lack of involvement.  The phrase, “See, I don’t have to go to Church to be a Christian, because that’s not what it’s about” has been thrown around a lot more lately than I’d heard it before, and believe me when I say that I’d already heard it a lot.  Dude, your writing skills are boss.  Your love for Christ is an encouragement.  Your attack on hypocricy – masterful.  But be cautious that you don’t become a focal point for a generation of unorganized spirituality, because that’s not Godly at all.  I don’t know you, but I’m proud of you for standing up for Jesus and working for the advancement of His kingdom.  Good job, but be cautious.

Now, he’ll never read that, but hopefully you did.  So, I’ll take it.  Onto things that were really good.  The Gospel was shared.  That’s a total positive point.  Paul said that he didn’t care why the Gospel was being preached, so long as it was being preached.  In this case it was being preached because someone loves Jesus.  That’s a double plus.

Calling the Church out of apathy and into action – a total positive.  If the Church wants to claim that we are the Bride and Body of Christ, then we need to act like it.  He’s right.  Plain and simple.

Being transparent about where he’s been and how Jesus pulled him out of his sin.  That’s a great thing, and something that we need more of inside the Church.  We’re so uptight about the fact that we’re not perfect (which everyone already knows, surprise, surprise!), that it lends itself to us acting as if we’re perfect, and eventually believing that.  I think 1 John 1 has something to say about that.

All in all, I think that I give Jefferson a pass on this one.  Not based on anything that he’s done, but on Jesus obedience alone.

Apron Full of Stains

 

So this morning I’m reminded of a song by the Normals, a Christian band from the ’90s that I once accidentally saw in concert (they opened for the band that I went to see, who I now don’t even remember who they were … apparently the band I went to see wasn’t that amazing, eh?).  The song is reflective of how easy it seems to share the love of Christ, but how hard it actually is sometimes.  The singer recounts first an experience in a diner with a waitress who is clearly having a difficult time, and his feelings of inadequacy in making a difference.  All he knows to do is to offer a heartfelt smile and offer an encouraging word.  He then sings about a similar experience with a homeless veteran, and again his insecurities about reaching out and knowing what to do.

At the end of the song, he talks about going back to the same diner and sing the same waitress.

“I come back a couple of weeks later see the same apron, same stains, same split-end hair pulled back
She comes near and says, ‘Hey mister, your smile picked me up the other day, just thought I’d say thanks.’
And I don’t know why, it takes all my effort to try … “

This morning I was leaving my house to head for work when I saw a young man out walking in the rain (which was peculiar, since the weather is stinkin’ awful!).  I had met him before, and had spoken to him a number of times, so I said hello and asked what he was up to. We talked about the weather, about soccer, etc … and then I felt the Spirit of God leading me to take the conversation another direction.  I asked him if something was going wrong, and tried to push the conversation toward spiritual things.  Immediately, he opened up a window into his life where he confessed sins, feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, guilt, and shame.  It was as if I had inadvertently stumbled into a war-zone.  Truthfully, I had.  There was a war going on in this young man’s heart, as God attempted to grab hold of him for His kingdom.

We walked about three miles in the light rain, just talking about Jesus, His work on the cross, and our inability to fix our own lives.  I asked questions, and he answered them with a level of honesty that caught me off-guard.  His was a soul seeking Jesus, and not concerned for anything other than that.

I had the opportunity as we walked to very directly share the bad news of us, and the good news of Jesus.  By the grace of God, we stopped on a street-corner in Brookville and he prayed, asking Jesus to forgive him of his sins, to give him freedom from the shame and guilt, and to be the Lord of his life.  In such a mundane place, God performed a miracle (I’ll never view that street corner the same way, for the record.  It along with several other places in our world are where I have directly seen the Hand of God reach down from heaven and perform miraculous deeds).

It brings to reality that line from the Normals’ song, “I don’t know why it takes all my effort to try.”  The fact is that God prepared this day, and that heart, far in advance of me.  Victory was a given – it was going to happen, and not even the combined forces of hell (or weather) could prevail against the perfect plan of heaven.

God’s assault on the heart of this young man was going to be successful no matter what.  And it was.

So why is it so hard for me sometimes to do what God has called me to do?  Why is it so difficult for me to trust in the God who mapped out all of my days before a single one of them happened?

On this day, I feel like (in Christ) I could scale mountains – and then throw them into the sea.  God is so good, and I am infinitely more aware of the reality of this today.  So, get out of your comfort zone and share Christ with someone around you today – then ending is already written.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”
- Philemon 6 

Blameless

Vindicate me, O Lord,
For I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Test me, O Lord, and try me,
Examine my heart and my mind;
For Your love is ever before me,
And I walk continually in Your truth.
I do not sit with deceitful men,
Nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
And refuse to sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence,
And go about Your alter, O Lord,
Proclaiming aloud Your praise
And telling of all Your wonderful deeds.
I love the house where You life, O Lord,
The place where Your glory dwells.

Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
My life with bloodthirsty men,
In whose hands are wicked schemes,
Whose right hands are full of bribes.
But I lead a blameless life;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.

My feet stand on level ground;
In the great assembly I will praise the Lord! 

- Psalm 26

For the last several days, God has laid this passage on my heart again and again.  As I read this passage, seeing David declare before God that he is blameless, I am blown away.  I realize that David is not saying he is sinless – read through the Psalms and you will see clearly that David does not see himself as without sin! – but instead is declaring that he is living in such a way that is above reproach.  That is, that his life is so consumed by God that even in the midst of his struggles and failures, no one has anything negative to say about his character.  That everything that is wrong with his life is at least being dealt with – that he has made it known before God, confessed it, repented of it, and is trying to be holy, just as God is holy.

As I have been reading this, and as God has laid it on my heart, it has not been due to me thinking that I could stand in the assembly of God and declare these same words.  I am humbled by my own shortcomings, my own failures.  But this I strive for – to be so enamored by God that I “walk continually in [His] truth.”  What does it take to be able to stand before God and honestly call yourself ‘blameless?’  What does it take to stand in the presence of the Almighty and declare that you have lived a life that is so dedicated to Him that sin has no place to take root?

My prayer is that I would find out, and that one day I could honestly stand and pray this as a prayer to God.  Coincidentally, that’s also my prayer for you today.  And if you’re reading this, I prayed that prayer for you.  Not by name, mind you, because I don’t know who you are.  But – God does, so it’s all good

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 1:4-6

 

A Psalm of Penitence

“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin. 
For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones when You have broken rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
The God of my salvation;
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.

-Psalm 51:1-17

As I came into my office this morning, I knew that I had business to do with God.  I like to think of myself sometimes as “having arrived.”  I don’t know where I’ve arrived, or how that even makes sense, but I know that if I’m not careful my pride has a tendency to not just ‘get the best of me,’ but to get all of me.  The reality is that I am so far from my destination that when I am truthful, I feel as though I will never arrive.  Sin … well … it stinks.  It feels as though every time I drag myself out of one sinful situation, I just fall into another.

As a Pastor, I feel that I shouldn’t struggle with sin.  I know this is ridiculous – I’m human, after all – but I just can’t shake that feeling that I have to have it all together, at all times.  Well, I don’t.  Not only do I not always have it all together, I never have it all together.  I’m a mess.  A wretch of a person who many times loves himself more than God.  And by the way, I can take ‘myself’ out of that sentence and replace it with a myriad of other words that can fit perfectly.  Sometimes sin seems so overwhelming – how can I deal with this?  Sure, some things may seem easier to deal with than others.  It’s been a long time since I’ve ‘cussed,’ I’ve never been drunk, and I haven’t punched anyone in some fifteen years.  Other sins for me, however, seem to be a downward spiral that I walk into despite the hand of God offering me respite.  Why do I walk into it?  I don’t know, maybe it’s a false sense of hopelessness, as my heart tells me there is no light at the end of the tunnel (“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9).  Maybe it’s that wall I build up by trying to ignore it at times.  Maybe it’s just stupidity.  Whatever the case, at times I can’t help but feel discouraged in my walk with God – like everyone else (and especially every other pastor) knows something that I don’t.  It seems like they all have it all together.  But then, from the outside, some people might be fooled into thinking that I have it all together, too.  In our Sunday night Bible study, we’re using a book written by a man named Craig Groeschel called The Christian Atheist.  The book is about how often times we believe in God, but don’t allow Him to have any real effect on our lives.  Something that he said in one of the chapters really stuck out to me.  He talked about how He struggled with some of the same difficulties about being a pastor that I do.  He then said that one of the things he has to remember, is that he’s not a pastor because he’s ‘so’ sanctified, but that being a pastor is the road God chose for him through which he was being sanctified by God.  The role God has assigned to me is, apparently, the only way He thought I would learn to follow Him – apparently, He did choose me because I’m an idiot.

The truth is, I deal with more sin issues than I can count; laziness, pride, lust, a bad attitude, arrogance, foolish talk, useless arguments,  irresponsibility, carelessness, idle words, idolatry, selfishness, greed – and the list goes on.  I deal with sin on a daily basis – when I’m right with God, and when I’m doing what I need to do (i.e. – spending time in His word, seeking Him through prayer, etc … ), I feel like it’s an uphill battle.  When I’m not, well, let’s just say it isn’t pretty.

This morning there came a point where I just had to fall to my knees and confess my sins, beg Him for His forgiveness, and seek His strength – because I have none.  Throughout Scripture, great men whom I see as stalwart heroes of the faith refer to themselves as if they are the worst people on the planet.  David said to God, “I am a worm,” (Psalm 22:6) in the sight of his sin.  Paul told Timothy that all of us are sinners, but  he himself was “the worst” (I Timothy 1:15).  No way, Paul, I’ve got that title.  David – if you’re a worm, I’m … well … whatever is lower than a worm.  I have been given so much, and yet feel as though I have been faithful with so little.

It’s at those moments, when we are confronted with our sin – and the depths of our depravity – that we stand before a Holy God and wonder why He would ever offer us forgiveness.  Sure, he promised He would – but I wouldn’t blame Him if He changed His mind.  I am in no way deserving of forgiveness.  In no way deserving of His grace, mercy, and love.  But what a glorious gift His forgiveness is.

In my time with God this morning, I started in Psalm 51, but I didn’t end there.  In the midst of the crushing weight of my sin, and the reality of my brokenness, God led me next to Psalm 32.  I hope that it will be an encouragement for you, too.

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord
Does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

When I kept silent about my sin,
My body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin.”

-Psalm 32:1-5

We all have sin in our lives.  Sin that needs to be confessed and dealt with.  We all need repentance on a daily basis.

Do business with God today.  You won’t regret it.

 

Details …

The logo for our fall retreat, in connection with 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.

Having returned from our fall retreat – although a little worse for the wear, I’m afraid, as I’m suffering through a cough that makes me sound like I’m dying – I am humbled by God, and by the work He accomplished in the lives of all those who attended.  There is something so … beautiful … about a packed out room of students singing their hearts out to God.  Literally, hours upon hours go into planning this retreat (and to all those who helped in not just planning, but also implementing, my deepest heart-felt thanks go out to you!), but at the end of the weekend all of our planning paled in comparison to what God actually accomplished.  It’s amazing how we try to control every little detail, to plan for every possible contingency, only to have God once again prove that He is the Master of the details.

“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? God doesn’t forget any of them. Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.”
- Luke 6:6-7, GWE

Our God is a God of details.  At the retreat, I end up overseeing a number of different activities and events, and sometimes the smaller things have a tendency to fall through the cracks.  Sometimes, relationships tend to fall to the wayside as I struggle to keep on top of the myriad things that have to happen in order for me to feel as though things are running smoothly.  What absolutely blows my mind is that this doesn’t happen with God.  This last weekend, I was responsible for overseeing a retreat of roughly 165 people (thanks be to God I didn’t have to do it alone!  I’d be dead!).  I had to make sure sessions ran smoothly, and as close to on time as possible, as well as seeing to activities (paintball, high ropes, climbing wall / zip-line), working with the financial side of things, mass amounts of paperwork, and then on top of that was the more important aspect where I was responsible to love the students there – especially those from my group (who are typically pretty easy to love, anyway!).  In the midst of this it always seemed as though something was being neglected at all times.

God, on the other hand, is responsible for holding the universe together, maintaining the natural laws that govern our existence, overseeing approximately 7 billion people, pursuing the hearts of the lost, building the hearts of His found, all while putting up with my junk.  Talk about details … Not for the first time, I find myself grateful that He is God, and I am not.

“Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen.”
- Ephesians 3:20-21, GWE

Infinitely more, indeed!  I cannot even fathom the concept that in the midst of His hectic schedule, God has time for me.  But the simple truth is that God has time for us all!  The wonder is that any moment, I can bumble into the throne room of God like a child who has no concept of the fact that his daddy is busy.  My son certainly has no concept of my schedule, and at times will run to me right in the midst of whatever I’m doing.  Sadly, I must confess that I am not near so good at making sure that I give him my time as my God is with me.

It may be hard to find a central point in all of this, but that’s because I’m not preaching – I’m rambling.  I don’t have three main points and a quippy saying to go along with them, but I guess that if I had to leave you with something, it’d be this:  Find some time today to run into your heavenly Father’s throne room, and thank Him that He is a God of details.  Thank Him that in the midst of everything He has going on, He will always make time for you.

Oh, an since He’s got it covered – stop stressing over the details!

“Every man’s life ends the same way.  It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
- Earnest Hemingway

Justice, Revenge, and Bin Laden

I know there are those who have been curious as to what my actual opinion is on the current frenzy that has gripped our nation.  I’m certain of this, because after all – everyone instantly considers my opinion in any major issue, right?  Well, no, not exactly … but in case there is anyone who was curious – even maybe a little bit curious! – I went ahead and compiled my ‘Manifesto’ of thoughts on the latest happenings in our country / world.

Yesterday, I enjoyed doing two things on Facebook:  1.  Starting  and joining thought-provoking discussions and at times playing devil’s advocate on both sides of the equation, 2.  Trolling others’ FB pages with messages such as “R@lph N@d3r 4 Lif3!!11!1!”  Although a few took my support for the erstwhile presidential candidate of the 90′s seriously, most simply rolled their eyes and went on with their day as if I didn’t exist.  However, I digress.  This does not even begin to answer the question at hand.

When it comes to the question that it seems everyone and their dog has been arguing about, I feel that we (as believers) must first recognize one very important, very basic truth.  We are not called to be like the world, or like those around us – but to be like Christ.  His Word, and His actions on earth are to be our guide in everything that we do.  Therefore, any arguments on either side of the coin featuring the now disfigured head of Bin Laden must be thoroughly measured against Scripture.  So, without further adieu, here is my conclusion.

1.     Osama Bin Laden’s death was necessary, and the United States government was well within its God-given rights.
I want to start off with an Old Testament reference – which I know some may shudder to accept –  that I believe is still God’s take on human government.  Genesis 9:6 tells us,

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”

Now we know that we do not follow every command from the Old Testament.  There are some commands in the Old Testament Law that we are no longer bound by.  We can wear clothes of many different weaves, we can eat pork, etc, etc … but there’s something different here.  In this command, God is entering into a new age – an age of human governing.  Dispensationalists will call this a new dispensation.  At any rate, I see no where in the New Testament where this command is overturned, or where it is revoked.  In fact, in Romans 13, Paul supports this command:

“Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.  Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?  Then do what is right and he will commend you.  For he is God’s servant to do you good.  But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.  He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” (2-4)

The fact is that Osama Bin Laden was a terrorist, responsible for the deaths of thousands of men and women.  In the interest of protecting against further deaths at his hands, his end was necessary and I support our government and our military in their decision to carry it through.

2.     In a perfect world, there would be no need for Bin Laden’s death.

This may seem like common sense … that’s because it is.  If the world was perfect, than there would have been no need for him to be killed.  He wouldn’t have harmed anyone.  We would all be in perfect harmony with each other and with our God.  Looking forward to a time when Christ’s rule on earth is recognized by all, and when our world is as God intended, Isaiah 11 gives us but a glimpse of the world as God imagined it.

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.  The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.  The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.  They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (6-9)

There will come a day when all will be as it should be.  But it is not today.  Today we have the unfortunate necessity of ending life in order to protect others.  However, due to the fact that these necessities are a result of sin, I must solemnly mourn the fact that we live in a world that is so far from God that we must resort to killing.  Yes it was necessary, but no – that is not something to celebrate.  Imagine a man who becomes injured, and due to the injury must amputate a limb.  The amputation is necessary to save his life – without it, he will die.  Obviously, it is a necessity.  The fact that it will save his life is a wonderful thing – but the fact that a limb was lost is not something he will celebrate.  In the same way, Bin Laden’s death was necessary.  It is a great thing that it will (God-willing) save lives.  But it is not a thing of celebration, but instead a solemn reminder of how far off our world is from God’s heart.

3.     God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

One of the most common themes I have seen surrounding this issue from believers’ perspectives is the concept of God’s justice, and our celebrations thereof.  I believe that this was just – though whether it was God’s justice or man’s I am uncertain, since God’s justice will be carried out for far longer than man’s – and that God’s justice is something that is righteous.  But do we celebrate the fact that God’s justice has been carried out?  When Jesus was on the cross, God’s justice would have been to annihilate all those who put him up there, all those who sneered at him, beat him, mocked him – but what was Jesus’ response?  ”Father, forgive them, for the know not what they do.”  Is this one who is seeking God’s justice or God’s mercy?  It does not mean that we ought to avoid God’s justice – far from it.  But at the same time, should we derive pleasure from God’s justice?  The Westboro Baptist Church believes that God’s justice is being carried out every time an American soldier steps on an IED and is killed in Iraq.  And they derive pleasure from “that justice.”  I think that’s sick.  I think they are twisted.  And I know they are wrong.  Understanding that God’s justice is being carried out, and approving of what He does and thanking him for his perfection is a far cry from celebrating when justice is served.  In Matthew 5, Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”  There are some situations in which mercy is not an option.  But that does not mean it should not be the desire of our hearts.  And if it is the desire of our hearts, than even when we recognize that justice was necessary, and that death had to occur – there still should be a sense of loss that it had to come to this.

Certainly God’s justice and his wrath has been carried out against many an evil person, but what is God’s response to carrying out His justice?  What is God’s response to the death of those whom he has deemed necessary to destroy?  Ezekiel 33:11 says:

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.”

God’s preference is that the death of the wicked doesn’t have to happen, but that they turn from their evil and that they live.  Not only that, but Christ came so that the evil could turn from their ways and live an abundant life through Him.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

What was God’s desire for Osama Bin Laden?  His desire for him was that he turn away from evil, turn from his false god, and follow the one true God, Jesus Christ, living abundantly through the salvation that He offers.  That is, according to God’s Word, God’s desire for everyone.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

It is God’s desire that none die apart from Him, but that all repent, turn from their wickedness, and follow Jesus Christ.  That is the heart of our God!

4.     We are called to be like Christ, and to see things as He sees them.

One of the greatest truths I know, is that God is changing me to become more like Christ, which is His desire for my life.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

This is an amazing thing.  He’s not done with me yet.  But I ought to always strive to be as He is, to live as He did, and to think as He does.  If I am doing this, than I must look at God’s heart, His response, and mirror that in my own life.  God’s response to this is clear.  I believe God mourns the death of Osama Bin Laden – not just the physical death, but the spiritual death that he will experience for an eternity apart from God.  I believe that God allowed his death to be carried out, and even to an extent orchestrated it as part of his divine justice.  But I believe he derives no pleasure from it.  Neither do I.

I rejoice in this fact:  That God’s love and His heart yearns for the redemption of every soul.  I stand and offer my congratulations to the United States military for doing what needed to be done in a crooked and depraved world.  I offer credit to our Commander in Chief, who made the decisions necessary for this action to take place.  I find satisfaction in the closure that the families affected by this man’s heinous acts, may now experience through the justice that has been served.  But for Bin Laden – I grieve.  I grieve that he now must spend an eternity in separation from God.  I grieve that his death was necessary due to his actions and refusal to acknowledge the One True God.  I grieve for those ensnared by Islam, who view him as a martyr and are lost in their sins and a myriad of false beliefs.  And on this day, I do not celebrate a great victory – instead I mourn the fact that we live in a world steeped in sin, where actions such as Bin Laden’s are common, and the inevitable response is a necessity.  I yearn for God’s perfection to be evident in every aspect of our world.

So, there you have it – there are my thoughts, my opinions.  I’m sure that there is someone out there who would consider them worth $0.02!  But don’t try to use them at the grocery store

Comments please!!

Broken Cisterns

Today was one of those days.  You know, one of those days?  The ones where you wake up and life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Those kind of days where you wake up and discover that the world is a heartless, cynical place full of heartless, cynical people – and you’re one of them.  One of those days you roll out of bed poorly balanced due to the chip on your shoulder.  Yeah.  Today was one of those days.

We have those days periodically (unfortunately).  Or at least, I do – maybe I’m the only one.  Perhaps I didn’t get the sleep I needed last night, or maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed (how does that even work?  I have an assigned side of the bed – switching seems insane to me … who does that?).  Maybe, just maybe, that bowl of spaghetti I ate before bed last night affected my brain chemistry … but I doubt it.  Truth be told, I know what the problem was.  The problem was that I was spiritually dehydrated.  And that, my friends, is the beginning of one of those days for me.

I arrived late at ministerium this morning – meeting with various pastors and youth pastors from around our district – because my son was grumpy and tired.  So I let him sleep a little later.  Or maybe I wanted to sleep a little later, and so he gave me an excuse.  I don’t know.  Whatever the cause, I arrived late and then had lunch with a number of my brothers in Christ at K’s in Brookville.  The whole time I felt like a zombie, just staring, part of me wishing I could be somewhere else.  After leaving ministerium, I found myself sitting in my car outside of my office and just feeling genuinely miserable.  What is my problem? I asked myself.  But it wasn’t me that answered.  It was as if I could feel God answering me:  When was the last time you were on your face before Me?  When was the last time you asked Me to restore you? So of course there was only one thing to do.  I went into my office, fell on my face before God, and poured out my heart.  I wasn’t sure what I needed to say, so I just let everything I was holding in my heart flow out of me.  I sought forgiveness, I prayed for friends, I prayed for family, I prayed for my faith-family at Brookville; I prayed for faith, I prayed for healing, I prayed for salvation, I prayed for growth … and then it was as if I felt God telling me, Shut up, Brian!  Just listen. And so after unloading my heart to God, I lay there on the floor silent before Him.  It was amazing.  I love my God.

After spending the much-needed time diving into Jesus, I began to read Scripture.  I decided to spend some time in the book of Jeremiah, a book I haven’t read in quite some time.  Reading through the first couple of chapters, I came across Jeremiah 2:12-13:

“Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord.  ”My people have committed two sins:  They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

I know that Jesus is the living water – the life-giving essence that brings me comfort, love, joy, peace, and contentment.  But how often do I try to find a ‘better’ way to get those things?  How often do I forsake the living water, and build my own cisterns?  A cistern is more or less a hole in the ground designed to hold water – often times collecting it from rain.  The illustration here is brilliant, and so picturesque of my life.  Here I am with the source of perfect, pure life-giving water – and I set that aside to dig a hole and try to collect a meager pool of rain drops.  The result is a pathetic pool of muddy water – and as if that isn’t bad enough, it leaks! No matter how hard I try, the results I achieve are nothing short of pitiful.  I need the source.  I need Jesus.  I realize that the only way to get rid of those days is to go to the source of life, and trade in my pathetic stock of misery for his infinite stock of joy.  And He is faithful.

And so I ask you the same questions that I felt as if God were asking me today:  When was the last time you were on your face before God?  When was the last time you asked Him to restore you?