Truth is Christ
Saturday, September 4, 2010

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life! No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6

                There are some passages of Scripture which are so defining, so powerful, so enlightening, and so profound that lifetimes are spent on a single verse and in the end, left wanting.  That should not be a surprise, since one word from the mouth of God created a universe that modern scientists, with all their sophistication, cannot fathom.  John 14:6 is such a passage.  So I will not explain it today, but maybe as a firefly on a pitch black night, I can be a flicker that causes you to explore.

                When Jesus said, “I am the Way. . .” He was seriously, genuinely declaring that there is a way of God, which His life embodied, and that if we want Life, we must also follow His Way.  No one describes this better in our modern world than Eugene Peterson in his book, The Jesus Way.  This book is worthy of every modern Christian’s read and reread.  It is one of the most profound books of this current decade.  Pick it up and read it, I cannot stand in the same arena as Peterson.  So let me move on to my topic of today.  “I am . . . the Truth”. 

                Truth is not something we believe in much anymore in our modern culture.  In academic circles it is backwoods to believe there exists absolute truth.  In fact, the only truth that is taught in our colleges today (and this is taught absolutely) – “There is no truth.”  So we hear pronouncements such as, “well it may be true for you, but I live by a different truth.”  But let me tell you, if there is a truth, then such pronouncements are the silly things that are wrecking our culture.  We set ourselves up to be deceived by any deception which comes along.  We are moved more by necessity of the moment, than by a character based on truth.  Deception has created “designer personalities” in which image, personality, and the packaging of those things are more important that character.

                Yesterday, I wrote of the importance of hating evil and sin – not for our own sake, not for the sake of the culture, but for the sake of the holiness of God.  But because we live in a culture which has rejected truth, it is a greater sin to judge what is evil than to do evil.  And the result is chaos in our land.  The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a defining moment in American history.  It is been written about, fantasized, romanticized, and euphemized as much as any other incident in American lore.  Four people were ultimately killed as a result of that battle.  Another event which has gleaned equal attention is the St. Valentine Day’s Massacre.  In that event, 8 people were killed.  Each event was deemed tragic and deplorable in its day.  But what about today, when our philosophers, text book writers, and academics say there is no truth (except “There is no truth”).  We witness each week hostages taken, lives lost, and villains killed because there is no singular truth upon which we can rest our value structure.   I am horrified to see that because our values have their feet “planted firmly in thin air” (Francis Schaffer), we are captive to whatever terrorists want to impose upon us (and make no mistake about it, from the tower on Texas University to the hostage crisis in the Discovery Channel each was an act of terrorism).  And all this is because we reject the notion that there is an absolute truth upon which we must base our lives.

                But God Himself said, “I am . . . the Truth.”  We don’t have to worry about defining good and evil, God has done that for us, and that is truth.  We become liberal when we want to make our truths fit our modern culture and we become legalists when we try to help God out by saying what “He really meant to say.”  When churches and theologians say, “We must study whether it is acceptable for practicing homosexuals to be ordained, or that abortion is acceptable, global warming is the most important task of the church, or whether euthanasia is crucial for dignity of life” they are rejecting truth.  On the other hand, when churches say, “no instruments are allowed, no dancing, no drinking, no Saturday worship, no make-up, no pretty clothes, etc.” they are merely legalists trying to explain what God really meant to say.  There are plenty of sins on both sides and both result in Christians rejecting the reality that Christ is Truth.  And so the chaos that is existent in a truth denying culture exists in His Church as well – not because He is not the Truth, but because His church rejects that reality.

Hating Evil
Thursday, September 2, 2010

“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. . .”  Romans 12:9

                For all my readers, I have been on vacation, visiting my children and grandchildren in Wyoming.  It was a wonderful time (even though I have had a couple of scoldings for not writing) and now I am back at it.  But let me tell you of a message I have had on my heart for a few days.  It is contained in the passage above.  It wasn’t until I arrived home and started rummaging through my mail, that I realized the message was truly from the Holy Spirit.  A dear friend, whom I have only met physically once, but have cherished as a friend ever since we met, sent me this simple passage in the mail – with little explanation.  I simply knew that God was calling me to write what is on my heart tonight.

                I have become increasingly perplexed by my own anger and the anger of those around me – anger towards politicians; anger towards other races; anger between children and parents; anger between friends; and anger towards people who believe differently than we do.  There just seems to be a lot of anger.  Some is targeted toward the government.  Some is focused on people.  And some is even focused on sin and evil.  And I think it is because we sometimes cannot distinguished between the above, we just all fester in anger and vent it at the easiest and most vulnerable targets.  But today, I want to look at anger or hatred toward evil and sin, because I believe if we could get this right, our other angers could get more righteously focused.      

                There exists hatred of sin and evil on at least three levels.  The first level is that we should hate it because evil and sin destroys us as individuals.  I remember a story I have told so often in sermons and studies, but a simple retelling the other day made it all the more compelling to me.  A young girl was walking through the woods on a cold evening when she encountered a snake.  The snake was immobile because of the cold.  She was startled and started to run, but the snake called out to her, “Help!  Please pick me up and make me warm so I can live.”  But the girl said, “No, if I make you warm you will strike me and I will die.”  “No,” said the snake, “I will be so grateful that I will only give thanks to you.”  She didn’t trust the snake, so she sat on a nearby log and began to stare at it.  As she looked she began to remember the Discovery Channel and how they teach how beautiful the snakes really are; how she should respect them and share the planet with them.  And the more she stared, the more beautiful it became.  So she picked up the snake and began to warm it next to her body.  But as the snake’s blood began to warm, it began to move ever so slightly towards her neck.  And then it struck.  The girl cried out, “you struck me, I am going to die.”  And the snake responded.  “Why are you surprised? I am a snake; that is what I do.   You knew that when you picked me up.”  The point is evil or sin will kill us.  And no matter how beautiful we make it seem, it will still kill us.  And if we don’t hate it, we will likely pick it up and die.

                But there is another reason we should hate evil and sin.  We should hate evil and sin because it destroys those we love and the culture in which we live.  If you don’t believe that, just look at what liberals called sin just a few decades ago.  Now if a conservative Christian were to call the same things sin, they would be branded as bigots, racists, homophobes, and now Islamaphobes.  What used to be liberal is now considered far right wing.  And what is liberal today does not even reflect a smattering of goodness that comes from hating evil.  I heard recently that 60% of Christian 4^th and 5^th graders watch “R” rated movies regularly.  And since 4^th and 5^th graders cannot drive to the movies or the movie store, we have to assume they are watching these movies with the consent of their parents.  We have become so accustomed to the darkness, that the darkness becomes as light.  Like walking in to a dimly lit restaurant, our eyes (moral compasses) have adjusted and now we can see in the darkness.  God’s enemy is killing us, and we don’t even hate him.

                True, most Christians hate at the first level.  But sadly it really ends there or we would not be facing the issues we face today.  A few still hate at the second level, but do so at the risk of being social outcasts.  However there is a third level of hatred of evil and sin that has escaped the modern Christian and thus the Church is sick and dying in the Western world.  I am referring to hating sin and evil because of the holiness of God.  Seldom do we indulge in such thoughts of God’s holiness.  Seldom do we think about the hatred of God toward sin that was so profound that He crucified His Son upon the cross.  Seldom do we worry about whether God’s character is being infringed upon by the evil that exists in our homes, in our lives, on our computers, and in our hearts.  But make no mistake about it, the holiness of God is grieved because we do not hate sin and evil at that level – worse yet, we don’t even bother to think about sin at that level.  At the most mundane level, think about a father or mother who would take 40 lashes for the sins of a child and the child never gives that a thought.  He simply goes out and does the evil deed again and becomes angry at the father or mother for voicing an opinion.  Now multiply that profoundly sad feeling of the mother or father times infinity and you will get some idea of how God feels when we boldly and confrontationally sin in His presence (and according to Paul in Romans 1, we approve of others who do evil as well [Rm. 1:32]).

Truth Matters
Saturday, August 21, 2010

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6)

                There is a controversy going today about the religion of our President.   The controversy, while simmering in the bog of a disgruntled electorate, was brought to light by a recent poll which showed 20% of Americans believed the President to be Muslim; 34% believed him to be Christian; and most were confused about whatever he might proclaim as his faith.  Commentators on all sides of the issues have weighed in – is he Christian, what are the signs, is he Muslim, how can we know, is he an atheist, is that acceptable, and maybe most importantly, does it matter?  And mostly the consensus from the media is that it shouldn’t matter.  They bring up the Presidents of the past, how they were maligned if they showed too much faith, too little faith, etc.  Today, I want to make the case that what any civic leader believes really does matter.

                Before I dive into that, however, I want to make one aside.  What has humored me the most in this situation is that Obama and the Whitehouse are surprised by the results of this poll.  And my question is, “Why are you surprised?”  You have declared the traditional National Prayer Breakfast off limits, but have gladly appeared before the Ramadan banquet to celebrate Islam.  You have exalted the Islam faith in speech after speech, but refuse to exalt Christ in a single speech because you desire to be politically correct.  You gather around you ministers to inform you, but a close examination of those ministers reveals little about your faith and you have even kept the fact away from the American people.  You declared in the first 3 months of your presidency that “America is not a Christian nation.”  And I am sure most Christians could come up with other ostentatious shows of neglect to exalt your Creator.  So, don’t be surprised Mr. President.  We all write our resumes every day.

                Now to the issue at hand.  Does it really matter what our leaders believe.  Well the answer to that lies in the reality of truth.  If there is something that is true, and you don’t believe it is true, then how can you lead?  On the simplistic level, if a leader does not believe that 2 + 2 = 4 is truth, then how can we put them in charge of the massive budgets politicians play with today (Hmm!)?  That mathematical formula is so basic that denial of it as truth could cause chaotic problems beyond which we cannot imagine.  So then at least at that level, belief in an underlying truth is essential.  But what if there is a greater Truth that dictates all human existence.  What if there is a God who created all humanity, invested all His fullness in a Person called Jesus, died on the cross to give hope for humanity, and then commanded us to live for Him and one another in the same sacrificial way, and that belief in that truth is the only thing that will save you.  If that is true (and I wrote a few weeks ago demonstrating that truth), does it matter if our political leaders believe that?

                If that is true, would it not have impact on the laws they promulgate, the ordinances they enact, the zeal by which the pursue justice, integrity, and mercy?  Would it not impact the passion in which they govern, the love they demonstrate for their constituents, the integrity by which the ward off bribery and politics as usual?  Would it not constrain them to appeal to the ultimate truth in all decisions, large and small, to make sure that this Divine Loving Creator is exalted in the way that they lead?  My contention is yes.  That truth matters far more than 2+2 = 4, because it is more than balancing budgets (far more); it is about living eternally while existing on this earth.  And when we live eternally, every decision we make is not based on its impact for now or during a particular elected term, every decision is based on whether or not this God of Truth is glorified.  And that really matters.

                Now, am I implying that America should be a theocracy? Or that we should exclude from the political process any who don’t believe like we do?  Well, I do not believe we should be a theocracy – no, no, no, a thousand times no.  Because you see if I did, the moment another religion outnumbered and outvoted my religion we would be doomed to follow that which is not founded on truth.  What I am implying is that what our politicians believe really matters, because what they believe will direct their decisions.  We don’t have to rule on biblical law if God’s law is in the hearts of our leaders.  We have debates on abortion, same sex marriages, euthanasia, politics as usual, political correctness, and a host of other things only because our leaders don’t believe in Truth. 

Pains of Childbirth
Monday, September 28, 2009

“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” Gal 4:19 Note:  Many of these thoughts are borrowed from a letter I wrote to a dear friend this morning.               

 If you have never been a pastor or church leader, I doubt you can relate to the passion Paul felt as he addressed a legalistic church in Galatia.  His heart was ripping apart with almost every word of the very passionate letter to the leadership there.  For purposes of understanding Paul’s letter we must understand the definition of legalism.  Legalism is where the laws, traditions, and rules of men are more important than the Word of God and these same rules are substituted for Christ Himself.     

           I, like Paul, have a passion for the Body of Christ – the Church. And it is indeed like pains of childbirth yearning to see Christ transforming His Body.  And because of that passion, I have found myself in battle with organized religion (legalism) since the day I entered ministry.  Organized religion is destroying God’s church in America.  Sixty churches close their doors every month.  Attendance at worship has declined by over 40 percent in the last 50 years.  Mega churches, where people can go and get entertained but not discipled, fed coffee during worship but not spiritual meat and potatoes, hear rock music but not the uncompromising word of God, and where interpersonal relationships are lost in a sea of uncommitted faces, these spring up and die with the same frequency as do other churches, leaving the landscape of America littered with edifices of the failure of the Body of Christ.  The influence of the Church in America has been stripped and people are only allowed to do their “God-thing” as long as it does not interfere with the rights of the culture to destroy itself.  Seminaries have become academic icons of secularism and in them the God of the universe is relegated to a smallness of position so minute that He could not transform anything, including the poor unsuspecting pastors who attend there.

                The question has to come:  how did this happen?  Well, I believe it happened in the same way that 6 million Jews were killed in WWII without much protest from them, the Church, or the world in general.  The Jews refused to believe it was happening and were in denial all the way into the gas chamber, the Church acquiesced to Hitler rather than lose their positions and prestige and their right to exist, and the world hid its head in the sand.  So the church in compromise, led the people in denial into their own destruction – while the world paid no attention.  Therein lies the problem in the modern church, we are being led like sheep in denial by compromised leadership to our unsuspecting slaughter, and crucifying the shepherds who try to turn us away.                The modern church is led by politicians not men and women dedicated to prayer, fasting, and spiritual discipline, waiting on the Lord for instruction and direction.  We are led by politics and money instead of the word of God.  (I have said many times that in most churches in America today, if the constitution or a tradition clashes with the Word of God, you can bet the word will lose.) And we hire (instead of call) CEO’s who are more skilled in programs that in being in tune to God’s Holy Spirit.  And so the churches are run more like businesses than the Body of Christ.  A person’s right to vote becomes more important than their commitment to serve, so even the most uncommitted Christian can influence the direction of the church and have equal say with the saints who spend tearful hours in prayer and fasting.   

             These are the hard realities of the modern church.  I have spent so much time in battling this organized religion that I have wasted my ministry, destroyed the gentleness of my wife, and left my own tolerance for politics as usual on the wayside.  I have fought all the church battles I want to fight.  I dreams of a church where Christ is Lord, where disciplines are part of the joyous order of the saints, where lives are being transformed, where the word of God is the only constitution, and where elders meet the biblical requirements set out for them.  I want to be able to worship without hearing old people complain about the music or expressions of worship and young people complain about the traditional hymns that have sustained the church for ages.  I want a multigenerational church where the generations have learned to love each other as Christ loved the Church – loving, understanding, mentoring, learning, growing, transforming all for the Glory of God.  I would be content to be in a messy church which is committed to that but has not attained it; but one which does not put stumbling blocks in the pathway of making it happen.  My life and my ministry are drawing to a close and I want to spend what years I have left for God’s glory and purposes, not fighting religion.  My daily prayer is from Psalm 71, “My life is an example to many, because You have been my strength and protection.  That is why I can never stop praising You; I declare Your glory all day long.  And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside.  Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing.  O God, You have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things You do.  Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.  Let me proclaim Your power to this new generation, Your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” (Ps. 71:5-9;14-18)