Lent 2023 | Day 25: The Gospel’s Requirements

The Gospel is the constant reminder that only God could save us. Only God could restore us. Only God could provide the means of return to Him.

Of the many things I have heard people ask on their faith journey, the one that seems most prominent is this: “What does God want from me?”

This desire to know what God expects is normal. It is also good for us to consider. If we want to understand what we are supposed to do now that we have a relationship with God, then reflecting on this topic is important.

What I find to be most challenging in the discussion is, too often, we are talking about what God wants with a proper frame of reference. We want an answer but we have fully appreciated what God has already done to point us in the right direction. This is where the Gospel helps us know what God is “looking for.”

The Gospel’s requirements are the way we know what God wants. By starting where God starts with regard to our reconciliation with Him, we can better understand how we please God with our lives.

In order for us to have a relationship with God, our sins must be addressed. This is the impediment that keeps us from God. Jesus entered the world, died, was buried, and was raised on the third day for our redemption. If we put our trust in Jesus and his work, we will be saved. This salvation is the gift of God to those who no longer depend on themselves, but have instead accepted the power of the blood of Jesus to cover the effects of sin.

These are the essential realities of the Gospel. Any one of these realities could take multiple volumes to fully tease out. But for our purposes, this provides an overview of what God has done and what we must accept.

One of the great challenges here is that in order for any of this to happen, we have to accept what God has said is the problem. We have to agree with God that our sin is the principal hindrance to our relationship with Him. And, to go one step further, we have to acknowledge that we cannot overcome this obstacle in our own strength or authority.

So, what is it that the Gospel requires? It actually requires only one thing. The Gospel requires humility.

The Gospel is a constant reminder that only God could save us. Only God could restore us. Only God could provide the means of return to Him.

But if we refuse to accept God’s plan, if we demand for God to alter what He has provided, we are not functioning out of humility. We are operating out of pride.

Bishop Luis Scott has often said the Church is the only place where the price of membership is standing up and admitting there’s something wrong with you. In every other institution, we are presenting our best face. We are putting the highlights of our successes. But not in the Church.

Humility is the price of entry. This is what the Gospel requires. That we would agree with God regarding our needs. And that we would accept what God has provided as the remedy for that need.

Lent 2023 Series

Video Spotlight | Advent Birmingham Music: “Skin and Soul”

In one of those chances of life, I discovered this song by Advent Birmingham Music. It is a group of musicians and singers from the Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham, Alabama.

There is both a solemnity and a somberness to the lyric and melody.

As I listened I was reminded of the power of song to convey the heart of an issue.

Take a few minutes and listen. Then listen again. And again.

https://youtu.be/PeFJj8OS2iI

There are No Winners

The events that transpired and the responses of many people, both within my circle and in the general population, left me with a sense of foreboding. There is something wrong in this nation.

Introduction

I went to bed last night with a heavy heart. The events that transpired and the responses of many people, both within my circle and in the general population, left me with a sense of foreboding. There is something wrong in this nation. This feeling reached a high intensity yesterday, leaving me fatigued. But in my spirit I don’t believe we have crested the hill yet. I pray I am wrong. But again, as a student of Scripture and human nature I fear I am not. I believe there is worse yet to come.

In order to contextualize my thoughts I need say a few things first. About 11 years ago I had a conversation with a dear friend. We were journeying in a process of discipleship and he asked me a question. One that I “knew” the answer to, but I had never been asked out loud. I don’t remember the exact phrasing, but it had to do with what I believed God had called and commissioned me to do with my life in the body of Christ. When me met one week later I shared the answer with him. I believe that I am called to serve the Church. Not to a church. But to the whole of the body of Christ. But even as I serve a local congregation, my eyes are keenly vigilant to the greater purposes of God for those who have called upon the name of Jesus in faith.

I can honestly say, I have not always understood or appreciated what that calling means. Today I feel I have a better grasp on what I means for me. But I will proceed cautiously.

Our Current Situation

I have not felt the weight of this purpose as strongly as I have in the last 12 months. And in the last 24 hours the magnitude of it has only increased. I am fighting back tears as I write this. My heart breaks for the Church. She has been scandalized and ridiculed from without and within. She has been taken advantage of for personal gain and used as a toy by some who have been called to lead her and be her. The damage has been extensive. The trail of the carnage left in the wake of these acts of malfeasance has become incalculable. The harm has been catastrophic for those who have had to endure this abuse. And the few left willing to pick up the pieces are struggling under the weight of it all.

For the better part of twenty years I have found and grounded my sense of identity in ministry in the life of the Prophet Jeremiah. A man who’s example scares me as much as it inspires me. What I was not wise enough to see as a younger man, and what I have come to realize as I have become older, is that we often pray for peace when discipline is about to be handed down. Jeremiah understood this better than most.

The problem with this is, as I learned as a child, most often it is too late to stay the hand of discipline when it is coming down on you. And as my siblings learned, discipline will fall on all of us regardless of the level of culpability.

The Pieces of a Broken Nation

What we saw in the reports coming out of Washington, D. C., and what I am seeing from a smaller circle of friends on social media is what I believe to be an unfortunate misunderstanding of what is happening. Too many in the Church seem to believe what we see happening is political. That what has happened is the breakdown of the political processes of this nation. So the accusations from every side are being thrown around. Blame is being assigned, but no responsibility is being claimed. Those who support the President are calling out the hypocrisy of those who don’t. And those who support the President-elect are acting like they have been vindicated against the other side. Do you see the problem? It’s taken me some time to see it too.

There are Christians on both sides of this divide. There are Christians throwing arrows at each other about who supported who, and what that says about the “other.” We have reduced righteousness to political affiliation. And do you know who is right? The devil.

The Sin of This Current Moment Revealed

I am going to say this as simply as I can. I don’t care who you voted for. And I don’t care why you did it. We were wrong in doing it. Not because it was a sin to participate in the civic process. And not because one candidate was better than the other. We were wrong because of the result.

We were wrong because of the chaos it has created. And we are wrong in the rationalizations and justifications and smug retorts that are being thrown around. We have sinned against each other by standing in judgment over one another. There are too many Christians today who think that God is on their side of this political disaster. He’s not. And he never has been. And to say otherwise is to reveal our idolatry.

A political victory is not the grounds for calls to repent. Or for admonitions for reconciliation.

This is why making public political statements has been forbidden in our local congregation since its founding. And it has been the practice of our Pastor for over 40 years of ministry. It breeds division. And it fosters pride. They do not lead to forgiveness or grace. Politics is about victory over an enemy. And if we view other Christians as enemies, we have forsaken the unity of the Spirit. We have become agents of division, all in the name of being proven right.

The church has been infiltrated and the battle line has been drawn within the four walls of our congregations! We have been encouraged to turn against each other over something that changes every 2 or 4 years. We have lost sight of the ultimate aim of the Church. Which has caused us to lose perspective of one another.

The Gospel is Our Only Hope

What is frustrating to the point of being maddening to those of us who see this festering problem, is we are made to feel like we are going crazy. Well, I’m not crazy.

Holding onto the Gospel as the only hope for humanity is not crazy.

Believing that Jesus is the only way to peace with God and neighbor is not crazy.

Struggling and fighting to live a life that is pleasing to God and satisfying to me is not crazy.

Serving those whom God has led me to cross paths with is not crazy.

What is crazy is thinking that any system—political or otherwise—in this world will accomplish anything remotely resembling heaven is not only foolishness bound up in madness, but it is bound to fail. Not because our efforts are not many, but because our strength is not sufficient to the task. Our good intentions are always tainted when not surrendered to the wisdom of God.

This has been the clever façade placed before us by the spiritual agents at work against us. Like a cat trying to catch the laser dot, we have been distracted by the superficial and the temporary.

“This is the most important election of our lifetime.” That’s what we have been told we are supposed to be focusing on. That’s like saying this is the most important breath of air you will take. There’s no end to this kind of histrionic thinking. And now we are seeing how this strategy has not done anything to advance the work of the kingdom of Christ. In fact, it has worked against the purposes of God.

We are Fighting the Wrong War

As Christians we are not in a battle with flesh and blood. Flesh and blood is the vehicle for spiritual warfare. The war that matters is fought in the prayer closet and in our own heart. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV). And there are many strongholds in each and every congregation in this nation.

But, on the surface we are seeing the breaking down of a nation that no longer believes all its citizens are equal. And you can interpret that in anyway you want. Because there will be some kernel of truth to it regardless of your perspective.

What we are witnessing, in real time, is the disintegration of the social bonds that at one time held us together. And again, define that as you want, and you will probably be “correct” to some degree or another.

However, as a follower of Christ, I feel compelled to point out that what is happening in this nation, and has been happening for several decades, is not new. It is not recent. (Which is another convenient lie we believe and/or promote to justify our actions.) It is the the culmination of where we have been headed for some time. And the question we must ask is why?

Regardless of your understanding of the founding of this nation, what made America prosper was the presence of the Church. Everywhere the Church is, God is. It’s a promise. We are mobile temples of the Holy Spirit. And as long as we are abiding in Christ he is abiding in us. But there has been a drift in the Church in America over the last century. It has been steadily gaining speed. That drift has borne full bloom in our day. It is the substitution of our trust in God for a trust in government. And our move away from God leads to sins and eventually discipline.

The physical prosperity of the nation has eroded as the spiritual foundations of the Church have shifted. It is a pattern that is as old as the book of Genesis. They have been shifting for a while, and now the spiritual disaster is primed for release.

We Have Failed to Discern the Times

Societies are always in motion. Nations are always in conflict with other nations who’s interests may or may not be aligned with each other. The difference has been that much of that discourse happened in the halls of national power and in the offices of officials who did not clue the citizenry into the machinations of governing. That is no longer the case.

Technology and social media and the growing political divides have exacerbated and amplified what used to be remote and foreign to us. But now, it’s in our face and on our screens in an unrelenting stream.

I started by referencing the Prophet Jeremiah. And I want to bring my thoughts full circle. Jeremiah’s ministry has been described as a failure. He did not change the mind of a single person that we know of. As a matter of fact, he even tried to quit being a prophet. But God would not accept his resignation.

Jeremiah was disheartened by the fact no one seemed to care about what God had said. The people ignored God and his prophet. They disobeyed God’s law and did as they pleased. Then, when the warnings were not heeded, God judged the descendants of Abraham and they were shocked. And that judgment came at the hands of their enemies.

Here’s what I have realized. Was the nation of Israel and Judah 100% evil and wicked? Fighting against God? No. I don’t think that is a reasonable assumption. But there was enough intentional sin and enough indifference to sin that the entire nation was held to account.

We Must Correct Course as the Church

It does not matter what side you feel an affinity to, the judgment of God will fall on all. If one side is the problem, the whole will suffer. If the other side is the problem, the whole will suffer. There are no winners when spiritual discipline is meted out.

This is one of the reasons, as Christians we should not be aligning ourselves with the systems of the world. They do not belong to us. And we do not belong to them. We have to see that they do not promote nor can they secure the ends for which we have been called into Christ’s service. Regardless of the promises made. The apostle Paul said as much in his encouragement to Timothy (2 Tim. 2:4). But for some reason we can’t seem to figure this out as the Church. It’s as if we keep trying to convince God, and ourselves, that we can serve two masters. We cannot. And Jesus said as much.

The breakdown of societal norms and political discourse is downstream from the spiritual decay of a nation. As a matter of fact, it is the warning bell of divine discipline. This is not a new pattern. It has been the way societies have fallen since the beginning of time. From Babel to Israel to Rome, from the British Empire to the United States of America. All nations will fall because all nations who reject God must. Only one kingdom will be standing at the end.

So what should the church do? Allow me to offer three actions for your consideration.

First, if you are a Christian, I implore you to stop using political language and political ideology as the paradigm of conversation. Trust in the words of God to convey what you believe should be. We must reject the new, the novel, and even the ancient for the eternal. When we don’t we are tacitly confessing a lack of faith in God’s word to be enough.

Second, refrain from publicly endorsing and celebrating political parties, candidates, and policies that are not in line with God’s character. And especially stop anything that causes animosity among and between followers of Christ. The only party we should champion is the Church, the only candidate is Jesus, the only policy is the Gospel. Any and every thing else will work to foster divisiveness—in your congregation and in your heart. Being “right” is not worth the soul of your neighbor.

Third, the Church, from leaders to the nursery, must do what it was commissioned to do from the first, it must seek the kingdom of God above all other aims, intentionally rejecting any supposed suitors; it must disciple the nations beginning in our own homes, and it must surrender any and every claim it feels entitled to in the earthly realm. Those treasures are not worthy of our ultimate sacrifice or our deepest allegiance. The cost is too high and the reward too cheap.

A Warning to The Church in America

It is with a deep sense of foreboding that I reflect on the world in which I find myself and speak this word of warning to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

As with every previous generation, we are living in the times that future generations will talk about. They will look back on us and judge the depth of our ignorance and the shallowness of our wisdom. They will discuss with gasps of astonishment at how little we considered the consequences of our actions or the ramifications of our inaction.

There is one significant difference between us and generations past. A difference which I have felt pressing on me like a crushing weight. In this time, like few before, we can train our minds on the present situation. We have the tools and near instantaneous access to consider how to proceed. We can look at what is transpiring around us and seek the Lord BEFORE it is too late to turn back. The precipice is drawing ever closer, but there may still be time to reverse course.

It is with a deep sense of foreboding that I reflect on the world in which I find myself and speak this word of warning to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

The world into which we were born has been in moral and societal decline for the better part of a century. The decadences we have indulged and the vices we have tolerated have yielded the bitter fruit of division and loathing. The real isolation of a global pandemic has exposed the anemic and fraying sinews of our civic bonds. The polarizing rhetoric in our current political climate has eroded the cohesion of our national peace. The fervent and insatiable need to be right, to prove others wrong, and to revel in ones own moral superiority has undermined many, if not all, of the opportunities for reconciliation.

If you think I am exaggerating, or being overly dramatic, or unnecessarily pessimistic you would be wrong. I say these things, not because I have seen into the future. No, I have looked into the annuls of our shared past and seen the cyclical nature of human affairs. The great and wise king of Jerusalem, Solomon the son of David, rightly remarked that there is nothing new under the sun. Everything old becomes new again. And everything old fades into memory. The cycle resets and repeats.

What’s more troubling, and equally as predictive, is the history of our predecessors in the faith. The people of Israel served as the custodians of the mysteries of God until the revelation of the eternal Logos. In Jesus the fullness of what was hidden in the Old Testament broke forth into time. And these special people ought to cause us to stop and consider the cycle we are repeating.

The book of Judges serves as a perpetual witness to our personal and national capacity to be fools.

We turn to God only when the turbulence of national unrest has reached its zenith. But not before.
We cry out to the Savior of our souls when we have reached the end of our own brilliance. But not before.
We fight the battles and attend worship services and serve those downtrodden when we can feel the excellence of our charity. But not before.

We feign virtue and frolic in trivialities. We forsake those in greatest need by comparing ourselves to others. We serve no one but ourselves, sacrifice nothing but what is expendable, and then wonder why we feel empty and unfulfilled.

These are the hallmarks of a people who have a form of godliness, but deny its power. These are the characteristics of a people who have not fully turned their hearts to God. Instead, we have offered to God sacrifices he has not asked for. Only to be surprised when the blessings we expected are not granted. Why? Because we have begun to treat the True God as one would a god made with hands. We dishonor what we do not properly revere. And then we bristle with disdain when the farce has been exposed.

The world is being turned upside down and the Church rejoices like a thrill-seeker on a carnival ride. We have let go of the wheel, but rather than entrusting it to Jesus we have turned it over to those who neither know God nor seek to please him. Hedonism is too generous a term for this generation. Debauchery and wickedness, may be closer to the truth. We wallow in the muck and mire of our own depravity as a nation and rejoice in its warmth. But when the consequences of our laxity comes to deliver we are aghast at the prize we have earned.

The year 2020 will go down in history as the year when all pretense was exposed. At least for those willing to look and see it. Now, as the year draws to a close, another revelation. Another moment of clarity has been exposed. And this one cannot be covered up. It can be ignored. It can even be dismissed. But it can never be denied. The sordid alliance between the world and wolves in sheep’s clothing is being brought into the open.

“Where is it?”, you may be asking. Well, it can be difficult to see sometimes. However, when you see it, it’s hard to unsee it. In our time it has manifested itself in the always turbulent political process. The diagnosis is grave. But the great physician is still willing to administer the balm of salvation.

I will pick just one of several examples of the trajectory we are on that has become most apparent in the last few weeks.

There appear to be more “Christian” apologists for political candidates, parties, and movements than there are ardent and obedient disciples of Jesus Christ.

The level of passion and panic, frustration and fear, vitriol and vindictiveness on display has exposed that the idolatry of our nation still manifests itself and is embodied in the gods we can see with our physical eyes. What does that mean? It means that the eyes of our hearts are not only closed for too many in the church, but they have also been willfully stapled shut and are blind to the malevolence being enacted in plain sight.

The lack of self-awareness we have on display reveals that we have decided to continue eating the deadly fruit of Eden and it has consumed the minds of those claiming to be aligned with the One and True God. The fruit of Eden is the choice we make to assume the role of God in our lives. We have chosen to bear the responsibility of knowing good and evil for ourselves, rejecting the guardianship of God in the process. But we often learn too late the damage of that exchange.

In a more expanded way, we have chosen to live according to the false wisdom of men rather than the eternal wisdom of God. We have flexed our atrophied moral muscles and have put ourselves in opposition to the grandeur of God’s mighty power. What we seemingly fail to comprehend is that we are not what we imagine ourselves to be. We think we can drink the poison of worldly wisdom and vain philosophy and become like God. We have become so convinced of our own righteousness we stand over others as God. What’s worse, we conduct ourselves with an impunity that riles up the wrath of God against his wayward people.

In the Scriptures, over and over again, God calls his people to himself. He beckons them to live under the shadow of his protection. God declares his desire to pour out the immeasurable riches of his grace upon us. And what does he ask for? He asks for our love and obedience. He calls us to live in conformity to his law. But rather than accept these terms, we turn to our own way. We declare our emancipation from God’s superintendence. But that act of rebellion cannot go unpunished because it cannot be ignored.

You don’t get to do both. We don’t get to sit on the throne of our hearts and expect God to come and save the day when it all goes to hell. For every stone we lay on the altar of God with spiritual sounding words and altruistic actions of “faith”, we remove them when we entangle ourselves in the affairs of this world’s systems. Salt water and fresh water can’t come from the same mouth. Life and death can’t be uttered by the same tongue. And our allegiances can’t be masked by simply claiming to be impartial. No one is unbiased. And yet we perpetrate the farce so we don’t have to face the truth. We are not God, but have been pretending for too long to be able to rise into the very place of God.

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. (Isaiah 14:13-20 KJV)

How have we gotten here? What has happened to us that we have drifted so far off course?

We have confused faithful biblical conduct with social engagement. We have contorted civic responsibility into political activism. We have challenged the placing of the old boundary stones but have not stopped long enough to ask why they were put there in the first place. All the while we have not stopped to realize and consider that we are not citizens of this world. That our primary and singular focus should be the proclamation of the Gospel.

When we participate in political tribalism, we are abdicating our true power. The power that can actually bring about the transformation our souls long for.

How do you know you are yielding to the seduction of becoming a political tribalist? When your side can do no wrong, and the other side can do no right. When you will defend your side’s every action without question and call into doubt every motive of your opposition without consideration.

The irony in all this is that when you read that last paragraph you probably had names and examples in mind. And that is the problem.

I want to implore you to repent of that inclination to label and malign those with whom you disagree. If your perception of another person, who is an image-bearer of God, is that they are evil or irredeemable, you must repent. No one can stand in mortal judgment of another. There is not a single person in this world who has the right or the authority to condemn another human soul.

If you feel that you must stand in judgment. You are wrong.

If you feel that they deserve to be condemned. You are wrong.

If you feel that they are unworthy of grace and forgiveness and charity, you are most definitely wrong. For you and I all stood condemned and yet God withdrew his hand from us!

God has used unbelievers and the enemies of his people to accomplish his purposes. But that is God’s prerogative. We have no place in trying to figure out what God is doing. Our call is to submission to what we know. And what is that?

That there are lost souls in need of hearing about the glorious salvation of the Cross.
There are hurting hearts in desperate need of a kind and loving touch.
There are hungry people who must be feed the life giving bread of life.
There are thirsty people who can be satisfied by the cool waters from the wellspring of eternal life.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we must heed the prompting of the Spirit of God and reject the spirit of the age. To throw our hands up is to surrender where victory has already been won. We cannot do this. We must not do this.

If the last few weeks have revealed anything, it is this: The light of Jesus has been hidden under the bushel of political perfervidity. We must let our light shine once again. We must do all we can to let what God has shone in our hearts to shine in the world once again (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6).

Lord help us. For if your people continue down this road, we will come to the end of our days, to late to realize we have chosen the wide path.

Maranatha!

An Office of Lament in a Time of Social Strife

UPDATED: The video has been included for those who would like to be guided through the resource below.

It is designed to help us pray intentionally in times of social strife and unrest. As we confess sin and plead with our Heavenly Father to provide us wisdom and to hear our prayers, we are forced to face our weaknesses. Forced to acknowledge the deep needs of our own hearts as we look for ways of living in a world marked by peace and justice.

A Pastoral Letter to the Church | “Enough is Enough”

To those who have laid claim to the name above every name. We must repent. We must turn away from violence. We must turn away from the hardness of heart that would consume us. We must plead with the Father to replace our heart of stone with one of flesh. We must embrace the prospect that we are like sheep being led to the slaughter. Not as a political cause, but as a righteous act in the name of the one true God.

How we as a nation respond to tragedies of injustice reveals how well we have prepared to get closer to a just society. In the unfortunate shadow of recent events, a horrifying truth has become clear. The lessons of the past have not been heeded. What is worse, they have been used as weapons.

How we as a people called Christian, engage in the conversation of justice also reveals how well we have internalized the Gospel of Jesus, and how well we have embraced the difficult work of the ministry of reconciliation. Again, the events that have transpired in recent weeks have exposed a trajectory that can only be described as devastating. The witness of many claiming to be a part of the Church in these last few weeks has been laid bare. We have rejected the fountain of living water. We have hewn for ourselves broken cisterns (Jer. 2:13). We have walked away from God for the gods and idols of this world.

You would have to be completely blind to miss how the world appears to be growing dark. The light of God seems to be waning in those places where it is needed most. How do we account for this? How do we explain the drift in this direction?

It can only be explained as an abandonment of the unifying and fortifying power of the Gospel of Jesus. It can only be described as a rejection of the most fundamental realities of our identity in Christ.

We have rejected the call to make disciples of all nations (ethnos).

We have rejected the power of the Gospel to transform murderers into saints, prostitutes into princesses, paupers into kings, and slaves into freedmen. We have rejected the purpose of the church to declare truth both to power and to the poor. We have rejected the responsibility of the ministry of reconciliation we have been called to. We have rejected the promise that comes from being made one in Christ and for Christ.

We have rejected the reality that to see as God sees is to see past the flesh and see to the heart. We have rejected the hard work of forgiveness and replaced it with the easy path of blame and even indifference. We have rejected the deep and dangerous call of dying to self and even of forfeiting our lives, even for our enemies.

We have rejected so much of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus, an ambassador for Jesus. We have rejected the power of God for the power of fame. We have rejected the truth of eternal life for the lie of living our best lives now.

We have rejected every good and perfect gift being given to us because we have longed for short-sighted pleasures this world has to offer. We want our reward now. And then we are surprised with the consequences of these exchanges.

This is the life we have chosen, and now we cry out for relief. This is the society we have fashioned, and we have fashioned it in our own image. And now we cry out in horror at the distorted image we see being reflected back at us.

Dear friends, this is us as we are.

We cannot change ourselves, only God can do that. We cannot love our neighbors as we ought, only God can do that through us. We cannot love our enemies when we hate the people we are becoming but cannot escape. We cannot be conformed into the image of Christ when we are trying to incarnate the next version of what social media says is good.

We are one nation. Warts and all. We all are responsible to chart a way forward. The atrocities of the past cannot be undone. They cannot be erased. We cannot escape the consequences. But the past must not be repeated. And it cannot be relitigated. True forgiveness, true learning, true sacrifice requires our letting go of our need for revenge.

How long will we hold on to that which is infecting us, rotting us from the soul on out? How long will we demand justice while perpetrating injustice in the process?

Two wrongs do not make right. They reinforce the evil of the cycle.

At some point we must realize that in order for change to come we will have to receive in our own bodies, the same way Jesus did, the suffering of the unjust realities of life we see. It is only then that those who are longing for change will know how to be free from chains they have felt. Only then will those who are the victims of injustice have advocates worthy of their suffering.

We must learn to be afflicted but not become the perpetrators of affliction to another generation. It was not until today that I have begun to finally understand the words of the Apostle Paul.

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:8-18 ESV, emphasis added)

Enough is enough. I am not speaking to the world. I have no authority over them. But, I speak to those who, with me, reside within the bounds of the mystical body of Jesus Christ. The walls of separation were broken down at the Cross. We must never take part in building them back up. God laid waste to that which keeps us from one another.

This is the burden that I have felt but could not find a way to express. This is the passion that has been percolating within my soul these last few weeks.

The world in which we live is suffering. It is heading headlong into the abyss. And there are some who claim to be Christian, who claim to speak for the church, who are participating in its destruction. Rejoicing in the calamity befalling our nation and communities. May God have mercy upon them.

Whether we have found a voice to our fears or not; whether we have been able to find ways of being instruments of change or not; whether we are ready or not. The time is now upon us. We must call upon our Helper, the Holy Spirit of God, to gird us up for action. It does not have to look like everyone else. But the time for waiting must end.

How do I know? Because through it all, whether through active choice or passive complacency we have forsaken our identity. We have forsaken our calling. We have forsaken the sacrifice of Christ. It is frightening to step into the breach. To take a stand, even if it is among our circle of influence. But we must reclaim what has been slipping away from us.

I plead that all of us repent. Let us turn back to Jesus. Let us turn back to God. Let us turn again to the only weapon we have been given, the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:17b).

God has shown mercy to entire nations before. I pray that he will show mercy to us now.

Lent 2019 | Day 28: Sorrow

Salvation is a gift, one that can never be revoked. However, our obedience is constantly being challenged.

What is the difference between sorrow and despair?

Most people don’t know the difference. The difference is hope. Sorrow is a state we pass through. Despair is a place we make a home in. We should do the former and avoid the latter as much as possible. If we claim the name of Jesus, we have been born again to a living hope. This means that we should not despair, even when we might feel there are reasons to. We have to reorient our minds and hearts to hold onto the promises of God in Christ.

As Christians, sorrow is a critical part of our lives. There are three reasons for this.

1. Godly sorrow brings about repentance.

Paul says that the byproduct of godly sorrow is repentance. If we are going to be faithful Christians, then we must live a life that is in line with our repentance. We are not constantly repenting for salvation, but for a lack of obedience.

Salvation is a gift, one that can never be revoked. However, our obedience is constantly being challenged. We have to strive for deeper and lasting obedience every day.

2. Godly sorrow cultivates compassion.

When we have been transformed by the grace of God, we are given a new heart. With this new heart, we are called to see the world through new eyes. It is in this new “seeing” that we become aware of God’s love for his creation. Compassion is a something we have to work at. It does not come naturally to most of us because we are instinctively selfish.

Our sorrow over our sin helps us to see the needs of others in theirs. As our sensitivity to this reality increases, so will our compassion. Compassion is the sacrifice we make to enter into the sorrow of others. It will be costly and it may even hurt.

3. Godly sorrow promotes a humble spirit.

Repentance and compassion are two vital fruits of godly sorrow. But, this last one is key to continued growth in the purposes of God for our lives. Humility is difficult, not because we don’t want it. Humility is difficult because we don’t often like what we get.

Humility many times looks like being taken advantage of. Humility often times looks like being a pushover. Humility many times looks like being old-fashioned. But, humility does not seek to be right all the time or to defeat others. Humility is a disposition of the inner spirit, that no longers seeks or finds satisfaction in what the world champions.

When we understand the nature of our sin through repentance; and when we see the state of affairs of the world with compassion, then we can live in humility. The first two create the conditions for humility to flourish in our lives.

Surrender to God in repentance.

See the world with the love of God in compassion.

Live humbly before God.

An Open Letter to the Church in America Regarding Charlottesville

I am writing this letter because I am becoming convinced that these kinds of events will happen more, not less, if we don’t go to the source.

To the Saints of God found in the United States of America,

I greet you as one also called out of the darkness of sin and into the glorious light of our God and King Jesus Christ. May the grace of our Heavenly Father fill you to overflowing and the comfort of the Spirit build between us the bonds of peace. Continue reading “An Open Letter to the Church in America Regarding Charlottesville”

Lent Day #20 | Repentance

Repentance is not something to get better at over time. It is a pivot point in our lives.

This is a word far too often used by those who have not fully understood its meaning (or even experienced its reality). The underlying reality of this word has escaped many of us because we have thought of it in degrees rather than as a simple, completed whole. What does this mean? It means we think we have more time to “get it right,” when the truth of the matter would frighten us. Repentance is not something to get better at over time. It is a pivot point in our lives.

John 8:11 - Image of woman

The original intent of repentance has been described a change of mind. We are not talking about a curious thought crossing through our minds or something to just sit and mull over. When we encounter the truth of the Gospel of Jesus we have a choice to make. We can turn around or we can keep moving forward. Repentance is turning away from anything and everything not in line with God’s word and will. This is what God is expecting and calling us to. We must turn from sin, not with the indifference of an distasteful odor, but with the intentionality and seriousness of a death inducing threat.

jesus-writing-in-the-dirt

Maybe this is the problem. We have lost our fear of sin and thereby lost our fear of God. As I write this I am moved by my tendency to minimize my sin because I know how marvelous God’s grace is. This may be what Paul meant when he said the following in Romans 6.

¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

What I have come to see is that repentance is not a one time choice. It is a constant act. One requiring the heart and mind to work toward holiness. What we have to see is that the only reason we do this is due to the work of the Holy Spirit of God as he moves us to such an act of obedience. As we move to closer Easter we must seek as clear an understanding as we can of what it means to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. My prayer is that you will join me on this journey.

Stacie Orrico | “Strong Enough”

There are so many things that can drive a wedge between us as God. We have to overcome the first of all enemies, the sin that so easily besets us [Hebrews 12:1]. This devious foe has been conquered through and by the blood of Jesus that was shed upon the cross on Calvary [1 Corinthians 15:50-58]. And yet on this side of God’s grace-filled application of Christ’s righteousness upon our sin-stained souls we can still fall prey to the lies of the Devil. I know that I find myself wondering, “Could it be true that You are strong enough?” My amazement at God’s ability to forgive Sin is paled only in comparison to God’s ability to withhold His righteous and rightful judgment upon me.

Will my weakness for an hour make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there anyway to be made whole again?
If I’m healed, renewed, and find forgiveness
find the strength I’ve never had
Will my scars forever ruin all God’s plan?

NO! it won’t. God’s eternal purposes will be accomplished [Psalm 138:8, Psalm 57:2; Isaiah 55:11, Isaiah 46:10]. God is not made impotent, by my failures. He shall forever be faithful [1 Corinthians 1:9]. Not for my sake, but for His. I find this song moving every time I hear it. I have included a prayer I wrote after having listened to it.

Oh God, have mercy upon me a sinner. Father, Your love overwhelms me and yet I fight the tender strength of Your grip. Help me to see that Your love is true. That You have not withheld any of Yourself from me. It is I who have failed to rely upon and rest in You.

Father I thank You. I thank You for Your manifold blessings. I thank You for Your entrusting of Your daughter’s into my feeble care. I thank You that You have been long-suffering with me until the force of Your mercies and love have buffeted me, like waves breaking against the stubbornness of my pride. You are my great God and heavenly Father are strong enough. You are stronger than any mythological god or any evil this world can concoct. You are worthy of my praise, yes You are. You are worthy of my loyalty and devotion. You alone stand as the great and might creator and sustainer of existence itself. You are the ground of reality and not merely its dynamic force or animating agent.

Continue to work within me the work of salvation that will not be fulfilled until Your Son returns to this earth in final and ultimate victory. Your ability to withstand the tantrums of a flawed man and not feel any distress upon Your character or authority demonstrates Your amazing attributes. Father, I am in need of You. I hunger and thirst for You and I ask that You supply my needs according to Your riches and wisdom. Do not allow me to think that I know what is best for me. According to Your will, let it be unto me. Now and forever, Amen.