|
Mission Bend Church of Christ
Location: 9917 FM 1464, Richmond TX 77469 Mailing:
P.O. Box 820346, Houston TX 77282 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Whit's Blog You may read the documents on this page by clicking the name of
the article or by opening the
It is understood that the words faith and belief are the same word in the original text of the New Testament. One could almost say they are more than synonymous if that were possible. In their grammatical forms faith is most often used as a noun while belief is used as a verb—but even then they can be used interchangeably. But there is something that is very unusual to this term and that is it is used in many different contexts to imply or specifically state different points. With different points and different settings being so obvious one might be tempted to ask, “Why weren’t different words used if the settings and context created such numerous applications?” Maybe we will never have a full answer for that question but it does seem obvious the use of this one term was deliberate in all its contexts. We can easily say that the Holy Spirit wanted us to realize that while the word can be translated as faith and belief in English, this is a central point as to how we are tied to Jesus Christ and we need to understand all the different issues involved.
Faith in its bedrock form deals with acceptance, acknowledgement, or agreement. Actually it is a “baby step” in one’s journey in faith that leads one to the Lord for salvation. Such an application of this baby step of faith is one’s acceptance of the fact that the North Pole does exist though never having been there, or acknowledgement that may jets can travel faster than sound, though never having flown that fast, or agreement that the moon has a dark side from the vantage point on earth one can see only the shadow of that dark side.
Preachers will speak of this type of faith as a “mental assent.” But then they will immediately refer their audience to that point that such a state as this agreement, this mental assent limits one to the level of demonic underworld. James writes by inspiration that to believe there is a God and then to believe that there is only one God, implying Jehovah, is to progress no further than that of the demons. James 2.19. With that as the bottom case we must progress past this point in our “faith” for it to be efficacious in our salvation.
The baby step of faith is a belief that acknowledges that something is there. In the case of religion this baby step is to believe that there is a God. The next step in the progression of faith is response to that belief. It is James who quickly calls to our attention the fact that faith has to be taken past the mental assent when he writes that “the demons believe that God exists—and tremble.” James 2:19. To walk with God one must pass that baby step of mental assent for it really takes no struggle, no effort, no response of any kind to be in the place of the demons. For certainly as David writes by way of the Holy Spirit in Psalms 14:1, “The Fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” James describes this next step with the word “work.” Immediately the casual reader of scripture will say, “Houston, we have a problem.” Paul preaches and teaches over and over again that we are not saved by our works and yet James says, “Show me you faith apart from your works and I by my works will show you my faith.” Which one of these two men, both inspired by the Holy Spirit, is right? The logician might say, “Either one is right and one is wrong, or they are both wrong, but they both can’t be right.” It surely seems that they are both making diametrically opposed statements and both are teaching that they are right. How is that possible? How can I possibly choose one side or the other with this dichotomy? The answer is not a slight-of-hand trick or the used car salesman’s slick use of deceptive words. Both men are right and both agree with each other. Paul is right when he says, “We are saved by grace through faith and not by works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8 At the same time James is equally right when he defines that faith by saying in essence “any man’s faith that does not energize him to acts of kindness, acts of love, acts of benevolence, acts of evangelistic drive to share his “faith” with others must have a weak, limp, diluted fourth rate quality of the Christian faith. Such a faith is less than lukewarm and we all know how the Lord responds to that. While a man is not saved by his works, he demonstrates that without question the saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is there by his behavior. The title of each of these articles is a phrase from the passage of Gen 15. Whatever it was that Abraham was doing concerning his method of believing, it was the right thing because “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Rom. 4:3 The next point that Paul makes is of equal importance though it is the “backside” of the belief statement. Its point is that if Abraham had done something to obtain this righteousness, that is some type of work, it would not have been effortless and therefore would have been by works—and Abraham would have earned this righteousness. Paul’s point is that “earning righteousness” is impossible because “no one is righteous, no not one.” The issue then becomes, in today’s world of discussion and disagreement, “Does this mean that for “righteous faith” to be acceptable we must “sit on our hands” lest we attempt to earn God’s favor? If that is what is meant, that is to sit on our hands, but at the same time we still must make a mental acknowledgement of one’s belief in God, then we have a self-contradiction or a philosophical illogical premise. If nothing is to be done and yet we must “have faith” then we have done something by “having faith.” For this “sitting on your hands” premise to work then we must not be compelled to have even a mental assent. If there is any form of self involvement then that in itself will earn one his salvation. The key to this issue is found in the word “earned or reckoned.” Trace down every example of Abraham’s response to God where his faith is held up as acceptable to God and you will find that Abraham did something unique and significant. While he was not “sitting on his hands” he had done nothing that could be described as earning by works God’s acceptance. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son, Abraham set out to do that very thing. Only at the last moment did God stay Abraham’s hand in his act of sacrifice. God said, “You had to go through this event, down to the last second, to prove to me that you believed what I said.” If God had not stayed Abraham’s hand the knife would have plunged into his boy’s young body. And you know Abraham had sacrificed enough animals in worship to God that he knew right where to place the knife so that one plunge would have accomplished the deed. And, let us not miss the point here. Where was Abraham’s faith displayed? It was not in the act of thrusting the knife into Isaac’s body. Abraham’s faith was seen in his confidence that even after Isaac was dead that God would do something to rectify the event and he would have Isaac back alive and well to take back home. In that trust in God’s ability Abraham had done nothing to earn by works God’s favor. Is this what James is saying in his statement, “I will show you my faith by my works?” With any act of faith there is an obedient response; one that does nothing to earn God’s favor but certainly one to show God in an outward form that our belief will bring us to action. Among the many things that can be said about faith when referring to Abraham is how faith is used and defined. Paul writes a long passage in Romans 4 to explain this very point. In vs 16-25 Paul gets to the core of faith in describing Abraham and Sarah when Isaac was born. It is in this passage that a new dimension is given to the word faith. This new term is trust. The essence of the term used in this passage is that He can and will do what He has promised. In this case it was the conception and birth of Isaac. Both Abraham and Sarah were past the age of child bearing. The way the picture is described is that they were not just a year or two past conceiving a child; no, they were decades past that point. Abraham was 99 and Sarah was in her late 80s. In neither situation should they have been able to bring a child into this world but when Abraham was 98 God promised Abraham that he would have a son in the proper amount of time for gestation to take place. But this was not the only place Abraham displayed this faith. A few years later when Abraham was told to sacrifice this “son of promise” Abraham did not waver in immediately doing what God instructed him to do. He took Isaac to the instructed location, placed him on the altar, and went about preparing to offer Isaac as his prescribed sacrifice. Only at the very last moment, one might say, last second, did the angel of the Lord stay the hand of Abraham in this process of carrying out the Lord’s command. This effort to follow God’s instructions can not really be appreciated as to Abraham’s faith until it is emphasized that this was the son Abraham had prayed for, for years. This was the son that God had promised Abraham years before. This was the son that would be Abraham’s heir and carry on the name of Abraham for generations to come. Of course any child would be precious to the father, but if it were possible for one child to be of special importance beyond description, Isaac was the one. So what does this trust of Abraham entail? What is the significance of this response to God by Abraham called trust? Part of the answer is: What would have been impossible in the world you and I live in is possible by God when He promises He will do it. What is inconceivable as being a part of the “normal world” is easily a part of the universe God oversees. But more that what God is capable of doing is this trust. Not only does it say that God can do it, it says that He will do it. So it is with salvation. Once man realizes that there is nothing he can do to get back into the good graces of God the more he realizes the eternal danger he is in. He can’t overcome this problem without God’s help. This is where the faith of Abraham becomes the pattern for man to find salvation in his Lord. It is without question that “faith/belief” is the primary ingredient to one being accepted by Christ on the Judgment Day. Everything starts from this point. A person does not avow what he does not believe and this is especially true if some type of commitment is tied to what is avowed. And when it comes to a life long, life changing commitment, certainly no one is going to avow a point of view that he has not accepted. No one is going to commit to the demands of Christ without believing in Him. Therefore, on the Judgment Day there will be no way someone can “sneak” into the gates of heaven unnoticed even while he never accepted Christ as his savior. But there is another point too. Belief can be so shallow, so lukewarm, and so tenuous that even it is unacceptable. The inspired word of God never allows that point to go unnoticed and addresses it on many occasions. In fact, there is more time spent in dealing with the danger of losing one’s soul in being mildly committed than there is warning those who are opening opposed to the Lord. One of the most obvious passages that deals with the Lord’s warning is found in Matthew 7:21. He says, 21 "Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.' So what is the solution to this problem? How can one who wants to be accepted be sure that he is not on the fringe of disaster? Is there verification for belief—for acceptable belief? The answer to this question is obvious and answered many times. Faith/belief finds its foundation in obedience. Sometimes the writers of the New Testament will change the point of emphasis right in the middle of the sentence to show that obedience has to follow faith or faith is null and void. An example of this is found in John 3:36. John writes: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. The method in which John is writing in the third chapter of John clearly indicates that faith/belief and obey/obedience go hand-in-hand. As the old song of Love and Marriage says, “You can’t have one without the other.” wwh
History and Chronology of Israel During the Time Between the Testaments
The Driving Force for Today’s Changes History: The churches of the Restoration Movement, (Known in the religious world as the Stone-Campbell Movement) Churches of Christ (A Cappella), Christian Churches, (Disciples of Christ) and second group of the Christian Churches were all one fellowship until they split over the use of instrumental music in the worship service. http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/restmov.html This website will give you a quick overview of the movement and those who were involved at its inception.
A. The split over the instrumental use of music has been the major split of the churches of the Restoration Movement. 1. There have been smaller splits on each side since this major split but this has been the one that was the most destructive. 2. This split started in approximately 1880 and in 1906 the U.S. Census Bureau recognized the two groups as different religious organizations. They both still stated that their roots were in the Restoration Movement. 3. In the 1960s the Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University made an open statement that they were no long part of the Restoration Movement because they denied the legitimacy of its principles. TCU is stated to be part of the Disciples of Christ group which is the conservative wing of that part of the split that accepted the instrument—Brite does not seem to realize that.
B. Flash back to 1906. 1. The churches of Christ (A Cappella) found themselves with one brick church building and only one minister with a Masters degree at the time of the official recognition. 2. This happened to be the year that a group of Christians in Abilene started an elementary school called Childress Classical Institute which was the beginning of Abilene Christianity University. This was a coincidental date but ACU has always been a driving force in the Restoration Movement.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.+Res.+531 3. This group of churches, on the other side of the tracks, remained very evangelistic. This had always been part of its history. 4. By the mid 1960s the Churches of Christ (A Cappella) completely dwarfed the First Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ). The liberal side of the Christian churches was all but dead. 5. If number of members, size of churches, and number of church building were used as a measuring stick as to success and defeat between the two groups, the Churches of Christ won by a landslide. 6. This measuring stick of size and numbers does not compare to the rest of the denominational world. It far out shadows anything that has to do with the Restoration movement.
7. There is a web site of the “Ten Largest Churches.” http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/archives/2006/02/top_10_largest.php Even the website has an interesting name attached to it—“A Slice of Laodicea.” 8. There was a book written in the 70’s about the ten largest churches in the U.S. They were the ten largest then but are no longer. They all had a common tie. All their ministers had served as associate ministers of J. Frank Norris in Fort Worth at the Second Baptist church. That is an interesting story within itself. 9. The reason “size” is being stressed is because that has become the chief and primary measuring stick of success in the American church of any brand of theology. C. By the mid 1980s the Church of Christ begin to lose its zeal for evangelism as it had known it in years past. Success seems to always help the successful to relax. 1. There was one church in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, the Madison Church of Christ that had approximately 3,000 members. 2. Even before “mega churches” were so identified, that congregation fit the criteria that are being used today. It was built around the personality of its minister, Dr. Ira North. 3. The largest church in Texas was the Broadway congregation in Lubbock, Texas. It too was built around the personality of one man, Dr. M. Norvel Young. Dr. Young left Broadway to accept the position of president of Pepperdine University in the mid 1950s. 4. Up to this period ministers in the churches of Christ would change congregations freely throughout the U.S. There was always that desire to climb the ecclesiastical ladder. 5. Though written tongue-in-cheek about the Methodist hierarchy, Benjamin Brooks’ How to Be a Bishop Without Being Religious became the caricature of what was happening throughout American Protestantism. 6. The commonality in doctrine between ministers of the Churches of Christ so overshadowed its brotherhood that a minister was hired on his record of success and his preaching style in the pulpit. Their sermon outlines essentially came from the same cookie cutter. 7. If he was a faithful minister of the church of Christ any eldership in another congregation automatically accepted his theology. 8. The desire to succeed in numbers, size of congregations, and a “new church building,” became the driving force without the brotherhood knowing or acknowledging its implications. 9. This force has its counterpart in the world of TV ratings. If the congregation is not “growing” (increasing in numbers) then the minister is at fault and the game of musical chairs among the preaching brethren was an ongoing game that was never to end. 10. However, churches of Christ in the early 2000s have become so fragmented that the hiring of a “new minister” becomes an arduous task. 11. The new minister’s theology, which was always accepted as being “down the party line” is now totally different. 12. The new minister has to be thoroughly “checked out” and equally so the minister has to “check out the elders” of the new congregation to see if they match his theological stance. 13. Changing pulpits is no longer the easy game of musical chairs as it was in the middle and late 1900s. D. Fast forward to the 21st century. 1. With the lethargy of Christianity seen in the Churches of Christ as its growth history platitude, newly devised methods in style and doctrinal presentations begin to make themselves known. 2. Such a change became prominently obvious when a minister in San Antonio, Texas dropped two positions of doctrine in the Churches of Christ. The Oak Hills Church of Christ dropped the name Church of Christ and became know as The Church. The second part of the name was what was being desired as the emphasis. Max Lucado is the minister and the identity of this congregation became know as “Max Lucado’s church.” 3. Everybody that still holds on to the vestiges of Christianity wants to say they are a member of the church whose minister is the best known Christian novelist in the English speaking world. 4. To be a member there certainly will help lead those people into a world of “better people.” The problem is that Christianity is far more than being just a better person. There is a devotion and commitment to Jesus Christ that is central to sanctification. The Glorification of God, His son, and the Holy Spirit is the aim of the Christian faith not the glorification of its minister. 5. Tragically these people have fallen into the same hole the rest of those who have accepted that “size” is the measurement stick for success in the Christian faith. In the specific case of this individual congregation there is a unique slot in this deceptive pit and it is centered around the preacher. 6. At the same time Lucado stated that while the congregation was keeping its fundamental stance it no long taught that baptism was necessary for the remission of sins. i.e. Baptism was no long necessary for membership of the Oak Hills congregation. 7. These changes “worked” to increase the growth. The Oak Hills Church tripled its membership over night. 8. Clearly the identity of the Oak Hills congregation from the Churches of Christ, and its tie to the Restoration Movement was what was holding it back—with size being the measuring stick. 9. Everybody wants to be part of Max Lucado’s Church if the doctrine is bland and undemanding. E. But still the greater change within many congregations of the Churches of Christ was yet to come. 1. While this change is not as drastic as Lucado’s change, the effect will be more dramatic and will eventually bring about another split within the A Cappella side of the Churches of Christ. 2. At the Abilene Christian Bible Lectures this past year, 2006, Rick Atchley, a keynote speaker, stated his intention to begin fellowship with a First Christian Church in Kentucky. (One might ask, “Why did he have to go to Kentucky to find this new fellowship? Did the distance make his desire to change look safer to those opposed to his new found fellowship!) He said that when they were in Kentucky they would use the instrument but when they were in Fort Worth they would sing A Cappella. i. The opposing view is that you have traditionalized the issue and by definition it is no longer doctrinal. It will be only a short period of time before the instrument is used in the A Cappella churches if a “traditional” stance is taken. ii. This statement of the opposing view has proven to be true. iii. Rather than “worship with the instrument in Kentucky and A Cappella at home” Rich Atchley has introduced the instrument in “Saturday Evening Services.” The Richland Hills Church of Christ, the largest congregation among 13,000 Churches of Christ, now uses the instrument. 3. At first blush, and this is the way it is being perceived—the A Cappella group, while having won the fight in acceptance and growth, has now decided that the First Christian Church was right all along and they are going to the First Christian church position. F. Here is where the issue is being totally missed. 1. The A Cappella congregations going to the instrumental music worship to be in agreement with the other side of the Restoration Movement is not the reason for making this move at all. 2. Going to the instrumental music side is because that is what the rest of the Christian world does. Such a change will make the one time A Cappella group more “main stream” 3. In actuality making this move “through the First Christian Church” softens the effect of what is actually happening. 4. What no one seems to realize is that going to the instrument in worship was a natural step in the change “to increase the numbers.” 5. The First Christian church “just happened to be on the tracks” in this movement with the A Cappella congregations that want to change. 6. The change to the instrumental music worship is only the first change for the majority of those who are changing. 7. Once you get the resistance watered down many more changes are on the way. 8. While Max Lucado’s congregation dropping the necessity of baptism was premature for those that are willing to change, the long term effect will be the same. G. Dr. Dan Wallace, professor of New Testament Greek at Dallas Theological Seminary, stated in a special program at the Grace Church in Houston that Christianity was going through a “dumbing down” process to make the demands less rigid and easier to accept. 1. This has been happening in the Churches of Christ for the past thirty years. 2. Accepting the instrument in worship services is in actuality a “smoke screen” for what is happening. 3. To increase numbers in attendance the heart and soul of the Restoration Movement is being removed. 4. Twenty years from now the remaining A Cappella Churches of Christ will thank the First Christian Churches for taking this group. 5. At the same time the First Christian (Disciples of Christ) will be lamenting their acceptance of this “newly awakened A Cappella group.”
The ultimate desire is to make the demands of religion • More palatable –which will make it easier to accept • More streamlined –so that the congregation can get their “religious duty” over with in an hour.
Some far-reaching effects upon the Churches of Christ that move in the direction being characterized by adopting instrumental music in worship are: • When you remove the urgency you remove the necessity. • Baptisms will be scheduled on a quarterly schedule because one baptism will add 30 minutes to the services. If such an event happens regularly the services will be stretched out regularly and that will keep some from attending. Convenience is an absolute necessity if the mega church is to succeed. • Communion services will be removed to once a quarter or an event totally removed. It is impossible to serve a congregation of two to three thousand without taking 15 to 20 minutes. (This is to say nothing as to what is happening to the meaning of communion when it is served as if the congregation was taking an antidote for anthrax—get it and get it down so we can get on with the service.)
All changes being accepted, one of the many curses of the creation of this type of organization will be the loss of the personality of the individual who created the “mega church.” It has been reported that someone wrote, “It is appointed for all men to die.” Who knows, that could even be found in the Bible. Once he/she is gone it will be impossible to get “another perfect fit.” When this happens the “mega church” will become flabby and slowly chock itself to death with the bills of “maintenance of the church building.”
Think Not that I came to Destroy the Law and the Prophets!
After the first major section of
the Sermon on the Mount our Lord says. “Think not that…” He
came not to destroy but to accurately state and complete His
Father’s teachings. Why would such an affirmation need to be made?
To answer this question one must first attempt to put the Sermon
on the Mount in a light in which it can be understood. Sadly the
name Sermon on the Mount is somewhat of a misnomer. To call
it a “sermon” makes the reader respond in a most natural way. While
the Lord delivered this sermon, He taught with Parables, He
spoke in Similes, His tone was rebuke on occasions, He
described the best of mankind and the worst, and while we will never
fully describe His teaching methods, we attempt, out of reverence
for His teaching, to lump them all together. That is not
necessarily wrong but at some point to call His teaching named
The Sermon on the Mount as just one more of His life giving
lessons is to miss the essence of The Sermon on the Mount is the pinnacle, the epitome, the consummate expression of the Christian life found in one passage of scripture. All the rest of the Lord’s teachings and His miraculous works find their foundation in these three chapters. Any attempt to analyze or prioritize or organize in sections this one body of teaching will never be fully accomplished. It is not in man to grasp the essence of God. But, having said that, let it be understood and emphasized that trying to master God’s teachings is the assignment God has given to us all. The idea is that the better we come to understand His commands, ordinances, and statues, the better prepared we will be to follow the will of God in the way He desires. In the next series of articles an attempt will be made to understand and apply the Beatitudes as they describe “attitudes.” While this attempt will be made to understand them more fully, two other factors will be employed. The first will be contrast. While the beatitudes are very positive statements, beneath their surface is a contrast. Understanding the contrast implied in each Beatitude helps emphasize its meaning. Second, difference passages of scripture in other parts of the Gospels will be used to show how His other teachings find their first point of reference in the “Sermon on the Mount.”
Blessed are the poor…..Matthew 5:3 One of the first things that would come to the minds of the original audience of Christ is the contrast with what He said and the way “everyone lived their lives.” The way they lived their lives is not stated here but it certainly was the center of the thoughts of every man, woman, and child who heard these words. To better understand what is being said here let’s “freeze frame” for a moment and look first at the attitude being expressed. Every one of these beatitudes is expressing an attitude, a new attitude, that was going directly against the grain of the culture of the first century. As the great Greek and Latin scholar, Hermaradoes, said, “The beatitudes are “the way your attitudes are supposed to be.” Because attitude is center stage in the beatitudes let us find the attitude the Lord is talking about here. Poor in Spirit: How is “spirit” being used in this passage? When people are high strung or quick tempered, or extraverts to an extreme we will describe them as being high spirited. Such individuals are self absorbed, ego driven, and constantly blowing their own trumpet. When they walk into a room you always know they are there but you wish they weren’t. The poor in spirit are just the opposite. The poor in spirit will never ask the world, “What did you do to deserve me?” The poor is spirit are anxious to put other people first. They are eager to take the back seat in any situation of praise and recognition. You may not realize they are part of the group at first, but when you recognize them you are always glad they are there. Now back to the point that was racing through the minds of Christ’s audience when He first spoke these words. Any attitude that was going to gain a Kingdom had to be self-asserting. They had to be a type A personality. They were eager to always take the lead, and ready to state their opinion in any and all circumstances. But in this beatitude Christ is promising a Kingdom to the one is just the opposite. The type attitude that all the world professes as necessary to have kingship. His audience was asking, “How can this be?” “How can one who is not self asserting, not ego driven, not assured he is better in all ways than his fellow man, but still be the one promised the kingdom?” Certainly Christ was turning this culture upside down with this statement. His first listeners were not saying, “Oh how nice” as we do sitting in our church pews when hearing this passage read. They were having the opposite response—and understandably so. This was so new that few would accept it as being correct at first blush. Here Christ is not saying, “I did not come to destroy the law and the prophets,” but He is saying, “I have come to totally remodel and redesign your culture and the way the individual thinks in his heart!
Blessed are those who mourn….Matt 5:4 To understand the teaching from the Lord about the mourning attitude, we need to dispel a couple of misunderstood images. There is the individual you know who when asked, will always give the most gloomy, pessimistic response to any question—even to the greeting of “How are you today?” We all know such people. A second personality the Lord is not describing is Chicken Little crying, “The Sky is falling, the sky is falling.” Both individuals are too often represented in our daily lives. But the Lord has neither of these two in mind when He speaks of this individual who “mourns.” In the first century the attitude of self-assurance and self-sufficiency was of the highest priority. Any attitude of compassion, sympathy, emotional bonding was looked upon as being one of the worst weaknesses a man could have. It would certainly cause failure in that dog-eat-dog world. The British have an expression for this point of view in telling someone to keep a stiff upper lip. Those with the killer instinct know to keep kicking and never let up when they see any signs of human kindness in their opponent. The “under dog” of the first century never had a chance. Everyone knew you were supposed to “kick’em while they’re down.” On-the-other-hand, you knew the hard uncaring person was a survivor because he always landed on his feet. He was admired for his toughness—in this case his toughness was an inhuman reaction to the plight of the weak—no sympathy! The tragedy in such a survival technique is that it is always accomplished at the expense of someone else—someone else being hurt. But the one who mourns is the one who sees the undeserved pain in the eyes of another. They are quick to see the stray and know it is in need. Genuine sympathy for the one suffering will be shown with tears and sadness—and ultimately a reaction to help. If you can exhibit this behavior you should never be ashamed because you have genuine human feelings. An interesting point of this beatitude is that it is a paradox. See the word in this expression as, Happy is he who is sad. Where does such happiness come from? The individual described in this beatitude lives a life of real self-worth and a true richness of being. A fundamental quality of this ability to mourn is that is it altruistic. You mourn for those who are suffering pain, or injustice, or bigotry, and you realize sooner or later you will be a bigger person for it. That is your part of the promised comfort. Such mourning also helps you react by helping to correct the problem. In a word, mourning does not cause the problem, it solves it. The promise for this type of person is that he shall be comforted. Such a promise is not at all a “payback” response. The comfort received for this mourning is based deep in one’s soul. There is a feeling of well being that is worth more than any riches can buy and it is life-long in duration. The very foundation of this attitude of mourning is an awareness that it is not you but Christ living in you—and you are thrilled at the closeness you feel toward the Lord.
Blessed are the meek….Matt. 5:5 This beatitude has some most interesting twists in it. This is an attitude expressed in 21st century English that can be completely missed. Remember first and foremost that a beatitude, while expressing a blessing, is actually addressing an attitude—the way the attitude should be. Blessed is the man whose attitude is that of meekness. Here is where Christianity definitely clashes with the 1st century attitude of success. And such an approach to life is echoed to the present day. If you know what you want in life, go after it. That’s the American Dream. There is nothing in the world that will stop you from getting what you want if you are willing to work for it. Now it is this next statement that starts the clash. “Be aggressive, step forward, let your desires be known. Don’t be modest, don’t be shy, and convince people you know what you want and you are willing to do that it takes to get it.” There comes a point in one’s behavior that if all the previous thoughts are applied he will be willing to step on and push aside anybody who gets in the way of his desired success. And so two negative characteristic describe the opposite of meekness. The first is aggressiveness at the expense of other and the second is selfishness which by definition is at the expense of others. Ultimately one’s relationship with his fellowman becomes imperative in defining who he is. If there is always that drive within you of standing just a little above those around you, then there is a problem. The Christian must take the attitude that others come first. This is a foundation point of humanity taught by both the Old and New Testament. The greatest example of this type of meekness is our Lord, Himself. He put the rest of the world before His own needs and wants because He was in the place where at the expense of His life He could give life to others. Now how does this work; that is “inheriting the world because you are meek.” Notice that “inheritance” is the time factor. All you have wanted in life will be provided by God as a reward for your unselfish behavior on earth. You shall inherit is a promise from God. What promise has God ever broken?
Blessed are those who hunger….Matt. 5:6 If ever there was an expression of our Lord’s that didn’t fit into the context of this time frame this had to be it. Have you ever noticed how many overweight people are described in the scriptures? Obesity was not a problem of the 1st century or even up through the 20th century. In the 1930s people were standing in soup lines because there was no food. Nothing was wasted and what you had you ate without being told to “finish eating the food on your plate.” Most people in the U.S. went to bed hungry at night. It has always been a problem in past history for there was always a lack of food. Tragically there are many countries in Africa and Asia today that suffer from the same problem. And so to hear someone say that “righteousness” will solve the problems of hunger and thirst had to catch all His audience unprepared for such a thought being expressed. People could identify immediately with being hungry and being thirsty. They also understood the used of the term “righteousness” for that is what they sought from their religious commitment. But for “righteousness” to solve the problem of being hungry and thirsty was incongruent. They did not belong in the same context. To put these two phenomena together one would immediately begin to look for the context in which they would compliment the other or have a relationship with the other. To understand this “right attitude” one has to understand the underlying issue of the “human condition.” Our Lord never allowed humanity to be described in a context that took from it being the highest level of God’s creation. Satan wants us to think of ourselves as just another of the animal species involved in the creation. This was the central point of the first temptation of turning “stone to bread.” Satan was saying, “You are an animal, admit it.” Christ was saying that the spiritual part of my being far outweighs the physical part of me. It is in this beatitude that the point is being made again. If we will feed our spiritual needs as the primary part of our being, the hunger and thirsts of our lives will always take a back seat. This is not to say that the physical hungry and thirst will fade into the background. But it is to say that we must take care of the spiritual part of our total makeup first. Our major priority in our existence is that we are spiritual being destined by God to live eternally. If we feed the spiritual side of our being with righteousness our major needs will be taken care of.
Blessed are the merciful…. Matthew 5:7 How does one deal with the principle expressed in this “attitude of being” when mercy is the desired behavior? When mercy is seldom given it is the most prominent request made. Like water to a starving man, mercy is the most sought after response in a brutal society. Mercy has within it forgiveness, kindness, self-control, generous behavior, and self-confidence. Mercy is itself a refrained enforcement of the law with a sentence or judgment that is less than the law states as a justifiable response. One can expect mercy only from the most self-assured and powerful individual around. Because few, if any, were self-assured and certainly not all powerful, any mercy given was interpreted by society as a sign of weakness. Mercy was a word in their vocabulary but seldom if ever given by the ones issuing punishment. This is the way mercy was perceived by the societies of the first century. Telling His audience that one’s life will be blessed and improved if they were merciful was another shocking principle of an “attitude of being” (beatitude) that would catch first century Jewish citizens, living under Roman law, totally off guard. First of all, as one might ask, “Who do I have the power over to be merciful to when I have no power or capability of issuing a sentence of punishment?” Once that question is asked then the flood gates are open and we all realize that on a daily basis we give or refrain from giving mercy to all those with whom we deal. When we give mercy we show we are loving, understanding, sympathetic, benevolent-in-heart, and that we are bigger than the hurt we have suffered. This idea of being merciful was not an after thought or casual application of a higher standard when it is convenient. This is a full time effort on us all as we deal with others. The word merciful is used 23 times in the scripture. In all of these cases it is making reference to God’s character or behavior. The parallel passage in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain says, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36 And so even in this attitude of being God is the only example used that shows us how to exhibit mercy. Interestingly enough, mercy is given to us as we give it to other. Check us on this. Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Luke 6:38. If you are wondering what this quoted passage is about, look it up—it’s about mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. Matt 5:8 Having the attitude of being (beatitude) of pure in heart is not hard to define. But defining pure in heart and being pure in heart can only be accomplished by a deliberate effort on our part. Sadly, pure in heart is associated with innocence, being naïve, unsophisticated, being easily victimized, and having “no street smarts.” It is obvious that the Lord saw this problem in the way we might define pure in heart and so we hear Him describe this quality in another setting. "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Matt 10:16. And so how are we to be pure in heart? How are we to be innocent but not naïve, wise but not deceptive in our wisdom? First of all, knowing the dangers found in any given situation is a must. This is not done with our eyes closed. Knowing the potential problems would do away with the naiveté that would make us vulnerable. But such knowledge does not have to make us constantly suspicious, always weary of the actions and behavior of our fellow man, skeptical of any and all motives and actions of those around us. Part of the answer of pure in heart is accepting our fellow man openly and honestly until such a man proves himself differently. Isn’t this the way our God responds to us? But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Even when He knew we were sinners God was saying, “I know they can do better. Therefore I will go so far as to send My Son to die for them so that they will have the opportunity to show they can do better. And when they do, I will save them.” This was God’s pure in heart response to man
Blessed are the peacemakers…..Matt 5:9 The word for peace in this beatitude would be the word Shalom. In this passage peace is to be found in a Hebrew context and not Greek. The Greek word for peace has much of the same dimensions as the English word of the 21st century—absence of strife or war. Shalom has two sides to it. Not only does it mean absence of strife; it also means everything that makes for man’s highest good. In the Bible peace not only means absence from trouble but it also means enjoyment of all good. To draw that fine line between what is actually said and how it might be misinterpreted notice that it is speaking about a peace-maker and not a peace-lover. The difference between the two is that a peace-lover is one who is willing to compromise principle for momentary calm. That approach to life only sets the stage for a larger conflict in the future and most of the time in the near future. The peace that the Bible talks about does not come about by evasion of the issue; it comes from facing them, dealing with them, and conquering them. The result of this beatitude is that the individual who is a peace-maker shall be called a son of God. Here is a use of the Hebrew language that is seen far more often then we realize. Hebrew has few adjectives and therefore instead of speaking of a peaceful man it speaks of a son of peace. Barnabas is called a son of consolation instead of a consoling and comforting man. This beatitude while saying Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called sons of God is expressing the beautiful thought of Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be doing God-like work. The man who makes peace is engaged in the very work that the God of Peace is doing.
Blessed are those who are persecuted…..Matt 5:10 We have a difficult time dealing with the term persecution because such a word is always associated with physical injury and harm. And in the 1st three centuries of Christianity that was certainly true. But persecution didn’t stop in the 4th century. All the way up through the Spanish Inquisition and the struggle between the Catholic and Protestant factions it continued in the English speaking world. But even with those severe periods let’s not forget the Black Churches in the Deep South that were bombed and burned killing innocent harmless children, and that was in the 1960s. Those attempting to wear the name of Christ have not gone free of persecution even in this great U.S of A. But our nation was founded on Christian principles and our national forefathers meant for this nation to be free—One Nation Under God. As a child I can remember hearing the men leading the prayer says, “We thank you Father that we can meet to worship free from harm and molestation.” I always thought such expressions sounded spiritual and should be part of the prayers offered. Silently, however, we all knew that we had no fear of persecution wearing the name of Christ in the US. But, brethren, don’t close your eyes to what is happening all around us. For instance, the term silent majority has gradually evolved into a pejorative term with the two words “right wing” always in front of the expressions. Anybody that openly avows the name of Christ is considered part of the rightwing Christian group. They are now being depicted as something no one wants to be part of, at least not openly. Over the past ten years the term Christian has taken on a totally new negative meaning and no one wants to be associated with “those right wing Christians.” Even our president dare not mention the name of Christ without receiving heavy criticism. This cultural attitude will continue and within another decade Christians of any group will be frowned upon. I firmly believe this is happening in this great nation of ours that was built on Christian faith. Persecution is coming. Maybe not in my lifetime will it be seen, but it grieves me to say that I think J and Emily, Katy and Benjamin will see it. It is coming even within the US to all those who openly avow allegiance to Christ. Some might say that I have gone off the deep end to be so positive in thinking this will happen. “One can only hope that it is just my problem.” Is there anything good that can be said about this? Yes!! Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!
Blessed are you when they insult you….Matthew 5:11-12 It seems that no person can be closer to the Lord Jesus Christ than when he suffers persecution for his commitment to the Lord. But how do we respond to that in the 21st century? Our lives have always been protected from any such abuse at the hands of anybody who would condemn our commitment or our Christian Religion. This is so because the forefathers of our nation saw the need and paid the price for our religious freedom. The very foundation upon which this freedom is found is that one has the right to worship as his conscience dictates. This attitude of religious freedom is the result of the freedom with Christ to accept or reject Him. It is because of this Christian foundation that we live to worship as we please. The price of this freedom was paid by the forefathers of our nation with their own lives. And religious freedom was the specific issue upon which the Pilgrims made their journey to the colonies in the 16th century. This is well documented and cannot be refuted. This evidence has never been challenged and we have celebrated its benefits in open rejoicing before our fellow citizens. As Americans we have the right to worship as our faith leads us no matter what that faith is. But never let us fail to emphasize that this happens because of the Christianity of our forefathers of our United States of America. But with an easy life of freedom with any principle, failure to appreciate its benefits becomes a classical human response. That is where we are now in the USA. To be a Christian in the 21st century means you must expect ridicule and insults. Too many times in the recent past the false teachers of Jimmy and Tammy Faye, and Jim Swaggart have been seen as the main image of Christianity. This type of charlatan plays right into the hands of Satan and all of us who are truly committed will endure ridicule, and insulting comments—especially by the news media and prime time television programming. At the present these are not straightforward attacks. They are the innuendos, the sarcastic pejorative terms of being Rightwing Christians. Tragically this is going to become much worse before it gets any better—if it ever gets any better. Let us pray for a revival of the Christian Faith in these Great United States!
You are the salt of the earth…..Matt 5:13 It is not hard to let the thought in this passage about being the salt of the earth completely escape our understanding. Because of the western love of spices with salt and pepper being the basic ingredient of spice on every table of America easily we perceive the point as being “Christians are to be the spice of the world.” They are to give this life that little taste of zest that puts a sparkle in our eyes flavor in our humdrum existence. This idea seems to be fully supported by the statement of “If salt has lost its taste, how shall its salt taste be restored?” (Matt 5:13b) Looking at this passage through the eyes of Western culture that certainly seems what is being said. The very idea of being “the spice of life” is attractive to anyone and if that can refer to Christians then that is all the more appealing humanly speaking. But to track down this path of “spice” and “zest” found in salt is to completely miss the point of this passage. In the 1st century salt was a purifying agent. It was used to preserve meats and other such commodities that would spoil if left in the open air of nature. The Lord and His apostles and all from the area in which the Sermon on the Mount was delivered knew and understood that salt was poured liberally on meat such as fish to keep it from spoiling by the natural processes of nature. And so it becomes clear that in this background the reference to salt was reference to a purifying agent. And that is what the Lord was saying to His disciples. You are the purifying agent of all the people. Once understood we begin to realize that this is not only a natural consequence of the moral and ethical life of a Christian but it is also an assignment that will be difficult at times and will carry a great deal of responsibility. How does the world look at us when we play our role as the purifying agent?—not good. We have to be the party pooper, the kill joy, the dark cloud that rains on other’s parade. Expect to be rejected by those who were your friends and disliked by the group. But you can be encouraged by this one fact. If you are consistent in your behavior as the purifying agent you will be respected.
Until Heaven And Earth Pass Away… Matt 5:17-20 Being so accustomed to reading this passage, it is only natural that the statement being made comes at this point in the Sermon on the Mount. But stop for a moment and read again what was just said. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets… Why would it be necessary to make such a proclamation within the first third of this sermon? The answer is, “Because everything that Jesus had said, up to this point, seemed so different from what the Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, and Sadducees had been teaching for the past several hundred years.” As a result of sounding so different from the traditions of the fathers, and indeed being so different from the traditions of the fathers, the Lord found it necessary to call to their attention that what He was teaching was what the scriptures actually meant. Therefore, He was not going to abolish the smallest comma, period, hyphen, or semicolon of what the law actually said and taught. But the interesting thing for the audience of the 21st century is to look at the duration of the very scripture of which the Lord was speaking. First, of what scripture was He speaking? When He taught this lesson not one book of the New Testament had been written. No one had the slightest thought of the necessity or its future existence. Jesus Christ had to be speaking of what the Christian world would eventually call the Old Testament. Now look at the duration He was giving it when He made this statement. He starts His statement with a positive, “Truly.” Our Lord never made a more emphatic statement then when He said, “Truly.” This was one of those occasions. This scripture, called by Jesus “The Law and the Prophets” will not be diminished one comma, period, hyphen, or semicolon until the heavens and the earth pass away. Now when are the heavens and earth going to pass away? Would it be right to say, “The judgment day?” Yes that would be the time to which Jesus is making reference—and He is talking about the Old Testament. The Law and the Prophets will not lose their impact on our lives until the judgment day. The Christian world has conveniently twisted that passage around to have it make reference to the New Testament. Now while the New Testament is certainly to be included in that principle, the point of reference at the time this statement was made by our Lord was specifically and emphatically the Old Testament.
Until Heaven And Earth Pass Away… Matt 5:17-20 Being so accustomed to reading this passage, it is only natural that the statement being made comes at this point in the Sermon on the Mount. But stop for a moment and read again what was just said. Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets… Why would it be necessary to make such a proclamation within the first third of this sermon? The answer is, “Because everything that Jesus had said, up to this point, seemed so different from what the Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, and Sadducees had been teaching for the past several hundred years.” As a result of sounding so different from the traditions of the fathers, and indeed being so different from the traditions of the fathers, the Lord found it necessary to call to their attention that what He was teaching was what the scriptures actually meant. Therefore, He was not going to abolish the smallest comma, period, hyphen, or semicolon of what the law actually said and taught. But the interesting thing for the audience of the 21st century is to look at the duration of the very scripture of which the Lord was speaking. First, of what scripture was He speaking? When He taught this lesson not one book of the New Testament had been written. No one had the slightest thought of the necessity or its future existence. Jesus Christ had to be speaking of what the Christian world would eventually call the Old Testament. Now look at the duration He was giving it when He made this statement. He starts His statement with a positive, “Truly.” Our Lord never made a more emphatic statement then when He said, “Truly.” This was one of those occasions. This scripture, called by Jesus “The Law and the Prophets” will not be diminished one comma, period, hyphen, or semicolon until the heavens and the earth pass away. Now when are the heavens and earth going to pass away? Would it be right to say, “The judgment day?” Yes that would be the time to which Jesus is making reference—and He is talking about the Old Testament. The Law and the Prophets will not lose their impact on our lives until the judgment day. The Christian world has conveniently twisted that passage around to have it make reference to the New Testament. Now while the New Testament is certainly to be included in that principle, the point of reference at the time this statement was made by our Lord was specifically and emphatically the Old Testament.
You have heard it Said of Old… Matt 5:21-48 If one can grasp the issue of the next six “You have heard it said” teachings, then they have captured the essence of Christian sociology. Actually these next six examples are the essence of Jewish social teaching as well, but the Jewish teachers of the law had given them such a “wooden interpretation” that they took the life and the spirit out of the message to be learned. It all has to do with the way you “think.” The scriptures will call this “What’s in a man’s heart.” In this context the “heart” is the man’s “mind.” One of the underlying premises to all of this teaching is that man has full control of his mind and therefore can control and direct his thoughts. Each one of these lessons start with an implied “You have heard it said but this is what was really meant.” You have heard it said, “Thou shall not kill.” It is precisely true that that is what the fifth commandment said. “Thou shall not kill.” Exodus 20:13. That was the letter of the law. But “the spirit of the law” was never so far in the background that no one was aware of its existence. From the beginning of God dealing with His creation, it was obvious that the spirit of the law and the letter of the law were both present. In fact, it is virtually impossible to distinguish which comes first, the letter or the spirit; they are so united. The tragedy is that mankind is so capable of forgetting them both. The third sin recorded in man’s misconduct was for Cain to kill his bother Abel. But once man starts to respond to God’s commands, keeping the letter of the law seems to be such an easy cover up for what God intended. The spirit of the law is forgotten. David broke God’s letter and spirit of the law with Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah the Hittite, and God held David responsible for his sinful actions. But the big picture of David is that he not only kept the letter of the law, he was equally committed keeping the spirit of that law as well. David would have said, had he heard the Lord’s statement about killing and hatred, “Hatred is the seed bed from which murder blooms and comes to fruition in all types of killing, maligning, and destruction of human worth.”
You have heard it Said of Old… Matt 5:27-30 Mankind has a difficult time with this commandment. In the bigger picture this type of commandment has been equally difficult to first, understand, and then second, to apply. From centuries past man has dealt with the temptations of breaking the law. But when one speaks of breaking the law the point is that the specific law has been physically broken. That has always been the case. While the Lord meant that more is meant in the commands than just a physical transgression man has never wanted to acknowledge that. That is still the case to this day. It seems that all mankind has a letter of the law mentality. If I do it, then my hope is that I will not be caught. But, if I think it then nobody knows but me and as long as I keep my thoughts to myself then nobody is hurt. While this whole line of reasoning is not good, it is the second part of “as long as I keep my thoughts to myself then nobody is hurt” that is being addressed by the Lord in this section of the Sermon on the Mount. Harboring a specific thought in one’s heart, that would be an open violation of God’s law, does not acquit that individual from the weight or burden of that unacceptable deed. What mankind has had trouble understanding from the day of Adam and Eve is that a guilty heart is as unacceptable as guilty hands. Man wants to say to God, “But I didn’t do it.” In response to that line of reasoning God is saying, “There is no difference to Me of the man with dirty hands and the man with a dirty heart.” And so we have this insight into the pureness of the mind of the Divine—“You have committed adultery already if you lust after another women.” If someone gets the idea that Christianity weakens the letter of the law then that too says they fail to comprehend what the Lord is doing here. Rather than making the letter of the law more lenient the Lord is actually tightening the impact of it. In 21st century terminology we might say, He is ratcheting the letter of the law several notches.
You Therefore Must Be Perfect Matt 5:43-48 Retaliation is an ugly word no matter how one looks at it. When the Lord gave us the divine imperative to be perfect as our Father is perfect, He was basing this on what had just been said. Love your enemies. Do not hate them. Lev 19:18. This instruction, though it seemed to originate in the Sermon on the Mount, was first stated by Moses 1500 years before. But somehow man missed that instruction. They lived by the motto of “loving your neighbor and hating your enemies.” Such a motto could only be defined as unscriptural. The very point of loving one’s enemies is what generates the Golden Rule in Luke 6:31. For a comparison we need to understand the following. Retaliation is not Christian, Getting even or getting revenge is totally denied those who follow Christ. The Lord assures us that vengeance will eventually be paid but it will be by His authority and His judgment. It is Paul who writes: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:19 But there is a religion that teaches at its very core that one must retaliate, one must seek revenge, one must strike back if struck. This religion’s name is Islam. When you are commanded to strike back there is never an end to the fighting. I strike you and Islam says you must strike me back. So you strike me back but that does not make us even. It means that I must now strike you back for striking me back—and on and on it goes ad infinitum until one of us is totally defeated in disgrace. This is not even a “love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” This is a “love only those who will not strike you back and be loved by those you fear to strike back.” There is no love in any case. There is only retaliation.
Do Not Practice Your Righteousness To Be Seen Of Men Matt 6:1-4 If ever there was an example of missing the point because of focusing specially on the illustration given in a passage, this is it. Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount we have this four-verse instruction that makes many jump like the puppy that has been hit by a rock. Obviously when there is such a reaction somebody’s conscience is tugging at them. We have read this passage as if the Lord is talking about the amount one gives to the poor. And that is translated into how much one contributes to the Lord’s work on Sunday morning. But is that the essence of this passage? If we think it is our job to make members contribute more, then certainly this passage would fit right in to such a lesson. But what is the real issue addressed in this paragraph? Is it not “one’s attitude when righteousness is displayed?” Maybe to get to the real issue in this section of the Lord’s sermon we need to ask, “Who is the one we are trying to impress?” If ever there was an obvious, specific, no doubt about, pinpointed response, this has to be it. We are trying to impress our God and Father in heaven. The amount of the gift has always been only a secondary issue. But even impressing God for impression’s sake takes a backseat to being committed to God’s cause. Now we are getting to the issue. How committed are we to the Lord’s cause and how honest do we have to be with that issue when it is well hidden in a privacy vault between “me and my God?” When the instruction was given in Matthew 6 the amount of the gift was of the size that if people saw it given, they would ohh and ahh” and say “What a sacrifice that man is making! He must be a very righteous man!” If that was what the gift was for, that is to impress others, and they were impressed, then the giver got exactly what he was seeking. How tragic it has been to see so many turn this passage on its ear and say their gift must be private so they won’t break this instruction. Sadly, all along they don’t want others to know the amount of their gift because they know that the only impression would be “what a miser he is as he gives his pittance!” Somehow they have forgotten, “God is really watching!” He really is! If pressuring the giver to give more, and to accomplishing this out of guilt, then all that has been accomplished is that the contribution has been increased. The giver can be assured he has impressed God but the impression is all negative. Maybe the first person that needs to learn this lesson is the preacher. He should be questioning his motives. Is he attempting to improve “his standing” as a powerful minister, or is he trying to lead more souls to God?
Whenever you pray…Matt 6:5-8 What a wonderful communication we have to be allowed to pray directly to our God. But to pray to God we have to have one that is more holy than we are to take our prayer into God’s presence. The Jewish nation had a high priest to pray for the whole nation on the Day of Atonement. The need for a High Priest has not changed. We still need someone to go into God’s presence with our prayers. We are able to do that because God gave us His Son to be our High Priest. We can direct our prayers to God now because we can go through His Son, Jesus Christ as our High Priest. (Heb 2:17) Certainly one of the appropriate measuring sticks of one’s piety is his prayer life. In some cultures praying in public as on a street corner is still a phenomenon of the day. In this illustration of public prayer it is the outward piety of the individual that is called into question. In a religious setting, such as public worship service, public prayer is called for and accepted. But one’s piety is to be observed in one’s good life on a daily basis and that is what is to be exhibited (Matt 5:16). And the praise for that observed “good life” is to give glory to God and not the individual. It becomes so obvious that we almost pass it by without a thought. An individual might consciously or subconsciously attempt to show their piety for the praise and approval of their fellow man. If that is the motivation then certainly one is rewarded in kind for their “show of faith.” An interesting point that is implied by the Lord, when teaching this lesson is that they have already received “their reward.” It is the “reward” that is so important in His teaching. While He has not said it, but implied it, it is imperative to see that the Lord refers to the rewards that come from God when one’s piety is rightly motivated and exhibited. The bottom line is this: Whatever we do in our religious life should be done to give praise to God. But we can take this one step further. Giving praise to God is not an end unto itself. When we live a life that brings praise and glory to our God we are living a life that causes those who observe to want to follow the example. There it is and that is the point. So live your life that others will want to live in your footsteps. How does the old expression go? “I’d rather see a sermon any day than …”
Your Father will reward you…Matt 6:6There are many reasons one prays. First, prayer puts the praying individual in the presence of God. The more one prays and the more genuine that prayer is, the closer God’s presence is. One who prays fervently and often, can with his eyes closed, almost reach out and feel He is there. Being in the presence of God should be a primary reason for anything one does in a spiritual context. But there is more—much more. One prays for the Lord’s help. This includes help for those of our family who are sick. It was James who spelled it out so specifically when he wrote by inspiration. “Is anyone among you sick? He should call the elders of the church and they should pray over him…”James 5:14. In a more generic way the Lord speaks of the Father “rewarding” those whose prayers are offered in the correct way—without pomp and circumstance and with a faithful attitude of heart. These prayers will be rewarded. To be rewarded means to be answered. It is obvious that “reward” and “request” are tied together. Some blessings from God will not be given unless asked for in the spiritually described manner. It is interesting to note that the Lord says that the Father knows what we need before we ask. Matt 6:8. Now the question becomes, “If God knows our needs before we ask Him and we are His faithful children, why should we have to ask in the first place?” It is evident then that God knows our needs, but He has also chosen to grant some things only when the saints pray for them. That really shouldn’t be a hard lesson to learn and one lesson that is so rewarding once accepted and practiced. But there is one more ingredient. Before the “Lord’s Prayer” is actually stated, the word “reward” becomes the key to it. But immediately after the prayer is expressed, the Lord ties that “reward” to “forgiveness.” Too often this point has been missed. We like to read this part of the Lord’s illustration to deal specifically and only with “receiving forgiveness from God.” While it is true that one is forgiven only as one forgives, please read the passage in its context. God “rewards” (answers the prayers of the one praying) only after they, the one praying, has forgiven those who have sinned against him. Without sounding too tacky let is be said, “If you want the rest of your prayer request answered, good health and such, then you must not forget that “forgiveness is the key part.” So there are two words that introduce and conclude the power of prayer—reward and forgive. Try this type of praying out—it rewards big time.
Do Not Lay Up for Yourselves Treasures on earth...Matt 6:19 What an interesting point to be made just at the end of this section of the Sermon on the Mount. The 6th chapter of Matthew naturally divides itself into two sections with the first section dealing with “practicing your piety before men.” “Laying up treasures for yourself on earth” becomes the summation of this section of the Lord’s teaching. The first thought that comes to mind about this caution is the big bank account, the large real estate, stocks and securities, and any other item that might suggest the stockpiling of wealth. Such an endeavor will never last one second longer than man’s life. But for the most of mankind the recent adage that has come into play is, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” While it is obvious that such an expression is stated “tongue-in-cheek” the attitude and culture behind it is almost set in concrete as true. But what is the matter with this approach to life, besides the Lord warning us of its undeniable disaster? Man is tempted to turn his full attention to the things here on earth. He is told “he only goes around once in life” and so there is this drive in us all to “live it up.” Sadly such an approach places all our values, our spiritual drives, all of our attention on the here and now. Such an approach says there is nothing for us tomorrow. Tomorrow will never come, but if it does we will not be a part of it. On the other hand, the Lord says there is a tomorrow. “Tomorrow’s” world is a different world than today’s world. He promises that we can all go there and live with Him throughout eternity if we make it our goal to live in tomorrow’s world. To do that, we have to change our approach to life and center our attention on that world of tomorrow. We have to realize that we can’t play this game on both sides of the court or for both teams. We are either on the side of those wanting to live in tomorrow’s world or live it up today in today’s world. Don’t be caught looking for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe when the Lord is the conductor of the Missouri Pacific when it leaves the station.
The eye is the lamp of the body Matthew 6:22…. The world is what you perceive it to be. If you see it as a dark foreboding dungeon, ready to engulf you and your family, then you should expect for it to treat you (respond to you) in exactly that manner. If you see it as a happy, enjoyable place, even with its difficulties, it will respond to you in a happy, enjoyable atmosphere of life. We have heard these expressions all of our lives and have wondered about just how truthful they are or how much we can depend on them. In this passage of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us precisely what to expect from our own outlook on life. Now we have the answer. You create your own atmosphere, your own responses that people give you in return, your own outlook on life and its expectations of you. This is exactly what the Lord is saying in this section of the Sermon on the Mount. Your eye becomes the “window” that lets light into your house—our soul. If the window is covered with blinds that are dark and depressing, then one’s outlook will be dark and depressing. If the window—the eye—sees only prejudice then that life will be filled with prejudice. If the window—eye—allows prejudice to distort our vision then we will see prejudice. If the window—eye—allows the light that enters the body to be distorted with jealousy then a jealous world is exactly what we should expect. We have heard it said many times that we are what we eat. In this passage the Lord is saying, “You are what you see.” But the uniqueness of this instruction is that it is obvious that the Lord is saying that you can control what you see. How does He say it? “If your eye is sound your whole body will be full of light.” So the question becomes, “Is that really true?” Does my attitude toward the world actually control how the world sees me?” Well the Lord said it. With His divine insight into humanity He is telling us that is exactly what is happening. We control the kind of world we live in. It is not based on finances, education, prestige, or power. It is based on how we “see the world.” We can be sure the world is looking back at us in exactly the same light and atmosphere we see it as we look at it.
No Man Can Serve Two Masters: Matthew 6: 24….
We have all heard this point made from the scriptures many times and we all have a good understanding of its meaning. But it still needs to be emphasized and reemphasized for the message to sink in and stick. There is something about the value of repetition that cannot be overstated. In this case it is the point that one man cannot serve two masters. Let us not misunderstand. All of us have many who would try to be our master. All of us have many we are tempted to allow to be our master. Many of us have those things that have no consciousness at all but we are addicted to them and want them to be our master. Yes, there are many, many who would be masters in this world. Satan invited the Lord to worship him so he could be the Lord’s master. There is always a price, a carrot being dangled before us, to allow something or someone to be our master. There is always a promise given as a trade—you serve me and that servitude will benefit you in the following matter. In the case of Satan and our Lord, Satan told Him He could rule the world from that moment forward if He would allow Satan to be His master. Of course the unspoken truth that would destroy any offer in the servant/master relationship is the comparison of benefits. God is saying to us, “Serve me and I will give you a home with Me for eternity.” Satan says, “Serve me and I will give you the world, with all its injustice, its suffering, its incapability of dealing with the human problem.” Now let’s see, how does that go? Serve God and you get to live with Him eternally. Serve Satan and get a world of heartache. Now seeing the benefits between these two offers “there really is a strong pull between the two” isn’t there? Brethren, to make sure you are never caught in this trap leading to disaster, make sure you compare the benefits. Also remember it’s okay to be concerned for self here. It’s not being selfish at all to desire what is best for you.. Now what’s the comparison again?—the benefits of eternity in heaven and the benefits of eternity in Hell. Boy, that old Satan, he sure gives us a tempting offer, doesn’t he?—hum, or does he just color his destructive eternal tragedies so that they look tempting?
Consider the weeds…Matthew 6:25…
I was working on my lawn behind the back fence at my house and started looking at the weeds I was cutting down. There were many varieties and each had its own distinct design and foliage. All of the sudden I realized I was “considering the lilies of the field—how they grow.” There are so many and they are so “common place” and I have seen these different undomesticated plants all my life. I brush them off, pull them out, and even try to cut them down. Now for a second I realize I am seeing our God’s magnificent design in creation—the lilies of the field—in Israel lilies were the most common weed. I can look down that strip of land behind my fence and see at a distance of about one thousand yards the Grand Parkway. Cars are flying up and down that freeway just as I do every time I leave my house to go to town or to church. And then these words from the Sermon on the Mount begin to strike home. We are so concerned with “things” we are missing the beauty of God’s creation. This is not just an attempt to make a pious statement about God’s lilies. It is the Lord asking us all to evaluate our lives. We miss the point if we concentrate on the Lord’s statement as an attempt to get us to appreciate the aesthetics of the creation. We are driving sixty-five miles an hour past God’s creation so that we can rush to see the next “thing” in our lives. After doing that we will rush home to see the TV or sit at our computer or read the newspaper. We are rushing through life to see “things” and enjoy “things” and consume “things” but we are never satisfied. The first “thing” in life that gave us a momentary feeling of happiness is long gone. Now we have a wild addiction of consuming, seeing, holding, owning “things.” A major tragedy of that is we are missing the magnificent beauty, and more importantly, the magnificent meaning of God’s creation. I know it is just a weed at the side of the road, but our Lord calls to our attention just how futile our choices of life are. He is saying we need to reorder our lives. The “things” of this life will never give us long term completion or meaning. Only God can do that for us.
Do Not Give Dogs What is Holy…Matthew 7:6 The first thing that is called to your attention about this passage is its location. This instruction of what you should not do comes immediately after the instruction about judging others and how your judgment of others defines how God will judge you. (7:1-5) What the Lord says to us in this passage is that we should not give to dogs what is holy or cast our pearls before swine. Now, unless we lose our place here, “dogs” and “swine” are left unidentified. The next logical step in following this instruction is to identify them ourselves. To identify this type of individual means we have to make some very critical judgments. So has the Lord said, “Don’t judge at all and then with His next words imply the necessity for very harsh and strict judgment?” Surely such a contradiction cannot be found in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount! And of course there is no contradiction—we need to put both statements in context. Condemnation for judging is not stated carte blanche. When such condemnation is used as a 100% catchall as a cover for sinful behavior, it is being misused. Those who do not want to be reminded of their own sinful condition or actions will pull this passage out of context and use it to protect themselves in this cloak of “You can’t touch me because you are judging when you do.” The implication of such a “cloak” is “I can continue in my sinful ways and you can’t do a thing about it without judging me. Remember the Lord said, “Don’t judge!” And the final implied point is, “Since you can’t judge me, I can continue.” But the reality of the passage about judging deals with being critical—hypercritical. If you are of a nature of finding a flaw or a fault with everything and everybody around you then you are in peril of sinking your own ship. The “speck” statement used by the Lord identifies that attitude.
An Encouragement to Pray! Matthew 7:7-12 If we could define one basic relationship that Christ has with the Father that He wants to share with us today, it is prayer—the avenue of prayer, the power of prayer, the blessings of prayer, and the answers to prayer. Again and again, Christ comes back to the subject of prayer in His teachings. But not only does He teach us to pray but gives as the best example the world will ever have as one who fully utilizes in His own life what He teaches about prayer. This section of the Sermon on the Mount deals with prayer and the point that is being emphasized is the encouragement for us to pray. Three points of emphasis are stated and the immediate result of these steps show that encouragement is what this is about. We are to Ask, Seek, and Knock. If we will ask—it will be answered. If we will seek—we will be find. If we will knock—the door will be opened. To comprehend this teaching one must understand their basic relationship with God. This relationship is an “in secret” thing. We have no way to see, measure, or touch God. Our prayers are therefore a true “leap of faith” as we rely on the unseen. Because it is based on faith, Jesus understands that we will need reassurance. Even later, when we have experienced answer to prayer, we need to be reminded again and again that what happens cannot be dismissed as “coincidence” but truly is evidence of divine intervention on our behalf. When we feel that God is too busy, or too important, or our needs are too trivial, we need to be reminded that our relation with the creator of this universe, the totally righteous one, the omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient is one of Father and child. That in itself is amazing that God wants a Father and child relationship with us—but He does. So if human parents, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, God, who is wholly good, will certainly know how to give good gifts to those who ask Him.
Enter by the narrow gate…Matthew 7:13-14 We know this passage well, having heard it all our lives. How close the Lord gets to our heart and soul in this passage is determined most of the time by fear. We don’t want to hear what He has to say in this passage. We can deal with the over zealous critic, the hypocrite, the self-righteous, and the split personality attempting to serve two masters. But this narrow gate thing is just a little more than the average man ever wants to encounter. It is only the narrow gate that gets the final results that are wanted. But the demands, while stated so simply, are stated too high. Man does not want to pay the price—and to his detriment he loses the final reward. Three things seem to block the success of the narrow gate. The first thing to learn of the narrow gate is it is the hard way and we all know we want the easy way. But there is never an easy way to greatness—heaven. An ancient Greek poet wrote, “The unimportant can be had in abundance easily; but in front of virtue the immortal have put sweat.” Edmund Burke delivered a great speech before the House of Commons and his brother was heard saying, “I have been wondering how it has come about that Ned has contrived to monopolize all the talents of our family; but then again I remember that, when we were at play, he was always at work.” The second point describing the narrow gate is the distance between the long and the short way. Very rarely something may emerge complete and perfect in a flash. Too often greatness—heaven—is the result of long labor and constant attention to detail. The document behind all democratic nations is the writing of Plato’s Republic. On Plato’s own manuscript, in his own handwriting, there were no fewer than thirteen different versions of the opening sentence. The third point describing the narrow gate is that of the disciplined and the undisciplined way. Nothing was ever achieved without discipline. One of the great names in literature is Coleridge. His talent as a writer screamed of greatness but in the end he never finished anything he wrote. No one has ever reached any imminence, and no one having reached it ever maintained it, without discipline
……Sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves…Matthew 7:15-20 Why would anyone want to camouflage themselves in the “robes of the gospel” if their attempt to be religious is flawed due to a known and conscious error? The answer to this question comes from the very essence of the gospel. It is the Good News of God and as such it is pleasant, joy giving, promising a better life, and with the end result being that of eternal life. So if I have other motives with a different agenda in mind, but know I won’t be successful with it if it is openly presented, I just might want to check my motives regarding the gospel message. This deception would be done in the hope that I might attain my goal faster, more completely, and all-in-all be better received, With the suggested reasons just given and many more, the world seems to be filled with false prophets who proclaim a counterfeit message of Christ. Sadly when we hear about them it is because they are being successful. There are certainly enough of these individuals in the Houston area to find an array of different brands and different motives. There are, however, different levels of being a false prophet—false preacher. The first and primary false teacher is the one who is attempting to present the gospel as he knows it or as he has been taught it, but he has never realized that “his teaching” fails to agree with the scripture. In reality, his is not the message found in the scriptures. This may be the hardest situation with which we have to deal. It is virtually impossible to come to Christ without some previous beliefs directing the way we think and teach. This is true of everyone. We must always be measuring our belief systems against what the scriptures teach. There are so many honest and good teachers out there that fall victim to this type of error. And we certainly should not think of ourselves as being immunized from this problem. In dealing with religious friends and associates I watch and listen to what they do when they are involved in their religious beliefs. Sadly, the first thing they do is measure what is being taught against belief system which usually has a name, such as Calvinism. Once they find how what is being discussed fits within their system of belief then they will measure it against the scriptures. Here is one of the major issues that is addressed by the Restoration Movement. (Did you notice that I just did what I am writing about?) But what does the Restoration Movement say? The answer is “Go to the scriptures first.” What does the scripture say? When that is determined drop the system of belief through which this teaching has to be filtered. No creeds, no type of “baggage” is to be used as a measuring stick. Use just the scriptures and then be ready to face your Lord on the judgment day.
We shall not get caught up in semantics as to where the church really is or is the building “the church.” The question is really, “What happens at the worship service?” But the answer to that question is so meaningful and so full of ideas that one can hardly fathom a complete response in a hundred newsletter articles. But a few answers are necessary. So here goes! What happens at church? If there is one primary event that happens at church it is that the individual comes into the presence of God. And this happens in a unique manner that is not matched at any other moment in his/her life. This uniqueness is not in some way substandard to other occasions in which the individual seeks the presence of God. Indeed, it is the most precious time in the individual’s life when he communes with God. So why is this the case? What is so special about what happens at church? First of all, the individual is not just one at the worship service. The very act of assembling means that there are two or more gathered together for a worship service. How often have we referred to this passage? “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20. Maybe the question that should follow this passage is, “Does a like promise of His being with His people appear in any other place in the scriptures?” The answer to that question is “No!” It is only “at church” where such a promise of the presence of God is given. For this reason, specifically, what happens at church is the most important event in our lives. There is nothing promised by God to His followers that will come close to matching it. In the book of Ezekiel the prophet records sixty-two times that God saying to him, “And they shall know that I am Jehovah.” In today’s jargon God has said. “It is important that they know who they are dealing with.” There is no other individual, event, or circumstance that will come with a million light years to being in the presence of Jehovah—of dealing with our God. So, what happens at church? The most important things you will experience this side of the Judgment Day!
What happens at church is a question that can be asked in many ways. One might ask, “Why would I want to be there?” In last week’s newsletter that question was answered with the statement that at church you come into the presence of God. This is done in such a manner that it has no equal of being with God, this side of judgment. While acknowledging that being in the presence of God is the primary reason for being there, there are still many other reasons of the highest importance. An example of other reasons for being at church is you are given the opportunity to build your spiritual house. In fact “building your spiritual house” is expressed in the word translated “edify.” While the word edifice refers to a building, “to edify” defines how you build that building. To appreciate this term we must become very practical and ask, “What is the most important thing of your worldly possessions? Almost every one would answer that question with the word house. Understanding the implication of that thought, Paul writes about how important it is that you build your spiritual house. And so to build one’s spiritual house is to “edify” or “be edified.” Not only are you to build your spiritual house, Paul instructs the church at Corinth that everything they do at church must be done for that purpose—to edify. I Cor. 14:26. We can find a dozen images using this thought. For example, “What kind of spiritual house have you built for yourself--one that you built at church?” Do you live in a spiritual hovel that has little space in it and is so small that you feel you live in a “hall closet?” Do you live in a comfortable but small home with two or three bedrooms, a living room and kitchen and one bath? Should we ever think about living in a mansion with many rooms, a large den, formal dining and living rooms, several bedrooms and a bath in each? Does it have a kitchen big enough and equipped well enough to prepare meals for large gatherings including family, friends, and brethren, along with the needy and poor? It was our Lord Himself who said; In My Father's house are many mansions (John 14:2). And so as we think of what we are doing at church and what is being accomplished there, let us remember that that is where we are building our heavenly home. If we build it as we should, we can be assured that one day a mansion will be ours. So “What happens at church when you go? Will there be a palatial estate subdivision in Heaven for you to place the spiritual home you built—at church?
Do you remember the old story about the person that asked about the people who lived in the town to which he was moving? The answer was, “What kind of town did you move from?” The person replied, “They were very friendly and cared for others.” The man answering the question replied, “That’s the kind of people that live here.” The next day the same question was asked by another person moving into the same town. The man replied, “What kind of people lived in the town from which you moved? The answer was, “They were too busy to speak and cared little for the needs of their fellow man.” The one answering replied, “That’s the same kind of people that live here.” Now you are supposed to ask, “How did the same man answer the same question with contradictory responses?” And you know the answer. People are going to treat you the way you treat them. If your neighbors are kind, it is because you are kind, and if they are friendly, it is because you are friendly. If they are not kind and friendly, it is because you are not kind and friendly. That old fable is going in the right direction of attitudes and behavior, but it is only starting in the right direction. In reality it doesn’t come close to what the fellowship is about when you ask, “What happens at Church?” If what happens at your church is what should be happening, such a question as, “Are the people friendly?” would never come into one’s thought process, much less be asked. There is no way Christians can meet in true fellowship not knowing all present, and loving each other, caring for each other, and knowing each other’s needs, aspirations, weaknesses, and problems. There is no way the communion of Christ’s church can be carried out by total strangers remaining total strangers for two or three consecutive services. It is impossible. What happens at church, or what is supposed to happen at church, is for those worshiping together to become “brothers and sisters.” Those terms describe the relationship between the members of the church. They are not titles of honor to be substituted for Mr. and Mrs. What happens at church? You become a family that knows and cares for one another in the closest manner possible. You are keenly award of each other when you are involved in “what happens at church.” If the relationships you have formed with every member of your church family is what it is suppose to be, then you know what happens at church without having to ask. If that close relationship is not formed with every member of your congregation then what is supposed to be happening at church is not happening. For those who are unaware of fellow members, and, in fact, have never met them, though they worship in the same services Sunday after Sunday, does the word dysfunctional ring a bell? One last question—If this problem exists, who is responsible for correcting it? How about the one you see in the mirror every morning when you get up?
If you want to read the most important chapter in the Bible as to what happens in a worship service you need to read I Corinthians 14. This chapter is often overlooked because it opens with a discussion of speaking in tongues. But with just a cursory look, it becomes evident that speaking in tongues is the illustration of Paul addressing what should not be happening in the worship service. And Paul does not stop there. He not only speaks of what should be removed or not used in the worship service but goes into great detail as to what should be happening. This was the point of last week’s article under the title of “What Happens In Church.” Paul says those attending should be edified. If something is happening, no matter how spiritual it may seem, and there is no edification from that specific event, then it should not be a part of the worship services. Again the illustration was speaking in tongues, which was one of the nine spiritual gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 13. Even though speaking in tongues was a spiritual gift it does not edify the hearer if the hearer does not understand. If he does not understand he is not edified and therefore the tongue speaking is disallowed in the public worship service. There was one exception to that instruction and that was that tongues could be used if there was someone there who had the spiritual gift of interpretation. If the interpreter could interpret what the tongues speaker was saying, then it was allowed in the worship service. But in the midst of this instruction about those speaking in tongues and when they can and cannot exhibit such spiritual gifts, please keep in mind that this was only one in a multitude of illustrations that could have been used. The basic rule is that there must be edification v 26—building of ones spiritual house. Paul goes on to explain that edification happens only when the member of the congregation understands what is being said. It can have a spiritual uplifting too, that is the emotion of the hearer is involved, but if there is no information provided as to how to better follow God, or stated in Paul’s terms, if there is no understanding, then it should not be happening in the worship service. Another illustration that could be used is the song our kids love to sing at Christian camp and at devotionals. The name of the song is Kumbaya. If you follow the lyrics you learn immediately that Kumbaya translates “Come by here.” They are singing “Come by here, Lord” and then the story continues with “Come by here Lord when I am laughing, crying, praying, and singing.” The song makes perfectly good sense and is therefore appropriate for a worship service. But if we didn’t know how to translate Kumbaya, no matter how inspirational it might be in its own language, then it would not be appropriate. So let me ask: “Where does an organ or piano fit as the specific point dealing with the question of edification?” Do they inspire? Most definitely! Is your spiritual house edified when you hear the note B♭? What series of notes played on an instrument edifies you—what series of notes teaches you how to follow God more acceptably? If your response to that question is “none,” then using the illustration of speaking in tongues, where does the instrument of music fit in the worship service?
There is so much about what is happening at church that is misunderstood. There are some places where the church building has become a museum. I have visited churches all over Portugal and Spain that fit that description. It was obvious that requests for contributions for building maintenance were being made everywhere. One sign read, “Help save our church,” meaning help save the church building. But in reality it was the people who needed to be saved. And when can the church be identified specifically as the church?—When it is assembled! While the last statement was not meant to be a play on words, such a play on words just happened. The word church means the called out—called out of the world. So when is the church actually seen as the church—when it assembles to itself and becomes the called out from the world? Actually the designation of being the called out is only metaphorical. The point being made is that the church member is different from the rest of the world. He is different in the way he thinks about God and of his fellowman. As a member of the called out he shows church characteristics by the way he responds to God’s commands, being obedient, and the concern he unselfishly shows to his fellow man, being benevolent and demonstrating goodwill. As a member of the group referred to as the church, the Christian displays joy, peace and patience. Pessimism can overtake a brother or sister, but they do not long for that state, they are not attracted to it, and it is not their natural mannerism of life. It is not a matter of being happy and optimistic and seeing that the church is the place you want to be. It is being in the church and seeing the hope and blessings found there and as a result you are happy and optimistic by being in church.
To understand what is happening at church we have to find a place to start. Not surprisingly, that starting place is with numero uno. When I ask what happens at church I first have to turn the magnifying glass on myself. The reason for this is because what happens at church will be determined primarily by what I bring to church—what I bring to church for it to happen. I will see the brethren through the eyes of my attitude. No matter what else can be found there, my attitude about myself, my life, my personal flesh and blood family, and the events that have an immediate impact on all of the above will determine how I perceive others around me. That is as true in the business world, in social involvements, in recreational activities, as it is in the fellowship of the saints when they come together to worship—at church, as we say. We live in a consumer world. Service, which was introduced as an honorable event in the world by Christianity in the first century, is the keystone to successful business today. Watch all the advertisements seen on TV and notice how they are all “service” oriented. From the “service station” where we buy our gas to the service kiosk in the malls and airports, service is the key word on the lips and in the minds of all the consuming public. I use The First United States Bank of Texas Trust with ATMs because of the service it provides for me. I use the Wash and Clean Em Dry Laundry because of the “service” it provides in its cleaning and also in its pickup and delivery. And so it is only natural, since “service” is now a legitimate word of honor, that I go to church “services” and look out for “what can they do for me.” This is first and primary. But that is the approach that has turned Christian service upside down. It should never be, “What can you do for me?” but instead, “What can I do for you?” What can I bring to the worship service to make it more edifying and spiritually uplifting for all present? What have I brought to the worship service to worship my God? Instead, it has become what you are going to do for me to keep me comfortable and serene making sure “I get my monies worth” as I worship. Because, goes the reasoning, if you haven’t given me “all I think you should” then I feel justified being Billy Goat Grump and my pleasure is to rain on everybody’s parade. What happens at church? What encouragement in Christ, what incentive of love, what participation in the Spirit, and what affection and sympathy did you bring? Phil 2:1
As you deal with people through the week you find you face the disgruntled, the abrasive, the offensive, the depressed, the overly aggressive, and many other descriptions of life that are not so pleasant. But what happens at church? When we come to church we have come to share once again the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have come to celebrate the gift of eternal life promised to us as we commune together remembering His death on the cross as God’s sacrificial lamb. We have come to share our souls with the joy, happiness, peace, and contentment in the atmosphere found only in the body of believers. We have come together to find respite, consolation, and solace from that world out there that features all the ailments of a Satanic kingdom. When we come to church we come with a smile on our face and tears of joy in our hearts knowing that we have the opportunity once more to find a place of happiness and contentment. We genuinely share our faith in our Lord and Savior, the Son of God. The competition of the office is not here at church. The petty politics of climbing the corporate ladder is not here at church. The smugness and condescending attitude we see daily by our co-workers has no place here at church and we are thankful for that. Monday through Friday we face our boss and co-workers never knowing why there is the grouchy and hateful attitude along with a frown on their face that only Satan can appreciate. Each day they come to work to share their private hell displayed in their behavior toward us, but that is not here at church—and we are thankful for that too. Those sitting at home, day after day, lost in self-pity have a hard time getting back into the world again. Here at church they can find the escape they so desperately need from “wallowing in the mire” of self-delusion and paranoia. Isolation is a miserable place to live but often it is better than what we have to face day-in and day-out. The world gets some kind of demonic pleasure letting us all know it has a burr in its saddle. If it could only know the serenity the Lord intends for us to find and be immersed in at church. What happens at church? We learn again that all is not lost, and in fact, the most important parts of our world, our souls, have been saved from Lucifer’s chains of death.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
