"Not by might"

I enjoy "The Apprentice." That's the NBC TV reality show where the bright, ambitious people do all kinds of tasks to prove to Donald Trump that they are worthy of becoming a part of his business organization. For each assignment the competing groups choose a team leader who is held responsible for the execution of the task- with the possibility of gaining accolades or scorn depending on performance. The show ends each week with the losing group 'in the board room' where they give account to Trump for the way they did the job. At the end of this inquisition, one person on the losing team, often the team leader, hears the signature line - "you're fired!" The atmosphere of the program is highly competitive, designed to determine each person's ability to assess situations and quickly create solutions. There is a need to cooperate but not because of love! It's truly every man for himself. Yes, for some weird reason, I enjoy watching it.

A lot of people approach life like the contestants on "The Apprentice" tackle their assignments. They scramble to win and work frantically- convinced that they have to do a great job to avoid God's condemnation when they are called into God's Board Room to face His questions about how they lived. They are driven by uncertainty questioning:
What will He see in us? How will He respond to what we've accomplished? Will He understand what we were trying to do? OR will He say, "You're fired?"

This picture is only partially right. All of us will give an account to God, that much is true! And... He is much more fearsome than Donald Trump! The big difference is GRACE. The scandalous truth is that the judgment is 'rigged!' Jesus Christ already settled the deal with God, so that everyone who trusts in Him can appear in Heaven's Board Room assured of hearing "You're accepted!"

Have you read the Magna Carta of grace recently? Take a look at excerpts from Ephesians 2:1-10 (NLT):

"Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. ...
All of us used to live that way, ...and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. ...
And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. ... And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

When we forget God's grace, we become just like the contestants on "The Apprentice" -- anxious and fearful, competitive, ready to cut others down, willing to do anything to try to gain the edge. Apart from grace, real self-sacrificial love is impossible!

So, soak up the promise of the LORD'S acceptance in Christ today. Now, does that remove all responsibility for living a holy life, for doing His will, for giving your utmost for His highest? Not for a moment. BUT, your focus will be changed. Instead of seeing your inabilities and inadequacies (on which the Devil likes us to focus, by the way) you will reach for God's resources. You will not feel the alienation that comes from shame. Grace will draw you close to God where you will find all the power, all the skill, all the love you need to live in a way that is pleasing before Him.

Take this word from the Word with you today--
“This is God’s Message... ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? ... you’re nothing but a molehill.
He’ll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!’ ” (Zechariah 4:6-7 The Message)

Saved and Healed- both now and 'not yet.'

The topic at the School of the Bible was healing. We are going through the Old Testament names of God and our text was found in Exodus 15 where there is the revelation of "Yahweh Rapha"- the Lord, our Healer. God made a great promise to His people saying, 26 “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” There is an interesting interplay of actors in that passage -- God is the Healer, but His people have a responsibility to live in a way that 'accepts' His healing.

I belong to a group called Christian Medi-Share which provides an alternative to standard health insurance. Some 30,000 Christian families join together to share medical bills. We pledge to observe a healthy lifestyle as Christians. To qualify for membership a person cannot use tobacco products, must avoid alcohol abuse, and must sexually active only within marriage. In addition, we are encouraged by those who direct the group to healthier diets and regular exercise programs to avoid becoming seriously overweight. The result is that instead of paying $600-800/month for health care, we pay $280! Living a holy life helps promote a healthy body.

It is not hard to make a strong case from the Bible that God does use suffering and/or sickness in judgment of sin. Have you listened to the text that is so often read at the celebration of the Lord's Supper? "For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died." (1 Cor. 11:29-30, NLT) We could dissect that passage at length, but even a superficial reading clearly reminds us that when we take the Bread and Cup as God's people, we accept a responsibility to live God-honoring lives. If we don't, we invite God to discipline us with sickness and even to take our lives!

So, is sickness always the sign of God's displeasure or a lack of self-discipline? We must not be too quick to point fingers at those who are suffering. It is too easy to reach a snap conclusion based on the 'facts,' in the process getting it all wrong. Jesus' disciples did that. One day they saw something fairly common in their time- a blind man. They asked Jesus, (John 9:2) “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Their smug assumption of moral failure is one that is all too commonly shared even today. Christians who have chronic illnesses not only have to deal with the suffering of their disease, but they must cope with other Believers who too readily join with Job's comforters to point and accuse. Jesus' reply is astonishing, even yet today! 9:3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins, he was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.” Sometimes suffering serves to bring about the glory of God! Yes, that's right. God uses sickness and suffering to shape and mold us in the likeness of Christ. He uses these things to call the whole and healthy to compassion and self-forgetful service. And He even uses these things for a display of His healing power.

I am convinced that salvation from sin (Jesus' primary work on our behalf) includes healing for the whole person: body, soul, and spirit. However, we cannot make healing into the sideshow that all too many healing ministries become! Healing must not be divorced from the proclamation of the Gospel. In the same way that we are being saved from sin's curse and will not realize the fullness (perfection) that is promised to all Believers until the coming of the Lord, so we will not experience the fullness of healing until His Kingdom comes.

Even if today's sickness is healed by His power, we remain mortal and will eventually die. This should cause us to preach that Jesus saves and heals with the humility that recognizes He has not put us in charge, that He remains the Savior and Healer. As with all good gifts that accompany our 'graced' status as sons and daughter of the King, we receive healing with gratitude, humility, and the wonder that God would care for us with such tenderness.

And this is my hope, is it yours? Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. -- Revelation 22:1-5 NIV

"Selfish spirituality"

Christianity is often 'sold' to Americans in consumer terms. "Come to Jesus," we are told, "and you will find a happier life, a better marriage, a brighter future." Churches, especially evangelical ones, have been quick to adopt Walmart's methods of marketing- learning to shape the Gospel in terms that appeal to wide audiences and how to create 'worship' experiences that stir up desirable emotions. Underlying all of this is a not so subtle appeal to the 'self.'

The Word teaches us that the Gospel is costly, not coddling, to self. Responding obediently to the Spirit's invitation to follow Jesus will not necessarily bring a happy, easy, or fulfilling life. It will please God and allow Him to use you in His purposes- which may or may not actually bring you happiness. Paul challenges the whole modern idea of finding a 'rich, fuller life in Jesus' here on earth when he says, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Cor. 15:19 NIV) He says that in the context of a presentation of the Resurrection which is the true hope of those who follow Christ Jesus. If a happy, easy life was what Paul wanted, he should have stayed in the tent-making business in Tarsus! As an apostle of Christ, he lived from place to place, was often hungry, was driven away by hostile crowds, got himself beaten by the authorities, and ultimately was put to death by the Romans! None of that would have happened had he not chosen to give his life away to follow Jesus' call!

Even Jesus drove people away by the thousands by telling the truth about their lives and themselves. He called them 'sinners,' told them they faced judgment, and offered a cross to those who would come after him. Uncompromisingly, He told those who came to Him - "Forsake everything you love to follow me!"

He didn't promise cozy family scenes around the fireplace. Read these disturbing words carefully: “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household! If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.
If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it." Matthew 10:34-39 NLT America's mega-churches don't use that quote much in their tri-fold brochures! It isn't very 'seeker sensitive,' is it?

The result of our consumer oriented presentations of the Gospel are many. We have churches filled with unconverted congregants instead of real disciples; people who live almost no differently than their neighbors, who squabble and fight over position and image, who jump from church to church for the most petty reasons, and who think that articles like this one must be the result of the Pastor having not gotten a good night's sleep!

Eugene Peterson observes that even those who are considered 'spiritual' among us are often 'self' focused. "We've all met a certain type of spiritual person. She's a wonderful person. She loves the Lord. She prays and reads her Bible all the time. But all she thinks about is herself. She's not a selfish person, but she's always at the center of everything she's doing. 'How can I witness better? How can I do this better? How can I take care of this person's problem better?' It's me, me, me disguised in a way that is difficult to see because all of her spiritual talk disarms us." (Christianity Today, March, 2005, page 45)

True spirituality isn't about feeling some good vibes, gaining approval of others, or even becoming a nice person. It is about pursuing Christ in the ordinary stuff of life with choices of obedience. It is being a good husband when your wife is tired and cranky. It is offering your kids love and acceptance even when they are walking away from the course of life you think best for them. It is doing service in your community and church as you have opportunity without even considering if there is some benefit to you or your family. It is being part of a church community- not because the music is great, the preacher scintillating, or the Children's program is amazing - but because Christ calls us to be deeply connected to even those who are unlovely, unlikable, and selfish - just like us. It is being part of this mystery called salvation that promises that we will be changed by the persistent work of the Spirit deep inside- from sinners to saints and that at the end of this life- we will be welcomed home - not because we were worthy, but because God is merciful.

And, that, my friend, is the Gospel Truth!

Why do you serve?

Every Christian is called to ministry! No, not every Believer will be a pastor, missionary, evangelist, or employed full time by a church. But, God gives each of us a place to serve Him and others in this world and service is ministry. Why we serve is one of the keys to being effective in our work for God; and as Pastor Rick Warren says in the opening line of his best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life, "it's not about you!" The Lord wants us to forget ourselves, forget the rewards, forget recognition, forget fulfillment - and just serve for His glory alone.

When 'servants' get out of line about the 'why' of their service, what they do for Christ becomes less effective no matter how skillful, hardworking, or gifted they may be. A question we all need to ask ourselves again and again is: Is this about ME or the mission? The answer isn't always obvious. There are a couple of clues that help us discern when the 'why' is wrong.

*The first is that we become territorial. In your service do you make it difficult for others to serve with you because you communicate by your actions if not your words - 'this is my ministry?' Are you threatened by others who want to learn from you or help you in what you do? Some Believers defend 'their' ministry like a Doberman defends a home! Their ministry is numero uno. If someone dares to reduce funding, they blow up. If the board of Deacons allows another group to share 'their' space, they provoke a war. They don't teach anyone to do what they do, never think about who will take over when they cannot serve, because it is 'their' ministry. They mistakenly try to own what belongs exclusively to God.

*The second is that we lose our perspective and cannot see what we do as part of a larger mission! If we build our personal identity around a ministry, sooner or later, we will become an obstacle to God's work. Ask yourself - "if I could no longer serve as a _______________, would I leave the church or become bitter?" If you answered, 'yes,' you probably have lost touch with the larger mission of Christ! In my own life, I remind myself that I am Jerry Scott, first, and Pastor Jerry, second. My sense of value cannot be based on my position in the church. If it is, I will hurt the work more than helping it!

Ministries are not eternal. They have an effective life cycle and then they die or evolve into something new. You can't tell that to someone who is serving for their own needs rather than for the mission, to a person who has built his entire Christian identity around being a Deacon, a Sunday School teacher, or a ____________. He cannot grasp that a ministry has out-grown his skills or that the ministry which he served so faithfully is not a part of the church's present mission. The work of God is crippled by people who hang onto 'their place' long after their effectiveness has been lost. Growth and change are not a part of the self-focused servant's (talk about an oxymoron) vocabulary. They firmly believe, "If it was good enough for the church in 1975, then, by God, it's good enough for the church in 2005." That's not faithfulness, that is mistaken stubbornness. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever but the ministries in which we serve are not. If we want to be effective and useful to the Kingdom of God we must be humble enough to remain life-long learners, to grow our skills, and to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the world in which we are serving.

Serving Jesus and His people is incredibly fulfilling, deeply satisfying, and brings us rewards -- but those are not the reasons we serve. Paradoxically, IF we slip into serving for those reasons, those things slip away from us. Jesus' wisdom is - “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross (crosses were instruments death!) daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." Luke 9:23-24 NLT

Here's a story Jesus told. Meditate on it. IF you read it and say, "That's so unfair!" - it's time for a deep evaluation of your understanding of the meaning and reasons for serving in the Kingdom of God.

• “Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat’?
  
  Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him?
  
  It’s the same with you. When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’ "
  (Luke 17:7-10 The Message)

On His terms!

God is high and holy, majesty enthroned, worthy of our praise, and awesome to contemplate; but you would never know it to see the way some of us talk about Him and to Him. He is a marvelous Treasure to be sought. He is Wisdom to be pursued, and He is the Lord to be obeyed. But many Believers turn Him into a small god relegated to a shelf on the side of life where he can be sought for a ritual blessing, where he exists to keep them happy and satisfied while making few demands. It seems that they want a compliant, indulgent god! ......until tragedy strikes. Then they want Him to change the world on their behalf.

In an intriguing story from David's adventures, we catch a glimpse of God that makes us wonder at Him. David and the people wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant, that chest that was to be kept in the Holiest Place of God's people, to Jerusalem. The lid of the Ark was the place where offerings for the sins of the people were presented to God, the symbolic 'center' of His dwelling with His people. Thus it was the most sacred piece of furniture (dare I label it so casually?) in the tabernacle of God. Moses received the directives about building the tabernacle and the Ark, the directions for proper handling of this holy thing. (see Exodus 25) Rings were built into the sides of the ark through which long poles were to be passed. When it was necessary to move the Ark, priests were to carry it on their shoulders with these long poles. Over the centuries that elapsed from Moses to David's time, these directions were forgotten!

In the book of 1 Chronicles we are told about David's good intentions to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, symbolically returning God to the center of the people's attention in the capitol city! Good thing, right? Yes, it was. After a proclamation, they set out to do this thing. (13:7-8) They transported the Ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. It must have been quite a parade/worship celebration.
Until... (13:9-10) ....they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark. Then the Lord’s anger blazed out against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.

David was angry at God and left the Ark in Obed-Edom's house for 3 months. In the middle of trying to do a good thing, tragedy struck, and - at least at first- David didn't know why! I can imagine that his thoughts may have been something like this: "God, I'm trying to bring the people back to a proper focus on You, trying to raise You up before them, and You choose to kill one of my friends right in the middle of a national worship celebration! What's up with that?" Only after time and research did he learn the proper way to move the Ark and thus to show reverence for God.

Good intentions are admirable, but they are not enough for a holy God. He desires that we revere Him sufficiently to submit ourselves to His will, to live in His ways. When we argue with Him, resist what we know to be His plans, or take our lives into our own hands - we invite His displeasure.

This little story from David's life helps me to understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to 'serve' God. Even as I write this, I realize that I am giving aid and comfort to those who 'sanctify' a certain worship style or to those who are bent on writing rules and regulations for others in the name of God. That, however, is a shallow misuse of the principle of this story. My intent is to point us beyond such legalities to our own relationship with God, where we know better in our heart, but where we choose to go our own way believing that God will 'cut us some slack.'

In our cutting corners in disobedience we sow seeds that will produce the harvest of rebellion - alienation, fear, and ultimately death. He is a wonderful God who is worthy of our reverent, submitted, and entire obedience. When we fail and are convicted of the Spirit (thank God He doesn't strike us dead!) let's have the humility to confess our sin. In that attitude, there is life and peace.

How can I stand up before God and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings topped off with yearling calves?
Would God be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple:
Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. -- Micah 6:6-8, The Message