Tag: pray

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God’s Covenant; Tower of Babel

Genesis 9-11 and Psalm 4

The Flood is now over. Noah and his family begin their “new normal” life, so Noah plants a vineyard and gets carried away with drinking wine to excess. He falls asleep uncovered in his tent, drunk from the wine. When his son Ham sees this, he goes and tells his brothers rather than simply taking action and covering his father. Noah is irate! “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” Ham, the father of Canaan, becomes the clan that the Israelites will clash with over and over again including the Philistines, Hittites, Amorites, etc.

God rewards Noah by providing everything for his family. “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything” (9:3).

Covenant with Noah (Noaic Covenant)

God establishes a covenant, a two-sided agreement, with Noah:  “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:11). As a reminder, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on earth” (9:16). The rainbow now has special meaning, not just a marvel of nature to enjoy as a common event–the rainbow reaffirms the covenant. I can imagine the significance of this statement to Noah’s family, especially the first time it rained, they probably panicked! Here we go again! But the rain stopped and the rainbow was seen and they remembered. Calm down kids.

Sin still existed in the hearts of mankind. They began to grow in numbers and the corrupt human nature started to reveal itself in their hearts as they began to build the Tower of Babel. “Come let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (Genesis 11:7). It seems this time God was not going to allow mankind to take the path prior to The Flood by intervening early. He separated the people groups by creating different languages which divided them and ultimately caused the project to fail as people couldn’t understand each other. The result: they scattered to various parts of the world.

Ziggurat
Some believe that the tower of Babel was a type of ziggurat

It’s an odd explanation of how languages entered the world, but the concept of man’s pride is certainly not new. How many times does our selfish pride cause us to stumble? Ok, I’ll be real, how many times have I allowed my pride to make me stumble? Too many. Even today I have to wonder if I’m taking on way too many projects because I think I can work my way out of problems. I pray this is not the case, but I have to consider the possibility. Lord, don’t let pride overtake me! I see these stories and I don’t want to repeat past mistakes!

Interesting note: Genesis 11:10-26 traces the lineage of Abram (Abraham) back to Shem.

One of the other scriptures referenced today was Psalm 4. I would love to set this to modern language and music! It’s only eight verses.

Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

Be silent. Listen for the Lord. He is there, “for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

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The Flood

Genesis 7-8 and Psalm 3

The Ark was a huge vessel, to say the least. I imagine it was the largest ever built in its day–why would anyone build such a large boat? From the images I’ve seen from those who have studied the biblical description of the Ark, it didn’t look like a sailing ship at all. Noah must have been questioned by neighbors on many levels, perhaps called crazy, insane, whatever, but he did what God said for a purpose beyond explanation.

One day I hope to make it to The Ark Encounter. I think it will be great fun to get a sense of the scale and magnitude of the Ark and support a Christian brother’s business. This will be a great trip, but much like visiting the Holocaust Museum, I’m quickly reminded of the somber atmosphere that surrounds the oft-portrayed children’s story of Noah and The Flood. The waters flooded the earth for 150 days. Even if someone built a raft and hung in there for the beginning of the flood, or perhaps in their own boats, they wouldn’t have had 150+ days of provisions. No. Mankind was wiped out. Pause.

Seven pairs of birds and clean animals, one pair of unclean. God included specific details for Noah; thus, he has enough animals to offer a sacrifice when the flood was over.

The long journey of building the Ark, collecting animals and birds is done on the 27th day of the second month of Noah’s 601st birthday, about a year after the rain began, The Flood was now over. Noah’s first action is to offer a pleasing sacrifice to God. The sense I get from reading that last verses in chapter 8 is one of great respect and appreciation to God for saving Noah and his family.

It’s interesting to read, “God said in his heart…” Here Moses is giving us some insight he has gained by communing with God himself. Honestly, I can’t wrap my mind around the thought, but the thought of God being introspective is astounding and incredibly humbling.

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.Genesis 8:22

There are many stories of how The Flood happened, many plausible scientific explanations have been offered to explain how. There’s no denying that something happened in ancient times to change the course of history. My prayer is that we learn to understand that God is the master architect behind it all. I hope we can learn this truth deep inside so that the light shines clearly from within to those who are far from Christ. Lord help me to be patiently filled with love for your people and especially those who don’t know you or who have turned their backs on you. May your light shine into their hearts.

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Sin Spreads Worldwide

Genesis 5-6

Chapter 5 describes the long lifespans of mankind before The Flood. Some would argue they had a different definition of years in those days, but the theme I get is man lived, multiplied and died…except for Enoch. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:24). He must have been a model follower of all God had envisioned. “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death…he was commended as one who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).

What is really meant by “Sons of God” and “Daughters of Humans” and who were “The Nephilim” mentioned in Genesis 6:4?

These are hard topics to discuss because we lack details and as a result the “experts” provide all kinds of interesting insight. Those who are far from Christ will use these types of references in an attempt to destroy our credibility. Many of those who have been raised in the church don’t even know how to approach the subject because they weren’t taught much (back to the “lack of details” concept).

If we are to be the light and salt in this every postmodern world, we must not simply skip verses we don’t understand. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense to overemphasize concepts that aren’t well substantiated. All that to say, in my perspective, we should step back and look at what God is telling us in Genesis 5 through most of chapter 11 — this is the core theme: mankind (that which God created, Genesis 5:1-2) had become corrupt and required a restart. I’ll continue to pray for insight into the sons and daughters and Nephilim, but I cannot ignore that there is evil in this world, that there are those bent on selfish desires of their fleeting flesh. So there, I just skipped verses I don’t understand, but at least with the caveat that I don’t fully understand them either. I hope I’m not a stumbling block for someone reaching out to Christ as a result.

We will soon see the full fury of God’s wrath in the next few chapters. This prelude gives us a glimpse of creation in chaos. Such disorder is not acceptable to God and he will put an end to those who have taken sin to an extreme.

Noah is given a job to do because of his reputation, his faithfulness. The weight of this responsibility is beyond my comprehension. God provides detailed instructions to preserve life as the world gets a jump start. We teach this in kids Bibles and VBS all the time, but honestly, it’s one of the saddest stories in the Bible. It truly breaks my heart to think about the masses of humanity that died as a result of depravity. I’m not questioning God here, just extremely sad.

God help us to pull people out of darkness and into your great and glorious light!

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Love the Lord Your God

In Deuteronomy 6 we read the great words of Moses that are central to the Jewish faith, as well as those of us who follow Christ:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.Deuteronomy 6:4

Jesus cites this verse for the Pharisees when asked to name the greatest commandments in Matthew 22:34-40 and Mark 12:29-31. Throughout the Bible we are reminded to love the Lord our God. We are provided examples of those who do and those who do not. We are shown there are times when our great ancestors fall short. Still we come back to this great passage, the first part of the Jewish Shema. I pray that I can adopt this custom, not out of ritual routine, but out of the greatest reminder and reverence.

I was actually drawn to the verses that follow this passage this morning. In particular, the phrases in Deuteronomy 6:10-11:

  • “you did not build”
  • “you did not provide”
  • “you did not dig”
  • “you did not plant”

Repetition, I’m told, is there for emphasis. Like ALL CAPS, but more important and more significant. This flies in the face of the self-made-man, the righteous American. All too often we want credit for building, providing, digging and planting, whether or not we actually did the work. Make no mistake, when we put forth a small amount of effort to do the same we are quick to claim the credit: “I built, I provided, I dug, I planted.”

Pause.

Remember our time in the vessels of clay is temporary. Remember and do not forget to Love the Lord. Verse 12 wraps up this thought nicely,

be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.Deuteronomy 6:12

It is indeed my desire to remember, to not forget, and more importantly, to do something about that memory. I’m not content to be one who warms a seat on Sunday when there are so many who truly don’t love the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6 is preceded by the famous Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-21). It’s worth taking a moment to remember these simple commandments:

  1. You shall have no other gods before me
  2. You shall not make idols
  3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God
  4. Observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy
  5. Honor your father and your mother
  6. You shall not commit murder
  7. You shall not commit adultery
  8. You shall not steal
  9. You shall not give false testimony
  10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…or anything that belongs to your neighbor

I wonder how many of us remember this, much less commit to following the spirit and intent behind them.

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.Deuteronomy 6:7-9

Simple, yes? It is simple, but our society rejects the above as if it’s absurd. We have a lot of work to do. Lord, give us strength and courage and ENERGY to do your work.

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Counter Culture – Just Beginning

A few weeks ago, Travis invited me to read a book he was working on: Counter Culture, by David Platt. This book won’t find the coffee table of many. Most will view this as extreme and radical, but that really is the whole point. What Christ calls us to is not normal, it is not the accepted path of our society.

We may recognize that what we thought were separate social issues are in fact all intimately connected to our understanding of who God is and what God is doing in the world.

The most difficult thing about this book is to read it with the loving eyes of Christ. We are so easily ensnared by of earthly desire to be accepted that we forget our primary mission is to make disciples of all nations.

This could take a while. Here’s the table of contents. Interested in the journey?

Chapter 1. The Greatest Offense: The Gospel and Culture

  • In the Beginning, God
  • Our Natural Reaction to God
  • The Sin of Self
  • Is Jesus Unique?
  • The Eternal Offense
  • Do You Believe the Gospel?
  • A Call to Conviction, Compassion and Courage

Chapter 2. Where Rich and Poor Collide: The Gospel and Poverty

  • The Wealthy Aristocracy
  • The Convicting Reality
  • Free to Work
  • “Want To”
  • Work Diligently
  • Live Simply
  • Give Sacrificially
  • Help Constructively
  • Invest Eternally
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 3. Modern Holocaust: The Gospel and Abortion

  • For All of Us
  • God and the Unborn
  • The Key Question
  • Wonderful Works
  • God the Judge
  • Redeemed and Restored
  • Every One Worth It
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 4. The Lonely in Families: The Gospel and Orphans and Widows

  • A Story of Redemption
  • Mirror of God
  • A Culture of Orphans and Widows
  • The Right to Redeem
  • The Resources to Redeem
  • The Resolve to Redeem
  • Mara Ruth
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 5. A Ware on Women: The Gospel and Sex Slavery

  • Meet Maliha
  • Closer to Home
  • Modern Slavery
  • Created Equal
  • Slavery and Pornography
  • Fighting With The Gospel
  • Hope and Healing
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 6. A Profound Mystery: The Gospel and Marriage

  • Male and Female He Created Them
  • Christ and the Church
  • The Distortion of God’s Design
  • Countercultural Marriage
  • Once and For All
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 7. Bought with a Price: The Gospel and Sexual Morality

  • Loving Boundaries
  • Born This Way
  • “Did God Really Say…”
  • Darkened Hearts, Disordered Minds
  • God So Loves…
  • A New Identity
  • A Costly Call
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 8. Unity in Diversity: The Gospel and Ethnicity

  • Church Bombing
  • The Human Race
  • A Gospel-Less Starting Point
  • Ethnicity
  • What the Gospel Makes Possible
  • One In Christ
  • The Sojourner in our Midst
  • Off the Sidelines
  • A Better Country
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 9. Christ in the Public Square: The Gospel and Religious Liberty

  • The First Freedom
  • An Alarm
  • Dignity in Disagreement
  • A Global Perspective
  • Proclaiming Christ
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

Chapter 10. The Most Urgent Need: The Gospel and the Unreached

  • Are We Going to Choose Comfort or the Cross?
  • Are We Going to Settle for Maintenance or Sacrifice for Mission?
  • Will Our Lives Be Marked By Indecisive Minds or Undivided Hearts?
  • First Steps to Counter Culture: Pray, Participate, Proclaim

 

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Some Songs from 2003 and 2004

Fond memories of serving Christian Life Church in Milton, Florida from 2002 to 2005. We had a young family way back then and I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Middle School ministry, Discipleship Training (as a trainee) and some elementary school-aged ministry (Sunday morning worship and Vacation Bible School). Thanks to the Air Force we continued to move and serve at other churches, so this post is all about remembering a few highlights during Zoë’s assignment to Hurlburt Field, Florida (at this point I’m retired and working as a software consultant).

Here’s a link to the page that captures Discipleship Training memory verse songs and VBS 2004.

Discipleship Training, 2003

The lack of quality of the discipleship training songs is a bit distracting. These weekly renditions were recorded on my Boss 16-track hard disk recorder in our dining room. I had very few tools back in those days…that’s my excuse anyway. The truth is, these little songs helped us memorize scripture. I had a cassette duplicator and made a dozen copies of each to pass out to our training cohort. When You Pray (song #2), based on Matthew 6:6 and Don’t Be Anxious (song #8) based onPhilippians 4:6-8, are still my favorites. The recordings leave much to be desired (i.e., they suck), sorry about that, but the verses still remind me of important scripture that is buried deep in my heart (song #3), I Seek YouPsalm 119:10-11. At the time, I dutifully memorized2 Peter 3:18 (song #1) and recorded the commercial-like song. Since then I’ve studied Peter quite a bit more and have come to know and respect this Apostle. I still pray for the ability to do as he requires in 1 Peter 3:15-16. Song #5 is pretty weird, but I have to say, I remember 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and the important lesson these few verse contain. Songs #4 and #6 are difficult to listen to, yet they serve as a reminder that these tunes were there to serve a purpose: help memorize scripture. That leaves song #7, Temptation, based on 1 Corinthians 10:13. Here Paul is teaching his fledgling church in Corinth a lesson that we struggle with today and I’m glad this verse repeats itself in the back of my head,

No temptation has ever seized you except what is common to man,
God is faithful He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can stand.
But when you are tempted, he will always provide a way out
So that you can stand up, you can stand up to it.

Once again, the recording is sketchy (at best), but it still rings in my head when temptation arises — that was the point of these songs. They were there to remind us of important scripture passages. Surprisingly, no record label has tracked me down for these! 🙂

Vacation Bible School, 2004

I still remember approaching Pastor Johnny Williams about writing the music for VBS. This was a big deal for Christian Life Church. They had a very positive reputation for high quality VBS that attracted well over 300 children from the area, pretty cool for Milton, Florida. We were there for VBS 2003 and I just thought this was something I could do. There are several things I remember about this experience, but the most significant include Katrina’s (second daughter) sign language adaptations of the lyrics and subsequent teaching these songs and motions to the children. She did a fabulous job and ended up leading worship for KidZone in Virginia on our next assignment.

Another fun memory was the final recordings of the songs. I wanted to have children’s voices on the recording, so the “choir” you hear on the recordings are actually just the children from three families (more than a dozen enthusiastic voices). Yes, I know some of the timing is a bit off, but it’s real and it was really a blast putting this together. I wish I had a recording of 350 children singing and signing these songs on that final VBS night. They filled the stage and really did a great job. So much fun!

The theme for VBS was Extreme JC, so we climbed, swam and ran fast to this energetic song to get them started. We taught them the fruits of the spirit in Fruity Blues (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, thankfulness and self control) based on Galatians 5:22-23. Yes, I still remember these in order. It Will Be Done was was one of the key teachings for this VBS and though this is a kid’s song, it is a good reminder that we can do all things with God, it’s our choice to get on His team! Because You Say So I Will is so much nicer than this recording indicates. Maria Pool did a fabulous job of singing this (along with her 6 children!) and Kelly Toole’s flute was perfect. I remember Kelly coming over to our house to record it. She was probably 17 or 18 at the time (???). When I answered the door she asked if anyone else was home because she was not allowed to enter a man’s house alone. Such great parents! Yes, our girls were all there, but I still remember how she honor a very reasonable rule that was in place to protect everyone. Thanks Kelly! She listened to my keyboard rendition of the flute part and we recorded it completely with very few takes. I hope she’s still playing. When I initially thought about this song, I intended it to be a rock-style song, but this turned out to be a very contemplative style song. I still remember the children sitting on stage as they sang this song–they really brought it home.

Special thanks to Pastor Bailey Dickerson (rocking piano), Pastor Johnny Williams (drums) and Nathan Black (lead guitar) for their support in recording these tracks. And thanks to Maria Pool (lead vocals) and Kelly Toole (flute) on Because You Say So I Will.

Thanks for the Memories

I’m not entirely sure why I’m writing this post this morning, but I am very thankful for the great memories at Christian Life Church. Thanks Pastor Doug Holmes for your music and solid Bible teaching. Thanks to the many friends we made during our short assignment and time at CLC. God Bless.

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Unwritten Chapter

There are several thoughts running circles through my mind this morning. Questions. Statements. Revelations. The devotion and passage for today made me pause:  Do I long for success or will I be content with faithfulness? Part of my prayers frequently include requests for relief of financial burdens that seem to distract and undermine things that we are trying to accomplish. Last night I heard something simple:

You keep saying you don’t want money for personal gain, for things of this world. If that is true, why do you have a wishlist on Amazon?

Why? Hmmm. Because everyone has a wishlist? It’s ok to dream? It’s just filled with things that would be cool to have?

Or perhaps, I’m still trapped in the world of “I want.”

photo-negative-spaceJeremiah’s call alluded to in the ODB reference above provides some compelling words for us to consider. Our chapter is unwritten from our perspective, the page is blank. We can look to the left and see words that define us, troubles that tripped us, woes that made us cries and joys beyond words. To the right we see nothing but a blank page. We can’t write our history in advance.

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

Jeremiah 1:11-12

The featured image on this post is that of an almond tree blossoming. A branch with flowers that just days before was nothing but a bare stick among sticks, nothing impressive. Winter is tough in many places, long days that bring cold and bitterness. Spring amazes us every year. The blossoming trees remind us that winter’s work was required. We had to let our desires die to God’s better plan.

Will I fill my wishlist again? No I will not. What God has provided is more than enough for me. Thank you Lord for the abundance you have provided for our family. May we be better stewards today than yesterday. May our faith be stronger as Winter turns to Spring.

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This is a Soul

The Mission of Rick Hodes, by Marilyn Berger

Last week I ventured into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where my mind was confronted with the incredible reality of modern day atrocities that we overlook in the daily news. The lens through which I traveled was that of a book by Marilyn Berger as she documented the incredible medical doctor Rick Hodes. A devout man of Jewish heritage, Rick Hodes saw everyone as a soul, equally important and richly deserving of the best medical treatment possible.

Some call him Father Teresa

Berger includes story after story of great success, all things worthy of writing a book about for sure, but I was taken back by the conditions in which Dr Hodes worked and his amazing patience and compassion for those who crossed his path.

There are many things about this book that should be mentioned, but one in particular was Rick’s approach to soliciting help from the medical community from the very beginning. When he needed an x-ray read (or other lab work), he would include a photo of the child, the face, not just the deformed spine or other body part. He wanted those who made a medical determination to understand that he was caring for a person, someone that mattered, as soul.  Like Mother Teresa, Rick cares about each person. All of this is in present-tense because his mission is not done, he continues to work in Ethiopia or wherever he is called to serve. Link to website

My eyes are starting to open more and more as I read books that depict individuals doing great things with no regard for self-adulation. As we each seek to hear God’s calling in our life, I pray that these lessons will help us expedite the journey to his arms, his will for our short visit on earth.

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Something Beautiful for God

The title of this book came from Malcolm Muggeridge’s infamous interview and subsequent 50-minute documentary on Mother Teresa. Muggeridge explains, in appropriate British fashion, how he felt the filming of the interview was flat, not the least bit compelling. In his words,

The verdict on the Mother Teresa interview was that, technically, it was barely usable, and there was for a while some doubt as to whether it was good enough for showing at all except late at night. In the end–again thanks to Oliver Hunkin–it was put out on a Sunday evening. The response was greater than I have known to any comparable programme… Muggeridge, p. 31

The authenticity of this truly wonderful ambassador of Christ won the day. People responded by sending donations and the interview was rebroadcast by demand with an even greater response. It’s interesting. There was no controversy, no mud slinging, no fingers pointed. Mother Teresa was purely authentic. She had committed her life to serving the poorest of the poor, seeing Jesus behind the pain and agony of disease and destitute. She led by doing, not by talking about doing and many others came to join a cause for Christian love.

Far beyond a social program, Mother Teresa offered the love of God to people who were tossed out, those who society wanted to forget.

Nowadays we have found medicine for leprosy and lepers can be cured. There’s medicine for TB and consumptives can be cured. For all kinds of diseases there are medicines and cures. But for being unwanted, except there are willing hands to serve and there’s a loving heart to love, I don’t think this terrible disease can ever be cured. –Mother Teresa (p. 99)

I have yet to find a copy of this interview, but I look forward to seeing it one day–or perhaps not. The words and description of the Sisters in action fill my mind with hope for honesty in the world.

The question that rattles around in my head: what do I do with this information? Do I pack up and move to Calcutta? Or Boston? Do I learn from her example and truly love people as God loves us all? At the very least I hope I have learned that each life matters to God and so it must matter to us. I must have willing hands to serve and a loving heart to love. Whatever inconveniences I encounter, as I surround myself with worldly comforts, pale in comparison to real life struggles and pain.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

Mother Teresa’s Way of Love

  • On Love of God. Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.
  • On Prayer. Our activity is truly apostolic only in so far as we permit him to work in us and through us, with his power, with his desire, with his love. Love to pray–feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take trouble to pray.
  • On Silence. We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
  • On Holiness. I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.
  • On Humility. Let there be no pride or vanity in the work.
  • On Submission. True holiness consists in doing God’s will with a smile.
  • On Suffering. Without our suffering, our work would just be social work, very good and helpful, but it would not be the work of Jesus Christ, not part of the Redemption.
  • On Joy. Joy is prayer – Joy is strength – Joy is love – Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.
  • On Kindness. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.
  • On Our Lady. Let us as our Lady to make our hearts ‘meek and humble’ as her Son’s was.
  • On Thoughtfulness. If you learn this art of being thoughtful, you will become more and more Christ-like, for his heart was meek and he always thought of others.

Daily Prayer for the Children’s Home

Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and, whilst nursing them, minister unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’

Today

Take time to listen to someone. Slow down and hear that which surrounds you. Look, there is Jesus in the least, the lost and the lonely. He died for all. You know this if you are a Christ follower. Now, be Christ to someone else.

 

1 Something Beautiful for God: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, by Malcolm Muggeridge, Copyright © 1971 by The Mother Teresa Committee.

 

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unChristian: 3. Hypocritical

One of the most often cited reasons for steering away from Christianity: we’re just a bunch of hypocrites!

Eighty-five percent of young outsiders have had sufficient exposure to Christians and churches that they conclude present-day Christianity is hypocritical.1

Who cares?

The research seems to suggest that Busters and Mosaics agree that Christians are hypocrites, but they don’t really care because, it seems, everyone is a hypocrite! It’s all about getting ahead in the world, preserving your image, looking like people expect, so apparently, it’s a new normal. What a horrible worldview! Not only does this generation consider inflating resumes as normal, it lumps Christ followers in the same group. We have a lot of work to do indeed!

In Matthew 23, Jesus was very critical of the religious elite, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Teachers of the Law. That’s the last group of people I want to be identified with.

Lifestyle Gaps

The Outside world sees us as no different than anyone else…we have nothing to distinguish us from non-Christians. It’s one thing to be transparent, to confess we are all sinners. It’s an entirely different thing to behave like those who have not been transformed by the Holy Spirit. If our attempt was to fit into society, we’ve accomplished that a bit too well.

What’s the Message?

When asked to identify the most important priorities for the Christian faith, most essentially answered, “being good, doing the right thing, not sinning.”

The evidence that born-again Christians prioritize “avoiding sin” is compelling. First, realize that most Americans believe you can earn a place in heaven if you do enough good things for others or if you are a decent person. One-third of the people who qualify as born-again Christians embrace this idea as well. 2

While it’s not wrong to want these things, this isn’t what Jesus called us to do. We should be taking up our cross daily, diving into the Bible, learning the principles and living them out. As a result, we would naturally do good things. That’s very different than doing good things first…as if we could earn salvation. Brennan Manning’s Ragamuffin Gospel destroys this misconception: it’s all about the costly grace of Jesus Christ.

Kinnaman quotes Philip Yancy’s book, What’s So Amazing About Grace, to say that Jesus preferred to spend time around sinners because they had no pretense. Those who claimed to be so righteous we not interested in hearing what He had to say. They knew it all.

What if Outsiders are Right?

After re-reading this chapter, I simply have to ask the question: What if outsiders are right? We if we are the hypocritical, non-transparent, two-faced, self-righteous, bigots they’ve come to expect? It’s no wonder they have little interest in hearing the Gospel. They are right when most wear the badge of Christian on Sunday, actually just a few hours on Sunday, then quickly put it back in the drawer for another week. They’re right when we avert our eyes from homeless families or those who are in the deadly spiral of poverty and simply say, “we’ll pray for you!” I wish I weren’t guilty of fitting into their definition, but I am guilty to at least some degree.

Lord, help us to move away from the comforts this country has to offer and go into the world proclaiming your grace. Help us to work harder than anyone else, as if we were working for you (Colossians 3:23), to be a positive example. Show us how. When we get together on Sundays, let these be days when we share stories of how you honored these prayers throughout the week, how You helped us overcome the trials and temptations. Teach us to throw away the masks of hypocrisy. I want to be more like You, Lord. That may make me look like a radical, but certainly not a hypocrite.

 

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1 Kinnaman, David; Lyons, Gabe (2007-10-01). unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity…and Why It Matters (p. 42). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

2 ibid, p. 50

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