On Job - pt.1

The story of Job is so familiar to many of us, and yet it still speaks to us. It spoke to me in a new clarity recently, thanks in part to the book The Answers of Jesus to Job and some trying life circumstances.

Job looks like he has the perfect life - blessed with a good family, friends, wealth - what more could he ask for? He is known for being honest and upright, a man of integrity. How often do we lust after such a lifestyle? There certainly must be trials for people who live like this as well, but we blind ourselves to the bad so that the grass looks greener still on the other side. We want it all, but we want it from somebody else so that we do not have to work or to sacrifice anything that we do or have in order to get it. And therein lies our selfish pride. Surely we deserve to be blessed like that. After all, we say that we're Christians. We go to church from time to time. We even give our money, even occasionally our time. But let's be honest with ourselves and with each other - we are not owed anything. Perhaps my greatest problem with the so-called "health and wealth gospel" is in this sense of entitlement. For it is by grace - not by works - that you have been saved. If works cannot affect the status of our souls either granting us entrance to heaven or condemning us to hell, why do we assume that we should be blessed based on that type of system? Let us examine Job's change of circumstances to better illustrate this point.

Job is told in an instant that pretty much all that he had - family, possessions, servants - was utterly destroyed. Did he commit some egregious sin to lose the material blessing of God? Surely, his friends tirelessly argued, this must have been the case. Job is a witness to these friends. He explains that though he did not sin, he still cannot come before God as he is. Job cries out for a mediator between himself and God, one who can hear his plea, one who just, one who has authority in heaven and on earth, one who is approachable by mortals. In short, Job cries out in need for the Messiah. If only we were humbled so earnestly that we would see and know this need in our lives and in others' lives continuously. Do you know this in your heart and in your mind? Have you thought about it lately? Why isn't this affecting the way you live your life?

Why Are Our Necks Too Stiff for Servanthood?

Why is it so difficult for us, as members of the body of Christ, to be servants? We don't want to be troubled with doing more than is required of us, yet we fill our lives with other activities. We are members of sports teams, social clubs and humanitarian groups. We fill our lives with idols that requiare so much of our precious time and attention.

We are selfish and prideful. We cannot fathom that we are wrong in our hearts, and we are therefore completely unrepentant. The worst "problem" that we often notice with our pride and selfishness is our indignation when we have been offended. Even then, however, it is not a matter (from our deluded perspective) of our pride or our sin, but of this perceived sin by the offender. How blind we are to our own sin! How blind we are because of our own pride!
Often our selfishness keeps us from seeing the needs of our neighbors, our brothers and sisters. We are too busy focusing on ourselves, and we ignore the opportunities to serve anyone other than ourselves.

The Bible is replete with wonderful examples of servanthood. Joseph was sold into slavery and became a servant in Potifar's house. But God used those circumstances for His good will. Joseph's position of service was used to provide wisdom to his neighbors and mercy to his brethren. God placed him in that time and position for His will, for His glory.

Nehemiah was cup bearer to King Artaxerxes; his career was one of service. When he heard about the state of Jerusalem, he asked permission to go and help his fellow believers. He left the comfort of his position in the King's court to do what needed to be done - to raise up a work force in the midst of his enemies and to rebuild. He rose to meet the need of a servant before the people of Jerusalem.

Esther and Mordecai served King Ahasuerus and the Israelites. Jonah eventually went to Nineveh and proclaimed God's message to the people so that they could repent. Numerous others also were raised up as servants. Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Christ submitted to death to free humankind of its bondage to sin. How then can we refuse servanthood if even the One whom we proclaim as our Lord and Master showed us how to be servants? It is time for us to return to humility, to let the Spirit wash over us and cleanse us. It is time for repentance. Christ calls us to be servants. We must not refuse.

Teach Us to Pray

When I was young, I thought like a child, I spoke like a child, I acted like a child, I prayed like a child. As I grew, it became apparent that I needed to change. This monologue while kneeling at my bed was not working. Surely there had to be more to prayer than this. How else could believers do this for years and years? It was so utterly unfulfilling. When I earnestly asked others, those whom I thought would be able to bestow wisdom, I had less-than-inspirational assurances that God would make known to me what to do in the right time and to just keep up with the uncertain monotony that typified my days.

It's only been over the last year and a half that God has helped me to understand even a speck of the mystery of prayer. Indeed prayer is powerful. But we must not continue this monologue before the Almighty. Truly He seeks to have a relationship with us, and He wants that relationship to grow into maturity through sanctification. How do we break through our lens of selfishness, our lens of sinfulness? How do we bare ourselves before our Lord? For me, that freedom has been revealed by those who taught me to write. It is possible to write that which my spirit cries out to God in earnestness. I do not fully understand this mystery, but I shall glorify my God. I can write in prayer that which I would not even think to say when praying. I am not encumbered by my tongue. Nor am I encumbered by this self-centered vale. There is freedom in the Spirit by Christ Jesus for any who truly seek it!

In prayer, we ought to refine our focus. We must not be focused on ourselves or the world, for that is idolatry. We must focus in Him who called us to Himself, called us to freedom, called us to repentance, called us to faith, called us to new life, called us to holiness. When we focus on what we are doing, on what the world is doing, we are choosing not the focus on Christ. We are making a decision that this is more important to us. God does not love the prayers of the long-winded or of the eloquent for their many words or the beauty of those words. God hears the prayers of the meek and the humble, of those whose focus is set solely in Him.

Do not pray to yourselves, as you have no power apart from God, from whom all power is given. Instead set your gaze toward heaven and set your hope in Him. Be defined by your Savior. Live in Him, walk in His ways, pray as He teaches you. Not to us, but to Your name be the glory.

Dealing with a Tough Issue - Why Does It Come Back?

I had a conversation the other day with a friend and fellow former camp staff member. We discussed, albeit briefly, the situation concerning spiritual warfare on the camp grounds. Many Christians have called on the name of Jesus Christ to reclaim the land as a sanctuary, to cleanse it of the physical presence of evil. Time after time, it keeps coming back. I have heard some theories about why it returns, but none of the answers seemed to be sufficient. Yes, many people bring problems and habits with them to camp, both as campers, sometimes as staff, and as the general public that also uses the grounds. I would even go so far as to say that people have defiled the land; it's surprising and saddening what people do there. In various forms, as the argument goes, people are responsible for bringing it to camp.

Another argument is that the historical significance of the area, with respect to good and evil, leads to an unending battle. But if the place has been claimed by God the Sovereign, why then does this persist?

The only answer that has made sense to me is that God chooses to use this place, in light of its past circumstances and current position as a place of battle for the lost to receive salvation through Him. It's a training ground. God does not allow darkness to overcome any part of His kingdom. Everything that happens is because God allows it to happen. God is in control, but He allows such things to take place as fit within His plan. In His plans are times of our learning and training, that we would see and know that a spiritual battle still is taking place all around us, and that we have a part in that battle. His spiritual gifts are given to us in times of need for the glory of the Father. Fear not for the God of the universe, the Eternal Sovereign, is with you. May He guide and protect you all the days of your life.

The Difficulty of Ecumenicalism

In developing a Christian culture, there is clearly much at stake - economically, socially, and of course, spiritually. Christian music, Christian schools, Christian dating networks, churches and Christian organizations/charities are all parts of this culture. Each has its mission and its niche, and quite a few work together on varying levels. In many ways, groups that want to be included in this Christian pop culture must do what it takes to appear attractive and receptive.

I've been reminded numerous times that we Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ. The problem with this argument is that people want unity and uniformity. We are told in the Scriptures that many claim to be believers and followers who are not. Many of these people are false teachers and false prophets, seeking to lead people astray. That may sound irrelevant, but what about this: members of churches who use their power to achieve their goals, to accomplish what they want; members of Christian organizations who are more interested in promoting the social gospel rather than responding to the call of Christ. This is different from adding one's calling to the rich tapestry of work to which Christ calls us by the Holy Spirit. Sin gets in the way of our relationship with our Creator and Savior, and it affects what we do. Instead of dealing with it, we try to ignore it, we let it fester, and it infects and affects more areas of our lives.

What does all this have to do with Christian culture and ecumenicalism? Many people who call themselves Christians are driven by their desires, including to unite churches. Unfortunately one of the primary ways to unify Christians is by using the lowest common denominators. In order to promote harmony, we simplify things. We stay away from the explosive issues. We stay away from theological issues. Christ becomes "the famous One," God is "bigger than the air we breathe," and many people who claim to be Christians don't even believe that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God. I'm not blaming contemporary worship songs. But oversimplification of our faith pervades so much of Christian culture. Take a sample of these parts of Christian culture: think about the meaning of the sermon during worship, the meaning of Christian song lyrics, the kinds of doctrine that schools hold, and how it's expressed. Does it have spiritual truth and depth? What do the words really mean? Are the Scriptures actually taken in context?

One of the problems with ecumenicalism and denominationalism is that largely as Christians we don't even look any more at what we claim to believe. What is a Roman Catholic or a Greek Orthodox or a Presbyterian or a Methodist or a Baptist? What makes one different from the others? It's so easy to claim to be a Christian that there's no real need to look deeper, to truly search, to seek God with all our heart, soul and strength. When it's easy, we don't need to think about what we believe or why we believe it. There are real theological issues that led to splits in denominations. But if we don't even have the depth to understand what those theologies are, there's no reason for us to care about them. Suddenly the reason for our divisions disappears - but reason isn't that we've reconciled our differences at all. So we have people who truly desire to reunite the church; people who don't know why there are so many splits; and people who want to make Christianity fun, inclusive and culturally relevant.

The ecumenical movement has made strides to link believers in many ways so that movements, organizations and dealing with issues are not just drawn down denominational lines. It has also helped to rid Christian groups of unwarranted animosity toward one another. We are realizing, little by little, that Christ's church is universal, that believers are diverse, and that Christians can and should reach out and work together for the glory of the Father through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. It's time that we take a deeper look at our faith, at our doctrines, at our theologies. It's time that we focus on being obedient to God, whom we claim as our Father, Savior, Lord and Comforter. And God is so much more than that. It's time that we understand that in our hearts as well as in our minds.

What Does It Mean to Wait?

Something that keeps resurfacing for me over recent weeks has been the topic of waiting on the Lord. There are many biblical examples of people who truly waited for God, waited to hear His undeniable voice speak to them, in obedience, faith and love. The believers waited together on the day of Pentecost for God to reveal Himself through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Moses went up the mountain alone and waited for the Lord. Jesus waited in many ways for God's plan to be fulfilled at the right time and to be obedient in the middle of it. There are many other examples as well, and at least some of them are better for demonstrating the concept of waiting upon the Lord. With that said, what does it look like to wait upon our Father, and what's the point?

Jesus Christ used the parable of the widow and the unjust judge to explain the concept of persistence in petition before God. The widow demanded justice, and the judge decided to deny her request. She did not stop, however. She knew who had power and authority over her situation, and she took her petition to that person. She didn't just wait for justice to be thrust upon her circumstances. She didn't take vigilante justice, either. She was proactive in her position, but she didn't try to usurp or override authority.

David had been anointed King, but Saul was God's first anointed King of Israel, and he still lived. David held a legitimate claim to the throne, but he humbled himself before God, before men, and before Saul. David fled for his life and repeatedly suffered ill-treatment by Saul. Yet David waited on the Lord. He had opportunities to kill Saul and to take the throne. But he sought God's timing and His way.

So often we want to take the fast way or the easy way in what we're doing. We easily become impatient and unsatisfied with what we have and what we're doing. We get frustrated when we cannot see the fruits of our labors. We want to know what we did right or (sometimes) what we did wrong - to instantly evaluate the efficacy of what we're doing. We get too detail- or goal-oriented. We see waiting as not being a valuable use of time but rather a detour en route to our destination.

One problem is that all too often we view waiting as a waste. How many times have we waited in line somewhere and made no use of our waiting time? We just zone out or become bored. But waiting can be so much more meaningful than that. Waiting provides time for reflection. It also provides more time to listen. Waiting also allows us to develop patience and persistence. We are not meant to use waiting on God as an excuse for laziness. It's not just a matter of doing the same old thing until God eventually tells you to go do something else. Certainly having a job while waiting on God to reveal the next step in your life can be good, but there is so much more to waiting than that.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

I was sitting in church this past Sunday morning, and as is a tradition during Advent, we were singing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Great. Wonderful hymn. But there's more to it than that. Read the words of the song.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

This song has such depth and breadth of spiritual importance, and so often we just like it because it fits well into our perception of what the church should do and sing during the "Christmas season." But Israel and the modern church have so many parallels that this song really does not need to be designated as an "Advent-only hymn." It's a song of God's people crying out to Him, that He would be their God and they His people. There's a yearning for that deep, right relationship between Creator and created, Savior and saved, God and church.

The church is, in many ways, captive. We're captive to our lifestyles - captive to comfort, happiness, money, friends and activities. We're captive to power, both what we control and what others control. We're captive to what the world says that we're supposed to have and do and be. We largely are not living in the freedom that we've been given, and this affects the church as a whole. The church is not free to act in obedience to God when its members restrict what they will do and what the church, therefore, will do. We must not forget, either, that our disobedience to God is sin, and that it affects the church.

We're living, fractured and fragmented, in a spiritual Diaspora. The church is broken and separated. What have the Presbyterians to do with the Methodists? Or what have the Lutherans and the Pentacostals in common? The same God is Lord of all. Furthermore, the true church is one body. The members of the body have many functions, but nonetheless each member belongs to all the others. Therefore they must, on some level, work together for the same mission. A healthy body does not compete with itself, but rather its members work together to accomplish what must be done. We must not compete with each other either, or the church body suffers.

The song earnestly expresses the hope we have in the coming of our Messiah (lest we forget that He is coming again, and that we ought to pray for His coming). Also, there are multiple parallels between the song and our Lord's Prayer. These words have such meaning, and they are a part of our spiritual heritage. Unfortunately that heritage is neglected all too often, and the church suffers a sort of spiritual orphanhood.

We get so mixed up in the atmosphere of worship, especially when it comes to music, that we raise up our experiences, our feelings, above truth. We trade emotions for faith (the church service was good if we felt connected to God during worship rather than by worshiping in spirit and in truth), and we abandon depth for experience. If the tune is good, so what if the words are lacking? God knows our hearts and our minds, and He understands what we mean, right? The question is more "Do we know what we mean?" Let's face it: worship is all about God, not us. So what happens when we nominalize God? Part of the lyrics from a contemporary worship song include, "all You ever do is change the old for new." That's far from all God ever does. And I see it as an insult to Him to not only claim that's all He ever does but also to be so utterly vague that to "change the old for new" barely holds its own meaning. We give up being articulate because it no longer suits our desires. Suddenly it's about our agendas. When we come back to the heart of worship, we're coming back to God. We're coming back to Truth. We're coming back to our Creator, who is infinite, and who deserves to be honored as best as we can. Should we give up striving because God knows what we're trying regardless of how it turns out? Of course not. So why should we dishonor our Lord by giving less than the best we can offer? This includes spiritual depth, because God desires an intimate relationship with every one of us. If we truly believe and know Christ as our Savior and Lord, should anything come before Him in our lives? We need Him, and in Him may we be united for His goals and purpose.