Blame Games

          There’s a great deal of blame being passed around the media, water coolers, and living room sofas. Democrats blame Republicans, Republicans blame Democrats, racists blame the President and everybody blames the Tea Party for the current financial fiasco in our country. Not to be left out, I’m going to add my two cents worth.

          You may ask what that has to do with musings on the gospel of Christ? I’m glad you asked.

The answer is: absolutely everything.

This blame game would not be happening if every one of us looked for the cause in the right place. We can find the real culprits for our country’s decline and debit by looking in the mirror. The person you see there is all for cutting spending—as long as it’s not his spending. He is all for spending more to help the poor---as long as it’s not more of his money being spent. He’s all for higher taxes as long as it is the “rich” being taxed. In biblical terms we are all about getting at our neighbor’s mote and ignoring our own beam.

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

Christians hear this all the time from the world—and rightfully so, it is the truth. What the worldly wise men who spout these words don’t realize, or don’t want to know, is that they apply equally to all men. He who calls another person a liar is not hateful if, in fact, the other person refuses to tell the truth. He may be simply overlooking his is own propensity for error.

Most Christians I know believe America has been blessed by God. Be that as it may, America cannot borrow its way to prosperity. If that were possible, we’d have all been rich years ago. Our country must to stop.

Period.

We all know that. We may not practice it as we should, but we know it just the same. Outlay cannot exceed income indefinitely. Someday, probably not today, but someday, it will end in ruin. The longer it goes, the harder the crash will be and the more people it will hurt. As a nation and as individuals, we must stop spending money we don’t have. As government workers will tell you, the problem is that for every dollar not spent, somebody feels the pinch. No one wants to be that somebody.

I get it. I work with people everyday who want to their problems fixed without pain. If you’re not mature enough to know it, I’ll tell you, it’s not always possible. Motes and beams seldom come out painlessly. A shot of antibiotics hurts, but does it hurt as bad as gangrene? You tell me. Until every individual American is willing to put aside his wants and do what has to be done—we are all to blame and we will all go to ruin together. Phil Gramm called us a nation of whiners—he was being generous.

“And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”

 “But wisdom is justified of all her children.”

One Way Street

          “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

          Christians are narrow minded, stubborn, elitists. They really have no choice in the matter. Christianity is an all or nothing religion. Christians worship a man who said He was the Son of God; not a son of God---the, as in the one and only, Son of God. He repeatedly told practitioners of the world’s greatest monotheistic faith that they were doing it the wrong way. He went on to tell them He was also the way. Again, He insisted His way was not a way to God, but the one and only way to God.

Then, He commanded those who believe Him to go tell the world. The world’s willingness to hear was never an issue. The world was condemned and He was the only means of salvation. Jesus told believers ahead of time to expect the world to hate and kill them. He said to go tell them anyway because all others claiming to be a way to God were thieves and robbers. If Jesus Christ was this narrow minded, how can His followers be less so?

          Christians, quit trying to soothe feelings in an attempt to accommodate the world. The world is passing away. It is not hate speech to advocate that the condemned be saved. Thank God for the brave souls who warned me to flee from wrath.

Supernatural

          A woman approached me while I was signing copies of my book Hatchlings. She scanned the cover and saw it contained fourteen tales of the supernatural.

          “I don’t believe in witches.” She said and walked away.

          What stuck with me is the popular assumption that the supernatural is evil; the exclusive realm of witches, warlocks, ghosts and demons. I admit those characters do creep into my stories on a regular basis. People are all too eager to accept that evil spirits and various monsters possess the ability to break through to our world from the supernatural. We’re not as ready to accept the idea of supernatural good or its ability to cross the same boundary. It’s sort of like the notion that a person who talks to God is a saint while a person who claims God talks back is a whack job. Maybe you’ve wondered why a person who believes in and feels the presence of ghosts and spirits is sensitive and open minded while a person who believes in and feels the Holy Ghost is a religious nut. If so, you’re not alone.

          The supernatural, by definition, includes all that is above and beyond the natural world. For good or evil, this includes the entire spirit world. To which Jesus said: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

           Christian worship is a meant to be a supernatural experience the object of which is to touch or be touched by God. To accomplish worship someone must reach across the boundary between the natural and the supernatural; the terrestrial and the celestial. In old time Pentecostal terms, for worship to happen there has to be a move of the spirit. Those who are born of God have the Spirit of God. Moreover, they have the living, spirit discerned, word of God to guide them into a celestial kingdom. Christ’s soldiers need not be limited to being all they can be. Through Christ they can be more than the sum of natural abilities; they can be supernatural. All it takes is vision.

          Jesus is Emmanuel. He is God with us; not for thirty-some years, but forever “…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Christ’s statement was no theoretical catch phase; it is spiritual reality. He is as alive and present with His disciples as when He spoke those words. It is a case of believing is seeing.

          “People who believe in ghosts see evidence of their existence everywhere,” said a researcher from a leading university.

He went on to say that no matter how much looking he did at the same evidence---he couldn’t see it. He just didn’t believe evidence existed. If evidence of the supernatural slapped him in the face, he wouldn’t see it. He would insist there was a natural explanation. The same can be said for God. Believers see Him everywhere and doing all manner of things. Others don’t understand all the fuss; the Red Sea was ankle deep; Lazarus was catatonic or in a coma; when Jesus shared the loaves and fishes, so did all His hearers. Belief rules sight for Christian and non-Christian alike. The difference is that Christians suppress their beliefs and vision to get along with detractors while worldly wise men insist on their vision and criticize detractors as blind or worse. Christians need not convince the world of the reality of the supernatural. They only need to convince themselves of the literal truth in what they say.   

Every Christian must keep their eyes open to is the source of their salvation; never lose sight that salvation comes by grace. Though a Christian is saved for a hundred years, saved by grace will never change. Christian works are necessary to a healthy life and will glorify God. Good works testify to the reality of faith, but they will never save a soul. Christians work because they are saved; they are not saved because they do works. This milepost is the single most important sight on the Christian’s journey.

Moses was a mighty man of God. Nevertheless, the Bible says he was a meek man. This meekness came from forty years on the backside of the desert learning that he didn’t deserve all God had given him. In one moment of extreme frustration Moses let slip claim to share of ownership in his deeds. That moment cost him dearly; losing sight of God’s grace always does. Spiritual vision is necessary to spiritual life. Where there is no vision the people perish. A godly vision encompasses the point of origin. God sees the end from the beginning and so should His people. 

Neighbors

          I'm a bit off subject today, but hey, it happens. Authors often get their ideas for a story by asking, “What if.” Want to try it with me? Okay, what if you woke up to the sound of hammering and found strangers who had pitched a tent in your back and were busy building a house?

          Being a reasonable sort, you maintain your cool and saunter on over. These people are poor. Not only do they have no money they have no way to make any money. They’ve traveled a long way to reach your yard and have no way to get back where they came from. The lack basic necessities, but are going to try and start over from their new backyard homestead. They chose you house because their children need an education and there’s an excellent school in your neighborhood. Besides, they say, you have all this unused land and the taxes are paid on it. Why not share?

          You’re in no mood; you run them off, but the next morning they are back and working more feverishly than ever. You ask them to leave and they refuse—it’s so nice in your yard. Fed up you call the police. The police have bigger fish to fry so they say, “Be a nice guy and let them stay. After all they only want to share your success.”

          Now, what if these people were from Detroit? Do you cave let them stay?

          If you answered no; I want to ask why it is any different if they come from Nogales, Juarez or Nuevo Laredo. Isn’t it trespassing no matter where you come from or what language you do it in?

          If you answered yes; there are millions of illegal immigrants who want your phone number. 

God's Eye View

          “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Romans 4:17.

          Paul, writing here about the relationship between God and Abraham, has been explaining how Abraham, by faith, became the father of the faithful. But, he also has something to say about the personality of God. God quickens (brings to life) the dead and he speaks of things that don’t yet exist as if they already existed. For example, when there was no light God said, “Light be,” and there was light. When God says something---it happens.

          Often times when God speaks, things happen very quickly; as in the case of light. However, that is not always the case. God’s promise to make Abraham the father of many nations took generations to come about. Peter warned his readers, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” God is not subject to time in the way we are and His promises are not dependent on our schedule. God will do what He says He will do and it’s not for us to know the times and the seasons. While time may not be important here, the order of things is of absolute importance. First, God says it; then it happens. Sounds simple and it is.

          Now, let’s apply that simple principle. A person surrenders his life to Christ in sincere repentance. God says that person is born again. That is, he has been granted a new life; the slate of sin has been wiped clean. But the change is more fundamental than that. The new man is declared to be righteous, faithful, and the very image of Jesus Christ. This declaration doesn’t come from the church, a minister, or the man himself. It comes from God and the angels in heaven rejoice over the new born. Okay, got it—God said it. What comes next?

          As you may have guessed, it happens. Some new births are quite dramatic in effect; others not so much. However, it doesn’t take a self-proclaimed non-judgmental judge to see there may be a big difference between what God says about a Christian and the way that Christian sometimes behaves. Sin is sin and no one, no matter what church he goes to, gets a free pass. But before anyone decides to shout “hypocrite,” consider the promise of God. Like the old song says, “I’m just an old lump of coal, but I’m going to be a diamond someday.” I’m not trusting in my strength of will, my faith, or my good looks to make that happen. God will make it happen because He said He would. God “calleth those things which be not as though they were” and that includes Christians. Don’t judge the end product yet. If you really want to test a person’s Christianity, judge it by persistence. If they’ll only hang on to God by faith, that person will be a saint one day.   

          

The Long Drop

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

No strings or binding ties in relationships is nothing new. People have felt that way throughout history. That philosophy has never been more true than when it comes to a relationship with God. The profession, “I’m spiritual, but not religious” is nothing but a modern repetition of the age old desire to be free from any claims God may make on our lives. People are willing to concede God’s existence as long as it doesn’t interfere with what they want to do. The whole idea of being bound by rules or duty is abhorrent to human thinking. We are rebels at heart and proud of it. But here’s the thing about bands and cords; there are times when you need them.

Several years ago the boys and I went to a scouting camporee. On the final day we climbed climbed into the mountains to go rappelling. I thought it would be great fun for the boys, but I had no intention of going over any cliffs on a rope. Earle Acree, the leader of the expedition, put on all the safety garb and went running over a sixty foot drop to show us all how fun it was.

Reaching the bottom, he called up for all to hear, “Now, Jack will show you how easy it is.”

Two hundred eyes suddenly looked to me for inspiration and assurance. I had fallen into a carefully laid trap. I was a leader; a man among boys; I could do this. I quickly looked for a way out, but to no avail. I was strapped into a harness and crowned with a helmet. With gloves on my trembling hands, I peered over the edge and wondered anew what kind of fool could think this was a good idea. Was I really one of the idiots that came up with this idea?

“Turn around,” Earle called up.

At least I wouldn’t see the bottom racing up to shatter my bones. Sometimes in life there’s no time for prayer beyond a desperate, “God help me.” I positioned myself on the brink.

“Now, walk backwards over the edge,” came the instructions from below.

Without even waiting the mental command, my feet shuffled back a few inches. My toes tried to dig into the rock that my heels abandoned. I went over the edge.

“No, lean back away from the rock and walk down it.”

This was insanity. My terror fueled instinct to cling to the rock was evident from below. Earle stepped in to help.

“Let go of the rope,” he said. “I won’t let you fall.”

This sounded impossible, but hanging in midair five stories up, sometimes you’re willing to try the impossible. I let go---slowly.

Nothing happened.

I was still alive! I was still hanging from a cliff, but I was alive. Better yet, I hadn’t moved an inch.

“As long as I have a hold of the rope that is tied to you; you won’t fall,” Earle said with complete confidence. “Walk on down.”

Fear gone and a strange sense of thrill setting in, I walked down the cliff. Once I realized that the one I was tied to kept me safe, I could do what before seemed impossible.

This story came back to me in full force this week with the passing of my daughter-in-law, Paula. Death is an impossible drop into an unknown abyss. What becomes of us when we step over the edge depends on who have tied ourselves to in life. We all have an appointment with death, but few choose the time. Who holds the rope for you?

The heathen rage over the bonds of God and His people imagine they can live free of His cords. The scripture says,“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” But whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

  

Christ Crucified

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

Years ago Pentecostal preachers wore this verse like a badge of honor boasting that what they preached came for God and not a seminary classroom. Experience with their college prepared peers lead them to presume that education and spiritual prowess were mutually exclusive. This conclusion is simply untrue. While it is true that education is not a prerequisite to spiritual power or understanding, it is equally true that it is not a hinderance.

Paul was educated and a spiritual powerhouse. His message to the Corinthians is not a slam against eloquence or education. It certainly is not an endorsement of ignorance. It is, rather, a statement about the unique person who is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ and Him crucified is a religious message like no other. This simple message is the linchpin of the Gospel and separates Christianity from all the other major religions. However, the message has power only when the two elements are joined together. Christ and Him crucified, taken separately, are exactly as those outside see them. They are a nice story that makes people feels good. Together, they are the power of God for the salvation of all mankind.

Jesus, without the crucifixion, was a teacher of moral truth and, as such, He is no different from Muhammad, Buddha or Confucius. The moral law of God has never been hidden. Men of all sorts and various times have lecture on morality and truth accurately. The world is right when they say that nothing Jesus taught about morality and truth was unique. He definitely wasn’t telling the Jews anything they didn’t know.

The concept of “love thy neighbor as thyself” can be found in a number of sources before Christ---before Moses for that matter. That doesn’t diminish its truth, but it makes it clear that if Christ came only to teach it was unnecessary and Christianity is unnecessary.

Jesus, without the crucifixion, was a prophet who lead people to God. Rarely has the world lacked for prophets. Muhammad's claim to fame is that he was the only prophet to ever tell it like it is. As a rule, that is the case for prophets outside of the Judeo-Christian tradition; they all claim some new or better revelation. Jesus boasted no such primacy. He pointed His listeners to the long line of Hebrew prophets and said-- “he that has an ear, let him hear.”

Jesus, without the crucifixion, was a miracle worker. There are those who scoff at this idea insisting on a logical explanation or saying Jesus manipulated circumstances for His benefit. Even as a fervent heathen, I never believed that. But, for argument’s sake, let’s suppose it’s true. Suppose all those miracles were nothing more than a power placebo. The fact is, Jesus fed the multitude and the next day they were hungry all over again. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind and raised the dead. However, the woman with the issue of blood, Bartimaeus and Lazarus are all dead. The miracle stories are inspiring, but miracles don’t last. Except in a literary sense, their power disappears with the objects involved. If Jesus came only to do miracles--they are over and what use are they to us today?

For all the teaching, prophecy, and miracles there is a fundamental difference between Jesus and Moses, Muhammad, Buddha, et al. This is where the idea of Christ crucified comes into play. Christ, unlike the others, did not claim to speak for God. Jesus said He was God come in the flesh. Now, we may disagree with someone who claims to speak for God, but we dismiss out of hand the person who says he is God. No one who heard Jesus seems to dismiss Him.

I’ve read scholars who claim Paul was the one who turned Christians to the idea that Jesus was divine. Paul did preach the divinity of Jesus, but it wasn’t an original thought. In fact Paul spent a good deal of time trying to stamp out the notion that Jesus was anything but a man---and a misguided one at that.

Jesus told the Jews that He was the one and only God come in the flesh. He said He came of His own volition for a specific purpose. He didn’t come to teach, prophecy or do miracles. He came to do what no man could do. Moreover, He came to do something He, as God, wouldn’t ordinarily do. Jesus came to die and be resurrected.

The purpose of the crucifixion is reconciliation. God, in the person of Jesus Christ, became a man to reconcile Man to God. Because of sin, no man born of Adam’s seed, was able to reach beyond sin and death to make the kind peace with God that the blood of animal sacrifices could never make. The integrity of God’s word demanded that sin be recompensed with death and so all men die. However, in Christ and Him crucified, a sinless man, with the power to lay down His life and take it up again, died and returned to life anew.

Christ, like Adam whose image He adopted, is able to share His new life with all who are born in Him by faith. From Christ and His crucifixion emerge new men with a new life at peace with God. This rebirth and new life is Christianity there is no study or words needed beyond this. Paul didn’t go to Corinth to dazzle them with his education or his oratory. There was plenty of that in Corinth already. He came with the simple message of Christ and Him crucified--the power of God unto salvation.