Mourning

I think I'm going to have be a man in black. People who are close to my heart are going in directions they ought not to go. They've fallen in love with this present world, like Demas. They are not merely deserting me; they're deserting the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are running fast for the newest deception the deceiver has crafted, rapidly trying to fuse together Christianity with materialism. The deceiver has confused the meaning of materialism so that is now exclusively means "loving money and the things it can buy." In the midst of this confusion, the deceiver is designing a syncretism that hasn't reared its ugly head in ages.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (2 Tim. 4:3-4 ESV).

I can't hardly read it without weeping.

Eclectic Spiritualities

If you need a guru to fix your messed up life, just talk to the High Priestess of Talk Shows. Oprah will have just the spiritual guide you need. Whether it’s doctors, psychiatrists, life-coaches, or just a good old fashioned New Age guru, she’s got them all.

In doing some research, I came across a webinar (a seminar on the web—don’t you just love all of this new terminology) done by Oprah and one of her newest gurus. This particular guru, Eckhart Tolle, is a new age “spiritual guide” (read “blind guide”) who has no problem quoting Jesus. Tolle believes that Jesus was a good spiritual teacher. So one of the participants in this interactive webinar asked Oprah how she could reconcile Tolle’s teachings with her Christian beliefs. Oprah then informed her that Oprah herself was a Christian who did just that. How did Oprah reconcile it. She simply prefers to call the life-force (or whatever he calls it) “God.” That’s basically how she reconciled the two. After all, according to her, who’s to say there’s only one exclusive way to understand and access God?

Um...Jesus Christ!!!! The One Christians claim to follow! He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV). That’s a rather exclusivist claim, isn’t it? But that’s the claim He made. If you claim to be a Christian, then you claim that there is only one way to God. That’s what being a Christian is all about.

Oprah’s words should tell us all we need to know about her. She does not have the words of life or even the “guides” who can give them to us. She is a contemporary syncretist extraordinaire who has a melting pot of religious ideas.

Syncretism is the new “spirituality.” It leads folks to borrow ideas from all kinds of religious and philosophical sources to create customized, “have-it-your-way” spiritualities. In reality, these are just ways to avoid the commandments of Jesus Christ and still feel “spiritual.” But syncretism is nothing more than “empty deceit” (Col. 2:8). These eclectic spiritualities won’t fix your life.

Only Jesus can fix sinners.

YOU TURN

I’ve been doing some thinking about repentance lately. Something sparked the thoughts and I’ve spent some time considering what the Bible has to say about the nature of repentance. I believe the topic is worthy of discussion in the church today.

I’ve noticed a terrible trend about folks dropping out of the assembly for some time, presumably because they’re immersed in sin and worldliness, and then dropping back in like nothing ever happened. They might come forward during the invitation, but even then they might or might not use the word repent to describe what they’re intending to do. Perhaps how people describe it isn’t really all that important, but I think it’s symptomatic of a deeper problem.

Repentance is about turning away from sin to serve God. Those who have never responded to the gospel must turn from their sin and come to God in an acknowledged and demonstrated faith that obeys the Lord’s command to be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. But a straying Christian must also turn away from his sin and worldliness before he turns to God. Repentance is a change in direction. If you’re walking the wrong way, you need to turn around!

Perhaps the reason why folks don’t feel the need to speak of repentance is because they’re not all that serious about it. They know they need to get back to church, but they’re not always willing to abandon their worldliness and they’re not very interested in giving up unrighteous practices. John the Immerser was clear about the nature of repentance when he said, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Mat. 3:8).

Have you turned away from sin to serve God? Have you really changed the course of your life? Have you changed your purpose in life? Have you repented?

It's a Love Issue!

“Is it a salvation issue?” I don’t how many times I’ve heard or been asked this question. I’ve even asked it a few times myself in the past.

I don’t like it anymore. Too many times it’s asked by people who either want to add something to God’s clear directives in Scripture or to get out of doing something they don’t want to do. It’s really more of an excuse than a question.

“Am I expressing my love to the Lord Jesus Christ in this?” This is a better question. It’s not merely a question of our affections for Jesus. Jesus determined for us how we go about expressing our love to Him. Quite simply He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15 ESV). This is the motivation for all we do in our Christian walk.

Too many times we’re worried about what infraction will send us to hell or what small list of things we must do to ensure our place in heaven. This is not what Christianity is all about. This misses the whole point of what Jesus came to do and to call us to in the gospel.

We’re called on to trust Him to save us on the merit of His sacrifice and to entrust ourselves to Him by obeying Him in everything He commands us. We’re called to follow Him wherever He leads and to do whatever is required to glorify Him and exalt Him in the gospel before a lost and dying world. Simply stated, we’re called to love Him more than anyone or anything else in this world.

Simply Christian

I have a book by N. T. Wright called Simply Christian. My favorite part of the book (and the reason I bought it) is the title. Simply Christian. In an age of complicated and diverse denominational Christianity, simply being a Christian is quite appealing to me. But what does it mean to be simply Christian?

First, it means that I can state quite clearly, “I am a Christian.” I don’t need three or more qualifiers to nail down what I am. Some people have to be described with terms like Protestant, Evangelical or Reformed for you to get an idea of what kind of Christian they are. They might also attach a denominational label to further describe themselves. Jesus didn’t call us to be a part of anything other than the church He would build (Mat. 16:18— “I will build My church”). We’re simply called to be His disciples, His followers, Christians (Acts 11:26— And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians).

Second, it means that I am adhering to the religion Christ established. Some folks need additional official documents and books (creeds, books of order, etc.) to describe what their religion is all about—what they believe, the things they do to express their devotion to Christ, and even how to go about doing it all. Those who are simply Christians only need the Book that contains the word of Christ (John 8:31— “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples”). They are only concerned with keeping His commands (1 John 2:3—And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments).

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone decided to be simply Christian? It’s possible. That’s how it was in the beginning.

Read the book of Acts. It contains the history of the first Christians. As you read, ask some important questions about them: How did they become Christians? What were they called? What did they do? You’ll notice how they didn’t complicate things. Those who believed in Jesus, repented of their sins and were baptized in to Him for the forgiveness of their sins were counted among the disciples of Christ, added to His church. They were only what Christ had called them to be through the gospel.

Are you simply Christian?

"Have Thine Own Way"

Today was a good day.

There's something about Sundays that make me feel refreshed and drained all at the same time. It's hard to explain. I pour myself out in preaching the word, but I seem to fill up more on the wonderful truths of who I am in Christ all at the same time. I have this intriguing way of pondering the full weight of a text I've spent the week studying while I'm preaching it. God's word is amazing in that regard.

I've gone through phases in my life where worship had to be done in a certain way for me to be fulfilled. Usually it had something to do with what songs were sung. It's the wrong way to approach worship. Worship is not simply about what we do but why we're doing it and for Whom we're doing it, too. Thankfully, I've grown beyond that juvenile way of approaching worship ... for good, I hope.

I cannot remember a period of worship in the recent past that wasn't refreshing and stimulating to my faith. There's seldom an occasion (if ever...I can't really remember any) in which a song doesn't adequately express my praise to God or encourage me in my devotion to Him.

What's important about this is we're not singing new songs I've never heard before or never thought about their meanings. Most of the songs are quite old. Many of them I've sung nearly all my life. Those old dudes (and dudettes) actually wrote some beautiful pieces of poetry that are able to stir us up to love and good deeds.

Today's hymn was "Have Thine Own Way." That's what I really want in life ... until my way seems more logical or beneficial. Surrending to the will of the Potter in all things, in every part of my life, is a constant struggle I have. The more I see in His word how He wants to shape me the more I realize I'm an unfinished product. So when we sing this song it moves me to want to surrender more and more to His will in my life. It's not sentimentality; it's stirring up by way of reminder.

It's not about the age of the song, and many times it's not even about the theme of the song. It's about the words and about my heart. I like the challege of being able to worship the Lord--meaning what I'm singing or saying--even if the same words have crossed my lips a hundred times before. "Have Thine Own Way" is never get old to me.

Today was a good day.

A Non-Issue?

Instrumental music is a "non-issue." It is? Why are people talking about it so much? Oh...I remember...some churches have started introducing it into their worship assemblies. Ironically, the folks introducing it are the ones who refer to it as a "non-issue." Shame on them for making a "non-issue" a very lively one.

It's actually been a lively issue for some time. The way people were desensitized to the use of instrumental music in worship assemblies was to talk about it being a "non-issue" for years before they ever made it one. Of course, they wanted full fellowship with those who were already using it, which is how the "non-issue" thing reappeared after nearly a century of not being heard.

Alas! As long as people keep on making it an issue by introducing it into congregations where it used to be abhorred, it will continue to be one of the "non-issue" issues.

BETTER TO OBEY

Why can't people get it? It's not that difficult, is it? God wants obedience.

How much clearer could he make it than what He said to Saul through Samuel?

"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry" (1 Sam. 15:22-23a).

So many folks these days seem to think that God will take anything in worship they offer. He won't. He never has. Never will.

He wants a heart of obedience. This is the heart that seeks after Him and desires fellowship with Him.

Did He ask for it? That should be the standard when approaching questions related to worship. Otherwise, we'll be making dangerous presumptions.

I don't get all of this rush to use instrumental music in some Churches of Christ. God never asked for it. He asked for us to sing from the heart. Why do folks feel the need to add to what God said? Some obviously feel like they can do God's will better by doing more than what He said.

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice."