Confessions of a Thankful Heart

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.           -Psalm 50:2

We don’t have to look very far in our day to find criticisms of the church.  We need go no further than our local Christian bookstore to read about all the ways the church is “getting it wrong.”  If we aren’t feeling ambitious enough to go to the bookstore we can find this attitude perpetrated on thousands of web sites.  If you type the question, “What’s wrong with the church today?” into Google you will find 76,500,000 hits.  A lot of the criticism deals with the idea that we are too “narrow” when it comes to doctrine, and that the church today is “judgmental” and “legalistic.”  Everywhere we go we are told that doctrine doesn’t matter anymore and we need to change course and focus entirely on the mission of getting people to make a profession of faith, even at the expense of compromising the Word of God.  We call that being “missional.”  Is it possible that in spite of all the criticism, maybe the church isn’t so wrong on some of these things?  I understand that there are certainly issues in every congregation that need to be addressed, but as I consider some of the things we claim to be wrong I find that I don’t think they are all entirely bad.  In fact, I have to confess that I am grateful for some of them.

1)       The Issue of Narrow Mindedness.  We have all struggled with those who will not open their mind to the truth God has to reveal to them, and I understand that this is a problem.  But some people in our day seem to want us to be so open-minded that we will accept things that we know to be wrong.  We are expected to ignore what the Bible says about divorce and holiness.  We are considered narrow-minded if we make the claim that God has called us to live above sin.  I am thankful that there are some who are willing to be true to God’s Word in spite of the unfounded accusations against them.  Some of the greatest influences on my life and ministry are those who have been willing to stand firm in the truth whether it’s popular or not, and for those faithful men and women I am grateful.

 

2)       The Issue of Legalism.  Scripture teaches us that we are called to be holy, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16, 17).”  Don’t mistake this, I’m not condoning that we become tyrannical about the way people dress or look.  I don’t believe that those things make us holy, but I do find a standard in Scripture for God’s people.  There are some things that Christians just should not do.  And there are some things in Scripture that are very clear and should not be compromised.  This postmodern idea that truth is different for everyone and each person should use the Bible as they see fit has no basis in the revelation of God that we have in Scripture.  Countless thousands are misled today by those who teach that we can live however we want to live as long as we claim to be a Christian.  We have lost the glory of God that comes through the transformed lives of those who are truly saved.  I am grateful for those who will uphold and teach the standard set for in Scripture of Christlikeness. 

 

3)       The Issue of Judgmentalism.  I’m not saying that we are free to tell everyone we meet everything they’re doing wrong.  I am saying that I am grateful for those who are close to me, and their willingness to tell me when I am off base.  I am grateful that they will tell me when I am not thinking clearly and can do so without fear of me telling them they are “judging me.”  We claim we want to be submissive to God, but the fact is that, at times, we deceive ourselves and are blinded to things in our lives that need to be pointed out. 

 

4)       The Issue of Truth.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them (Hebrews 13:8, 9).  We are told that everyone has a different doctrine, so it is not worth our time to study it.  In a world that does not recognize definite truth I am thankful for direction and guidance from God’s Word.  We do not have to stumble around in the darkness trying to find direction.  God has called us to a life lived in His light!  This keeps us from being subject to the constantly changing whims of man, the trends of the world, and the fads embraced by the church.  It is truth, Jesus told us, that will set us free!  When other search for some foundation in this sin-cursed world, we build on the truth of Jesus Christ.  What greater gift could God have given us than Jesus, the embodiment of His truth and character?  I do not claim to know every truth in all the world, but we can stand firm on what God has revealed to us.  It is unchanging, uncompromising, and definite.  I am thankful that we can sing as we did in days past, “When the voice of heaven sounded warning all to flee, from the darksome courts of Babel back to Zion free, Glad my heart to hear the message and I hastened to obey, and I’m standing in the truth today.”

 

The world around us teaches that the church is irrelevant to our modern culture, and if God’s church is to survive “everything must change.”  Despite the constant rhetoric, some of these things are not wrong.  In spite of the difficulties we face today, the church is still God’s city.  The church remains a place where God provides for, and empowers His people.  We talk a lot about the things that aren’t going well in the church, but I remain grateful.  Grateful for the people God has placed around me to share this journey of faith.  Grateful for the truth of His Word and those who have made it their life’s work to carry that truth, clergy and laity alike.  Maybe we would be better served if we quit worrying so much about what we think is wrong, and spend our time doing what God says is right.  My ministry has never been without trial.  There have been difficulties and frustrations, but as I reflect on the church, I do so with a grateful heart.

Our Search For Relevance

There is seldom a day that goes by when we are not bombarded with methods and ideas about how we can better convey the gospel to the lost world around us. We constantly see new Bible translations that are easier to read, and the ways that we communicate are under continual scrutiny as we endeavor to become more “sensitive” to those who have no knowledge of God, or His Word.


While it cannot be denied that communicating the gospel more effectively is beneficial, we must be discerning as to how we go about doing this. We live in a day where “diverse and strange teachings (Heb. 13:9)” have crept into the church and are seemingly drawn from every conceivable source – even sources that are anything but biblical. Things like divine healing, miraculous occurrences, authenticity of Old Testament accounts and even the authority of the Bible itself is questioned by many who claim to be Christians. Some have gone so far as to completely eliminate many words, such as sin, judgment and repentance from our religious vocabulary.

In this religious climate where “relevance” and “social acceptance” seem to be the goal of many Christians, how should we handle the Word of God? What do we say to those who are not Christians, and in what ways do we relate to them?

In conversations and various religious writings we are continually told that Christians are guilty of using religious terms and ideas that are above those who do not know Jesus Christ, and that those terms need to be replaced with something that they will more readily understand. Is that really our problem? With biblical illiteracy a major problem among professing Christians it is very difficult to believe that the biggest problem we face is talking above what people understand, especially when we consider the fact that Christians with the biblical knowledge to do such a thing are few and far between. When we consider the life and ministry of Jesus, do we really see such a concern with making the gospel palatable to the people of the world? Did Jesus ever compromise so that people around Him would listen to the doctrines of God?



Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. -Matt. 13:10-17



As we consider the purpose of parables in the teaching of Jesus, it becomes evident that His priority was not to teach the revelation of God in a way that would be appealing, or even understandable, to everyone. In fact, His purpose was to drive away those who did not really have a willing heart, and to draw those who earnestly wanted to know the truth of God. We read in verse 15, “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed…” The fact that we must deal with is that many just do not want to know the truths of the Kingdom of God. They are content to walk in the darkness of the world. Jesus understood this reality and taught accordingly. He did not spend great amounts of His time trying to convince people of things they would not understand anyway, and did not really care to understand. He understood the message the Apostle Paul would later relay to the church in Corinth. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14).”

Jesus did not spend His ministry on earth “convincing” people of the work of God as much as He spent it “investing” in them. In verse 12 He shows this desire to invest in those with an interest in serving God when He says, “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

The economy of God’s Kingdom does not function on monetary funds, but on truth. It is subject to the truth that is revealed through Jesus Christ about the character of our King. Much like the economy of the world today, it is much easier for those who already have money to invest. Those who do not have sufficient funds must save what little they have in case of an emergency. Jesus spent His time on earth investing in those who were willing to invest themselves in the work and the truth of God. Jesus used parables to teach those whose hearts were willing to seek God’s truth above all else. This is why He taught, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).” When our hearts are open to what God is revealing through His Word and by His Spirit we will continue to see His investment in us, but if our eyes are closed, our ears do not hear, and our hearts are not willing to invest in His Kingdom we will not see or understand the power of God at work in and around us. God’s truth must come first, because it is the currency of His Kingdom, and it will lead us into a deeper relationship with our King. Oswald Chambers teaches the extent to which we must seek the truth of God:



“Our Lord teaches that the one great secret of the spiritual life is concentration on God and His purposes. We talk a lot about consecration, but it ends in sentimentalism because there is nothing definite about it. Consecration ought to mean the definite yielding of ourselves over as saved souls to Jesus and concentrating on that…God can do what He likes with the man or woman who is abandoned to Him. God saves us and sanctifies us, then He expects us to concentrate on Him in every circumstance we are in…At the bar of common sense Jesus Christ’s statements are those of a fool, but bring them to the bar of faith and the Word of God, and you begin to find with awestruck spirit that they are the words of God.”



If we understand these words of Jesus, and the teaching of Scripture, we see that the reason people of the world do not understand Scripture has much less to do with our lack of clarity and much more to do with the fact that they are not seeking the truth of God. They are looking to the world and all of its knowledge and ideas to find an understanding of life. They are looking every conceivable place except the source of all truth and knowledge – God. We should have no reason to wonder why the world cannot understand spiritual truth given to us by God. We have no need to “rethink” how we package the gospel, or the words we use to convey it because the Holy Spirit has not been allowed the opportunity to work in the hearts of those with whom we deal. If the Holy Spirit is at work and they are seeking God’s truth then we simply need to allow God to work. “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of you Father speaking through you (Matt. 10:19, 20).” Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks to this issue:



“Is it not tragic? Is this what is keeping people from Christ? Do you think that people two hundred years ago knew anything more about justification and sanctification than they do today? Were those the common terms of a thousand years ago? Is that the difficulty? No, it is the heart of man, it is the evil that is in him. It is not a question of language, it is not a question of terminology, yet we pin our faith to this.”



In our search for “relevance” in our modern world we have placed our faith in many things. We look to marketing agencies, and cultural trends. Many have placed their faith in sociological studies and statistics. From the pages of Holy Scripture comes the truth that¸”The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you (2 Chron. 15:2).” The purpose of the parables of Jesus Christ was relevance. Not relevance to a sinful culture, or to those who wanted an easy way out of the lives with which they had become accustomed. The purpose was to invest in those who were willing to seek God. Jesus taught in parables so that the “mysteries” of the Kingdom of God would become relevant to any and all who desired to know them. As we look at the parables of the Kingdom we must remember that as we earnestly seek the truth of God, He will reveal Himself to us in ways we have never known.