The Heart of a Pastor's Wife. . .

GOD's Will vs. Human Will . . . In Other Words: A Complete Mess of Conflicting Wills

2010-11-30T01:27:00.012-05:00

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God,
"Thy will be done," and those to whom God says,
"All right, then, have it your way”.

~ C.S. Lewis

08/04/2010 OWATONNA, MN -- A 17-year-old boy was killed when a landscape block fell off a truck and crashed through the windshield of a van in Steele County. Sheriff's deputies say some retaining wall blocks were strapped on the truck's trailer, but one somehow fell off on Highway 14 west of Owatonna Tuesday afternoon killing the boy instantly.

Overheard at the boy’s funeral: “[Something, . . . something]. . . God’s will.”

09/18/2010 BAXTER , MN -- It was a fairy tail wedding over 40 years in the making. Joe Yoder left for Vietnam with a foreboding sense that his fate would leave his fiance' a young widow. He broke off their engagement and she was left alone and heartbroken. Pegge did eventually marry, but lost her husband to cancer only a year after their wedding. In 1973, Joe returned from Vietnam, forlorn and war-scarred. He never married. Thirty-seven years later, Joe and Pegge were reunited in -- of all places -- a surgery waiting room at Mayo Clinic.

Overheard at the couple’s wedding:
“. . . how wonderful that they found each other.”

And once again we see how easily God gets blamed for a shocking tragedy and given zero credit for a tenderly orchestrated reunion of sweethearts.

So...what is God’s Will? And at what point does God give in to the human will and say, "All right, then, have it your way"?

Before we can answer these questions, it is important to understand that there are two very different meanings for the term God's Will in the Bible.

First consider the words of Jesus when he prayed in Gethsemane:

“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

~ Matthew 26:42

In this passage, "your will" refers to God's Will of Decree -- that is, it relates to God's sovereignty over all that happens. The Will of God was that Jesus die. This was God's plan. This was God's decree. There was nothing that could change it. Jesus did ask that he not go through with the plan, but God had already decreed it. God's sovereignty was at work.

An unsettling fact for many Christians is that the fulfillment of God's Will of Decree does include the reality of sin. To fulfill His sovereign plan, someone usually commits sin. And as a result, someone somewhere is hurt, killed, emotionally wounded, etc. In Matthew 26 and 27, Herod, Pilate, the soldiers, and the Jewish leaders all sinned -- thereby fulfilling God's Will that Jesus be crucified.

A good summation of this kind of God's Will in terms of our lives today is found in the words of I Peter 3:17:

"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil."

And a perfect summation of this kind of God's Will in terms of Christ's incarnation is found in the words of Philippians 2:6-7:

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the vary nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness."

Did the 17-year old boy die instantly because God decreed it?
Was his death the result of someone's sin
{-- which sin was part of another of God's decrees? . . . }

I don't know. I don't think anyone on this side of heaven can answer that.
I do know that God is Sovereign. And I do know that we live in a world of sin.

Does God orchestrate love stories?
Was it God's Will that Joe and Pegge find each other after nearly forty years?
. . . You decide.

Now consider another meaning of God's Will:

Jesus said in Matthew 7:21:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Oh Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

Here we see God's Will of Command. Here, God's Will is what he commands us to do through His Word; and this is the kind of God's Will that we can choose to either obey or disobey.

Romans 1:20-21 tells us,

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew god, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Humankind is without excuse when it comes to our awareness and knowledge of God. And it is our will to choose whether to glorify Him and obey his commandments -- or to dismiss His presence altogether. Psalm 14:1 says,

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good."

~*~*~*~

In the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:10-14), Jesus says that God's Will is done "in heaven as it is on earth." Here's the thing:

In heaven, God's Will is done promptly, perfectly, willingly and joyfully.

On earth → Not so much. The earth is full of human will -- a complete mess of conflicting wills even among people. ["There is no one who does good. . ."] Add the Perfect Will of God; and the whole theme of Scripture is embodied!

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

~ Isaiah 53:5-6

C.S. Lewis certainly had a heavenly perspective when he penned those words. . .

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way”.

But. . . Was Lewis referring to the two different kinds of God's Will?
One specific kind of Will?
Both?

When we pray "They will be done" we are saying first and foremost that God is Sovereign and that we submit to His Will [of Decree]. We relinquish our plans and ideas and allow His plan to be fulfilled. And . . .

Until we have surrendered our own will to God's Will [of Command], our will and behavior is centered on our self. God's Will [of Command] challenges our self-righteousness, our lifestyle, and our personal values and desires.

"Then I said, "Here I am, I have come -- it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do Your Will, my God; your law is within my heart. . ."

~ Psalm 40:7-8

Unless we are recognizing that our will (i.e., our plans, our ideas, our desires, our behavior, our values, etc.) must be submissive to All of God's Will [of Decree & of Command], then we are the one to whom God says: "All right then -- have it your way."

We are the fool of Psalm 14. . . .

"Therefore God gave them up . . . "

~ Romans 1:24

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife

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Why? . . . Because IT Changes Lives!

2010-08-10T00:30:00.005-04:00

"The Gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere. . . any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

~ John Wycliffe

The doctrine of Sufficiency of Scripture is hardly a 21st Century revelation to Bible-believing Christians. But remarkably, even for his day, John Wycliffe -- in 12th Century England -- regarded the Bible as a living and authoritative Book. This indeed set him apart as not only a scholar, but a Bible-believing Christian. Like many Christian conservatives of 2010, Wycliffe observed and commented on the many discrepancies between the standards set by Scripture and the practices of the church and governing bodies.

Despite the escalating tensions between King Edward III and the Roman Catholic Church which gave rise to much of Wycliffe's work, the quote could well have been written or voiced only yesterday for all its timely wisdom and significant application to our own generation's socio-political atmosphere and doctrinal disputes. His words reflect timeless Truth.

Why. . . ?

It is an understatement to say that most evangelical churches in America function outside of the teachings for the New Testament Church. It's also a given that many denominations put far more faith in a man-made doctrine than the Inerrant Word of God. But it is a blaring and obvious fact that our United States' government employs little if anything that identifies with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by way of its "additional rules made to govern [our] conduct."

A strong movement exists today to divorce America not only from its Christian beginnings, but from the sufficiency of the Gospel of Redemption through Jesus Christ.

Why. . . ?

This progressive trend is becoming less about the debate between two opposing sides and more and more about defining and establishing the boundary between what is true and what is false. You either believe America is a Christian nation which was founded upon the sufficiency of Scripture; or you don't. It's black and white.

In the early public schools of America, the BIBLE was one of the main textbooks -- if not the only textbook. Apparently, it was SUFFICIENT. But on June 17, 1963, in Abington vs. Schempp, the United States Supreme Court removed the BIBLE and its readings from public education.

Why. . . ?

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Resources and Human Services and Statistical/Abstracts of United States PROVE that rape, murder, alcohol abuse, robbery, suicide, gang warfare, assault, absenteeism, pregnancies, burglary, vandalism, abortions, arson, extortion, venereal disease, bombings, and drug abuse have SKYROCKETED since 1963.

Apparently . . . the "additional rules made to govern [our] conduct" were not sufficient.

Not surprisingly, all of society including media, entertainment, criminal behavior, family trends, etc. (even the behaviors of those claiming to the "Christians") have followed the trend.

There is no moral compass provided by the government or any other ruling body that is more sufficient that GOD's Word. So, with the one and only moral compass provided to us as human beings removed by the "government," is it any wonder we are in the state we find ourselves? As Wycliffe said, ". . .any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Why. . . ?

The willful rejection of the Bible as our source of divine authority is a direct cause of the current state of immorality in our country. In the years that followed that devastating Supreme Court ruling -- and continuing to this day -- the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be persecuted, eliminated, and otherwise rejected by both our government and society as a whole.

Why. . . ?

Progressives, Socialists, and atheists don't want Americans to know the truth about our nation's Biblically based Christian heritage. They are strenuously trying to rewrite history to match their propaganda and support their agenda. They are even more adamant about denying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are attacking God's Word, its sufficiency, and its plan of Redemption from every angle including education, the political arena and the legal system in an effort to change, reinvent and transform history to conform to their radical beliefs. In doing so they will eventually destroy the very foundation of America.

Why. . . ?

WHY? . . .What is it about the sufficiency of Scripture that has so many people set on a course to destroy that "perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

The doctrine of Sufficiency of Scripture is based primarily on II Timothy 3:15-17 and Jude 1:3.

The sacred writings . . . are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work . . . Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

In other words the Bible is sufficient in that it is the only ("once for all") inspired and therefore inerrant words of God that we need, in order to know the way of salvation and the way of obedience ("equipped for every good work").

The sufficiency of Scripture does not mean that the Bible is all we need to live obediently and function in society. For example, in order to be obedient and lawfully drive a car, we need to obey traffic rules and observe state regulations for licensing. In order to be obedient and work in the realm of science, we need to read science and study God's creation. In order to be obedient and function in the realm of economics we need to read and observe the world of business. To be obedient and perform in the realm of sports, we need to know the rules of the game. To be obedient in marriage, we need to know and understand our spouse's personality. To be obedient and perform as a pilot, we need to know how to fly an airplane; etc, etc. etc. In other words, the Bible does not tell us all we need to know in order to be obedient stewards of this world.

It does tell us that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through CHRIST. (John 14:6)

The sufficiency of Scripture means that we need NO further explanation or revelation from God or anyone in order to be competent and equipped for every good work. We do not need a "Fundamental Transformation" of a nation already established in Christian principles. We do not need to redefine marriage. We do not need to redefine the family. We do not need to redistribute wealth. We need NO further enlightenment. We need NO more inspired, inerrant words. From anyone!!!

God's Word is sufficient not only for the lives of Christians, but for all people. Through His Word, God has given us His plan of redemption along with the the absolute perfect standard for judging all other knowledge and all other philosophies. Even when that knowledge helps support the Bible.

For example:
(John Piper explains this beautifully.) The word "ant" occurs twice in the Bible. Once in Proverbs 6:6 and again in Proverbs 30:25. Yet, the word "ant" is never defined in the Bible. The Bible expects us to know what an ant is from another body of knowledge (language) along with our life experience. But even if we misinterpret the verses to mean that ants actually teach us that laziness is profitable, Scripture again is the standard for testing our interpretation. Numerous other passages in the Bible will prevent us from misinterpreting the meaning of the verses containing the word "ant" regardless of our ability or inability to know the word's definition. The Bible is all-sufficient for judging and proving or disproving Itself and all other bodies of knowledge.

~ John Wycliffe

Christianity is entrenched in American culture. The sufficiency of Scripture permeates our heritage. From the founding documents consistent mentioning of "Creator," to "In God We Trust" on our coinage, to politicians almost universally ending speeches with "God bless American," Christianity is such a part of America that the effort to remove it may likely result in the collapse of our nation.

So what is it about this Perfect Gospel of Jesus Christ that makes all other rules to govern futile and utterly useless? Why are so many progressives and socialists and atheists so intent on destroying it?

Here's why: John Wycliffe, like many scholars across the time-line of history knew this:

GOD's Word Changes Lives!

"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because

Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart."

~ President Thomas Jefferson

Is it possible -- just maybe -- that there is a force behind this movement that seeks to destroy our Christian heritage? A force that does not want to see changed lives. . . ?

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife

In Honor of Memorial Day . . . And in Memory of Paul Martin Wehlan

2010-05-29T16:13:00.001-04:00

MEMORIAL DAY
Remembering PAUL MARTIN WEHLAN

The memory of the righteous will be a blessing
~Proverbs 10:7

This is a rather famous photo taken during World War II in Sicily (1943). An Army medic is administering blood plasma to a soldier (Paul M. Wehlan) who later died as the result of his injuries.

The photo has been in the archives of the American Red Cross for decades. It appeared in the Chicago Tribune three days prior to the U.S. Army's official visit to my Grandparents' home to inform them of their son's death.

My grandparents (and my mother -- then age 12) were convinced the moment they saw the photo in the newspaper that it was their Paulie. It wasn't until some fifty years later that my mother was able to establish for absolute certainty that the dying soldier was her brother.

We discovered the photo on the Internet in 1993 and contacted the Red Cross. We were able to obtain the names of both the Army medic and the photographer. The medic confirmed that the soldier was indeed PAUL MARTIN WEHLAN. The photographer was deceased, but we spoke to his son.

As I understand the further unfolding of this story, my uncle Paulie had written many letters home explaining to his momma that he was ready to meet Jesus; and that he knew in his heart he would not be coming home again to his family. These letter were -- of course -- received months after his death.

Following the war, a fellow-soldier contacted my grandparents to share with them that Paulie had taken his place on the "front line." Paulie's selfless act had cost him his life. The man whose place Paulie took that day -- June 28, 1943 -- was not a Christian. He was not ready to meet Jesus. My grandparents lost touch with the young man, but continued for years to pray for his salvation.

THANK YOU, Uncle Paulie for giving your life for our GREAT COUNTRY -- and sparing the life of a friend who had not yet met the LORD. May we never forget the sacrifice of your generation and so many generations who have followed.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
~Psalm 33:12

I Am the Wretch the Song Refers To. . .

2010-04-06T03:00:00.012-04:00

"I am the wretch the song refers to."

~Todd Friel

In the introduction to his book, “Hard to Believe – The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus,” John MacArthur writes, “The world is filled with millions of people who think they are headed for heaven – but they are deadly wrong. . . .what is especially sad, is that many of those people sit in evangelical churches misinformed!”

I agree with MacArthur.

So what is the "misinformation?"

The misinformation is nothing less that a complete misinterpretation of the Gospel.

The message of most Christian concerts, youth events, women’s conferences, men’s rallies, etc., and seeker-sensitive churches is “Jesus loves you! Jesus will free you from all your pain! Come to Jesus now!”

It’s a distorted message and a message that advances the thought that being a Christian is easy and freeing and fun. It’s called easy believe’ism, and it is anything but biblical! And it only touches the very surface of True Gospel of Salvation.

Consider how Jesus approached personal evangelism when he walked on earth as a man. Jesus did not say to people, “Pray this simple prayer” or “Just make a decision to follow Me.”

Not at all.

Jesus confronted people with the reality of their own sin. (Consider, for example, the woman at the well in John Chapter 4.)

Those who “accepted” Jesus were truly convicted of their sin and they repented. Those who refused Jesus rejected the fact that they were sinful. Instead they boasted and bragged of their own righteousness. (See, for example, the account of Jesus and the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22)

Do you suppose if the rich young ruler in Mark Chapter 10 had simply been told to repeat a simple prayer of salvation, he would have done so? And would he have walked away counting himself as saved?

Maybe. . .
But would he have really be saved?
Where has our culture gone wrong that we think we can do this very thing?

I don’t think we can identify the exact point that we began drifting from the Truth, but . . .

Robert Schuller made one of the most absurd and anti-Gospel statements ever in his 1982 book “Self Esteem: The New Reformation” when he wrote (on page 98), “Once a person believes he is an unworthy sinner, it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ.”

Absurd!
. . . this is where the drifting went terribly bad.

So . . . (see if I understand this. . . ) if you want to be saved according to this new reformation of self esteem, you cannot believe yourself to be an unworthy sinner? And to follow the logic further, there really is no reason at all for Christ’s death on the Cross. Right?

Again: Absurd!

. . . The very idea erases the entire story of redemption beginning in Genesis and culminating in Revelation! To do away with the notion of sin, essentially eliminates the entire Bible!!

II Timothy 3:2 reminds us that “Dangerous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves.”

It is indeed this new man-centered gospel of self-esteem that has hijacked the Gospel. And it is this gospel of self-esteem that has permeated the seeker-sensitive evangelical churches of today.

* And therein we find the “misinformation.”

Here’s the Truth: The Gospel of Salvation has as its bedrock the very idea of sinfulness and scripture confirms it repeatedly.

Bottom line: I am a wretch. I am the wretch the song refers to. You are a wretch. Every human being to ever walk the earth is and was… a wretch.

Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound,
That saved a WRETCH like me. . .

Yet, to confront this by acknowledging sin in our culture today makes you a Bible-thumping Pharisaical fundamentalist [I mean that in a bad way.]

Leaders of the self-esteem reformation look down on the True Gospel of Salvation, pointing out that we should not “judge” others, but instead tolerate and love each other.

Wrong!

We cannot be saved without first acknowledging our own wretchedness before God; and we cannot share the Gospel of Salvation without first pointing out to others their wretchedness before God.

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
~ Romans 3:23

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
~ I John 1:8

“And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will convict the world of sin…”
~ John 16:8

It has been said that repentance is the stuff saints are made of…

Isaiah the Prophet said,

“Woe is me! For I am unclean; because I am a man of unclean lips…”
~ Isaiah 6:5

Job said,

“I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
~ Job 42:6

Peter said,

“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
~ Luke 5:8

The Apostle Paul said,

"What a wretched man I am!"
~ Romans 7:24

…you will also find the repentance of Daniel and Abraham in the Old Testament and John in the Book of Revelation. These saints recognized, acknowledged and professed their wretchedness before God and others.

Look now at some biblical examples of Schuller’s gospel of self-esteem:

Cain did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his own righteousness in the fruits brought by his own hands to the altar.

Saul – before his conversion – did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his own pedigree as a high ranking religious leader.

The rich young ruler did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his superior knowledge and achievements.

Hopefully, we can see here that the gap between the Gospel of Salvation and the gospel of self-esteem is gaping. The consequence of each is eternal.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
~Luke 9:23

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
~ I John 1:9

Yes, Jesus loves you! Jesus will free you from all your pain. Come to Him. But. . . the Bible in full context shows us very clearly that until we recognize that we are indeed wretched sinners, we cannot appreciate the Cross and we cannot know His Grace.

Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound,

That saved a WRETCH like me. . .

I AM the wretch the song refers to. . . .

Esthermay V. Bentley Goossen
© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife

Christian . . . or Not?

2010-02-08T00:44:00.002-05:00

“Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective.”

–Rob Bell

Nearly thirty years ago, Robert Schuller wrote a book called Self-Esteem: The New Reformation. The book did indeed usher in a new "reformation" -- a reformation of anti-biblical, anti-Christian thought that has permeated the culture and effectively turned out a great many Christians in our generation who are anything but a reflection of the very first Christians of the New Testament.

So, can the same terminology used in the First Century to describe Christ-Followers be used today? Has the meaning changed? Have Christians changed?

Rob Bell's ministry is the direct result of Mr. Schuller's "reformation" so you do have to wonder what he's really thinking; and how he defines the term Christian. But when Mr. Bell tells us that the word "Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective," it's easy to agree with the last half of the statement. The word "Christian is indeed a poor adjective as used to describe the majority of mainline churches today. Especially when you consider the message of the New Testament Church and compare it with the message of a great number of today's churches.

But the word "Christian" is also an incredibly loosely used noun ascribed to most churchgoers of our culture. . . Thanks to Mr. Schuller's New Reformation and the resulting Seeker-Sensitive Movement. Biblically and properly defined, however, Christian is a great noun.

It really does depend on how you define "Christian."

Mr. Bell is a prominent leader in The Seeker-Sensitive Movement. Are you familiar with this term? Seeker-Sensitive Churches give their audience what they want -- what they "seek." They "seek" relevant sermons and exciting programs that may or may not have anything to do with Biblical Christianity.

Seeker churches rarely use expository preaching and seldom do they ever bring up redemption, or sin. These are the recurring themes of the Bible, but they are not themes that people "seek." The Seeker Movement is a church "style" that dominates American churches; and it is anything but reflective of the New Testament Church.

I'm not sure what Mr. Bell is trying to tell us in his quote
Because I'm not sure what he means by "Christian."

Christianity, in the hands of these Seeker-Sensitive churches has diluted (and in many cases completely misrepresented) the divine message of Salvation as revealed in the Bible beginning in the Book of Genesis!

Seeker Sensitive churches have replaced the Glory of God with the satisfaction of human beings. They have neglected to teach -- or even understand -- the entire Story of Redemption which unfolds in every single page of the Bible. They have effectively done away with the Word of GOD. Except -- of course -- for it's soundbites: those selected "feel-good," "Jesus-loves-you" verses taken out of context to give the audience what it wants to hear.

. . . 'cause who wants to hear the that we are sinners who deserve Hell?
To be sure, the Book of Romans has been
completely ripped out of the Seeker-Sensitive Bible.

John MacArthur calls the trend "quasi-Christian, narcissism" and it is vividly characteristic of the false teaching we are warned about in II Timothy 3 where we are reminded, "Dangerous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves." (II Timothy 3:1-2)

And because so much of the Seeker-Sensitive Movement has infiltrated our churches, the Church of 2010 bears little -- if any -- similarity to the New Testament Christian Church.

In today's culture, the use, meaning and expression of the word "Christian" is indeed a poor descriptive of a person who has been saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)

"Christian is . . . a poor adjective."

Indeed! . . . so how did this all start?

In his bestselling book, Schuller aggressively attacks the Protestant Reformation which began when Martin Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Schuller writes: "It is precisely at this point that classical theology has erred in its insistence that theology be 'God-centered' and not 'man-centered.'" (1)

Excuse me?? But. . . *WhaT!!??

In an attempt to define this "man-centered theology," Schuller explains, "This master plan of God is designed around the deepest needs of human beings -- self-dignity, self-respect, self-esteem." (2)

Again: Huh??

He goes on. . . "Success is to be defined as the gift of self-esteem that God gives us as a reward for our sacrificial service in building self-esteem in others. Win or lose: If we follow God's plan as faithfully as we can, we will feel good about ourselves. That is success!" (3)

So. . . Self Esteem trumps Salvation??!!
Anything but Biblical, Mr. Schuller.

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

~ Jesus

Schuller's not done. Perhaps his most preposterous assertion comes when he writes, "Once a person believes he is an 'unworthy sinner,' it is doubtful if he can rally honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ."(4)

Mr. Schuller, do you own a Bible?
Have you read it?

". . . for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."

~ Romans 3:23

Sadly, this "man-centered theology" is precisely the theology that the Seeker-Sensitive Movement is teaching. And it exists at some level in the majority of mainline "Christian" churches today. Christianity is no longer about Christ. It's all about the seeker.

What does the seeker want?
What does the seeker think they need?
What is truth according to the seeker?
And how does the seeker feel about that?

If you want to be saved, according to this new "gospel," you do not believe yourself to be a sinner. You just "accept Christ" because "God is Love." And -- more importantly -- you can't ever (ever!) tell anyone else that they are a sinner or even mention the word hell!

How distorted that?!

Any minister or teacher who waters down the message of Salvation so that it is less confrontational and more popular, politically correct and appealing to the seekers, is doing one thing and one thing only: promoting a cheap imitation of the Christian life, and corrupting the use, meaning and expression of the word CHRISTIAN.

Mr. Bell's quote is completely dependent on how you define the term Christian.

“Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective.”

–Rob Bell

*~*~*~*~*

"One of our great allies at present is the Church itself.
Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church
as we see her spread out through all time and space
and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners.
That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes
our boldest tempters uneasy.
But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans."

~ Screwtape,
A senior devil, instruction a junior devil
on how to tempt and trap humans.
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

NOTES:
(1) Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, Tex.: Word Publishing, 1982), 64.
(2) Ibid., 71.
(3) Ibid., 76.
(4) Ibid., 98.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Tami
on her blog, The Next Step

Christians Will Have Enemies - No Doubt . . .

2010-01-26T00:15:00.032-05:00

"Do not suppose that I have come
to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace,
but a sword."

~ Matthew 10:34

Taken all by itself and completely out of context, Matthew 10:34 surely implies that Jesus' mission on earth was one of violence -- that He was most certainly not a peacekeeper as so much theology likes to underscore.

In fact most of Matthew Chapter 10, finds Jesus proclaiming something seemingly and directly contrary to the message the angels proclaimed at His birth:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men.”

~ Luke 2:14

So were those angels misinformed? And what about Jesus' own words elsewhere in Scripture where He seems to agree with the angels and contradict Himself?

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid"

~ John 14:27

. . . No sword here.

Confused?

Remember the Book of Matthew was written to all of us, but in terms of a specific audience, the Book is addressed to the Jewish people of Jesus' day. The Jewish people were expecting a Messiah who would wage war. The use of the word sword certainly fits with the image of war.

Context is everything.

But it goes further than the context of speaking to a Jewish audience. Look at the verses immediately following this idea of "a sword" where Jesus quotes a passage from Micah 7:6 having to do with mistrust and betrayal within families:

"For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'"

~ Matthew 10:35-36

Sounds very much like a passage earlier in the same Chapter:

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child;
children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death."

~ Matthew 10:21

It seems then that the "sword" that Jesus came to bring is symbolic of the division that will occur within families and friends (and even bodies of apparent believers) as a result of His ministry. So the use of the word "sword" is typical of Jesus' figurative way of speaking. He used a sharply definitive word to convey a very disturbing reality.

The reality being: Christians will have enemies.

Look at the parallel verse in the Gospel of Luke:

"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

~ Luke 12:51

See how Luke changes the metaphor into a factual statement?

Throughout Scripture we are confronted with the reality that Christians will have enemies. There will be division. Jesus Himself caused much division and had many enemies.

(There's an understatement!)

► Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be despised and rejected by men some 700 years before His birth. Clearly the division was foreseen. (Isaiah 53:3)

► While blessing Jesus as a very small child, Simeon prophesied that His life would indeed act as a "sword" and bring division in Israel. Clearly the division was forseen. (Luke 2:33-35)

► Judas -- one of the Twelve Disciples -- betrayed Jesus. Clearly there was division between Jesus and one of His own followers.
(Mark 14:10-11)

► The Apostle Paul instructed believers that if an unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, that we should "let them leave." Clearly being a believer can cause division in a marriage. (I Corinthians 7:15)

► In the Apostle Paul's closing words to Timothy, he warns about a man named Demas who deserted him. Paul also mentions Alexander the copper-smith, a man who opposed the message of the Gospel and did great harm to Paul. Clearly there was division between Paul and those who knew him.
(II Timothy 4:9-18)

► In Acts Chapter 5, Peter exposes the lies and piousness of Ananias and Sapphira. Clearly there was even great division in the body of Christians known as the Church. (Acts 5)

It becomes clear as we read the New Testament that Jesus considered it a given that the world would despise Him and his Church. He says, "The world . . . hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil" (John 7:7).

In other words, the world's contempt for Jesus, His Church and His followers stems not from simple differences, but from a huge chasm -- a chasm created by a refusal to accept that human ways (human thought, human behavior, human philosophies. . . ) are evil.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness instead
of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will
not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

~ John 3:19-20

Christian Truth will never be popular with the world. It will always divide.

Yes. . . Jesus brought peace to earth. But that peace comes as an inner peace that is available only to those who put their full faith in Him as their Savior.

Otherwise. . . His presence and His message only bring conflict. No accurate reading of Scripture can conclude anything different.

The coming of Christ did not bring the peace the Jews had hoped for. Instead it brought even greater conflict because the presence of Truth causes those who deny it to become even more enraged and evil.

Wishing and hoping for world peace is a ridiculous, hopeless and pointless task. Sin is the dominant force on this earth. The Bible tells us so. Scripturally speaking, "Peace on Earth" is reserved only for those who surrender to Him and live according to His will.

The Christian will make enemies. No doubt.

". . . but if to do the right, and to believe the true,
should cause him to lose every earthly friend,
he will count it but a small loss,
since his great Friend in heaven will be yet more friendly,
and reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever. . . .

"Better a brief warfare and eternal rest, than false peace and everlasting torment."

~Charles H. Spurgeon

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

Who Wears the Millstone? Thoughts for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday...

2010-01-23T16:08:00.031-05:00

If you were born after 1972, consider yourself a Survivor of the Abortion Holocaust. ONE-THIRD of your generation has been killed by abortion in the United States of America.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"You created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

~Psalm 139:13-14

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Then said He unto the disciples, 'It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than than he should offend one of these little ones.'"

~Luke 17:1-2

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"If they [my daughters] make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

~ The President of the United States

"The first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing I'd do."

~A Politician running for President of the United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds: sound leadership has a moral foundation."

~Proverbs 16:12

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Who wears the millstone?

The abortionist?
The mother who chooses it?
The citizens who support it?
The politicians who fight for it?
The electorate who vote for them?

The citizens who look the other way?. . .

Who wears the millstone?

The Message of the Earthquake --Ultimately Points to the Cross. . .

2010-01-19T23:24:00.007-05:00

“Every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.”

~Malcolm Muggeridge

Rick Warren is wrong when he tweets that God does not judge the world through catastrophes. Here's what God says:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. . .

~Romans 1:18

Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?

~Amos 3:6

Pat Robertson is wrong when he claims to know why the Haitian earthquake happened. Deuteronomy 29:29 says,

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Christian Apologist Malcolm Muggeridge does offer up some wisdom, however, when he says,

Every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us,
and the art of life is to get the message.

So what's the message? Is there a message in an earthquake? Is there a message in any natural disaster? And if the art of life is to "get the message," how do we go about deciphering that message?

Much bad theology inevitably surfaces when Christians confront human suffering and look for answers. However, as John Piper writes, "Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. And wimpy Christians won't survive the days ahead." It's the wimpy Christians who will question human suffering and remain confused and bewildered, asking "Why?"

If we have a solid biblical worldview, we will understand the message in a catastrophe like the recent earthquake in Haiti, for it is indeed found in God's Word . . .

Let's look at the principle players involved in the unfolding of a natural disaster as outlined in Scripture so we can "get the message."

. . . We've got GOD, Satan and -- of course -- Human Beings.

GOD

In His design for the world, God allows many events to run their course according to "time and chance" (see Ecclesiastes 9:11) and so -- for those affected --these many tragedies are seen as accidental and unforeseeable.

God has also told us in His Word that natural disasters would grow in frequency and intensity as the end of the age approaches. This is to happen so that people will be shaken out of their complacency and lead them to seek Him. (See Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:25-26; Revelation 6:12, 11:13, and 16:18.)

Even so, as Christians, we are given these verses of comfort:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

~ Romans 8:1

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.

~ Psalm 46:1-7

Ultimately, God controls everything either directly or indirectly by restraining His grace or allowing Satan a little longer leash. Either way, God is sovereign over everything and happily accepts responsibility for both "human suffering" and "blessings."

I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.

~Isaiah 45:7

Satan

Ephesians 2:2 does tell us that Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air and that his spirit is at work in those who are disobedient. We should never underestimate the power of Satan.

He does indeed rule in the hearts of many including some world leaders. It could be -- and has been -- argued that Satan therefore controls the nations. This would be a stretch! Satan does prowl about like a lion. . . but nowhere in God's Word can we construe that Satan has control of nations or natural disasters.

Satan does not control the weather or rule the nations. God alone is Sovereign.

Human Beings

There are only two groups of people on earth: pagans and Christians. Perhaps a over simplification? Yes. (i.e., natural man, carnal man, spiritual man. . .) But for purposes of this discussion, Scripture is clear when it comes to human suffering:

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

~Matthew 5:45

Jesus gave us a very definitive statement on human suffering by way of catastrophes in Luke 13:1-5:

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that
these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they
suffered this way? I tell you, No! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them --
do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?
I tell you No! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Both believers and non-believers are affected when God sends or allows a disaster.

When God sends or allows disaster to non-believers, it could be for one of two reasons: either as judgment or as a call to repentance.

Clearly a natural disaster such as an earthquake does not come close to the eternal punishment of hell, but it is a taste of God's wrath. How a non-believer responds to a disaster is far more important than the reality of the disaster in-and-of itself.

When God sends or allows disaster to believers, He does so -- again -- for one of two reasons: to prune/refine us or to take us home to heaven! Christians are never victims of collateral damage and we should never think such. While there may or may not be a primary reason God sends or allows a disaster (Remember: God is GOD!), He always orchestrates every single detail. As Christian onlookers to disaster, we can respond in one of two ways: apathy or kindness.

When God sends or allows disaster -- or judgment -- to come to an entire nation, each individual involved needs to determine why God caused or allowed him/herself to be harmed.

Bottomline

God gets the credit for the earthquake. Yet he is not to "blame" since God is never to "blame" for anything. He is sovereign and always does the exact right thing at precisely the correct time.

God sends a taste of His wrath to non-believers that they might look to the Cross and find Salvation. God prunes and refines Christians that we will live in greater gratitude for what Jesus did to rescue us from eternal destruction.

As Christians, we should use the tragedy of the recent earthquake in Haiti as a reminder of the brevity of life and the equality of death as it happens on this earth. More importantly, we should use it as a springboard in sharing the ultimate solution to this world's problems.

God seeks to glorify His Son in all He does. Including catastrophes. Catastrophes -- like everything else in life -- are about finding our way to the Cross of Jesus Christ!

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Kathryn
on her blog, Expectant Hearts

The Treasures of the Snow . . .

2010-01-13T02:00:00.007-05:00

This week's hostess for WordFilled Wednesday is Lori @ All You Have to Give.

Blessing: The Mystery of its Meaning . . .

2010-01-12T08:48:00.013-05:00

"God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways."

~ 2 Corinthians 9:9 (The Message)

So what precisely is a blessing? Is it a reward? Is it a miracle? According to Scripture, what exactly does it mean to be blessed by God? And should it be a mystery to us?

There are numerous Hebrew and Greek words throughout Scripture which when translated mean bless, blessed or blessing. Viewed collectively they mean "to declare happy, to speak well of, very happy.

Lamentably, popular Christianity has twisted the concept of being blessed by God to mean something entirely different than what God intended. Way too many Christians have readily bought into the lie that to be blessed is to enjoy material favor with God as a result of faith. And the avenue by which these blessings reach us can be surprising, unsuspecting, even magical.

If we follow this logic, then the wealth gained by way of Wall-Street is a blessing. Right?
Why are the results of a person's free will classified as sinful greed in one case,
and as a blessing in another?
The logic is flawed.

The mystery remains. . .

Much of the heart of New Testament Christianity has been completely corrupted in the pursuit of being blessed. Too many teachers and preachers have taken the focus off of sound doctrine and true worship and placed it instead to the idea of being blessed with things, stuff, money, bigger buildings, larger ministries -- which even non-believers know cannot bring real happiness.

The [wrong] thinking is that if God loves you and you are in His will, you exercise faith, and His favor rests upon you, then He will bless you with a lot of extra things above and beyond what you'd have if you were just an ordinary believer. And we've fooled ourselves into thinking that if we do have some material wealth, it was God who blessed us with it.

This is not what the Bible teaches. What is a blessing? And is it a result of faith?

Herein lies the mystery.

Hebrews Chapter 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith" It is the Scriptural record of those individuals throughout biblical history who had great faith. The examples we find here are a roadmap -- a guide -- to understanding true faith and the result of that faith. Look at verses 36-40:

Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Wow! Where are the "astonishing" blessings here??!
. . . Certainly doesn't match the depiction of being blessed as taught by Benny Hinn,
Paula White, Joel Osteen or a host of others.

Even well-intended Christians have tainted the notion of being blessed by God to mean something other than simply enjoying what God has intended.

What did God intend? What is God's idea of a blessing?

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
~Psalm 127:3

[Esau] lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, "Who are these with you?" So he said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."
~Genesis 33:5

Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." So he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them."
~Genesis 48:9

God blessed them; and God said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply..."
~Genesis 1:28

For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.
~Leviticus 26:9

The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning and. . . he had seven sons and three daughters." Job 42:12-13

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed his great mercy toward her
and they were rejoicing with her.
Luke 1:58

And as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message, God can and does pour out His blessings in "astonishing" ways. Revisit Genesis Chapter 12 where the Lord told Abram:

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Genesis 12:3-2

. . . and how did God do this?
Yes. . . By way of the blessing him with children. Many of them!
Culminating in the lineage of JESUS CHRIST! (Matthew 1:1-16)

The idea of being blessed with children as emphasized over and over in Scripture is one of the most overlooked lessons in God's Word. The family is no longer considered a blessing by today's standards. Christians no longer guard their families at all costs. We see children as a nuisance instead of gifts from God. Children are often a burden, not a joy. We complain about the cost of raising them. Mothers complain that children are a hindrance to their career. Dad's lament that children are a drain on the finances. Children often become trophies for soccer moms and dads who have to keep up appearances. And the number of women choosing to kill God's blessing of a child is approaching 50 million since 1973.

Yet, when the parent or family burdened by
[the blessing of] children receives an unexpected
check or materialistic serendipity, they call it a blessing.
That's backwards thinking!

This must be a mystery to God.

And lest you believe I've concluded the only blessing of the Bible is children, lets look at some more:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms
with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation
of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

~Ephesians 1:3-4

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

~Psalm 68:19

Are we to assume that God is going to bless us in any materialistic way (either personally or as a society) when we've chosen to ignore the biblical definition of blessing??

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways.
~ 2 Corinthians 9:9 (The Message)

I like Eugene Peterson's Message; and in context is a wonderful story of redemption
beginning in Genesis all the way through to Revelation. But as with any translation
of the Bible, a single verse set aside as a lesson can be seriously misinterpreted.
Take time to read the full text of 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 in the NIV or KJV
and see if you have the same impression of the term "blessing. "

Let's just not be so nearsighted that we misunderstand what a blessing really is. Joel Osteen is absolutely right in saying that the Gospel promises our "best life now." He’s just utterly and thoroughly mistaken on what the form of that life is.

Throughout the Bible we come to understand the theme of redemption and that Jesus was God’s blessing to us -- sent as a child to live among us and He alone is the example, shape, description and picture of our "best life. . . ."

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
~Mark 10:45

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
~I Timothy 6:6-8

Mystery solved!

~~*~*~*~~

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly BLESSED.

~The Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Deborah
on her blog, Chocolate and Coffee

. . . and I did eat them~Jeremiah 15:16

2010-01-06T12:59:00.006-05:00

This week's hostess for WordFilled Wednesday is Penny @ PennyRaine.com.

"I Bring You Good News. . ."Of Incarnation!

2009-12-22T10:03:00.005-05:00

“Let us remember the proclamation of the angel: 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord' (Luke 2:10-11).

May our hearts go out to the unconverted people…who have no blessed Christmas day. 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord.'” (Nehemiah 8:10).

~ Mrs. L.B. Cowman
Streams in the Desert

It is entirely accurate to say that Christians get too caught up in the “story” of Baby Jesus at Christmastime. We take the whole manger thing way too far. We revel in the tender side of God’s nature and we completely set aside the reality of sin and redemption which is the premise of the entire Bible!

We dress up children in costumes and sing angelic-sounding songs. It’s really all very precious, isn't it? . . . Listening to a child read from the Book of Luke? . . . As other little ones parade about as angels and shepherds? It's almost too much to bear if you're a parent or grandparent.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.

Don’t get me wrong. This aspect of Jesus’ story is important -- even vital to understanding the Messiah. But the biblical focus on Jesus is not on His birth. The real focus is some thirty years later at an execution scene. There was no tender angelic moment at that place. Instead, the air was ripe with evil. The baby of the manger was murdered.

May our hearts go out to the unconverted people…who have no blessed Christmas day.

Do the "unconverted" understand that He was murdered for them? Do they understand that [really rather simple] theology of "The Incarnation?"

Birth brought God’s Son into the world and gave Him a human body -- just like you and me -- for one reason and one reason only: To redeem us back unto Himself.

The Christian'ese terminology would be "to covert us."

So doesn't it follow that the celebration of His birth be focused on those who have not yet been redeemed? Should we not focus our energy on reaching out to those who don't yet celebrate His redeeming power, but instead focus on the angels and shepherds (and choice foods and sweet drinks)?

In all reality, the "unconverted" do not have a "blessed Christmas day," -- as Mrs. Cowman puts it. They do not understand why He came in the first place! All they really have are the pretty angel songs and precious visions of all those Children's Christmas Pageants -- and of course the food and festivities of the Season. They do not hold to the truth of -- nor really even understand -- the words of John 1:14:

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

Why? Why did He come? Surely the Incarnation of Christ is one of the hardest truths to grasp. Let alone explain to someone who has no "blessed Christmas day." Some of the greatest theologians have taken great effort to offer a good clarification.

But the infamous Paul Harvey provides one of the most unique explanations of the Incarnation. One very special installment of The Rest of The Story which first aired in 1981 revealed wonderful insight into the verses in John Chapter 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God. . . .
The word became flesh and dwelt among us.

~*~*~*~

...the story opens with an apathetic, disinterested husband and father who just was not getting into the Christmas spirit. He turned down an invitation to attend a church Christmas program with his family, boldly stating his disbelief in the miracle of the Incarnation. He simply did not believe that God became a man.

His family left for the program and he settled in for a quiet evening at home. Outside a winter storm was gathering force. The winds were beginning to pick up when he heard a strange noise -- a tapping sound on the windowpanes. Opening the curtains, he discovered a flock of birds desperately seeking shelter from the storm and being attracted to the light emanating from the window.

Feeling compassion for these birds, he threw on his wraps and headed towards the barn. He flung open the doors for the birds, but they did not come. He turned the barn lights on to attract them, but that did not work either. He got bread from the house and made a trail of crumbs, but that too failed. He rushed behind the flock to steer them toward the barn, but they only scattered.

Finally in disgust, he thought to himself,

If only I could become a bird to show them where to go for warmth and safety.

Just then in the distant village, he heard the church bells and an illuminating truth began to dawn in his soul:

Is it possible that the reason for that first Christmas
– with a tiny baby named Jesus –
was for God to become like us in order to help us?

~*~*~*~

And now, you know the rest of the story. . . .

. . . Share it with someone who doesn't have a blessed Christmas day. "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared." Generosity, unexpected kindnesses and "good will" have come to exemplify the Christmas Season to even the "unconverted."

. . . But more important than sharing the food and sweet drinks and other unexpected kindnesses, share the Incarnation of Christ. "The day is most assuredly sacred to to our Lord."

There are far too many in our world -- you know some!! -- who do not believe in CHRISTmas at all! And more tragic is the very real fact that many who call themselves Christians and do believe in Christmas have not accepted the Plan of Redemption that the Incarnation brings!

It's tragic because . . .

. . .at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
~ Pilippinas 2:10-11

The Incarnation is is the single most important fact of all history. There will most assuredly come a day when when His Incarnation is undeniable. Share it!

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Patricia
on her blog, Typing One Handed

WordFilled Wednesday . . . The Birds of the Heavens

2009-12-16T00:01:00.002-05:00

This week's hostess for WordFilled Wednesday is Christy @ Critty Joy.

The Danger of Sunday Morning Church . . .

2009-12-01T12:49:00.009-05:00

“Martha was busy for Jesus,

and that left her too busy to be with Jesus.”

~ Jon Walker
Growing with Purpose: Connecting with God Every Day

I haven't seen the government warnings yet, but there are some very real risks for Christians who attend church on Sunday mornings. Seriously! See, for a lot of us Christians, church has just become a habit -- an event on our busy, busy calendar – we come, we sing, we worship, we listen (hopefully!) to Truth from God's Word which explains life: our wretched condition before God, how to remedy that, how we should live, what we are supposed to do, and how we are to react to the situations which confront us. And we all pay attention. We are encouraged. We are stirred. We nod our heads in agreement. We are spiritually fed. Sometimes we even leave on a spiritual high. Right?.

Then Monday morning arrives and we go back to our families, our work, our business, our classes, our kitchen, our homes -- the plain-old, everyday circumstances of life -- and we forget all about our spiritual high of twenty-four hours earlier! Right?

It puts us in spiritual jeopardy!

This is precisely the dilemma presented by the account of Martha in the Gospels. . .

. . . Mary and Martha had been to the synagogue together that day and evidently Jesus had been teaching there. It was of course unlike any church service that you or I would attend. But surely they did leave with something similar to that spiritual high that we've experienced at our own churches. It had to have been an exciting morning when Jesus Himself began to open the Scriptures!

But then Mary and Martha went home. And guess who came for dinner that day? JESUS Himself was their guest! Martha went into the kitchen and completely and utterly forgot everything and all she had learned in synagogue. She began to stew and fret about how to get dinner ready. She bustled around, and couldn't find things, and spilled the coffee, and scorched the potatoes, and burned her fingers. She got all upset, and distracted, and then finally came bursting into the living room and blamed the whole mess on Jesus.

. . . and I totally get this. Martha was clearly a kitchen-nut. I am a kitchen-nut who blames others for the less-than-perfect condition of things in my precious kitchen. We could examine all this kitchen-nuttery and that would be fun -- comparing notes and such. But that's not the point here.
Here's what Martha cried out:

"Lord, why didn't you tell my sister to come out and help me? It's all your fault!"
~Luke 10:40

And do you remember how Jesus replied?

"Martha, Martha, you are full of care. You've gotten everything out of perspective. Life is out of focus for you, and you've let these insignificant little trivialities mount up to a tremendous problem.
But only one thing is necessary. . ."
~ Luke 10:41-42

What is that one thing? What is the one fundamental thing which is necessary?

The one thing is to see things the way they really are!

Really . . . Did Jesus come to observe Martha's culinary genius?
Or did He come to fellowship and commune with the women?

The one thing is to face reality and to deal with things realistically -- to know and understand and live-out what the Apostle Paul came to realize: "For me, to live is Christ!"

Is it realistic for Martha to blame Jesus for her short-temper and less-than-perfect kitchen skills?
If Martha were "living for Christ," would she blame Him for anything?

Martha's fault was not that she chose to celebrate so grand-a-guest by serving a feast. Her fault was that she threw her entire soul into the process and grew encumbered by the task. In doing that she forgot JESUS! The only thing on her mind and her heart was her service.

This happens a lot in churches. . . ever notice at Christmastime how the decorating or the children's program or the live nativity or the [you-name-the-program] takes away from the real meaning. I've witnessed it first-hand. It breaks your heart when you see it from reality-perspective.

It is way easier to serve and work and get caught up in our tasks for Jesus (or our church) than to simply commune with HIM. . .

As a counselor, I believe this explains the phenomena of the perfectionist spot-on.
But that's for another time :-)

We ought to be Mary and Martha in one! After all, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)

"Mary has chosen that good portion.
She has taken the time to sit and listen and get her perspectives straight,
to put things back into focus, and I'm not going to take it away from her," Jesus said.
~Luke 10:42

If this "good portion" is not the basis of your operations in your family, your work, your business, your classes, your kitchen, your homes, your church, then you are off to the wrong start in the Kingdom of God. And of course everything is going to go awry! What's the point of going to church on Sunday morning in the first place?

If you are familiar with the beautiful symbols of the Old Testament, you can easily interpret this passage:

"The LORD said to Moses, "Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil
from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning continually.
Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order
from evening to morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a statute for
ever throughout your generations. He shall keep the lamps in order upon the
lampstand of pure gold before the LORD continually."
~Leviticus 24:1-4

Pure olive oil brought by the people was to be the fuel which produced the light of the candelabra. It was to burn continuously and it was especially not be allowed to go out at night. From evening to morning Aaron was responsible to keep the light going to illuminate the tabernacle with that light placed on the golden candlestick.

There is nothing more desperately needed for today's Christians than to personally and individually expose our hearts and minds and thoughts to the LIGHT continuously. (Not just when surrounded by other Christians in church on Sunday and/or church functions and programs throughout the week.)

What is our LIGHT today -- some four-thousand years after the time of Aaron and the golden lampstand? It is Christ Jesus and the Truth of His Word; and we need to expose our hearts and minds and thoughts to it continuously. We simply cannot leave it at church [synagogue] and go on with our tasks like Martha did.

When we do this and consistently practice looking at life as HE tells us -- not as the world outside of Sunday morning church tells us -- and not as our feelings tell us -- we will learn how to be both Mary and Martha in one!

The Apostle Paul understood the habit of church. He understood religiosity. But when he found Christ, his passion was ignited in a whole new way -- he learned how to be Mary and Martha in one:

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."
~Philippians 1:21-24

"Whatever you do whether you eat or drink, do unto the glory of God"

~1 Corinthians 10:31

~~~

Martha was busy and hurried,
Serving the friend divine,
Cleansing the cups and platters,
Bringing the bread and wine;
But Martha was careful and anxious
Fretted in thought and in word,
She had no time to be sitting
While she was serving the Lord,
For Martha was "cumbered with serving,
Martha was "troubled" with "things"---
Those that would pass with the using---
She was forgetting her wings.

Mary was quiet and peaceful,
Learning to love and to live.
Mary was hearing His precepts,
Mary was letting Him give---
Give of the riches eternal,
Treasures of mind and of heart;
Learning the mind of the Master,
Choosing the better part.

Do we ever labor at serving
Till voices grow fretful and shrill,
Forgetting how to be loving,
Forgetting how to be still?
Do we strive for "things" in possession,
And toil for the perishing meat,
Neglecting the one thing needful---
Sitting at Jesus' feet?

Service is good when he asks it,
Labor is right in it's place,
But there is one thing better,
Looking up in his face;
There is so much he can tell us,
Truths that are precious and deep;
This is the place where he wants us,
Things are the things we can keep.

~Annie Johnson Flint

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Debbie
on her blog, Heart Choices

Pragmatism - - In Other Words, Whatever Works. . .

2009-11-10T00:01:00.010-05:00

"We Americans are pragmatists to the max.
We want results. And we want them yesterday.
We want them without too much pondering
and too much pain....

We have developed all kinds of Christ-coated remedies that are shallow and short-lived. We are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were."

~ John Piper

Christian theologian James Packer has compared the Puritans of our early American history to the Great Redwoods of California:

"The Puritans were giants whose roots were incredibly deep in the Bible,
and whose branches reached to the heavens, and whose trunks were so strong and durable they could endure forest fires that scar them but don't kill them. . . "

But then Packer looks out over the pragmatic American landscape of our quick fixes for life's problems and our impatience with depth and complexity and pain and adds,

"Affluence seems for the past generations to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of all of us."

So what exactly is "Pragmatism?"

* See John MacArthur discuss Pragmatism HERE.

The first time I heard the word "Pragmatism," my thoughts were not immediately drawn to the concept of a really bad school of philosophy which is in complete opposition to the Truth of God's Word. No. Instead, I was thinking . . . old-fashion disease. You know, like the story your grandma told you about how she came down with the Pragmatism when she was a girl.

Sadly, this is about as deep as most Christians go when they hear the word. That's alarming since Pragmatism is a completely unbiblical worldview that has been gaining a foothold in churches for the last 100 years. It is destroying the Gospel of Salvation -- replacing it with man-made quick-fixes. And when true Christians are unable to identify it, they can very easily be caught up in its snare!

The Philosophy of Pragmatism was founded by Char les Peirce, popularized by William James and John Dewy and recognized as a movement in the early 1900's. Pragmatism argues that the best way to determine whether or not to embrace a certain idea or proposition is not by its truthfulness but by its usefulness. Essentially, it makes no difference if the idea or proposition is true. The important thing is that it works.

Pragmatism gets its name from the Greek word pragma (δράση) which means action. Consequently, pragmatism is a philosophy of action. It says basically that if an idea or belief does not have some sort of practical application, consequence, or immediate resulting action then it is of no use.

Imagine the implications on the Truth of God's Word?

Pragmatists don't believe in universal Truth. Pragmatists do not embrace the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Rather, they think that what we know and hold as fact is simply that which works -- not necessarily that which is True.

Again, imagine the implications on the Truth of God's Word?!

Here's one example: If the desired "action" is to get people saved and grow membership, the pragmatic church appeals not to the Truth of Salvation by Grace, but to the idea that receiving Jesus will bring peace to our lives -- completely skipping over the issue of sin and the cost of salvation! After all, preaching that we are sinners might be offensive to someone!!

Jesus' approach was markedly different.
Jesus pointed out sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness.
He also warned those who wanted to follow Him to consider the cost.

I agree with James Packer. "Affluence [or simply living in today's society] seems to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of all of us." I yearn to be the kind of deeply-grounded saint John Piper refers to . . . .

If you think you haven't been affected, here are a few ways that pragmatism has inched its way into our churches:

A great number of churches and denominations have adopted the idea that the Bible is simply not adequate to meet the challenges of today's society, or sufficient for winning people to Christ. So . . . they turn to "felt-need" and "feel-good" sermons, entertainment, drama, and exciting music that can manipulate people's egos and focus on fairly insipid subjects like human relationships, self esteem, successful living, emotional issues and other practical but completely worldly themes. They are providing "Christ-coated remedies" often without any mention of Scripture at all!

Nothing deeply-grounded here.

A great number of churches and denominations have come to believe that God's Word is insufficient for achieving Christian growth, so they turn to therapy groups and popular psychology which rely on worldly methods. Even Bible studies have turned into the study of books written by people about the Bible. To rely solely on God's Word would indicate weakness and a refusal to accept man's scientific advancement and blah, blah, blah . . . Again: "Christ-coated remedies."

Nothing deeply-grounded here.

A great number of churches and denominations hold that God's Word is insufficient for making God's Will known; so they look for external signs and revelations. "Christ-coated remedies."

A great number of churches and denominations see that God's Word is inadequate for changing our societal and political troubles, so they establish evangelical lobby groups and work to elect "Christian" politicians. They seek to change the status quo by power and politics and money and lose sight completely of the Truth of God's Word. They become as confused as the candidate they fight against. . . .

Don't get me wrong. None of these methods is wrong in and of itself. Even Jesus used parables to get people's attention. But . . .

If any of these "methods" is giving new meaning to -- or replacing -- the Bible's words, pouring secular, therapeutic content into spiritual terminology because that is what seems to work . . . well, that's pragmatism.

If sin has become "dysfunctional" behavior, that's pragmatism.

If the gospel of self-esteem or wholeness has replaced the Gospel of Salvation, that's pragmatism.

If Jesus has become an example of morality and right living and not ". . . the way and the truth and the life. [No one comes to the Father except through me]" . . . that's pragmatism.

If Sunday after Sunday people are told how to have happy marriages and prosper financially and get along with co-workers, but not how to get right with God . . . that's pragmatism.

If the message from the pulpit is tolerance instead of taking the Gospel of Salvation to those we are called to tolerate. . . that's pragmatism.

Do you see the pattern here?

Pragmatism lies to people about what they really need. Pragmatists have no particular interest in the Truth of the Bible because it does not cultivate an immediate fix for any given human predicament at any given moment. . . .

. . . and that brings us back to the very definition of Pragmatism: If an idea or belief does not have some sort of practical application or consequence, then it is of no use. The important thing is that is works.

The number one agenda of the Christian is God's Will. The method for carrying out God's Will is found in Scripture. It's Truth. It's God's Word. The trouble begins when we look for what works best right now instead of what works for God's Glory.

John Piper is absolutely right when he says we want results yesterday and that,

". . .we are not, by and large, the deeply grounded saints that some of our forefathers were."

Lamentably, our forefather's Puritan values have evolved into a satirical label for "what's wrong with America." Some mainline denominations even believe that too much Puritanism survives and that it hinders "free thought" and "tolerance."

Probably the pragmatists.

There are others who sincerely believe that the breakdowns of our society -- including the emergence of pragmatism in the church -- are the direct consequence of the dilution of Puritan disciplines and ideals of our forefathers.

I think I am of this belief.

God's Word is ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Our deeply grounded forefathers understood that.

I'm not sure many of us today really do . . . .

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen

* For more on the Dangers of Pragmatism,
Please watch the three-part video series from John MacArthur in the previous post.
Or click HERE.

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Thank you for joining InOtherWords today! For more information about InOtherWords, please visit Writing Canvas (the home of IOW) or visit InOtherWords on Facebook.

The Dangers of Pragmatism . . .

2009-11-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

A Thankful Heart . . . Is a Guarded Heart

2009-11-03T00:30:00.017-05:00

"Peace of Christ guards our heart when
we pray with thanksgiving.

A thankful heart is a guarded heart.”

~ Wayne Cordeiro

Are you on Facebook? I admit it . . . I misuse and discard valuable time on Facebook. But, I have noticed a trend on my homepage lately: So many of my friends use their status update to offer up their dilemma of the day only to then use the opportunity to quote Ephesians 5:20:

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

Or Philippians 4:6:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.”

I do have to ask myself, "Do people quote these verses only for the value of being able to quote Scripture? Or are they really living out the verse?"

Honestly, I don't always live out the verse. Do you?

It's probably a toss up -- some people do just like to put up a Bible verse. But I give the benefit of the doubt to my Facebook friends. Some of them truly are suffering yet sincerely live out the act of thanksgiving! And not-so-surprisingly, they are somehow supernaturally guarded from the discouragement, despair, hollowness, and hopelessness that so many others dwell in . . . .

I have Facebook friends enduring cancer treatments. I have Facebook friends with terminally-ill children. I have Facebook friends who are military moms -- daily facing the uncertainty, uneasiness, and horror of our world's unstable political and military conditions. I have Facebook friends who are in true financial despair. I have a Facebook friend whose son was murdered last month. . .

Yet . . . in the midst of their suffering, they seem to possess a peace. I really believe that the peace of Christ has guarded their hearts in the midst of some greatly undeserved suffering.

The quandary of undeserved suffering is a puzzling mystery and an age-old question. Why does God allow the righteous to suffer? And why is it so hard for us to understand that resting in His peace is as easy as simply being Thankful? It’s the question that the Book of Job addresses:

In just a matter of hours an especially righteous and notably wealthy man loses all of his material possessions, each of his children are killed, and his good health is snatched away from him.

Next, to add misery to despair, Job’s friends condemn him rather than console him. And then his wife turns on him! Worst of all, the God he loves and serves refuses to answer his cries and rise to his defense and do something. Anything!

By the time we reach Chapter 38 in the Book of Job, we’ve come to appreciate the depth of Job’s affliction. We’ve wallowed in his misery, we’ve undeniably considered our own suffering, we’ve listened to Job's smart-aleck friends offer their own pretentious and useless wisdom, and we’ve perhaps ourselves questioned God’s role in the whole mess. At this point we are left pretty much famished for spiritual food and drink.

Enter: GOD.
. . .Not through another “counselor,” but by direct revelation!

God speaks for 70 verses in these next two chapters before Job has an opportunity to respond. And when he does, Job only mumbles words suggesting that God’s speech has undone him:

"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more."
~ Job 40:3-5

Q: What is it in the words of Job Chapters 38 and 39 that evoke such a change from the defiant Job of Job 31:35 to the abashed Job of Job 40:3?

A: Speaking from a whirlwind of a mighty storm, God – surprisingly – does not answer any of Job’s questions. Instead of answering Job’s charge of abandonment, God challenges Job to respond as He defends the design of His creation and the very existence of the entire universe.

As we read these poetic verses, it is obvious that God’s questions could not possibly be answered by any human. The Divine questions reveal to Job that he does not know the ways of God. And if Job is ignorant of the earth’s natural order, it’s ridiculous to think that he (or any human) could comprehend the moral order of God!!!

There is a purpose in creation that God knows but Job does not.

There is a purpose in human suffering that God knows but Job does not.

God's great power and wisdom is certainly a contrast to Job's limited ability and understanding. Overwhelmed, Job admits his unworthiness and inability to answer. But, God is not through with Job yet. God continues for 53 more verses! You could say Job was silenced and humiliated by his own self-centeredness and pity.

Henry M. Morris writes these words

. . . even Christians have become self-centered instead of God-centered. We emphasize personal Christianity, personal experience, self-image, inter-personal relationships, and what Jesus can do to meet our needs. All these have their place in the Christian life, but not when they relegate God and his purpose in creation to only a peripheral role. . . .

I would contend that most Christians in today's world have become so self-centered that we have completely and utterly forgotten to be THANKFUL for our very existence. We have forgotten to be THANKFUL for the very existence of the universe. We have forgotten to be THANKFUL that God is GOD.

. . . When faced with majesty and sovereignty and power and wisdom of GOD, there is little else to do but be thankful, to submit our suffering to Him, to rest guardedly in his care.

"Peace of Christ guards our heart when we pray with thanksgiving.
A thankful heart is a guarded heart.”

~ Wayne Cordeiro

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Karen
on her blog, In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus.

Self-Help vs. PEACE . . .

2009-10-27T00:29:00.017-04:00

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled,
nor let it be fearful.”
~ John 14:27

When people seek counseling they almost invariably come with two problems. First, they have the problem that has troubled them – probably for quite some time -- for which they want a solution.

But their second (often more pronounced) problem is the depressed, distressed, agitated attitude they have toward their problem: the frayed and burdened feelings they have about the problem that blocks their reasoning power and reduces them to a very narrow and rigid view of the problem.

A good counselor knows that there is no use trying to address the person’s initial problem until you first solve the obvious problem they present: Themselves!

They need to be taught how to have peace. If and when they can approach the initial problem with a sense of peace, the dilemma unravels itself.

Jesus said,

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

~John 14:27

This peace that Jesus gives is what a good counselor might well describe as "the ability to cope."

Yet, sadly, one of the spirituality-coated social phenomena of our culture is the self-help movement, wherein peace with ourselves and our circumstances and our past and our future is found miraculously in human achievement. And way too often, when the self-help route takes too long, we resort to other measures like drugs -- prescription and otherwise.

The self-help movement preserves the notion that somewhere and somehow there are secret powers out there that when honed can -- and do -- develop hidden abilities to bring us into a new and higher level of life and experience and spirituality. . .

. . . and blah blah blah.

I will say this straight-up: As a Christian counselor, I very much dislike the whole self-help movement.

See, as long we remain in and of the world and apart from Jesus, we will never know the remarkable secret of HIS peace! Apart from Jesus, peace is just another humanistic pursuit. We spend valuable time and resources searching for and learning techniques and secrets and in the pursuit, are led farther and farther away from the real thing!

Peace is the bequest of Jesus to His followers – the inheritance of true Christians. Without HIM, we can only resort to self-help; and it is a pathetic substitution for the real thing.

Q: How does the world give peace?

A: The self-help movement is a given. And at the risk of being labeled judgmental and narrow-minded and other colorful things, (I've certainly already alienated the self-help crowd) I’m just going to say it: Prescription drugs.

We’re all familiar with the scenario: If/when we are altogether upset over something to the point of being unable to function normally – we probably visit our family doctor for help. It’s just the way we’ve learned to do things in our culture. We ask the doctor for help and he probably gives us some Zanax or Valium or Klonapin or Librium -- chemical peace!

But it wears off. And we’re right back where we were before we took the pill. We have to take more until our mind is dulled and we are half-sedated. This is how the world gives peace.

Oh! Absolutely there are situations where pharmaceuticals are warranted. There aren't too many Christian counselors that have a zero-tolerance policy toward prescription drugs. We do live in a fallen world. But understand: Pharmaceuticals are the WORLD's way to give peace. Not God's!

Consider God's Peace: Consider the serenity with which Jesus moves through all the striking events of his last week on this earth. Consider the moments He stood as a prisoner before Pilate and Herod and the chief priests and the angry mob.

Now consider the peace and serenity He possessed and realize fully what he says . . .

"My peace I give unto you."

In other words:
"The peace I possess, I want to give to YOU."

Jesus speaks here of what Paul calls "peace that passes understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Events do not affect it. Circumstances do not affect it. Our past does not affect it. Our uncertain future does not affect it. Trials and tribulations do not affect it. Other people do not affect it. Political upheaval does not effect it. Economic turmoil does not affect it. (Get the picture?)

Peace from Jesus is internal. It is not subject to anything external. It is not subject to any self-help formula. It is not contingent upon complimentary drug therapy. It is a peace that is entirely baffling to the world, but freely imparted to the true believer. It baffles the world because there is nothing scientific or medical or even "spiritual" (in the word's definition) to explain it.

The peace that "passes understanding" is ours because a part of the Triune God of the Universe dwells IN us. And that Spirit in us is able to handle and overcome every external problem in this world . . . . We have complete and TRUE PEACE.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

~John 14:27

Need Peace? It begins at the Cross:
Romans 5:1,
Romans 10:15,
Ephesian 2:14,
Colossians 1:20,
Isaiah 26:3,

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Patricia
on her blog, Typing One Handed.

Can the Government Help Us?

2009-10-22T16:44:00.001-04:00

My nephew Jacob Bentley is conducting a survey for his Senior Government Class and he e-mailed me a link to a survey he'd set up on SurveyMonkey.com.

I took his survey, but the open-ended essay question at the end of the survey absorbed me entirely. Jacob asked, "What can the government do to help with problems like teen drinking, smoking, underage sex leading to unwanted pregnancies and STD's?"

You could say the question struck a nerve in me. Because the truth is . . .

There is very little - if anything - the government can do at this point in our country's history to "fix" the issues of teen drinking, smoking, underage sex leading to unwanted pregnancies, STD's, etc.

Each of these issues is a matter of personal responsibility which choices are based entirely upon one's own moral compass.

There is no moral compass provided by the "government." The one and only moral compass provided to us as human beings was removed from the public school system by the "government" decades ago. The willful rejection of the Bible as our source of divine authority is a direct cause of the current state of immorality in our country. In the years that followed -- and continuing to this day -- the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be persecuted, eliminated, and otherwise rejected by both our government and society as a whole.

In the early public schools of this country, the BIBLE was one of the main textbooks -- if not the only textbook. But on June 17, 1963 in Abington vs. Schempp, the United States Supreme Court removed the BIBLE and it's readings from public education. The matters suggested in Jacob's question are a direct result of this decision.

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Resources and Human Services and Statistical/Abstracts of United States PROVE that rape, murder, alcohol abuse, robbery, suicide, gang warfare, assault, absenteeism, pregnancies, burglary, vandalism, abortions, arson, extortion, venereal disease, bombings, and drug abuse have SKYROCKETED since 1963.

Not so surprisingly, all of society including media, entertainment, criminal behavior, family trends, etc. (even the behaviors of those claiming to be "Christians") have followed the trend.

When it came to education, Noah Webster (of Webster's Dictionary fame) stated: "Education is useless without the BIBLE . God's word, contained in the BIBLE , has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct."

The apostle Paul said, "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3) are hid in Christ Jesus. Education without Christ, who is "The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13, & John 1:1-3) will be void of the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that comes only from our Creator.

The ONLY thing government should be doing to fix the issues suggested in Jacob's question is to humble itself before God and return to the fundamental documents on which our country was founded: The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Virtually every one of the ten articles contained in the Bill of Rights has Biblical foundation.

Even America's constitutional form of government consisting of three co-equal branches, legislative, executive and judicial is taken directly from Isaiah 33:22.

Our current government -- including our lawmakers, our court systems, and the current presidential administration -- is completely ignoring and egregiously violating the laws and principles contained in our founding documents. As such, our lawmakers have destroyed the country. . . .

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
~Proverbs 16:25

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
~Psalm 14:1

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

Are We Defending God's Truth? Or Tolerating the Enemy's Lies . . .

2009-08-18T00:30:00.020-04:00

"A dog barks when his master is attacked.
I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."

~ John Calvin

. . . It's sorta' the theme of my entire blog. (See the definition of Apologia in scrolling text of the header.) And I have learned over the years that one of the most challenging places to stand firm and defend the truth of God's Word is in the company of other church-goers.

Are you tilting your head wondering, "uHmmm??!"

It doesn't take too many clicks of your television remote, or even a trip through a grocery store checkout aisle, to be convinced that we live in a time of complete spiritual confusion and blind exploration. Satan has indeed conquered the world in terms of winning it over. Which makes one of Satan's most preferred workplaces in our current culture -- the "church." The spiritual confusion is just as readily found inside the church as it is outside the church. Just because you're sitting in a church building does not mean you are surrounded by Bible-believing saints!

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel . . . "

~ II Corinthians 4:4

Peer pressure within the Christian world to "match-up" our faith with fellow Christians is great. And the pressure to accept and tolerate ideas and doctrines and theories that are flat-out against God's Word is rampant. Satan has become very proficient at working within this subset of culture known as the Evangelical Church.

Making matters worse in the fact that so few churches really offer expository preaching/teaching from the Bible anymore -- nor do they teach people how to study the Bible. One well-known mainstream Christian pastor has admitted that certain passages of Scripture are offensive to his followers and he will not preach from them. How can Christians defend something they are not familiar with?

The Result: Satan has been given a place of honor in the life of every Christian who is unable to or refuses to defend God's Word.

Take the Harry Potter craze for an example. The Bible is very clear about the sin of witchcraft, abstaining from the appearance of evil, and about casting down imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. End of discussion.

Or is it?

Satan's job is to attack God's Word and to twist it and to confuse its true message and cause Christians to accept or tolerate the untruths and he does not rest in his quest to achieve this goal. Enter: J.K. Rowling. How many Christian kids do you know who are fans of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series? And how many Christian parents do you know who tolerate it. Whose fault is this?

The parents?
The church?
The pastor?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?

What about the self-help industry? Consumer psychology and the self-help industry are among the biggest money generators in our society. And the biggest problem in the self-help industry is that many (not all) promoters make false promises. They promise hugely unrealistic results, as if reading a single book or attending a single seminar will produce all the permanent changes you need to make your life absolutely perfect.

Yet Christians still purchase these products as frequently as non-Christians because they really want to believe the marketers are telling the truth. And probably more notably, people are keenly aware that they do indeed need help.

For the most part, secular psychology has attacked if not completely dismissed God's Word. And lamentably, many Christians have accepted it. And if they haven't accepted secular psychology for their own lives, they have learned to accept and tolerate it in the lives of their friends and family .

If every God-fearing Christian (there is no other kind) would stand up for God's Word and God's plan for psychological wholeness, the self-help industry would most certainly go broke! Romans 3:23-24 says more about self-improvement than 10,000 self-help books. But until God's Truth is spoken and defended and accepted and one's attitude is changed, Satan wins the battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but dismissed.

How many Christian friends do you know who are caught up in secular psychology? Whose fault is this?

The psychologist?
The person's friends?
Family?
The church?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?

Let's talk politics.

Okay. . . second thought, let's not.

But surely you can fill in the blanks here. To try and put GOD and the Truth of HIS Word into the confining and humanistic box of politics makes Him a very,very small God.

Yet . . . it is abundantly clear that our current political climate has made a mockery of God's Truth on everything from the value of human life itself to the work ethic of those who are allowed to live. Whose fault is this?

The politicians?
The President?
The church?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent?!

When Christians choose to remain silent when God's Word is attacked, we have effectively learned to accept and tolerate the Enemy's lies and Satan does indeed gain a foothold; and this primes the church for accepting the New Age Movement much more easily.

Sure . . . as "good Christians" we can pick and choose our causes. We can rail against abortion or pre-marital sex or witchcraft or even Mormonism or Catholicism. Some of us even like to take on "false versions" of the Bible in order to gain credibility as a "real Christian." Our individuality does drive us to hand-pick what we will defend from God's Word. But this is NOT what the Gospel calls us to do!

Christians must "bark" when our Master is attacked. On any subject. If we don't, then Satan wins another battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but eventually dismissed altogether. And then . . . what's the point?

"A dog barks when his master is attacked.
I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked
and yet would remain silent."

~ John Calvin

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. . . "
~Ephesians 6:13-14

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife
[This article also submitted for outside publication]

* * * * * * * * * *

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Loneliness . . .. . . and "Yada, Yada, Yada"

2009-08-11T05:02:00.004-04:00

“Rather than turn from loneliness,
what if we turned toward it?
Could it be that loneliness is not a curse. . .
but a gift?
A gift from God?”

~Max Lucado,
Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23

It was the 153rd Episode -- the 19th Episode of the 8th Season of the TV show, Seinfeld. The "Yada, Yada, Yada" episode. Surely you remember it . . . .

George is -- as usual -- overanxious and sensitive. He is concerned about his girlfriend's use of the phrase, "yada, yada, yada," as a way of getting past what to her are meaningless details.

Alas, Elaine steps in to reassure George . . .

George: You don't think she'd yada yada sex?
Elaine: I've yada yada'd sex.
George: Really?
Elaine: Yeah, I met this guy. We went out to dinner. I had the lobster bisque. We went back to his place. Yada, yada, yada. I never heard from him again.
Jerry: But you yada yada'd over the best part.
Elaine: No. I mentioned the bisque.

Needless to say, Seinfeld fans everywhere have forever secured "Yada, Yada, Yada" in their unconscious thesaurus as a synonym for sex.

Kinda' ironic since the Hebrew word "yada" refers to "knowing" another so intimately and completely that it is a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse. We read in Genesis 4:1 that "Adam knew" ("yada") Eve his wife; and she conceived and bare Cain...."

Forgive my sacrilege, but this is precisely how too many Christians have come to describe the most important, personal and relational aspect of being a Christian -- Salvation. For the most part, we "yada, yada, yada" over the actual salvation experience, racing right past (or skipping altogether) the acceptance of our depravity before a Holy God and the cultivating of an intimate and deep relationship with the only ONE that can save us from our sin and depravity.

A great number of churches today confuse human intellect and the ability to act like a Christian and think like a Christian and perform like a Christian for the real thing! The defining characteristic of a Christian is not necessarily a lifestyle (or lack of a certain [undesirable] lifestyle), but a relationship with Christ Jesus as Savior.

Our ability to rationalize and convince others we are a "Christian" by the way we act and think and speak and behave and dress and vote and how we spend our time and money is a hilarious substitute for the real thing. A substitute with eternal consequences.

French philosopher René Descartes coined the phrase, Cognito, ergo sum, translated: I think, therefore I am. Yeah, I've seen the various humor-indulged versions:

I think, therefore I imac,
I think, therefore I vote Republican, etc.

Funny. But while our ability to think and reason and behave does indeed set us apart from the rest of Creation and make us unique among other human beings, a biblical understanding that we are created in the image of God makes us relational beings as well! Like our Creator, we have been created in such a way that we require both human and Divine connection. So much so that lack of connectedness (or loneliness) truly is a critical state of existence!

And . . . [This is key:] a complete and full understanding of our condition before God shows us that it is not fellow human beings that we are disconnected from, but God Himself!!

Hence: The entire unfolding of the Plan of Salvation beginning in the Book of Genesis when human beings became lost and alone and cut-off and secluded and forlorn and abandoned. . . .

Hey! All synonyms for . . . lonliness!
...So basically, loneliness defines the human condition!

“Rather than turn from loneliness,
what if we turned toward it?
Could it be that loneliness is not a curse. . .
but a gift?
A gift from God?”

~Max Lucado

Is loneliness a "gift" from the Creator sent that we might find a greater gift? The gift of Genuine Salvation? Salvation by Grace Alone? Salvation apart from our own ability to do anything? Even our ability to think and reason and rationalize . . . and perform?

I think so . . .

I also think that the pseudo-loneliness that we feel when we are physically apart from -- or without -- friends and loved ones is greatly diminished when we can truly rest in the arms of our Savior. We all know "lonely" people who have found immense joy in their Salvation. Joy that quashes human "loneliness." These people are not lonely - they are alone. There is a big difference.

Then . . .

To confirm it -- this:

I read this Status Update on my Facebook over the weekend and I just had to wrinkle my forehead a bit at its implications . . .

Facebook Friend lol oh! I mean L-O-N-E-L-Y. So [bleep] lonely. I'm hyper bored and so lonely layin in bed watchin tv and doing computer. FB is all I have. i should sleep but it’s too early. I’m just so lonely it hurts feels like i ant gonna find any friends ever. It hurts

Sat at 7:41pm · Comment · Like

I think my Facebook Friend has recieved the gift of lonliness, but hasn't yet unwrapped it . . . .

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Loni on her blog, Writing Canvas.

I'll Be Back . . . This Blogger has. . .

2009-06-29T20:27:00.006-04:00

Gone Fishing!

Summer in Minnesota is so short . . .
I'll be back blogging soon enough.

Have a GREAT SUMMER, Friends!

In Other Words . . . So What if I Fall?The Heart of Diety Never Takes His Eyes Off of Me . . .

2009-05-19T00:00:00.009-04:00

“What if I stumble, what if I fall?

What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk
becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?”

Chorus from the song, "What if I stumble?"
Artist: DC Talk / Album: Intermission

It's a phenomenon I've noticed often in Contemporary Christian Music:
So much use of the word "I."

Why so much focus on ME? So what if I fall? It's a given that I will. And yes, His Great Love will go on even when my walk becomes a crawl.

See, there is not a soul since the beginning of the world that has not stumbled. We all fall and make fools of all mankind. It's our nature. Yet God sees each and every one. Every time. Everywhere. He's the Creator!

It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord our God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
- Deuteronomy 11:12

What land? What year? It was around the year 1400 B.C. It was the Land of Milk and Honey: The Promised Land. And in the context of this passage in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are being equipped to set out and possess the land. They did not yet physically control the land – their right to the territory hadn’t yet materialized. Yet they already seemed to have power over this land through eyes of faith.

I'm fairly certain they were not listening to DC Talk on thier IPods.
They were not worried about "falling."

And guess what? This same beautiful illustration is -- should be -- ours in 2009: God’s caring and attentive eyes are always looking upon us. And we - like the Israelites - can put our concerns and uneasiness into God’s hand of infinite grace and possess strength to face the yet-unseen future.

“The eyes of the Lord…” What precisely does that mean? Surely it is more than just Omniscience. I don't know for certain. But let’s just envision the delight and enchantment in the eyes of a loving and devoted parent as they watch their young child achieve something for the very first time. Let's say: walking! (Lots of stumbling and falling here.) Do you see in your mind's eye the deep love of God’s eyes as He watches His creation stumble and fall . . . and learn?

This looking-after is not delegated to some other heavenly creature. The Bible does not tell us that the eyes of the angels are watching over us. God Himself watches us! The heart of Deity looks after us! And he never stops watching after us. This special watch-care is unbroken. It’s continuous. This unwearied power of God toward His people has been uninterrupted since the creation of the world! No human effort, no lyricist, no gifted writer, no dramatist could ever sufficiently make plain or explain God’s watch-care over His own.

He watches each of us with personal interest and He absolutely sees us stumble and fall-- knowing full well that the ensuing bruises only teach us better how to walk when we get up and continue on . . . .

It’s time we switched to the flip side of all the songs and lyrics that focus on "I." We need to take an honest look at our eyes.

If God is ceaselessly and unwarily watching us, should not our eyes be upon Him? Constantly?!

Sad thing is I’m afraid we don’t even come close. We get caught up in our days -- setting our sights on the temporal and the frivolous – and we don’t look for Him or see Him at all. And that's when we ask,

"What if I stumble, what if I fall?"

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Miriam on her blog, Miriam Pauline's Monolouge.

Problems or Pearls . . .

2009-05-06T06:35:00.000-04:00

The little pearl oyster receiving accidentally into its shell a rough fragment of rock or sand tries in vain to expel the intruding and irritant substance and only suffers in the struggle until rasped and bleeding it gives up in agony and helplessness. Then a new force comes into play. From its peculiar physiological system the little mollusk sends forth a crystal fluid which covers and coats the rough piece of rock with a soft crystalline cushion and as this grows and hardens it becomes a beautiful pearl. It ceases to irritate and soothes and rests the wounded side of the little creature until the curse has become a blessing, and some days later the pearl fisher discovers the hidden treasure, opens the shell and takes forth a gem of purest luster and boundless value which is worn in the coronets of kings and adorns the highest rank and grandest occasions. So someday our sorrows, irritations and wrongs, having first been sweetened by the Holy Spirit into heavenly virtues, will become the jewels of an immortal crown and will shine in the diadem of Jesus and adorn our brow forever!

~ A. B. Simpson

A.B. Simpson’s words are tender and poignant. The pearl oyster embodies so many human problems, sorrows, and emotional suffering. Like the oyster, we encounter “irritants,” but we have a tendency to try and avoid them. We’re human – it’s inborn.

Christian counselors will tell you that the basis of almost all mental illness is the tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them. It was renowned physician Carl Jung who said, “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. “

The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute for our suffering ultimately becomes more painful that the original suffering we are trying to avoid! Does this explain why the wisest saints among us are often the people who endure pain rather than escape it? These saints are men and woman who are “acquainted with grief.” I believe this describes Job. How about our Savior Jesus Christ?

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief."
~ Isaiah 53:3

“…yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
~ Hebrews 5:8

Are you trying to avoid problems and the suffering that comes with them? Maybe you have several dozen problems today. If you listen to the voices around you, you’ll search for a substitute – an escape route. You’ll miss the fact that your problems are God-appointed – fashioned to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with Him. Growth and wisdom come with each irritating-piece-of-sand-kind-of-a-problem. And what emerges is an exquisite gem of purest luster and boundless value!

In Other Words: Find me Faithful. . .

2009-05-05T00:40:00.002-04:00

“Mordecai understood that it is not failure that brings despair, but unfaithfulness and idleness.”

~Dorothy Patterson, Editor
Women’s Devotional Bible Devotion:
Service Through Providence

I recently celebrated a birthday; and like most people my age, I no longer count years. Not so much because the numbers is too high, but because the years don't seem to match-up with my successes. While I have succeeded at things that I had never set out to accomplish, I have also failed at many more.

Yet, despair is the very last word I would use to describe my life!

Faithfulness. Now there's a word I might use.

And let me think . . . idleness. Hmmmmm. . . . Here's a word with which I'm really not familiar. Perhaps Mordecai was on to something here. . .

I don't write this post to flatter myself. Not at all. I write because there is much truth to be found in Ms. Patterson's quote. It is not physical or earthy accomplishments -- or the lack of them -- that determine our state of mind. And I think most of us would have to agree: Faithfulness is a good thing. Faithfulness (i.e., faithfulness to God, our Creator) is a sustaining force that overcomes any physical or earthly pursuit.

Unfaithfulness in even its slightest form is hateful to God. Unfaithfulness often stems from unbelief; and unbelief destroys the soul. It hinders God's work in us. Which, of course, leads to despair!

But what is faithfulness to God?

Some think of faithfulness as simply living without lust and getting victory over sinful habits. Others think it means being constant in Bible reading, prayer, giving of tithes, and church attendance. Still others think of it as going about doing good, or keeping pure by avoiding all that is evil and wicked. But these things can never make us faithful to God. Never. These are works.

". . . not by works, so that no one can boast."

~ Ephesians 2:9

These are wonderful things indeed and are certainly commanded in God's Word - and we will do them if we are faithful. But they in themselves are not the essence of faithfulness. You see, faithfulness to God is impossible unless it springs from a trusting, believing heart!

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."
~Hebrews 3:12

This verse is not written to unbelievers - but to Believers! The writer of Hebrews was saying, "You! Christians: Beware. Watch out. Make sure you don't have an evil heart of unbelief."

Unbelief must have been a problem back in 80 A.D. And unbelief is most definitely a problem in 2009 A.D. We are surrounded on all sides by unbelief in the world today. Our culture is steeped in skepticism and unbelief. And you'd be lying to yourself to think that unbelief does not also live in Christian circles.

I want to be the kind of Christian who does not need the reminder of Hebrews 3:12. I want to be the kind of Christian who believes God's Word is sufficient for every human need. I want to be the kind of Christian who believes that God's Word will guide and sustain me regardless of the future. I want to be the kind of Christian whose faithfulness knows nothing of idleness - neither idle talk nor idle thoughts. I want to be found faithful -- even in my failures.

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
~ Romans 10:17

“Mordecai understood that it is not failure that brings despair, but unfaithfulness and idleness.”

And I understand that my faithfulness to God's Word
is my greatest insurance policy against despair. . . .

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Patricia on her blog, Typing One Handed.

God's Purpose, Platitudes & Silver Linings ♫ ♪ Que Sera Sera ♪ ♫ . . .

2009-04-21T00:00:00.007-04:00

“Give yourself permission not to know and be satisfied knowing the One who does.”

~ by Joyce Meyer, I Dare You

Because ". . . we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) In context, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to Christians in Rome who had to have been beside themselves wondering whether God was really even hearing their prayers in the midst of some very real suffering and affliction.

Doesn’t every Christian sometimes wonder that same thing? Yet, Romans 8:28 is very clear: in everything God works for good. Paul wanted the believers to give themselves permission not to know -- not to understand their suffering -- and simply be satisfied knowing the One who does know and does understand?

Period. End of explanation. But I’d be quite a foolish teacher and writer to stop there.

So here we go: It would do us well to skip verse 28 entirely until we fully understand verse 29. When you start with Romans 8:28 -- or worse yet, use it as a solo verse -- you run the risk of turning profound Biblical truth into a trite piece of conventional wisdom.

I’ve heard many Christians mumble Romans 8:28 as a capsule of encouragement for life’s problems – sort of a theological version of the proverbial saying that “in every cloud there’s a silver lining.”

To reduce Romans 8:28 to conventional wisdom would be to do a terrible injustice to Paul’s teaching and to rob God’s Word of its truth. Open the door with me to a better understanding:

Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” See, God is at work among us -- He has been for centuries -- and He is in absolute control. He will bring about His intended purpose. The eternal plan will unfold. But make no mistake; this does not mean that God plays with our lives like puppets for His Divine amusement. Neither does it mean that God is “letting be what will be.” (♫ ♪ Que Sera Sera ♫)

Not at all. God has an eternal plan and He is working to bring about his saving purpose -- that is, to conform Christians to the image of his Son Jesus.

Think about the life of Jesus. He died a cruel death between two criminals for me. And for you. And THAT is the journey on which the sovereign God is taking us . . . a Death to Self.

Becoming in Christ’s image is by no means a glorious thing -- only light and love and good thoughts (good grief!). Rather becoming in Christ's image is something that happens in the everyday depths near which we always always find ourselves: stressed out, sick, facing tragedy, suffering, confused, brokenhearted, hopeless, helpless . . . .

True: There's really not a lot of optimism here. It’s not as if “all things work together for good” means that there is some small increment of good that is always being worked out in spite of appearances. (A silver lining behind every cloud . . . ) That would be false hope. God’s Word does not do that.

When we start with Romans 8:29 and know that it is the image of Christ to which we are being conformed, it keeps us from reducing 8:28 to the idea that there is a hidden good in our present suffering and the evil that surrounds us. It prevents that “every cloud has a silver lining” kind of thinking.

God’s eternal purpose is infinitely wider and deeper than silly platitudes that everything will be all right. God’s eternal purpose is not separate from but encompassing of our suffering and confusion. God’s eternal purpose uses even the worst that sin, death, and Satan have to give us in order to bring about His eternal purpose.

What sustains us in our present suffering and confusion is to know our prospect of a future glory and to know for certain that God is fulfilling His eternal purpose in our lives yet today. . . but in His time.

“Give yourself permission not to know and be satisfied knowing the One who does.”
~ by Joyce Meyer, I Dare You

Printable Version

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Nina on her blog, Mama’s Little Treasures.

Whisperer, Gossip, Blabbermouth . . . Not So Pretty!

2009-04-18T00:00:00.007-04:00

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of a life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men [and women], who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers [and sisters], this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

~ James 3:6-11 (NIV)

For a long as I can remember, I have avoided deep relationships with other women. Women can be the cruelest of creatures. Really I think it dates back to Genesis Chapter 3. There is something in us that broke that day. Something we continually have to struggle against. It seems to be in the very core of our being to pit one another against each other. And what is so very sad is that we see it in churches as readily as the secular workplace.

Women have always been the most deadly critics of other women. They know how to wound with precision. They know how to judge. They know how to look another woman over from head to toe, inside and out, and then make a diagnosis of all the ills they have found. Why do we do that? Is it so that we don’t have to look at ourselves? Is it because we are jealous creatures? Is it because we have not learned how to love one another? [Read More . . . ]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Join me at the Cafe'
I am a Guest Contributor today at
Christian Women Online's Devotional Blog.

Printable Version

Never Never EVER Judge a Book by its. . . . . . Well, you know

2009-04-16T21:08:00.011-04:00

May I always see those around me through the eyes of God.
May I always hear them through the ears of God,
And love them with the heart of God!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more Videos

It's Not About My Failures. In Fact . . . It's Not About My Performance At All!

2009-04-14T12:00:00.008-04:00

"God’s promises are never affected by our failures.

He can use us at any age."

~ Michael Youssef
from Leading the Way.

It' s interesting. . . When I read a quote like this, my mind immediately begins functioning in the realm of performance. After all, the very definition of "failure" implies performance . . . .

I'm thinking of all the different "religious" activities that Believers can perform in the various stages of life using their gifts, talents, resources. . .

At age eighteen:

God's Word tells us,
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. . . " (I Timothy 4:12)

. . . We use our youthful energy and excitement to engage in spiritual activities and programs that we know will advance His Kingdom. Regardless of our failures, God uses our performance. We are in His favor.

At age forty:

God's Word tell us,
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. . . " (Matthew 28:19)

. . . We use our education to instruct others and we tithe regularly, knowing that our money will help advance His Kingdom. Regardless of our failures, God uses our performance. We are in His favor.

At age seventy:

God' Word tells us that our
“age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.” (Job 32:7)

. . .We use our lifetime of education and wisdom to witness to everyone we meet and we pray hard, knowing that our works will help advance His Kingdom. Regardless of our failure, God uses our performance. We are in His favor.

However, from God's perspective (and what He tells us in His Word), our performance at any age is irrelevant. Probably laughable in His eyes -- if not pitied.

Why do we do this? Why does my own thinking go immediately towards the idea of performance?

An excerpt from The Journal of John Woolman (1720-1772) answers the question:

"But many others, having their religion chiefly by education and not being enough acquainted with that cross which crucifies to the world, do manifest a temper distinguishable from that of an entire trust in God."

Most of us are legalistic by nature, we innately think so much performance by us earns much favor and blessing from God. After all, this is how society works. Is the Christian life any different?

Peter had this attitude when he said to Jesus in Matthew 19:27, "We have left everything to follow you. Therefore what shall we have?" Peter had already added up his merit points, and he wanted to know how much reward they would buy. Jesus answer to him was, "many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Galatians 3:3 tells us this:

"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal through human effort?"

Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches us this:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God. . . "

"God's promises are never affected by our failures." Absolutely! But if we base His promises on performance -- regardless of our success or failure rate -- His promises can never ring true in our lives. Ever!

"He can use us at any age." Absolutely! But God uses us based on our readiness to accept His Grace -- Not our readiness to perform.

Do you understand grace?

A professor at a Christian college in Missouri once gave his students a penetrating, unforgettable picture of grace. A student from his class wrote this in an e-mail:

In the spring of 2002, I left work early so I could have some uninterrupted study time before my final exam in the Youth Ministry class at Hannibal-LaGrange college in Missouri. When I got to class, everybody was doing their last-minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us before the test. Most of his review came right from the study guide, but there were some things he was reviewing that I had never heard. When questioned about it, he said they were in the book and we were responsible for everything in the book. We couldn't argue with that.

Finally it was time to take the test.

"Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one, and I'll tell you to start," our professor, Dr. Tom Hufty, instructed.

When we turned them over, to my astonishment every answer on the test was filled it. My name was even written on the exam in red ink. The bottom of the last page said: "This is the end of the exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you.All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced . . . Grace."

Dr. Hufty then went around the room and asked each student individually, "What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all your studying for this exam help you achieve your final grade?"

Then he said, "Some things you learn from lectures, some things you learn from research, but some things you can only learn from experience. You've just experienced grace. One hundred years from now, if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your name will be written down in a book, and you will have had nothing to do with writing it there. That will be the ultimate grace experience."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"God’s promises are never affected by our failures.

He can use us at any age."

~ Michael Youssef

"God uses us based on our readiness to accept His Grace
-- Not our readiness to perform."

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted today by Karen on her blog, In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus.

Resurrection PowerI Can Only Imagine . . .

2009-04-12T00:01:00.004-04:00

Jesus said,"I am the resurrection and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
~ John 11:25

O Glorious Easter morning,
Christ's work on earth complete.
He left us Blessed Hope,
That in Heaven we'll with Him meet
And side by side, our Loved Ones greet.
I Can Only Imagine!

~Esthermay

YOUR Ransom, MY RansomPaid in Royal Blood . . .

2009-04-11T18:20:00.003-04:00

Christ in Me . . . In Other Words . . .

2009-04-07T00:15:00.014-04:00

"Heaven must be in me, before I can be
in heaven."

~ Charles Stanford

. . . a truly astounding and beautiful claim. And at the same time, a rather profound sadness surrounds
Mr. Stanford's verse.

Scripturally speaking, the Bible does not talk about heaven being in us - rather, Christ being in us. . .

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
~ Galatians 2:20

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
~ Colossians 1:27

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?

~ I Corinthians 6:15

A growing number of Christians prefer to just leave Jesus Christ out of any discussion of heaven. We prefer to dwell on God's Love and Hope of Heaven . . . Street of Gold . . . . Why is it so hard to acknowledge JESUS CHRIST?

Remember the television series Touched by An Angel? Nice show. One of the cleaner story lines you'd find on television at the time. But for all the talk about God and God's Love and Heaven -- not once did any character on that show ever mention the name of Jesus Christ. I wonder why. . . . The power is in the name of Jesus!

. . . that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
~ Philippians 2:10

Too many Christians today simply overlooked Jesus and his disgustingly brutal murder on a cross -- the whole concept of sin and righteousness is sorely lacking. We appear to have little sense that Jesus is ALIVE and active and living in us here and now today as a prelude to heaven. (Then again, maybe He's not.)

(. . . and maybe this is why we're so weak: No power.)

In many churches, Jesus is treated in the same way the British treat their monarchs. -- They strip the monarch of all political power and they do not expect the sovereign to do anything except look good. They treat the monarchs with great respect and reverence. They pay plenty of lip service, but they really don't expect anything from the monarch. This is the way Christians all too often treat the Lord Jesus. We forget that He is in charge of the universe! We forget that

"Christ must be in me, before I can be in heaven."

Heaven is a free gift. Heaven is not something you work for or deserve. Heaven is not something we can dream about and internalized and thereby arrive when we stop breathing earth's air. The Bible says:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
~ Romans 6:23

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. . . .
~ Revelation 3:20

Is Christ is YOU?

"Christ must be in me, before I can be in heaven."

~ Paraphrase of the Entire New Testament Gospel

This Chapter of InOtherWords is hosted by Denise on her blog, ShortyBear's Place.

Is God's Word Relevant Today?

2009-04-06T12:37:00.009-04:00

God's Word:

. . . All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

~ I Samuel 22:2

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Headline:

Glen Beck Rising
by David Knowles
AOL News

"Forget about Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Bill O'Reily, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and all the other headline grabbers. They've got nothing on FOX News's latest populist superstar, Glenn Beck. Though Beck has not yet overtaken O'Reilly and Hannity in the ratings game, he's gaining fast, with an average audience of 2.3 million viewers on the network whose VP for programing recently described as the "voice of opposition" to the Obama administration. And if it's one thing that Beck has got down pat, it's voicing opposition. . . . "
(Read More. . . )

Comments?

Restoring the Heart of Worship . . . Whom Are You Following?

2009-04-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
~ 1 Corinthians 11:1

We all have someone -- or several people -- in our lives to whom we look to for guidance in one way or another. Whether it be guidance in our career, our parenting, our hobbies, or (most importantly) our spiritual growth - we all have someone we admire and learn from...

Besides my husband,
I happen to enjoy the ministry and teaching of John Piper.

And when the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he knew this. He knew that people imitate those whose guidance they seek. People do emulate their leaders and Paul knew that the people in Corinth were trying to be like him and heed his teachings. For this very reason, Paul wanted to make one thing clear: that he should not be followed in word or in deed unless he was in accordance with what Jesus Christ would do or say.

In the context of I Corinthians Chapter 11, Paul was witnessing and speaking about the worship of the church. It had become a chaotic and charismatic exhibition that did not edify the church body at all. So it is in this last part of the Book of I Corinthians, that Paul sought to restore the proper order to worship.

To very-much simplify his teaching: True worship has nothing to do with attending a church service and everything to do with a personal response to God’s work in our individual lives.

In today’s world, Paul’s teaching suggests that worship on a Sunday morning is an end result of our walking with God Monday through Saturday. It has absolutely nothing to do with what today’s church refers to as "Worship Style." Let me repeat that: Worship is not synonymous with music.

We don't have to look far to discover how sensitively God measures the worship of Himself. In Genesis, Cain was rejected by God and turned over to his degenerate and murderous heart all because his worship was wrong—in both motive and in method.

A bit further we find Nadab and Abihu severely judged with instant death for offering "strange fire" at the altar—an offense so serious to God that the brothers' father Aaron was not even allowed to mourn their death. Instead, God commanded Aaron to mourn his sons' great sin.

And then there is Uzzah, killed in an instant for touching the ark of God. And add Eli who, along with his entire descendency, was condemned for honoring his worship-despising sons rather than honoring God.

In all actuality the entire decline and subsequent captivity of Israel and Judah were primarily due to rampant false worship among these chosen nations.

Looking further, we see Jesus Himself never more visibly full of animated wrath than in His "cleansing" of the temple—the place of His Father's worship, now corrupted by those who valued other things more highly.

All of these examples, reveal to us that worship—including how, why, and whom we worship—very nearly tops the list of things God holds dreadfully important.

And yet, we live in an age and culture whose church is as confused and varied in its choices for worship as it is over carpeting its rooms and painting its walls!

For many churches, designing worship has become most closely associated with that which will best suit the attendees or best attract the hesitant church-goer or best reach the youth of society, rather than that which is most pleasing to God.

What are the motives and methods that govern what we do in worship today?

► Are they Scriptural or are they merely self-seeking?

► Does our worship emphasize the way in which we appear to men, or is it solely concerned with how we appear to God?

► Does our worship tend to secularize the sacred in an effort to bring God down to man's level?

► Is our worship intended to soften nonbelievers into "liking" Christians and Christianity?

► Is our worship based on a philosophy that follows "the tradition of men" and "the basic principles of the world"?

► Is our worship designed in such a way as to make the nonbeliever feel comfortable, accepted, pleased, even entertained?

► Does our worship seek the participation of those who neither know God nor love Him?

Remember: Worship is not for the unbeliever.
Worship is the believer's response to God.

► Is our worship exclusively led by, and does it exalt, those whom the world considers successful, attractive, "together," happy?

► Is our worship Christ-like?

► Whom are you following?

In posing these questions,
I hope each of us can search our own motives
and ideas about worship and respond honesty.

I like this about Paul: He humbly recognized his faults (Read Romans 7:14-25) but still took great care to do the right thing and he wanted to make sure that first and foremost people were following Jesus. That is the essence of what Paul wanted. He wanted people to follow Jesus.

I want to be like Paul. If what I say or do does not line up with what God says in His Word, than I don't want to be followed, read or looked to as a leader. Period. Always test for yourself what you read, hear, or see by the truth of God's Word.

And never apologize for standing against or even walking away
from what does not match up with Scripture.

Open your own Bible and read about the false worship in the Old Testament. Read Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians about the heart of true worship in I Corinthians.

Following Jesus takes work. Following Jesus is more than going to church and getting an emotional high with hands raised while singing a favorite praise song.

Sure, that may be part of worship -- a part that cannot take place fully without some relationship with God. However, the heart of worship is more than an emotional response to an inspirational message or song or a specific style of worship designed by a local church to evoke a reaction in its hearers.

True worship is defined by how we live our everyday lives. True worship is seeking God through the pages of the Bible even when we don't feel like it. True worship is reading a passage of Scripture and applying it to our lives even though we don't like how that particular passage of Scripture makes us feel. True worship is a life of surrender -- following the true Leader -- no matter the cost.

Put yourself in the Apostle Paul’s shoes: Would someone following you be following God as well? How many times per week do you examine your life in light of what the Bible says? How about your favorite Bible teachers/preachers? Does their teaching line up with God's Word? Or do you simply take them at their word?

"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
~ 1 Corinthians 11:1

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April . . .

2009-04-01T11:40:00.009-04:00

"It is time to seek the Lord."
~ Hosea 10:12

This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year.

Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires.

Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? then, I entreat you, give your vigour to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise the Lord every day for it.

Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, "It is time to seek the Lord."

Ye who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush, are warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order.

Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now -- be thankful for that, but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent chamber, on this first [day] of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord." Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace.

~Charles H. Spurgeon
From the Devotional Classic "Morning and Evening"

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Weep With Those Who Weep . . .In Other Words . . .

2009-03-31T00:00:00.003-04:00

"For most of this century we have wrongly defined soul wounds as psychological disorders and delegated their treatment to trained specialists. Damaged psyches aren't the problem. The problem is disconnected souls."

~Larry Crabb

"Connecting" -
Healing for Ourselves and Our Relationships

"Counseling" is an often-used word today, but what do we really understand of it from a Biblical perspective?

The Book of Job is rich with lessons on suffering, but one of the greatest lessons that we can apply to the church body is that of how to counsel and how not to counsel those who are hurting. There are a great number of counselors that actually do more harm than good! If you've studied the Book of Job, you know that Job had to take some time to "recover" from his friends’ “counseling” techniques. And that recovery only came after Job forgave and prayed for his counselors. (Job 42:10)

Let's revisit Job's counselors. They started out with wonderful technique: They wept. They mourned. They sat with Job in the dirt, in shocked grief -- speechless, for seven long days.

When they saw him, they began to weep aloud…
they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job 2:12-13

Job's "counselors" might have done well to just
pack up their stuff and leave at this point because . . .

Sadly, like so many of us today, they became impatient and instead of filling their divinely appointed role of comforter, they chose the world’s preferred alternative of claiming godlike knowledge. They focused their efforts on becoming superior-advice-giving-therapists, rather than comforting and counseling their friend as a peer.

Like Job's friends, we also tire of being in the dirt with our hurting, depressed, and often-irritable sisters and brothers. We want to dust ourselves off and show that we’re above that sort of thing.

We refer our hurting friends to secular therapists and best-seller books. We rely less and less on God and our divinely appointed role as comforters and defer to a therapeutic culture -- A culture that looks beneath every hurt, every pain and every struggle in life and finds some psychological disorder that needs repair -- and more often than not: a pill.

What’s really going on (in far more cases than we'd care to admit) is a soul crying out for what only Jesus Christ can provide. We need to quit relying on professionals to fix damaged “psyches” because . . .

The real problem is disconnected human souls. See . . . the church body is designed to “grow and build itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16) Just as spiritual gifts are to be used for the entire church body – so is its capacity to listen, understand, empathize, and nourish.

It works like this: If you’ve ever received comfort from God – no matter how small - you have something in you that could deeply impact someone else who is hurting.

. . . the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
~II Corinthians 1:4

You -- as part of the Body of Christ -- are able to comfort and encourage the lonely, revitalize the discouraged, and introduce hope into the lives of people who feel rejected and useless. Even if you yourself feel rejected and useless. Look at Jesus' life on earth for inspiration. He is – after all - the Wonderful Counselor. (Isaiah 9:6) . . .

He was the Son of the God of the Universe! -- yet he was humiliated his entire life. He was despised and rejected. (Isaiah 53:3) He was physically vulnerable, weak, tempted, subject to pain, and as the final disgrace, rejected by God. (Matt. 27:46) We see him tired, thirsty, in tears, impoverished, ridiculed. Scripture stresses that the thing that equipped Jesus for his ministry was that he became like those he was called to help.

Today, we’ve somehow established that only those exalted to godlike status holding PhD’s or M.A.'s or LMFT's are empowered to minister and counsel. Nothing could be further from the truth! Even, the most renowned Christian counselors have said that they are only able to truly help people when they put aside their academic training and rely upon the Lord to direct them. And isn’t this what each of us is called to do?

Much heartache could be averted in the body of Christ if we could learn to “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

. . . Not necessarily shedding liquid tears, but unashamedly embrace the pain of others, and let it be obvious that “if one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it.” (I Cor.12:26)

It’s a huge shift in thinking, but the greatest need for the hurting and depressed in our community is not to have more counseling centers or psychotherapists or support groups, but a church body where Christ is exalted and ordinary people learn to shepherd the hurting because, Biblically speaking, simply being a friend, confidant, and sympathizer, is a lofty role that not even the angels or God Himself can fully fill.

Only we, for example, can give a hug or share coffee with a hurting friend. People in pain need to know that they are not alone - they need people with whom they can relate. They don’t need advice as much as they need company and comfort.

Advice is cheap.
Comfort is precious.

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Good Enough Christianity . . .

2009-03-28T18:24:00.006-04:00

"Good-Enough Parenting" is a phrase familiar to developmental and child psychologists. The idea is this: No parent can be perfect so we should stop trying.

We should stop reading Parenting Magazine. We should stop making bunny-shaped pancakes. We should stop beating our heads against that Pottery Barn furniture that never did come together correctly after we took it out of the box . . . . and just be real. We'd do a better job of parenting if we'd just leave our terror driven, self-hating perfectionism behind and be happy with being (hold your breath)

. . . average.

But does this apply to being a Christian?

Will the pursuit of "Good-Enough Christianity" get us farther along the path of spiritual maturity than aiming for "Perfect Christianity?"

My husband and I have been reading Devotional Classics together for several weeks now over our morning coffee. We've been immersed in the writings of authors such as C.S. Lewis, Bernard of Clairvaux, George A. Buttrick, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Chrysostom, Jean-Nicholas Garou, Charles Spurgeon . . .

I think you get the point.

Why are we reading these authors? You should not have to ask, but just in case you're wondering . . . it's because these Christian authors actually believed God's Word to be inerrant and sufficient and infallible and inspired and the absolute final authority on all things! And, frankly, there aren't all that many authors today who write from this perspective.

If you hadn't already observed this phenomena, our culture subscribes to an anti-authority mentality which contributes to an anti-Bible mentality. God's Word has been depreciated by rationalism, existentialism, egoism, relationalism, ritualism, liberalism, intellectualism, mysticism, socialism, and probably a few other-isms as well.

These Christian writers of previous centuries would have been appalled by "Christians" today who blindly believe that God's Love will carry them to heaven simply because they've avoided the big, bad sins like embezzlement and murder. They would be sickened by the mass number of "Christians" who attend church for no other reason than to socialize. They would be horrified to see that "worship" was now defined by a certain style of music. They would be dismayed to know that most Christians only view Christianity as another of the world's many Religions.

These great Christian writers and preachers of yesterday would be aghast to realize that an immesurable number of Christians really are living a "good-enough" Christian life if only because they've never actually read their Bibles!

If St. John of the Cross had seen people today living a "good-enough" Christian life, he would have cried out,

"Oh soul created for this greatness and summoned to it -- what are you doing?"

Christianity is not about public or even private devotion. The Christian is the person who has seen his wretched and prideful state before God and chooses instead to acknowledge God's will. Such people consider God in EVERYTHING they do and live out EVERY aspect of their lives in accordance with God's Perfect Will. And -- Yes! They strive for perfection in their lives.

Listen to the words of William Law:

The simple point is this: either Christianity prescribes rules to live by in our daily lives, or it does not. If it does, then we must govern all of actions by those rules if we are to worship God.

. . . Our blessed Savior and his Apostles were very intent on giving us teachings that relate to daily life. They teach us:
to renounce the world and be different in our attitudes
and ways of life;

to renounce all its goods, to fear non of its evils, to reject its joys, and have no value for its happiness;

to be as newborn babes who are born into a new state of things;
to live as pilgrims in spiritual watching, in holy fear, and heavenly aspiring after another life;

to take up our cross daily, to deny ourselves,
to profess the blessedness of mourning, to seek the blessedness of poverty of spirit;

to forsake the pride and vanity of riches, to take no thought for the morrow, to live in the profoundest state of humility, to rejoice in worldly sufferings;

to reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;

to bear injuries, to forgive and bless our enemies,
and to love all people as God loves them;

to give up our whole hearts and affections to God, and to strive to enter through the straight gate into a life of eternal glory.

Isn't it strange that people place so much emphasis upon going to church when there is not one command from Jesus to do so, and yet neglect the basic duties of our ordinary life which are commanded in every page of the Gospels?

~ William Law (1686 - 1761)
From "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life"

If every Christian were to read the New Testament from its beginning to its end, we would find our course of life condemned in every page of it.

We would then conclude -- with pride -- that the Christian life is impracticable and unattainable in today's world and that the Bible does nothing but condemn and judge. We would also settle once and for all that those Christians who do believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God are delusional.

So then . . . we become content to live out "good-enough" Christianity because the Christianity of the New Testament is hopelessly out of reach in today's world and just flat-out absurd.

No Christian can be perfect so we should stop trying. We should just live like the rest of the world. God's Word is desperately behind the times and can't possibly be relevant to our lives today.

A Fellowship of Burdens . . . Or a Fellowship of Joy?

2009-03-24T01:01:00.004-04:00

To ease another’s heartache
is to forget one’s own.

~ Abraham Lincoln

On Mondays I often wonder how many church members come to church so burdened by the cares of life that they aren’t even really present at worship.

The message of God’s Word does not penetrate their hearts, because it doesn’t make its way past their conscious hearing. They are simply consumed by their burdens. The burdens they carry grow out of finances, marriage, friendships, problems at work, a child who is rebellious or who is running from God, an ongoing health issue, a death in the family – the list of potential problems people face is endless.

I wonder if it's possible for a church – a body of believers – to reach a point where there are more burdened people than there are people willing to bear the burdens? Some churches have become nothing more than a fellowship of burdens!

We've made a verb of fellowship so that we can now "fellowship" over coffee! . . . when the koinonia is nothing more than a burden-comparison-session.

What happened to the Joy of fellowship?

After all -- depending on whom you listen to -- the whole world is a financial, relational, moral and political disaster! Everyone is burdened by something or someone!!

In the New Testament, the word "fellowship" (Greek koinonia) is a very strong word that reminds us that we SHARE together in God's grace -- NOT our common burdens!

The New Testament Church understood Joy.

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
~ Galatians 6:2

The word “burden” in Galatians 6:2 comes from the Greek word βάρος (baros). It refers to a weight that is heavy or crushing. Spiritually speaking, a "burden" is anything that threatens to crush our Joy!

In terms of perceivable burdens in a church body, we do tend to think of "burdens" as sickness, unemployment, loss of a loved-on, loneliness, rejection, etc. And we see the people who bear these burdens as victims -- which isn't necessarily wrong. If we are full of Christ we will most definitely be about the business of bearing these burdens.

Throughout the New Testament we are given instructions on how to conduct ourselves among fellow-believers. The Christian family isn't about criticizing or condemning, but about encouraging and restoring one another. . .

. . . and there isn't a counselor or mental-health professional
anywhere who would disagree that encouraging and
helping to restore others takes our mind off
of ourselves and our own problems.

To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.
~ Abraham Lincoln

There is, however, a greater heartache -- a far more overwhelming and crushing burden -- that too many Christians overlook. Immediately before telling the Galatians to "bear one another's burdens" in Galatians 6:2, Paul describes this greater burden and how to help a person bear it:

"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness."

~ Galatians 6:1

A person who is sinning needs help! The Bible tells us that those who are spiritual should "restore him." The sad part is that way too many Christians wrongly label this Biblical mandate as "judging."

They say, "That's none of my business. I don't want to be burdened by that.
It's not my problem. I'm not going to judge that person."

Sorry. That position is just not Biblical.

Ultimately, Christ has already taken on the burden of sin. We can not carry this burden for someone else. HOWEVER, as Christians, it is our responsibility to admonish and warn each other about attitudes, habits, actions, etc. which are wrong and then point each other to Christ. The Bible is clear on this! . . .

. . . and what greater Joy than to point someone to Christ?
In doing so, aren't we also taking the focus
off of ourselves and our own problems?

Problems that may not have as great an eternal consequence??
If you've ever led someone to Christ, you understand that . . .

. . . To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.
~ Abraham Lincoln

On Mondays do you sometimes feel overwhelmed thinking about the "burdens" of those who surround you in church?

Are they burdened by the economy?
Are they burdened by a broken relationship?
Are they burdened by physical illness?

Or are they burdened by sin?

A burden easily disguised.
A burden with eternal consequence.

Whatever their particular burden, it is our responsibility as Christians to show genuine care -- restoring them to a strong trust in God's all-sufficient grace. Our fellowship (koinonia) with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ. (I John 1:6-7)

. . . remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
~ Acts 20:35

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This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Susan on her blog, Forever His.