GOD's Will vs. Human Will . . .A Complete Mess of Conflicting Wills

"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

1:27 AM | 11 comments | Read More

Why? . . . Because IT Changes Lives!

"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

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I Am the Wretch the Song Refers To. . .

"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. . . .

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Christian . . . or Not?

“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

© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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

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

12:44 AM | 29 comments | Read More

Christians Will Have Enemies - No Doubt . . .

"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

© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

12:15 AM | 18 comments | Read More

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

“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

© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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

11:24 PM | 27 comments | Read More

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

“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

© 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

10:03 AM | 10 comments | Read More

The Danger of Sunday Morning Church . . .

“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

© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

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

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

"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 Charles 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

© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

* 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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