Worship in the Fast Lane

I have to make an honest confession. Sometimes when I sit in some churches I feel absolutely suffocated by all that is going on. It is as if a pillow is being smothered on my face holding me down as I try to gasp for a single breath. I have never taken amphetamines, but at times I wonder if many of our worship services have been suffering from an addiction to “speed.” Growing up, I hated roller-coasters; however, I loved anything that would spin me around to the point where it felt like I wasn’t going to be able to walk straight for a week. As I have gotten older, I have come to a startling discovery---I can no longer take the constant motion of spinning around! The proceeding migraine, nausea, and stiff neck have made me a huge fan of the simpler things in life. And like a mature adult who can no longer take the gravitational forces of amusement park rides, I have come to a place where I can no longer stomach the repetitive, going through the motions Great America theme park worship setting in the church today! As an occasional participant, I have to ask myself as I did when I stopped going to the theme park, “What’s the point?”

What is the point of what we do in the worship service today? Why do we sing the songs that we do and why do we go to such great lengths to execute every element of the service to flawless perfection? Is it so when the band strikes the last chord and the preacher has articulated his final point we can all go out the church doors going “WOW! Can’t wait to get back on this ride next time?” We hail the creativity of our services that are filled with the latest music, riveting dramas, state of the art videos, and of course, a relevant, felt needs message that is sure to keep you wanting to come back for more. But at the end of the day, what has really changed? Sure, we’ve gone through Sunday’s religious ritual with excellence and have found a way to captivate the local audience but when the curtain closes, has anything really changed? 

       

It seems that many of our worship leaders spend more time emulating the latest worship leaders by trying to mimic every nuance of their latest songs or trying to perfectly fit their weekly song selection as another creative element to seem like the service was led by the Spirit than they do in actually leading people into the throne room of God. I know, as a worship leader, I can hear the arguments of “We’re doing this for the Lord! If the world does things with excellence so should we!” I believe that to be true, but by whose standard of excellence. I’m sure that when Paul said “Be excellent in all you do” he would have much rather preferred that those involved in the worship ministry be much more excellent in prayer and the spiritual disciplines rather than being able to perfect the latest guitar lick that would send the song over the top. If we’re worshiping right, then why is everything staying the same week in and week out?

The answer is simple: We’ve come to accept worship in the fast lane---more energy, more drama, more technicalities, and more creativity which drives worship to being an event of captivation for spiritual thrill seekers. And just as it is so easy to race to the amusement park and enjoy the rides without even thinking about the hundreds of people you pass along the way who are not as fortunate as you to spend a day in the park, we have missed the bigger thrill along the way of giving those less fortunate a taste of what we have taken for granted.

When worship becomes about the worshiper the spirit of religion reigns. Religion seeks only to serve the individual and not the God of the individual. When we come to this point in our worship, the greater blessings of God are missed and the overall power of the church is diminished. We can have what we consider “great worship” in the church but in the end, if it only results on an introverted experience of our faith, then in essence, our expressions of worship means nothing as it has not changed us to the point of changing the world around us.Worship in the fast lane is a dangerous place to be. With all that we are doing in the worship services, have we also forgotten the bigger picture that screams out to us that “There is something much more than ourselves!” We can continue to live under the impression that we are touching the heart of God, when in reality, if through our lives His heart is not touching those around us---the sick, the poor, the lonely, the afflicted, and oppressed----we’ve missed the exit to where the ride of worship was intended to take us. I’m sure that in their habitual fasting God’s people in Jerusalem in Isaiah's day(see Isaiah 58) felt as if they were accomplishing something great. And just as there is “nothing new under the sun,” I cannot help to think that we also step back and relish at the heights of what our attempt to make worship better has made us feel like. I believe the real question mimics that of the prophet’s:

“Is this the kind of worship which I have chosen? That a man would delight himself for a Sunday in the midst of exceptional music, professional multi-media, riveting drama, and relevant felt-needs messages in order to sing the praises of his church and be ‘wowed” in the name of excellence?”

And just like the prophet Isaiah, I will “shout it aloud” and “raise my voice like a trumpet” to declare that the day of introverted, self-centered, amusement-based worship practices must come to an end as they are not acceptable to the Lord! We need to return to the heart of worship that will return to us the purposes of God for His church. We are to finish the work the Lord began while we wait for our day of deliverance--- and that work is to live out our worship before the Lord so that we declare to the world that is missing out on the pleasure which we have been privileged to enjoy: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18-19

Is Jesus Better?

The Song of Solomon is an often neglected and mistreated book of the Old Testament. Theologians have labored in finding its significance and preachers have abused its context in making it mean what it does not. Some have even developed end-times theologies based upon the “bride paradigm” and believe that the book unlocks mysteries that promote a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ. In reality, the Song of Solomon is a poem about two lovers who celebrate the joy their marital relationship. This however, does not mean that there are no parallels that reflect upon our relationship with Christ. After all, we are the Bride of Christ and He is the Lover of Our Souls. Paul explained in Ephesians 5 that marriage is a reflection of one’s relationship with Christ. It is our earthy institution that best explains our heavenly relationship with Christ (v.31-32). With this in mind, the Song of Solomon provides some challenges for the reader in the area of evaluating one’s passion for Christ.

One verse in particular, brings a great deal of conviction when I ponder its implications in my relationship with Christ. The author writes, “How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others that you charge us so?” (Song of Solomon 5:9). The woman in this passage was passionately seeking after her lover and begged for her friends to join her in the pursuit of finding him. Their response in our vernacular would have sounded more like, “What makes him so great? What makes him so different that you’re asking us to join you in your pursuit?” I believe that this is a fair question for those friends to ask. After all, it is the middle of the night and the woman is asking her friends for quite a commitment on their part. Although we would most likely not ask our friends to help us chase down someone who we are madly in love with, we would ask others to consider following us as we follow after the Lover of Our Soul----and this is where this passage begins to convict.

As Christians, we make certain claims about Jesus. We believe Him to be the most important part of our lives. We believe His Word to be true and that He keeps that Word. We believe Him to be our strength, sufficiency, comfort, joy, and even our Healer. We believe that He is God Almighty and that He is to be worshiped with all of our heart. The problem lies that when others look at our lives, does our example answer the question of “How is your beloved better than others…how is your beloved better than others that you charge us so?” We make claims that we are worshipers of Jesus, but do the actions, attitudes, and activities we choose to participate in reflect those claims? I can say that living for Jesus is “better” than choosing to live for this world but if my life does not look any different from those choosing to NOT live for Christ, then who am I kidding? This extends well past the idea that “because I go to church” I show how much Jesus means to me mentality. A passion for Christ that screams “HE IS BETTER THAN ALL ELSE” is something that needs to be a part of every fabric of my life---otherwise I live as a hypocrite. Jesus did not claim that He was “the way for some of life, the truth for only what I choose to believe, and the life when only I want to act like someone who loves Christ.” No, He said He is “THE way, THE truth, and THE life!” (John 14:6).

In George Barna’s book Growing True Disciples, he conducted a study which discovered that for the most part, professing Christians are no different in beliefs, actions, and attitudes in life than non-believers. And yet, these same Christians also make the claim that “Jesus is better than all else.” The simple truth is that we cannot claim to be “following after Jesus” while living as those who do not follow after Jesus. If Jesus is “more” than all else in this life, then our example would fully promote that. We would not be focused upon the priorities of pursuing wealth, materialism, fashion, entertainment, success, and questionable indulging that identifies us with worldly living. Rather, we would show with our lives that Jesus has “another way” of living. Those who choose to follow that way will easily be able to answer the question of “What makes Jesus better than the life I already have?” In fact, they won’t have to speak a word to answer that question as the life that passionately pursues Jesus will be evident and DIFFERENT from anything this world has to offer!

A Fire That Lives

Did you ever have one of those experiences when you read a book and said to yourself, “I’m not sure of I got it?” Don’t get me wrong, the book I finished just a few days ago was an entertaining piece of work but when it was all over, I wasn’t sure what the author was actually trying to say from a theological or biblical standpoint. It appears that he was trying to emphasize the fact that those who have grown up without fathers are not abandoned but have become “wounded healers” that have something to invest in the lives of others who grew up in similar circumstances. For me, however, he missed a golden opportunity to allow something much more profound to happen through the experience of his reading his book----he missed allowing the voice of the Lord to speak through the mouthpiece of Scripture throughout the pages. I’m not suggesting that Christian authors fill every other thought with a verse from the Bible, but I am suggesting that as much as we try to convey truth in our own words, sometimes the Word of God speaks to us in greater volumes that our inadequate words ever could attempt to do.

I am now reading another book, The Fire of the Word by Chris Webb. If read properly, it will take me four months to go through this 190 page book. It’s about coming back to a place in our lives where we actually experience the Word of God as it was intended to be experienced. Already, God has given me revelation that I perhaps have not yet considered. As I read my passage of Scripture for today’s reflection, I was reminded of what the “Word of God” means to us who open our Bibles daily in the attempts to hear God’s voice. 1 Samuel 3:1-10 records the story of a young Samuel who receives his calling from the Lord. The imagery is interesting as it shows two different postures of people and two different experiences each one has. First there is Eli. We find him sleeping in his usual place. Then we have Samuel who decides to lay down by the Ark of the Covenant. As you read the story, Samuel is privileged to hear the voice of God calling his name while Eli gets this story second hand from what Samuel experiences. Did you ever think that this is what happens in the church time and time again? There are those who hear God’s voice and those who hear God’s voice second hand through what others experience. The difference is in one’s posture and position before the Lord. Samuel put himself in a place where he was in God’s presence while Eli lived by his routine. Samuel did what was necessary to get as close to God’s presence as he could while Eli was content with being “in the temple” but not in the Most Holy Place.

I think you can easily see the parallels between those who genuinely desire to worship God (Samuel) and those who go through the motions of religion (Eli); however, there is something even more profound in this passage. This is about the Word of the Lord and our ability to hear His voice. God has made it known that He speaks---and I believe He is speaking all of the time. If that is not the case, then we cannot claim that the Bible is the “living Word of God.” His voice constantly speaks to our lives. The problem is that we are not listening. Why? Because our lives are not in position to do so! Hebrews 4:12 states “For the Word of God is LIVING AND ACTIVE…” In other words, each and every time we open the pages of Scripture, GOD IS SPEAKING! But do we hear? Are we listening? Chris Webb made a statement that has stayed with me all week. He suggested that God’s invitation to his word is “not to explain God but to experience God” (Webb 2011, 21). I think too many times when we open His Word we search for “information.” We search for some “truth” he might have for us-----but are we searching FOR HIM? The Bible is much more than a book, but too often I read it like I read To Own a Dragon and I find myself saying, “Some good stuff here but I’m still not satisfied.”

I propose a new approach to God’s Word for this New Year. Rather than being like Eli and opening Scripture from “routine and duty” that we approach it like Samuel. We put ourselves in a position of being able to hear God’s voice----still, quiet, reverent, and making our lives a “Most Holy Place.” If we can do that, then all we need to do is to open our ears and listen for the voice of the Lord. When we open the pages of the Bible we are not opening the pages of just another book----we are opening our lives to the voice of the Lord. He will call our name and when he does we simply need to reply “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

The Coming of a King

It was dark days and the world was in disarray when the announcement first came to a people who were subject to a wicked king, “ The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…for unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:1, 6). The words of the prophet Isaiah came at a time when trusting God was no longer in the interest of the Israel. King Ahaz had decided, despite the fact that Isaiah had told him to “trust God” when faced with the invasion of an enemy, to take it upon himself to place the “government upon his shoulders.” For most kings, this was the normal way of life----they were kings and they ruled their kingdoms. Not so with Israel. They had a king, but he did not rule the kingdom. He was not to be the supreme ruler; rather, he was to be an administrator and was to faithfully serve the people under the hand of God’s authority. God’s people allowed a tyrant on the throne who had forgotten that when it came to His kingdom, God alone had the authority to rule and reign.

The repercussions of Ahaz (and other kings who choose to place the “government upon their own shoulders”) brought the people of God into even darker days under the rule of an empire not their own: Rome. During those days another announcement came, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12). In the midst of living among the most powerful earthly kingdom to ever be upon the face of the earth in all of history, God announced that His king had now come to change the entire power structure of mankind. This time, however, it was not about lands, armies, empires, or politics. It was about coming to rule the unconquerable kingdom of the hearts of man and the human spirit. Although a few recognized that the “child was given” to rule and reign in their lives, many continued on in the same fashion as Ahaz and trusted in their ability to rule their own lives.

Psalm 89 speaks of God’s rule and reign over all of creation. It calls for men to bow before His throne and just as Isaiah promised, the psalmist recognized that one day that upon David’s throne, would sit one who would be exalted over all the “kings of the earth” and who would rule forever (Psalm 89:27-29). Today, that person is sitting on that throne. Do we recognize that? The psalmist goes on to describe something that is all too common in our world concerning this King---“You have exalted the right hand of his foes…” (Ps. 89:42). The psalmist recognized that because Israel failed to maintain the covenant relationship between and God and themselves, God turned them over to the authority of their enemies. The result is that for many, like in the days of Ahaz and in the days of Rome, nothing has changed and life remains under the rule of someone other than the One who is destined to rule.

Christmas is a powerful reminder that a King has come. He has not come to simply give us a warm and wonderful story that will be reproduced over and over until we lose sight of its true meaning. He came to be KING! He came in the hopes that we would no longer “exalt the right hand” of his foes and would exalt Him to the rightful place in our lives. In the bible, the “right hand” is symbolic of authority, rule, and power. Isaiah’s promise was that when the child was born, the “government will be upon his shoulder.” In other words, He was given the authority to rule and reign in our lives. We’ve been given this promise. We’ve been given this King to rule and reign our lives----but is His right hand exalted in our lives or that of his foes? The foes are no longer physical governments that attempt to dictate to how men should live; consequently, it is the government of men's hearts that stand to assert the “right hand” of authority over Christ. It is pride, greed, envy, lust, anger, bitterness, doubt, worry, and fear that represent the “foes” of this King. We cannot go through life after having encountered the King and then exalt the right hand of his foes in our hearts----otherwise, His coming to us would be in vain. We would be no different that the countless people who throughout the ages have missed the point: Jesus Christ has come to rule and reign as King over our lives. Either He is or He isn’t. A salvation that doesn’t have Jesus Christ reigning in our hearts and reigning over His foes is no salvation at all! 

If there is any doubt as to why Jesus Christ came, it will one day be made crystal clear. This king is coming once again. In his first coming, he established a throne within the hearts of men. In his second coming, he will establish his physical kingdom. No longer will there be ANY foes to be found. Echoing throughout the heavens and the earth we will hear “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). My prayer is that during this Christmas season you would remember that we have been given a King to rule our lives and because of that, we would actually allow Him to have that place in our hearts.

The Making of an Unshakable Life

The great questions of Psalm 15 “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?” and “Who may live on your holy hill?” centers on the realization that there are conditions which are present and must be fulfilled if one is to obtain the privileged life that lives in the favor of the Lord. Jesus echoes this idea throughout the Gospels in making statements such as “…anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27), “ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) and “ I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). In making such statements, one could easily argue that there are individuals who inherit salvation based on their faith in the work of Christ who are vastly different from those who have experienced salvation but have inherited the kingdom of God as a way of life. The latter are the people, who Spurgeon explains that are “Members of the visible church, which is God’s tabernacle of worship, and hill of eminence,” that “diligently see to it, that they have the preparation of heart which fits them to be inmates of the house of God.”[i] Those who “dwell” in God’s sanctuary and “live on His holy hill” have made certain “marks” in their lives----lines in the sand that have propelled them into a life of Christian maturity.

Centuries before Jesus revealed to His disciples the challenges that would face those who desired to obtain a life defined by the kingdom, David penned the words of Psalm 15 realizing that in order to become a person whose life would be identified as being “unshakable” in worshiping Yahweh, there were stipulations which needed to be fulfilled to experience such a life. Although it only contains five verses, Psalm 15, reveals three “marks” of maturation that must be present in one’s life if one is to live an “unshakable life” that is defined by the presence of God; consequently, these three “marks” are the result of the life-long journey of pursuing a life of spiritual formation, which is steeped in discipline and exercised through the desire to know God deeply and passionately.

The first mark of maturity that allows one to live an unshakable life is purity. David said in response to his question of “who may dwell..?” (v.1) in the sanctuary and holy hill of God, that it is “He whose walk is blameless…”(v.2) who will be able to reside there. The Hebrew word, tamiym means “complete, whole, without defect, and entirely in accord with truth and fact.”[ii] Blamelessness infers that when a life is under examination through the eyes of the Lord, He is seeing a complete, unadulterated heart that is free from sinful contaminates. The whole person is able to stand in purity before the Lord. The way of blamelessness, however, is not an easy road for the believer to walk. It is evident that those who would strive for purity in a world that is over wrought with sin would need to maintain a disciplined life. This calls for the practice of submission in every area of one’s life. Richard Foster explains that submission is “…the ability to lay down the burden of always needing to get our own way.”[iii] It is the self-less life that leads to the blameless life as one seeks to fulfill the living out of the pure love of Christ in “laying down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). As one submits to the will of the Lord, he is able to fulfill the act of blameless living as David described as “who does his neighbor no wrong” (Ps. 15:3).

The second mark of maturity found in Psalm 15 is obedience. David’s observation that those whose walk is “blameless” may dwell in the unshakable place of the Lord’s presence is followed by the addition of “and who does what is righteous” (v.2). The word righteous in this context portrays the meaning of doing what is “ethically and morally right.”[iv] In order for one to do what is morally and ethically “right” one must adhere to the commandments of the Lord. By doing so, one is exercising the discipline of worship. Foster writes that “just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience…in all things and in all ways we do exactly what Christ says because we have a holy obedience that has been cultivated over years of experience.”[v] Although the believer has been given a “righteousness in Christ” (Phil. 3:9), the act of righteousness, which David is referring to in Psalm 15, is something which must be exercised in one’s life. Disciplines such as study, prayer, worship, and service, all play an important role in developing an obedient heart which seeks to live out the commandments of the Lord. Only in doing so can one “do what is righteous;” otherwise, acts of righteousness would be exercised through selfish motives rather than the desire to please God. David inserts the application of what the practice of righteousness reflects itself in one’s life as being “…has no slander…does no wrong…casts no slur…keeps his oath…and does not accept a bribe” (Ps. 15:3-5). Thus, obedience to what the Lord requires in one’s life results in acts of righteousness which allows one to “…dwell in your sanctuary” in unshakable worship before the Lord.

The third mark of maturity found in Psalm 15 is one of “integrity.” It has been said, that “Integrity is who you are when no one is looking.”  David’s reflection on this idea in Psalm 15 is found in the phrase, “…who speaks the truth from his heart” (Ps. 15:2). The word “truth” denotes “faithfulness, stability, continuance and reliability.”[vi] Speaking truth from one’s heart expresses more than spoken words. Motives and thoughts are things which also come from the heart. If one is not faithfully, continually, and reliably living out the “truth” of the Christian life then speaking “truth” from one’s heart would be an impossibility. Only a person who will remain true to themselves can fulfill what David had in mind for this requirement of the unshakable life. Matthew 5: 8 states “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  John Stott notes that those who have a “pure heart” have a heart that is “utterly sincere,” furthermore, he adds that “Their whole life, public and private, is transparent before God…yet how few of us live one life and live it in the open.”[vii] Truth encompasses the essence of the spiritual disciplines. Without one living in integrity, the foundations of spiritual formation cannot be supported as one would deny the truth of who he is in Christ and opt to live his life governed by the flesh. To dwell in the sanctuary of God and live in His holy hill, however, the believer must be true to the life he has been given and through that life----physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, speak the truth in all things.

A life that reflects purity, obedience and integrity is not a result of an instantaneous work of the Spirit; rather, it is a result of a life that journeys on the road of spiritual formation. Psalm 15 shares the important truth that if one chooses to embark on the journey one can live an unshakable life which dwells with the presence of God. Although the believer has been given all he needs in Christ to fulfill what is required for the unshakable life, he must realize that “sufficient strength and insight” will not “be automatically infused into our being in the moment of need.”[viii] The context of Psalm 15 makes it clear that the privilege of living the unshakable life is a matter of choice. God cannot make His people choose purity, obedience or integrity. He cannot make them choose a holy life nor can He make them choose a disciplined life. He can, however, make it possible. By giving the believer the opportunity to take the “yoke” of Christ upon him and by “adopting His overall life style,” the unshakable life becomes a reality.[ix] This reality can only be made possible through a life of spiritual formation. The disciplining of one’s self to live as Jesus lived. The provision has already been made. One only needs to discipline one’s self to pursue the life that has been provided. In other words, mature in the Christian life. If one can do that, then he can come to live the unshakable life that dwells in the presence of the Lord.

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[i] C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: vol. 1(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 176.

[ii] Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III, The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 1508.

[iii] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (New York: Harper One, 1998), 111.

[iv] Francis Brown, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), 841.

[v] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 173.

[vi] Blue Letter Bible. "Book of Psalms 15 - (NIV - New International Version)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 3 Oct 2010. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=15&t=NIV >.

[vii] John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1978), 49.

[viii] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines,(New York: Harper One, 1988), 4.

[ix] Ibid., 5.

To Judge or Not to Judge?---That is the Question!

Sometimes of the words of Jesus are rather confusing. While at times you believe He is saying one thing, He then turns that tables and makes comments that are seemingly contradictory to what you though He said. Take Matthew 7 for instance. We are told not to “judge” (V.1); however, we are then told that if are heart is in the right place, we are allowed to speak into the lives of those who are erring in their ways (v.3-6). To further this, Jesus then tells us that we can recognize a “tree by its fruit” (v.15-23) which clearly tells us that He has given us a sense of discernment to make judgments concerning the issue of “truth.” So on one hand, Jesus tells us “Do not judge” and on the other, He tells us that we can “judge.” What is the method to his madness? Using the words of Shakespeare to fit our thinking, “To judge or not to judge?---that is the question!”

Writing from the perspective of an American (for those of you in Germany, Russia, and the UK), we take this issue very seriously. In fact, it appears to be an “either-or” way of thinking. In one camp you have the “Don’t judge me” people and in the other, you have the “I’m God’s agent of wrath who can reveal everything within the hearts of men” people. The truth is, neither one of these type of people are following the Biblical precedent concerning the Christians ability to “judge or not to judge.” The result is what you have come to see in this country. The “don’t judge me” people gravitate to churches that make them “feel” good about everything. They don’t talk about “sin” as they should and the goal of their faith is to be “happy.” If they are confronted about some sinful behavior by concerning people, they respond quite vehemently “Don’t judge me!” The other camp feels its place to condemn everyone who does not meet up to their “standard.” This is best scene in the ungodly ideas of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kansas” Clearly they have a “plank” in their eye called “hate” which is something that is not in the heart of God (not that I’m judging). For those of you in the “Don’t judge me” camp you also have to live with your hypocrisy as you most likely believe that Westboro is “wrong” in doing things like protesting military funerals---thus “judging them” for their actions.

The answer to this dilemma is simple---We are to judge---but not as we think. There are judgments that are reserved solely for God Himself. He alone is the only One who can determine a person’s eternal destination; furthermore, He alone is the only One who can know what is truly in the hearts of men. For us, however, we can “judge” the actions of others based upon what we know to be “truth” through the standard of God’s Word. There is, however, a condition that Jesus puts forth. To judge clearly, one must be in a place in his life where he has overcome a similar issue in his own life (v.3-6) Secondly, one must have the leading the Holy Spirit and walk in the spirit of love (v.7-12). Thirdly, one must be living in such a way that he is following the standard of God (v.13-14). Finally, one must realize the “purpose” as to why God allows for brothers and sisters in Christ to “judge” one another (v.15-27).

God wants us to know the “truth.” As children of God, He has given us the ability to recognize what it true and what is falsehood. Jesus emphatically tells us “by their fruit you will recognize them.” Who is the “them?”--- Those who are producing fruit which is contrary to God’s truth. The Bible calls them “false prophets” (v.15). They are active in the church and live among the Body of Christ. They experience what we experience and look very much like “normal Christians,” expect for one thing: when it comes to the real fruit of their lives in the issues of living by the standard of God, something does not quite line up. (Next’s week’s blog will explore the “false prophets” in more detail.)

Judging in the Body of Christ is about revealing “truth” to a person’s life rather than condemning “sin.” We, however, get offended when someone says to us, “I’m concerned about the choices you are making in life as they are in contradiction to the Word of God.” As the brother or sister in Christ is not “judging” you but they are trying to ensure that your life is built as the “wise man’s” (v.24-25). The qualification that kept the man’s house from being destroyed was not because he had accepted “Jesus.” Read the passage again: “Therefore everyone who HEARS THESE WORDS of mine and PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE is like a wise man” (v. 24). We’re too caught up in semantics and we play this “don’t judge me” card like Isaac Stern plays the fiddle. As we have accepted Christ, we have also accepted the fact that we are members of a Body larger than ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 12). Just like there are parts of your physical body that alerts you when something is “wrong,” so the Body of Christ has the ability to do the same. You be the judge: would you rather have a doctor tell you that you two weeks to life because you have a cancer in which you felt no pain until it was too late or would have you much rather preferred that your body alerted to you that something was wrong before the disease spread? In encourage you to read the many passages of the New Testament that tell us that as the Body of Christ, we are to keep one another accountable for the way that we live-----not to play “God,” but to keep one another from having an awful end to what should be the most glorious life!

Could Jesus Have Sinned?

Years ago when I was in my undergraduate studies, one of the classic theological questions came to the forefront of a discussion: “Could Jesus have sinned?” Given the fact that He wasn’t just “fully God” but also “fully man,” the discussion explored the dynamics of this loaded question. The truth of the matter, however, is answered in a simple but true reply, “It doesn’t matter because He didn’t!” The temptations of Christ, on the other hand, were very real experiences. I believe that we too often skim through the passages such as Matthew 4:1-11 and act as if Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness was nothing more than a formality so that He could briefly experience what those He created experience on a day in and day out basis. Furthermore, what was Satan trying to accomplish? Did he think that Jesus would actually bow down and worship him? After all, he tried to oppose God once before and it didn’t work out very well----so why try to assert his authority and power over him once again?

Regardless of whether you believe Jesus could have sinned or not, there is one truth that can be agreed upon from both positions: Jesus had the ability to feel what we feel. The same emotions that run through our veins ran through His as well. Did he ever feel “fear, doubt, sadness, or anger?” I believe He did. In order to consider the “courage” of Jesus, He would have felt the feelings of fear. In order for Him to offer “hope,” He would have known the feelings of “doubt.” The difference, however, is that Jesus did not submit to what He felt; rather, He made a stand against the things that often hinder man’s ability to truly overcoming in this life.

When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, I believe that he used the same tactics that he tried in the Garden of Eden----he attempted to bring doubt! As Jesus spend forty days fasting he certainly would had been tired, hungry, and lacking energy. Imagine yourself in such a place. In fact, many of you are in this place. The trials of life have left many tired, hungry, and lacking. They have left many feeling weak and wanting. And then the question comes---“Is this really worth it?” I’m sure you’ve heard this voice before. Like Jesus, who GOD called into the wilderness (Matt. 4:1), we sometimes find ourselves in a barren land----not because of the enemy, not because of anything we did, but because God has put us there! Being there leaves us famished for something to fill our lives. Being there leaves us confused as to why we need to be there. Being there makes us tired of being there and all we want to do is leave the God-forsaken place in our lives. And yet, God has put us there!

If that is all we had to endure, it may be a bearable situation. But that’s generally not the case. We have an enemy who comes to us like the snake he is and he begins to fill our heads with thoughts: “It’s not worth it, take the easy way out, and let’s get through this quickly so that you can get on with your life.” After being clothed in humanity for thirty-years, I wouldn’t have blamed Jesus to think to Himself, “These people are not worth my pain of going through this wilderness.” Perhaps the though came to Him, “Can I even bring myself to actually going through all the way to Calvary if it is going to be like this?” Maybe a though passed through his mind, “There has to be another way.” Isn’t that what Satan suggested with his last “temptation?” He suggested to Jesus that he could give Jesus what He wanted---“the kingdoms of this world”---and give it to him in an instant! (Matthew 4:8-9). With all that Satan whispered into the ear of Jesus, I believe that Jesus fully identified with the feelings of doubt and despair.

Doubt is an interesting thing. It is based upon our perception of what our circumstances dictate it us. When life is good and things are well, we seldom experience doubt. But when we are in the wilderness, doubt rears it ugly head and attempts to be our closest friend. Jesus, however, understood something that we seldom consider when it comes to doubt. His responses to the enemy’s attempt to cast those seeds based upon His circumstances were met with the words of TRUTH! Jesus’ proclamation of “it is written” reveals something that we all need to understanding while living in the wilderness. “Doubts” are lies! The hopeless situation you may be overwhelmed with is a LIE! The fear of not knowing what is to happen is a LIE! God does not send us into the wilderness to die; rather, He sends us to the wilderness so that we can LIVE! Life is not about “bread and water,” but it is about what God says it is about. We don’t have to try to prove that God cares about us when we are in the desert; we just have to know that He is THERE with us. We do not have to throw in the towel and take the easy way out because we know that our wilderness experience is meant to bring us into His plan for our lives----not to end it! Jesus stood upon truth when it came to doubt. It was truth that brought Him through the wilderness experience. He understood that the reality of life is discovered in the truth of God’s Word.

It doesn’t matter what your wilderness experience brings before you---what matters is what God says about you and His plan for your life. One of the greatest ways which we can worship the Lord is by simply saying the words, “I will trust You.” Remember brothers and sisters in Christ that your wilderness experience is an opportunity for you to worship the Lord. The enemy knows this and will try to take your eyes off of the truth. The things that you doubt in your life are not the things which God has promised you. Just like Jesus, remember what the Word of God has said and know that like your Lord, God has an incredible plan waiting for you to fulfill!