Category: Uncategorized

Count it all joy when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith will produce endurance (James 1:2-3)

You will not be lead into battles you cannot win, nor are unable to fight. You will only be lead into conflict you can overcome.  Every battle that you encounter, is always a temptation to rely upon self or rely upon God.  Every single one.

1. There are battles wherein we are to do nothing but stand or take refuge (2 Samuel 22:3)
   • These are the battles wherein God is demonstrating who He is to you.
2. There are battles wherein we are to we are wrestle against the enemy.  
   • These are the times when God is demonstrating who you are in Him  (Ephesians 6:10-18).

I recently spent some time reading the Pulpit&Pen blog and came away thinking it’s not atypical of the un-grace behaviors we observe today in our churches and their pulpits.

So with full knowledge that I most likely will be accused of doing the same, I\’ll put my pen to the subject and provide my opinions on the matter.

What is Grace?

There’s a parable that expresses grace very well, but no one ever teaches it that way.  We’re tied more to un-grace and, as a result, we express that sentiment instead.  It’s called the Parable of the Vineyard Workers and is found in Matthew 20:1-16.

In this parable the kingdom of God is likened unto a man who arose early, went out and found workers, agreed with the laborers a wage and hired them.  He later went out and hired other workers – but without the negotiations: he simply said, “you go into the vineyard too, and what ever is right, I will pay you.”  This happened several times that day, at the third, sixth, ninth and the eleventh hour.  At the end of the day he instructed his foreman to pay all of the laborers, beginning with the last to be hired and ending with the first who were hired.  All of the workers received the same wage, even those who were hired first.  So they who were hired first grumbled, thinking they should receive more.  The vineyard owner said, 

Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Only in our propensity towards un-grace can we see this as a lesson about God doing what He will with you – His prerogative –  and you just needing to suck it up and be happy you got something out of the deal.

But lets look more closely.

This parable does speak towards the right to \”do what I choose with what belongs to me.\”  But the parable has more to do with His generosity than it does with his money.  Observe how the wage was agreed upon:

After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Did you notice who was setting the wage?  It doesn’t say, “after the laborers agreed with him for a denarius a day.“

In other words, the laborers set the wage: they had something in mind, asked for that wage and the owner agreed. All of the other laborers hired that day did not ask for a wage, but were instead encouraged to place their faith in the owner, that he would indeed pay them “whatever is right.”

At the end of the day, the owner paid what was owed to the laborers hired early in the morning.  But he poured out generosity – grace – upon those who chose to trust in his good nature, his integrity: that he would do as he promised.

Generosity and Trust

So then, this parable isn’t teaching about God’s prerogative, that you just need to buck up and accept your lumps.  It’s teaching about the generosity of God: that He can be trusted to be generous – just as the owner was trusted to make good on his word: “I will pay you what is right.”

And as a side note, it’s suggesting that it’s best to let God decide how to reward you rather than asking for recompense yourself: the last will be first, and the first last.  When you set the rules, you\’re saying “I’m first.”

What is Un-Grace?

So what exactly is un-grace?  Quite possibly the best explanation can be found in Philip Yancey’s book, “What’s So Amazing about Grace?,” but I’ll give it a bit of a go here.

Un-grace is expressed in many different forms.  One form is legalism: un-grace asserts one must work for a proper standing.  Un-grace makes people pay for their mistakes.  Un-grace condemns rather than builds up.  Un-grace requires repentance before forgiveness.  Un-grace is relentless in it\’s exposure of the sins of others.  Un-grace strips a person naked and exposes their shame.  And un-grace calls others stupid and dumb when they don’t meet expectations.

Another way in which un-grace is expressed is when the Bible is used as a sword against believers, or people in general – something I’ve been guilty of many times.  So “what’s wrong with that,” you might ask?  Plenty.  Lets allow scripture speak to the issue in order to understand why.

The Sword of the Spirit

In the book of Ephesians, Paul equates the word of God to the sword of the Spirit; specifically, to be used against the enemy:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints

Eph. 6:10-18

Paul clearly states that “supplication” is to be made for the saints – not “use the word of God” to wrestle against the saints.  Secondly, these things – as enumerated by Paul above – are known as the “weapons of our warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  No where in scripture are we exhorted to take up spiritual weapons against people.  Quite the contrary: we are encouraged to bless those who curse us (Luke 6:28).

Consider also ,,,

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

The point, therefore is this:  the sword of the spirit is not to be used against people: it is to be used against our common enemy.  Anyone overtaken or caught (eaten before others is the idea in the Greek – Satan seeks to devour: 1 Peter 5:8) is to be restored in gentleness.  But that is not what we do, that is not what we see happening.  What we observe is outright condemnation and vile disparaging, the laying bare and casting of shame.  And if there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, then what right do we have to condemn others?

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ()

Romans 14:4

Deceitful Religion

James is one of my favorite Bible authors.  He is incredibly deep: with few words he packs incredible amounts of truth.  Consider the following:

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man\’s religion is worthless.  Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 1:26-27

First, what is a religion?  In its simplest form, religion may be defined as a particular system of faith (beliefs) and worship (actions).  That definition certainly fits a belief system resulting in works.

Secondly, he’s not condoning religion.  While he refers to those who have and express a religion through words, he’s careful to define a pure religion through action: tending to orphans and widows in need, and keeping oneself unstained from the world (hardly an apt definition of Christianity today).

Finally, consider that the great commission did not include an admonition to keep one’s self unstained – that’s simply to say this: we’re not commissioned to pursue moral purity, we’re commissioned to be witnesses (Acts 1:8;  moral purity is a topic for another blog).

However, what we want to pay attention to from James’ admonition is this bit of truth:

those who do not bridle their tongues, practice a religion of deceiving their own hearts

In other words, James is asserting that we can express our religion through our speech.  And an unbridled tongue is the evidence required to expose a worthless religion.

Bridle

Let’s make sure we understand bridle.  It means to hold in check, to restrain – so James is referring to those of us who do not keep in check, or restrain our tongue, our speech – which is sourced from our thoughts, ideas and imaginations.  

Deception

Jesus addressed deception and lies when He said, \”you will know the truth and the truth will make you free\” (John 8:32).  If knowing truth sets you free, then what does knowing a lie do?  It does the exact opposite: it puts you into bondage, into a stronghold.  And scripture is clear on what we\’re to do with strongholds:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Our Heart

Finally, we need to understand that our speech reflects our inner most being:

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23)  

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.  He says to you, \”Eat and drink!\” but his heart is not with you. (Proverbs 23:7)

In Conclusion 

James is saying this: “when you do not bridle your tongue (when you speak condemnation), you may believe you’re doing well, but you’re not: you’re deceiving yourself and practicing a religion based in self deception.\”

In condemning others, we may find ourselves using the Bible as a weapon against people: that’s the deception of our hearts, the tongue unbridled, as James called it.  Condemnation is un-grace, it is the opposite of restoring someone in gentleness.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:17-18

Today I became a Bunny Hopper

Well, not exactly.   Let me explain.

Back in the day, when the church doors were open, I was there.  Sunday mornings (sometimes twice), Sunday School, Choir or Orchestra, Sunday evenings and Wednesdays.  If I had the time, I showed up for evangelism on Tuesday nights.  Later in life, I became a Sunday school teacher for a while.

One of the things that irritated me most was Easter.  Not Easter itself, but all of the people who otherwise never darkened the doors – who for what ever reason – showed up on Easter.  What right did they have to be all pretentious and some how think they could make right for all of the wrongs on one day out of the year?  I called them Bunny Hoppers – they hop in once or twice a year, and then hop out.  I\’m going to guess that there are a number of people who believe or feel similar to how I felt, in that regard.

For you see, I earned my position within the church, I worked for my right to be there and partake of the family, the friends and the worship.  They, the Bunny Hoppers, weren\’t there at all the rest of the time – so why right did they have to show up and ruin it for everyone else, or presume they were even half as spiritual as anyone else?

Eventually, things changed for me.  I began to see todays\’ Church for what it was, an Institution – divergent from the Assembly, the Ecclesia – a construct made mostly by man, driven to collect tithes and maintain a status of quo of laity vs. clergy, men vs. women; filled with teachers of the traditions of men and people comfortably numb to the Spirit and Truth.

I came to the place where I could no longer tolerate the doctrine of \”God doesn\’t do that any more,\” so easily taught in complete conflict with what is in the Bible.  So I excused myself from the Institution.  The day I left, my Sunday School Director said to me, \”you\’re an out of the box type of person,\” and motioning to the walls around us said, \”and this is the box.\”

Today, worship is no longer what I do on Sundays, its\’ something I do every day.  On one day a week, I rest – usually that\’s Sunday.  To me, the assembly is family and friends in the Lord – people who can speak into my life because they know where I am, what I\’m doing, how I\’m living in Christ.  To put it bluntly, a Pastor can\’t do that.  They can cast a wide net, but that\’s about it.

If you\’re in a Evangelical church, you\’ve heard the Gospel three dozen different ways; and if you\’re a good christian, you\’ve re-examined yourself ten times that amount.  But in actuality, the Gospel was efficacious once – beyond that, we don\’t need to hear it again: so what good has repeating it done us?  We hear the Gospel being preached yet again from the pulpit and somehow think that\’s what it\’s all about: let the ministry save the people, not the priests sitting in the pews.

The Church, the Ecclesia, has been corrupted.  We show up, sit down, shut up, pay up, get up and leave.  And if you\’re really spiritual, you\’ll do it all over again in Sunday School.  Where exactly is that modeled in our scriptures?  And therein is the problem: it\’s not.  We\’ve been duped into a false sense of security, spiced with condemnation and guilt for not paying our tithes and serving the pastoral staff.

So I bowed out (more or less), and set out on a journey to find Jesus, rejecting the notion – as I was taught in my church – that The Church is Jesus and by bringing people to The Church, we\’re introducing people to Jesus.

Eventually, I joined another church and their Community Group – they didn\’t have Sunday School, which was more than fine with me.  The Community Group was a place were we could discuss life and things we were learning in Jesus.  That suited me just fine.  I actually preferred the small group setting to the large congregation.  I found myself going there more than I went to Church.

So today, I found myself going to Church on Easter.  Just like all of those other people, whom several decades ago, I condemned because they hadn\’t earned the right to be there in the first place.

I had become what I loathed: a Bunny Hopper.

But today was different.  Today it didn\’t matter to me where anyone had been, or why they were there, or why they might not have been there consistently in the past.  I injected no presuppositions of spirituality (the lack thereof) upon their souls.  I didn\’t consider them as being spiritually aware as a brick, or spiritually stupid as I have known other people to do.  And most of all, there was no self condemnation – which is a miracle in-and-of itself.

I found that instead of saddling them with rules, regulations and condemnation, I had found that suddenly, I was able to extend grace.  I wanted to build them up, not instruct them on how to better live their lives or to measure up to a standard; I found myself not judging them for any perceived or imagined lack of prior participation.

So when the invitation came, I ignored the pastoral instruction to close my eyes.  I found two people raising their hands, indicating they wanted to know Jesus – to pray the \”sinner\’s prayer,\” as we called it.  So I prayed for them, I blessed them, I stored up some treasure in heaven.  And I walked away knowing that my prayers were impactful, not because of who I am in and of myself, but because of who I am in Christ – a King and a Priest (Rev. 1:6).  This means I have the authority to affect change in the natural (as a King) and to affect change in the Spiritual (as a Priest).  It\’s my identity.

So today I learned that I\’ve become something better than I was decades ago.  I\’ve not been stagnant, I\’ve changed, I\’ve grown – I\’ve produce fruit of the spirit.  Not because I tied it on like I used to, not because I picked it up and purposed to do it: because it is a natural by-product of who I have become.

If that makes be a Bunny Hopper, then so be it.  I\’ll take that any day over who I was in the past.

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.  Matt. 18:15

The judgement of Solomon

Legalism

When we read the Bible to know what we should do, the Bible becomes our task master.  When we see those not keeping the law as we have learned, we judge them because they don\’t do as they should.  When we see those keeping the law we don\’t keep, we become permissive because we will not judge or add burdens to ourselves.

Jesus Heals a Leper

Knowing Him

When we read the Bible to know Him, we find rest because His yoke is easy and His burden is light.   When we see those who are not doing as we have become, then we\’re not judgmental because we understand that the process of knowing Him is a journey.  We build them up in gentleness and bear their burdens.  When we see those on the same journey, doing more than we have done, we become inquisitive students, because we want to know Him in a new and wonderful way.

Moving Foward

Our Christian heritage is based mostly in legalism.  When you find yourself judging another, step back and judge yourself instead.  Change your ways, take another path.  Find rest for your soul.

Every once and a while you\’ll hear a preacher complaining about the fact the parishioners can\’t remember his sermon.  Somehow, we presume from their commentary on the this subject that if we remembered what they said, then perhaps we wouldn\’t have so many problems.

Never one to let a sleeping dog lie, then I\’ll provide my two cents on the subject.

First, those of us who would fret over whether or not someone remembers what we\’ve taught or preached are in a place of pride.

Seriously.  Just admit it now and get over it.  Dress it up in all of the humble platitudes you care to create, but it\’s still pride.  False humility is still false: it\’s still pride.  If we actually cared for someone\’s well being, then we wouldn\’t mind that people didn\’t remember our sermons.  We\’d simply find another Logos of God to plant in their soul.

So, here\’s the meat:

When we use recall of Biblical precepts and principles as the driving forces of our responses to everyday pressures, then we are close to practicing legalism.

That being said:

But occasionaly leaning on them is not what I\’m talking about.  I\’m specifically addressing the driving forces of who we are and how we respond.  There are some of us who believe the measurement of spirituality is quantified in the amount of scripture you learn and the skill you demonstrate in applying said scripture to your life.  In my opinion, that\’s just about as close to legalism as you can get.

But if learning and applying the scriptures were all it was about, then the Pharisees would have rocked Jesus\’s boat.  Rather He said,

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

You see, it\’s imperative that you know the spirit speaking the Word to you.  Scripture spoken by Satan is not truth:

For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.  In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Luke 4:9-13)

So the suggestion he made to Jesus, to just go ahead and throw yourself off the temple and the context of scripture in which he couched it, was not truth, it was a lie.