Category: Jesus

REALLY listening to the Golden Rule

So many things in our world are taken directly from the Bible… and sadly, many people don’t even recognize it.  What we’ve come to call the “Golden Rule” originally came straight from Jesus’ mouth.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Modern translation: treat other people the way you want other people to treat you.  And let’s not kid ourselves… every one of us wants to be treated well by other people.  Kind, considerate treatment tells us we are loved, that we matter, that the other person values us.

I just read through Matthew 7 (where the passage is found), pondering each phrase.  When I came upon this particular statement, my tendency was to kind of “breeze by” it, because I’ve heard it so many times before.  But something in me caught, and wouldn’t let me move ahead.  There is importance here.  There is power here.  I had to linger.

The Golden Rule is a short, powerful statement of what it means to love people.  Leave it to Jesus (and only Jesus) to be able to make this kind of statement.  It’s a mantra that informs every conversation, every situation, every decision… if I will let it.  There are so many applications…

  • Would I have let those short words slip out if I were mindful of the Golden Rule?
  • Would I have said things in the WAY that I did, if I were mindful of the Golden Rule?
  • Would I have made the same decision if I were mindful of the Golden Rule?

And while all of those are very valid ways of looking at the passage, I have to stop and remember that it’s in my nature to make it into a “new law” if I’m not careful.  I like guidelines, rules, principles, etc.  I like to have something clear and concrete that I can look at, compare my actions to, and hopefully feel good about myself as a result.  But that’s not the purpose of the Golden Rule.

Jesus’ purpose in saying this (and the entire sermon on the mount – Matthew 5-7), is to show us how incapable we are of doing the things that are required to please God.  None of us is able to live by the Golden Rule consistently.  How do I know?  Because none of us do.  If we could, we would.

It’s not that Jesus is a kill-joy, or the ultimate cosmic criticizer – no, He’s loving us enough to show us the reality of our need… and we need Him if we are to have any hope of being who we are to be, and who we are to become.

I need Jesus before I need to follow the Golden Rule.  You do too.

What is your take on the Golden Rule?  How do its words strike you?

God’s “social proof”

My lopsided upbringing

The religious tradition I grew up in was a contradiction at best.

original photo: wikimedia commons

On one side of the pendulum, sermons were typically all about the grace of God that saves sinners.  It’s glorious news, to be sure – and for my church it seemed like the only news.  ”Soul winning” was huge… and everyone was, ummm, “expected” to be a soul-winner.  I attended the same church for my first 18 years, and don’t remember ever hearing a sermon about the importance of prayer, how to biblically deal with conflict, how to live in a healthy Christian marriage, or the reality of “Christ in me.”  It was all the grace of God, that saves sinners through faith.  Wonderful – for as far as it went.

On the other side of the pendulum, things weren’t so wonderful, because there wasn’t much talk about grace once you moved beyond the topic of salvation.   Then it became the infamous lists – women can’t wear pants, nobody should attend movies, alcohol is evil and should never be touched, and smoking will not only give you cancer but could also cause God to hold you at arm’s length.  Even as a kid something about that attitude smelled… I mean, beyond the nicotine smell on the music minister’s fingers and breath.

In short, though my church majored on grace for salvation, it was not one that most people would say was characterized by grace regarding the Christian life.

An extreme reaction

From what I’ve observed since then, I wasn’t the only one who was raised in that kind of religious culture.  Many people saw the error of such “legalism” and began looking for something more, something different, something a little less… well… legal.  As a result, the overall Christian culture reacted quite strongly to those imbalances.  Instead of making everything into a list of do’s and don’t's, Christian leaders began talking almost exclusively about “being under grace” and not “under law.”  Biblical terms, to be sure – and powerful concepts when understood and applied rightly.  But the meaning poured into those phrases over time became as imbalanced and dangerous as the mindset it was trying to correct.

When lovingly confronted about potentially unwise or ungodly choices in movies, or music, or speech, or (fill in the blank), Christians could routinely be heard to say,  ”Oh, but I’m under grace!”  Or another common one, “I am free in Christ.”

TRANSLATION: “My actions don’t really matter, because I’m forgiven by God’s grace.”

or with a little more tongue in cheek:

“I’m free of any obligation toward obedience, because God’s given me a ‘get out of sin free’ card.

What’s wrong with this picture

To be clear:

  • Yes, we are forgiven (past, present, & future) by the grace of God, through faith in Christ.
  • Yes, it’s a wonderful thing, and we should wallow in it like a pig in a mud-bath, until grace soaks into the pores of our souls.
  • But it doesn’t mean that we are to think, act, speak, or do anything we want, and think that it’s O.K.

Sin still matters.

Obedience still matters.

The holiness of God, expressed through the imputed righteousness and indwelling Spirit of Christ still matters.

The reason we are still alive

God saves us, entirely by His grace.  We do nothing to deserve it, and nothing to keep it.  That’s all Him.

But that wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus is not impotent.  It has an effect (outcome), because it affects our inner being.  When Jesus saves us by His grace, we are made into something we weren’t before – saints.  We are literally, not figuratively, temples for the divine Person of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

He lives in us.  He desires to live through us.  Ponder that colossal truth for a while… and your mind will go “tilt!”

You – Mr. or Miss “saved-by-grace-Christian,” are still on the planet to be a testimony, a proof, a witness to the saving grace of God.  You are here to give Him glory by your new life that He has given to you.  To use a modern phrase from the online world, your changed life is God’s “social proof.”   As others see Him making changes in you, from your attitudes to your actions, they begin to believe that there just might be something to this “Christian” thing.

You are not very effective “social proof” for God when you live by an “I’m free to do what I want” attitude – because your life says that God is impotent, and Jesus came into your life to no avail.

Here’s a challenge for you, and for me:  Daily strive to submit your entire mind, will, and emotion (your soul), to Jesus’ use and leadership.

  1. That means sin does matter… because it is a contradiction to who Jesus has created us to be (Ephesians 2:8-10).
  2. That means that obedience does matter… because Spirit-empowered obedience demonstrates that God’s grace to us was not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:10)

QUESTION: How have YOU seen the word “grace” misused or misapplied?  What difference do you see that making?

Books from the PF Journal..

POWERFUL quote from Michelangelo…

photo credit: Pierre Metivier

I’m always stunned by the historical figures who turn out to have been deeply faithful people to Christ… here’s another – Michelangelo!

My unassisted heart is barren clay,
That of its native self can nothing feed:
Of good and pious works Thou are the seed,
That quickens only where Thou sayest it may:
Unless Thou show us to Thine own true way
No man can find it: Father!  Thou must lead!

Enough said…

WHY do you follow Christ?

I’m on sabbatical (translation: I’m resting),
so this is a pre-scheduled post for your encouragement, education and enjoyment! 

Interesting question… isn’t it?  It points to the heart, the center, the motives behind discipleship and faith.  It’s a VITAL question for every one of us to ponder…

In a recent article I came across THABITI ANYABWILE (a Baptist pastor in the Cayman Islands) writes on that very subject… his article begins like this…

Americans pride themselves on their ingenuity and know how. We’re a country that likes to think of itself as being able “to get things done.” There’s a significant blessing in such a self-image. It motivates. It stirs. It drives and propels. Thinking of ourselves in this way inspires us to think of possibility, invention, and creativity. Those are good things.

But, like everything else in a fallen world, good things also have unintended and sometimes unforeseen consequences. Usually there’s a soft underbelly to every superhero, an Achilles’ heel to every ideal. The American cultural ethic is no exception.

Starting with the Wrong Question

Here’s one significant problem with our tendency toward ingenuity, know how, and getting things done: It prompts us to ask the wrong starting question. We begin by asking “How?” and very seldom ask “Why?”

Read the rest of the post HERE

Jesus is NOT a therapist

I’m on sabbatical (translation: I’m resting),
so this is a pre-scheduled post for your encouragement, education and enjoyment! 

I really enjoy the teaching ministry of Mark Driscoll.  He’s one of those guys who will simply say it like it is, and let the chips fall…

Anyway… here’s a clip from one of his sermons from the book of Luke – a GREAT point for our day!

Following Christ may end badly…

I’m on sabbatical (translation: I’m resting).
This is a pre-schedule post for your edification! 

Matt Chandler is Pastor of the Village Church in Dallas – and is leading a very encouraging movement of Christ-loving-rabid-Disciples.

You should enjoy this…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhS2-K1EUBI&feature=related

Treasuring Jesus above all else

I’m on sabbatical (translation: I’m resting)
This is a pre-scheduled post for your enouragement!

John Piper often says things in a way that hit my soul – hard.  This quote is no different.

Nothing is more precious than hearing God say to us personally: No condemnation. Or hearing him pronounce the words over our guilty heads, Justified! If you cherish this verdict and this standing with God, then cherish your union with Christ. Make it part of what you value most in the world.

You can hear or read the entire sermon HERE

How the Word of God relates to relationship WITH God

I’m on sabbatical (translation: I’m resting),
so this is a pre-scheduled post for your encouragement, education and enjoyment! 

I’ve been doing some thinking about the role the Word of God plays in our relationship with Him… and I’ve found some very important parallels with the normal relationships we have with other people.

We get to know another individual, primarily through words.  People have to express how they feel, what they think, the convictions they hold, the things they hate.  We don’t pick these up intuitively.  We can get “ideas” about people through what they do… but how often have you been wrong about an “idea” you had about someone?  Me too…

Words are perhaps THE foundational element upon which relationship is built.  Whether in spoken form (conversation) or written form (like love letters), we learn to know a person… REALLY KNOW THEM… through what they communicate to us verbally.  It’s really the only way.

It’s also the only way we build TRUST between individuals.  Through communication we come to know a person’s heart, their motives, and see them expressed in life, which builds trust.

But all of this assumes a certain KIND of communication is happening.  It’s got to be genuine, truthful communication.  And that’s where communication on a human level often begins to break down… healthy communication will not happen if there is…

  1. An absence of words (people are not talking to each other at all)
  2. Deceitful or misleading words (someone is not telling the truth – which is a perversion of true communication)
  3. Misinterpretation or misunderstanding of what has been said

The point is that words alone are not the “be all, end all” of relationships.  Words are necessary, but words must also be true and clearly understood.

Let’s make the switch to relationship with God…

God’s words (as recorded in scripture) are the ONLY way we can really know what He is like.  It’s in scripture that He reveals Himself to us (isn’t that an amazingly gracious thing of Him to do?)  Of course, Romans 1:18-20 tells us that there are certain things about God we can surmise from creation itself… but what we glean there is a far cry from truly, really knowing Him.  In order for us to know God, to have relationship with Him, He must reveal Himself to us… just like in a human relationship.  He has done that in the scriptures.  In the scriptures we find Him to be truthful, in-the-know about everything, full of grace and mercy, and overflowing with love.  We find Him to be brimming over with justice and purity, no wrong motives and no missed information.  In short, we find that He is trustworthy.

Where there appears to be contradiction, inconsistency, or confusion regarding what He says to us in His word – we tend toward accusing Him, saying that He’s done something wrong or made promises that are not being fulfilled.  But go back to the bullet points above… 1) Is the problem that He has not spoken to us?  NO – God speaks to us, and has spoken in the scriptures and in His Son Jesus.  2) Is the problem that what He is telling us is deceitful or misleading?  NO – He is absolutely true and upright in all His ways, including what He says.  3) Is the problem that what He is saying is being misinterpreted or misunderstood – BINGO – that has to be the problem.

Often, like a 6-year old child who does not grasp what their parent has said, we misunderstand what God has said.  There is no mistake or deception in what He has spoken, there is a lack of comprehension, or ability to comprehend, on our part.  We should expect that we spiritual babes would mistakenly or not at all understand many things that our infinite God says to us.  Yet, as we grow by His grace, He enables us to grasp His word more and more.

Application

1) We should not be viewing our “time in the word” as a duty, but as a beautiful opportunity to spend time with the most glorious one in the universe.  We get to find out more about Him, to know Him better – and to know what He desires to do in and through our lives.

2) We should not look for other “words from God” outside the scriptures.  Yes, the Spirit of God can lead, guide, and direct us internally – but NEVER apart from or different than what is revealed in the Word of God.  All such leadings should be confirmed by seeking their truth in scripture.

Jesus Wins! – sermon audio

This is the last in our series, “What I Would Die For” entitled

Jesus Wins!

You can listen or download below!

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