Thomas, Tickles, & Truth

Life in Christ, Perils of Shepherds

Questions of truth have become a fixture of much of our societal discourse for the last few years. From cries of “Fake News!” to YouTube channels full of “experts” explaining the lastest theory or questioning what we know, we are surrounded by questions of truth. This has reached a point that even within a group of people who share culture, background, and setting, there can be profound differences of understanding what is even real. Without a basic shared reality, we begin to find ourselves having trouble maintaining basic civilization.

This present situation is not unique to our time. The Bible addresses these issues well and points us to solutions if we are willing to look to ourselves first. Scripture repeatedly warns about deception, calling us to not be deceived. It warns us that the devil is a powerful deceiver, 

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
(Revelation 12:9)

It tells us that other people can deceive us, 

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
(Ephesians 5:6)

It also reminds us that we can even deceive ourselves, 

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.
(James 1:26)

We tend to want to apply these verses to others far more than ourselves. We believe that we can’t be deceived. We are smart and in the know. It is the “sheeple”, others who are deceived. Thinking you cannot be deceived is actually a strong sign that you may already have been. 

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.
(1 Corinthians 3:18)

This brings us to the disciple Thomas. Thomas has been used as a negative example, embodied in the phrase ‘doubting Thomas.’ Yet Thomas is not held up by Scripture as a bad example, but a good one. He no doubt would have loved to believe that Jesus wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t prepared to just accept such an improbable thing. In the account, he doesn’t express that it couldn’t happen, but only that he wants to be sure it did happen. In demanding more evidence, he guards himself from being deceived. Jesus appears and satisfies his search for truth.

In the book of Acts, Paul travels from city to city teaching. He is well received in many places, but Luke makes an important statement about the reception of Paul by the people in Berea. 

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
(Acts 17:11)

Not taking Paul’s word for it, each day they return to the Scripture to see if what Paul is saying is true. This refusal to merely accept teaching from what was surely an authoritative source renders them “more noble-minded.”

We are at our most vulnerable to deception when we are being told what we want to hear. The technical term is confirmation-bias. We look for sources that will reinforce our ideas of what we think is right. We quickly can create a circular loop of reinforcement and confidence. This desire to hear what we already think can blind our eyes and deafen our ears. The disciples, no matter how many times Jesus told them what was going to happen, still did not believe that Jesus could and would die. When he was arrested and sentenced to death, rather than see fulfillment of Jesus’ words, they thought the game was over. It was only later that they finally were able to break through their own beliefs to truly receive what He had told them all along.

The Bible warns, 

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
(2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Too many “conservative Christians” have long used this verse for “liberals.” In framing the verse that way, they again affirm that they themselves are too smart, too holy, too Biblical to be deceived. Yet this tendency to find “teachers in accordance to their own desires” is not limited to any one group of people.

I was raised in a home where the truth of the Bible, and the Christian faith was not universally accepted as true. I learned traditional Genesis in church and watched Carl Sagan at home with my science teacher father. I was presented with vastly different presentations of what was “true.” I was also taught to think critically, to examine evidence, and to question assumptions, especially my own. Unlike many who grew up in a “Christian home” I was not indoctrinated, but instead had to think, question, and examine.

Today I am a pastor, minister of the Good News, and teacher of the Bible. God’s truth was more than a match for hard questions, doubt, and even skepticism. To this day, in my understanding of science, politics, faith, and the Bible, I seek out voices that not only don’t say what I want to hear, but explicitly say things that I am not comfortable with and don’t want to believe. If the truth is The Truth, than it will more than prevail against such inquiry. Doing this has helped expose to me areas where my interpretation of certain things was embedded in cultural assumptions or personal biases. It has also made me far MORE convinced in the fundamental truth of the Scriptures, inspired by God. My faith has been affirmed and strengthened more through this than simply piling up teachers telling me what I want to hear.

In this day and age, we need to step away from trying to appear so wise, always looking for the “hidden wisdom” of conspiracy theories or surrounding ourselves with sources and teachers that tell us that we are the right and good ones, smarter than all the rest. Rather than closing our eyes and ears to other perspectives, information, and ideas, we need to pull them out, examine then repeatedly and cautiously, being extra guarded toward things that seem to confirm our biases. We all can be deceived in small or large ways. Humility, questioning, and an eye firmly on the simple and clearly revealed truths of Scripture, especially the central command to “love one another, as I [Christ] has loved you” will help us enter into a more shared reality and be both salt and light in this world.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
(1 Corinthians 13:4-6)
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Have You Met My Angry Friend?

Church on Mission, Perils of Shepherds

If you told me you had a friend who was intensely angry at me, but if I was willing to talk to him, he would become my friend, I would take great pause. Before I had even met your friend, I would be forming an opinion about their temperament, character, and probable reaction to me based on the fact that one of the first things you’ve presented me is their anger. It might turn out that your friend is the nicest person in the world, yet that initial presentation will be hard for me to overcome.

There has long been a tendency in the evangelical church to begin a presentation of the need for personal salvation by presenting strongly and dwelling powerfully on the wrath of God that results in judgment. The goal of course is to move toward the Good News of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, but first we have to impress upon people the danger they face from the judgment of God’s great wrath. This approach has the virtue of not only being true but also being highly motivational if the threat is great enough. It is also a very strange way to try to introduce someone to what is at its heart a love relationship. “Come meet my angry friend who is planning on killing you. You’ll love him.”

The moment we start talking about avoiding this kind of approach, many experience a clutching fear of creeping liberalism and cheap grace. Are we unwilling to look at the tough parts of the Bible and the terrible consequences of our sin? Refusing to understand sin and its consequences is indeed dangerous. However, to truly understand our situation, and fully comprehend the grace & mercy that is being offered in Christ, people need a true introduction first and foremost to who God is before we talk about what they’ve done. A focus that starts with their sin & God’s anger presents a false picture of God.

How does God describe himself? 

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
(Exodus 34:6-7)

God repeatedly describes himself as slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He emphasizes mercy, grace, forgiveness, and steadfast love. He is clear that there is judgment, but his emphasis is not there. Even when he had to bring judgment on his people, he still reminds them of the strength of his love over the length of his anger.

In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.
(Isaiah 54:8)

His anger is momentary, his love eternal. God consistently in both the Old and New Testaments describes himself as reluctant to judge and eager to love and forgive. 

Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
(Ezekiel 18:31-32)
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
(Ezekiel 33:11)

Judgment of the wicked is a reality and one that God executes, but he makes it clear that because of his lovingkindness, his great desire is to see mankind redeemed.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
(2 Peter 3:9)

This should not be surprising when we remember that while we were still sinners, God so loved the world that he sent Jesus, who, once here, declared that he was not here to condemn but to save.

When the first great rebellion took place in Genesis 3, we do not see an angry God, but a God who speaks of redemption and deliverance. He clothes Adam & Eve and promises them the Messiah. Yes, there are severe consequences to their actions, and their sin is not downplayed in the least. God however is again focused on redemption because love is central to his being. God is love.

We do God a great disservice when we introduce him as an angry and vengeful God rather than a God that is abounding in love. Rather than fear that beginning with the love of God will somehow dilute the sense of danger we want to instill, we could realize that once we establish the goodness of God, our rebellion and sin take on a far more terrible tone as they are not merely rebellions against some cold law, but a betrayal of the One who loved so fully. Sin is no longer merely a rule violation, but a personal rejection and betrayal of one who loves us so fully.

I am far more convicted of things I do that hurt my wife or kids than when I get stopped for speeding. The consequences of betraying the relationship are far more impactful. If you read through the Old Testament prophets you see that God appeals regularly to this relational breach, often using marriage imagery and speaking of adultery. He presents himself not as a police officer pulling you over and asking you if you know why, but rather as a spurned spouse who has loved deeply. God’s wrath is powerful because it flows out of the rejection of his love. This resolves the tension some have in trying to understand how a loving God could have such wrath. God’s wrath is not opposed to or incongruent with his love, but an outgrowth of it, falling only on those who refuse the love & redemption offered freely.

We should preach the entire Gospel of God, but let us be careful in starting with an angry God intent on judgment. Let’s begin by making sure they understand that God is abounding in lovingkindness, that our sin, more than merely breaking some rules, has been a massive betrayal, and then complete the Good News by explaining the great love God has driven him to provide a way for us to return to him. That is the God of the Bible, the message of reconciliation, and the complete Good News of the Gospel.

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A Conspiracy of Evil

Life in Christ, Perils of Shepherds, , ,

We are living in a time of wide-spread belief in grand evil conspiracies, that have seized the imaginations of many and filled social media, YouTube channels, and some lives. These grand conspiracies, whatever their particular shape, share an attraction. They also serve a purpose that I think explains why they are so popular and powerful to us.

One of the core questions we humans ask ourselves from the moment we begin to think until the day we die is, “Am I Ok?” or “Am I Good?” We long for the emotional and psychological security of being right. Uncovering a conspiracy gives a massive shot of confidence to that question. It imagines evil as something vast and complex hiding in the shadows, perpetrated by powerful people who have the power to do evil. In uncovering the hidden knowledge of this evil, I am in the right and belong to a small exclusive group of the enlightened while the masses are held in the sway of this great and powerfully complex evil conspiracy.

This construction allows me as a person to take pride in my rightness (or righteousness to use the Biblical phrase) and gives me comfort even in the face of this great complex evil conspiracy. I can now make sense of the world as one where there are massive forces of evil causing all the problems while I sit securely in my rightness. Even the forces of fallen creation are really just tools of evil men of which I am not a part. Well hidden from my view becomes my own fallenness, sin, or, again to use a Biblical phrase, the wickedness of my own heart.

"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
(Jeremiah 17:9)

The truth of the matter, according to the Bible, is that the evil I am in danger of does not arise from national or global cabals, but instead from me. 

And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
(Mark 7:20-23)

Look at that list! I would much rather believe that the list Jesus gave was the domain of mysteriously complex evil forces engaged in a hidden conspiracy that I, through reading some blogs & watching some YouTube videos have uncovered. If I read the Bible, it tells me a far more convicting story of an angel’s rebellion who thought he knew better than God and whose primary work is now to convince me that I too can know better than God what true evil is.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
(Ephesians 6:12)

This enemy is more than happy to convince my heart that I am smarter than the forces of evil in the world and that my own heart is good and clever while the evil that threatens my world is a powerful external hidden force. This enemy never wants me to humbly accept evil in my own heart as the issue, or understand that he is the enemy rather than a group of human conspirators.

The first conspiracy theory can be found in Genesis 3. Adam does not believe that his sin is his fault, it is the woman that GOD gave him. Eve isn’t to blame either, it was that serpent. They are good, but external forces of evil have conspired against them.

As Israel’s sin began to have consequences and external threats arose, rather than turn to God to deal with the evil of their hearts, they looked outward, grabbing hold of conspiracy theories. They didn’t need to deal with evil, evil was an external force threatening them as good people. God warns Isaiah, 

For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, "You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
(Isaiah 8:11-12)

Our hearts, wicked as they are, are programmed to seek out evil apart from ourselves and view that as the threat to fight against. It allows us to salve our pride, see ourselves as good and righteous, and be the hero of the story against the forces of evil and all the dumb people around us who are not as enlightened as we are.
Paul, the longer he sought truth, came to a startling conclusion about himself. As he viewed the cosmic struggle, he settled on one central truth that defined both the workings of the world and how he fit into it. 

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
(1 Timothy 1:15)

I am not defined by an external evil, whether it be natural or conspiratorial. I am not in a fight against small or large groups of fellow humans. In fact, even my cosmic demonic enemy is already a defeated foe, but not through any effort of my own nor enlightenment I possess. I have been died for, lived for, resurrected for, and now my life centers around the confession of the wickedness within me and the work of Christ to bring His Kingdom into my own heart.

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
(John 16:33)
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Light Escaped

Personal, Writing Challenges

The darkness was as deep and uninterrupted as the silence that accompanied it.  Visual & auditory absence that was amplified by the coolness of the enclosure.  The dimensions of the room were impossible to ascertain in the complete absence of illumination.  Whatever the size of the room, it was capacious in what it held for others.  This space held immeasurable sadness, hopelessness, fear, and even despair.  It contained the ruined dreams of many and the crushing disappointment of a committed few who had thought that this shadowed space was an impossible likelihood.  Its darkness seemed the full antithesis of all that it now concealed.

It had begun in light.  A need for light had drawn it, a call for light had predicted it, and its arrival had repeatedly been announced by light.  Those who did not understand nor appreciate it had nonetheless had found their attention captivated by the light.  The light had demonstrated such power that even those who lacked any capacity to see the light had suddenly and joyfully beheld it, forever changed by its entrance into their lives.  Others, who had prided themselves on the appreciation of light had found this too bright and had embraced a blindness that was more comforting than its piercing brilliance.

Whether they embraced it or resisted it, none could deny the presence of something that seemed to hint of the first light ever to shine into a void.  There was a timelessness, an ancient quality to the light that yet seemed to announce newness and birth.   No one encountering this light was left unchanged or unimpressed by it.  Men and women were driven either to joy or to madness by the gentle relentlessness of its power.

Suddenly all those who had basked in the glow found themselves stumbling and crying, unable to see ahead.  Their disorientation all the worse for having seemed to see so clearly before.  The one thing that had been clear in the light now was clouded in uncertainty and defeat.

The light had passed away with the setting of the sun and had not returned with the dawn.  Night had become permanent behind a large stone, blocking out not only light, but hope and victory.

Another sunset confirmed the finality of the darkness over the light.  As a third day dawned with sudden truth for those who beheld a not-final resting place.  In victory, Light had escaped.

This was inspired by a writing prompt: “Light Escaping” in the GCD Writers Guild. If you are a writing & interested in joining the Guild for encouragement & challenge in being a Gospel writer, click the badge on the right.

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Caring About Life

Life in Christ, Personal

When I was a little boy, I would never take the last cookie in the jar. Up until then, I was fine eating them, but once it was down to the last cookie (or cracker, or other food item) I didn’t want to finish it because I was afraid my Mom or Dad would want one later and be sad and disappointed. I think this tendency amused my parents.

From early on God gave me a soft spot for people. Now I am not saying that I can’t be stupid, and act in uncaring and inconsiderate ways. Much the opposite! But over all I have a soft spot for people. My wife will gently chuckle as I cry while watching “Undercover Boss.”

The term “pro-life” has become so political, that I struggle to use it now. As my wife became pregnant with each of our children, I couldn’t imagine ending the small life growing within her and I’ve always mourned the act of abortion in our world. I’ve also struggled with seeing others suffer, whether it be someone sick, old, poor, or otherwise in trouble. I remember a magazine article I saw when I was 17 about a rural area. It had a picture of an old man next to his farm stand. A crude hand painted sign on the stand said, “Please blow horn. I am old & cannot stay out in the cold.” I hated that picture & didn’t want to see it or think about it, yet I couldn’t stop looking at it and over thirty years later I can still see it with crystal clarity in my mind. What upset me was I was so worried that people would take his produce without paying since he couldn’t stay outside. I felt sick.

These days I feel sick and upset a lot. As a virus races around the planet and through communities, people struggle and some die. I have been told by fellow believers that I should not be overly worried about this, that it just happens and “oh well.” That only makes me feel sicker. If even one baby dying in the womb is too many, how is it that we who are called by the Name of the Lord of Life find it so easy to dismiss the death of so many, especially the elderly among us. How can we be cavalier about a death toll in our country alone that rises well over two-thousand a day?

I cannot. I just feel sick. I’ve done too many funerals, sat with too many grieving families, and been at the bedside too many times as a person took their last breath, to be able to step back and just accept death so easily.

I hate death. I hate seeing people lost. And I especially mourn the loss of life of those who may be lost.

Don’t ask me not to worry or be concerned about that. Whether it is someone dying of Covid, of neglect, of abortion, of poverty. The rich person, the celebrity, the immigrant, legal or otherwise. The baptist pastor and the Muslim. There is no room in my personal politics to become callous to the suffering and loss of those made in God’s image.

If that makes me wrong, then I’m wrong, but I hate death.

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End Times & Danger

Church on Mission, Perils of Shepherds

In high school I was a constant student of Revelation, Daniel and the End Times. I consumed books by Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, Salem Kirban, and a few others who were putting out books and studies. We watched “A Thief in the Night” and its sequels at church. It was the 1980’s and the threat of imminent thermonuclear war hung over society.

Some of the books I collected, like Kirban’s “Guide to Survival” had been written in the 1960’s when race riots & civil unrest had seized the country. In times of unrest or upheaval, our natural interest into End Times spikes. As the current pandemic began to circle the globe, I began to see it rise again. Sermon series, blog posts, articles, and theories. Once again we are in the End Times. As a high school student, many were pretty sure that Henry Kissinger was the Anti-Christ as he checked enough boxes. (He’s almost 100 years old, but not dead yet, so maybe there’s still time).

I graduated from high school in 1988. I was already surprised because I hadn’t expected God was going to wait even that long, the “End Times” was so close. Someone gave me a booklet that was very popular that year. “88 Reasons Why the Rapture will be in 1988.” The sequel, “89 Reasons…” didn’t do as much business (not a joke, that really happened).

At this stage, you might expect that I am going to say we are not living in the “End Times” as such, or talk through why one point of view or another is valid. I’m not going to do that. I’m done trying to tease out End Times moments and map Revelation & Daniel over the latest news.

Instead, I have begun to wonder this: when it comes to the End Times, are we more focused on what is going to happen to Us, or what is going to happen to Them?

Stick with me here. When is the Rapture of the Church? Is there even “the Rapture?” Is the Tribulation literal? Will the church go through it, part of it, etc. These questions seize our imagination because we want to know what we are going to face. When we sense cultural trends that may be working against us Christians, we suddenly sense that the End Times are upon us.

What if our biggest concern about the “End Times” wasn’t us, but them? When time comes to an end, no matter how bad it might get for a short season, it means we are almost to the final full reign of Jesus, the final imprisonment of the devil, and the end of suffering. We are also almost to the final judgement, the moment beyond which no one else will be saved. If we understand that salvation through the grace of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross is essential, than we should be far more concerned about time running out for others than about our own temporary suffering.

In a moment of frustration a day ago, I stated, “I just wish Jesus would hurry up and come back!” My dear wife reminded me, that will be a terrible day for many many people.

Revelation ends with a plea for Jesus to come quickly. How could we not look with eager anticipation for that moment. But just a few books earlier in Peter, we are reminded that Jesus is not waiting because He is slow, but because He wants more people to have a chance of salvation.

So let me ask you, when you think of the End Times, are you focused on what is going to happen to you, or what is going to happen to your unsaved friend or neighbor?

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Stuck

Personal

I’ve been struggling for awhile with a form of writer’s block. Not the kind you might think of, where you can’t think of anything to write. That has never been my problem. My problem is that there is too much going on in my head. My mind has always moved fast & in several directions at once. Its always given me a form of ADD where different thoughts compete for attention and I follow trains of thought around and around.

This is one of the reasons why talking to me can be a danger, because I begin to verbally express all the things going around in my head, often times processing them by talking.

When I first started my first blog, one of its purposes was to help drain out all the things going around in my head by processing them out in writing. I often found that I had an easier time working on sermons after blogging because I had cleared out so many of the “voices” running around in my head.

In the last few years, I’ve stopped writing, but not stopped thinking. I’ve turned often to social media to verbally process, but repeatedly gotten myself in trouble because when you share unrefined and raw thoughts (and feelings) you can end up saying things that cause hurt or offence, which I have found myself doing.

Yet the various thoughts, ideas, trains of thinking, and musings continue to swirl until I can’t do much of anything. It becomes like a mental hurricane where so much is happening you can’t do anything.

So I’m back on my blog today. And I’m going to go back to my roots. If I end up writing something that I feel like sharing, I will. If you follow this blog, you’ll hear a bit of what is chasing around in my head. It may be a thought thread that I don’t end up believing, it may be random ramblings, but it will be honest. I’ll apologize in advance if the picture you get is of an incredibly flawed man who doesn’t always think, feel, or speak as he should, especially as a “pastor.” That is what I am. I deeply flawed man trying to trust Jesus, live in His love, love others, and be wise in a world that is quite the big hot mess.

I’m tired of being stuck in my head. I need to write. You don’t need to read, but you are welcome if you choose to.

Onward & Forward.

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Unrepentant & Safe

Life in Christ

Everything had happened so fast. She had been in bed. Then suddenly all these men, and shouting. She was grabbed and dragged. Everything was a blur. Bright light and many voices and dust as the shouting & dragging continued down the street.

Then she was thrown down and heard them discuss starting the stoning. No surprises here. She was guilty and understood how things worked.

Then it got quiet.

Then it got quieter as the number of sandaled feet began to decrease. Shouts had become murmurs which became silence. Then there was only one pair of sandals close to her, and they belonged to the most compassionate eyes she had seen in years.

“Who is left to condemn you?”

There are no other sandals waiting. “They’re all gone.”

“I don’t condemn you either. Go, and don’t keep sinning anymore.”

She hadn’t repented nor declared her faith in Messiah. She found herself caught-in-the-act guilty at the feet of the Living God, full of all holiness and power.

And she was perfectly safe. He hadn’t come to condemn her but to save her. Even though she wasn’t confessing, repenting, or even fully aware of the situation, she was safe.

Do you feel that safe with Jesus as you wrestle with your sins? Do you help others know the safety of His presence?

It is not safe to remain in your sin. There is a day of judgement coming which makes now the right time to accept forgiveness. Come to Him, even and especially if you’ve been caught in the act. Right now the safest place for a sinner is at the feet of Jesus.

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Dry

Life in Christ, Perils of Shepherds, Personal

The tree planted by the water does not wither when the drought comes and the desert winds blow.
It doesn’t mean it’s not pretty dry out.  
After another weekend of pandemic preaching, wandering through an empty building that seems to get quieter each week while the outside voices get louder and hotter, I can feel the grit of the blowing sand.


My bark is dry.
Life is sustained and I am not withered.  My soul sits intact and secure, yet that’s not what it feels like.
It feels like dryness and wind.

Sitting in heaven, you never knew that feeling, did you?  But you came down, took on flesh, and experienced the best and worst of what it means to be human.
You got tired, so tired you slept through a storm.
You got lonely enough that after years of praying alone, you couldn’t bear to be alone on that terrible night and asked your friends to be with you.  
You got dry enough that you cried out to your Father and expressed your feelings of abandonment.
It wasn’t a sin, and it wasn’t a sign that you weren’t abiding in God.
You were just dry.
My bark is dry.
Its Monday and the deserts been a bit hotter lately.   My roots are ok, my leaves are green but
my bark is dry.

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Has the Church been Idol?

Church on Mission, Perils of Shepherds

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

As Paul speaks to a church that had a tendency to get caught up in all the latest passions of its culture, he reminds them of both their new identity (new creature) and new purpose (ministry of reconciliation). He’s been building this picture of identity for several chapters, including comparing the church to clay pots and tents. He is reminding us that we do not represent earthly strength and permanence. Now he uses the image of ambassadors. Visting, but not citizens.

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. …..
…We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,

(2 Corinthians 6:1, 3)

Working with Jesus then, the goal is that call to reconciliation, to salvation through Jesus. To accomplish this, Paul wants to make sure nothing gets in the way of that work. He wants to present no obstacles in how he does ministry that would interfere with the call for reconciliation.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

(2 Corinthians 6:14-17)

Paul draws the argument together here. We cannot lift this passage from its context to just teach about marriage. This is about the ministry and identity of the people of God. A warning not to mix the idols of the world’s culture with the identity and ministry of the church.

The world has many idols; the things it turns to for guidance, comfort, and control. Our current culture uses tribal grievance, character attacks, outrage at opponents/political enemies, claims to hidden knowledge and conspiracies, and a strong sense of grievance. The western church, especially in America, is too easily swept up into the use of these. From pulpits to Tweets to Facebook pages people who claim to have heard Christ’s call cheer and support politicians and movements that are built on these idols. Not only that, but we step into the yoke and share these idols, using them to advance our agendas. We declare that this is good, or at least necessary.

This is to be not separate at all, but rather yoked up and working alongside the world. Its’ idols are now our idols. We believe that somehow we have found common cause with those who are serving Belial. Christian, may we be visibly, materially, substantially, and eternally apart from these things!

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