Jesus is our Exemplar and we should learn to emulate His lifestyle and follow in His steps. "Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for all" (cf. Mark 10:45). We are no better than Him and are obliged to do no less. He raised the bar on ethics by His example and incentive. When asked who would be the greatest, He said the one who is the servant of all and humbles himself like a child (cf. Matt. 18:3). To be child-like in faith, not childish, that is.
Therefore, we are all called into the ministry in a sense because He used the word diakonos, deacon or servant in Koine. We have the ministry of reconciliation as Paul put it. This is a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong seem to survive but we are called to minister to the down and out and reach out to the untouchables, riff-raff, and so-called scum for the Lord's sake. The trouble with this world according to Lily Tomlin is that even if you win the rat-race, you're still a rat!
But we don't want a world of the survival of the fittest or the law of the jungle with no mercy or relief organizations to aid those in need If only the strong survive, how did they arrive? We must recognize that Christianity is counter-cultural and we stand opposed to the world's way of reckoning, even success has a new meaning. In God's economy, we're all weak and we are to bear one another's burdens and to comfort those in need. No one is a rock in need of no one; we're all products of God, our DNA, our nurture, and nature which is sinful.
When George Whitefield saw a condemned man go to the gallows, he said, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Paul reiterated this by saying, "I am what I am by the grace of God (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). We are to have the same humility and not see ourselves as an elite in this world but as the recipients of grace that we don't deserve. God shed His grace on us! When we've been touched by grace and it's changed our lives, we want to pass it on and spread the word because this is what makes our faith and God unique from all other religions.
Our success is not how many servants we have, but how many we serve! We serve by virtue of having a spiritual gift and venturing out of our comfort zone to serve (and this is how we discover it) We need to make an impact and not just an impression. (Our righteousness is God's gift to us! per Isaiah 45:24; Hosea 14:8; Rom. 15:18) That is, it's not so easy to make a difference for Christ. And the only happy people are those who've learned to serve, according to Albert Schweitzer, and this is the right mindset for us as well. As Bob Dylan said, "You've gotta serve somebody."
The servant is in a win-win situation with God because the reward is not only in the doing itself, having its own reward, but in the receiving of a great and precious reward that won't fade away. We're in a no-lose situation! The emphasis is on our deeds, not our confession, because there are many nominal Christians or ones who are believers in name only paying lip service, and we are to live out our faith by giving it away and showing it to the world via our deeds, letting our light shine.
We must recognize Jesus being humble enough to become one of us, getting down and dirty with us, to identify with our issues and problems, even experiencing the O.J.T. of real life, Reality 101. Jesus feels our pain and relates to us, having been "tempted in all ways like us, yet without sin" (cf. Heb. 4:15). Jesus has been there and done that, thank God! So John the Baptist summed it up very well: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (cf. John 1:29). We see this interpreted as being that the way up is down in God's economy! Soli Deo Gloria!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Friday, March 6, 2020
Defender Of Faith...
The UK's crown prince has a notion to change the motto of the sovereign from F.D. or, defender of THE faith, to defender of faith! Instead of keeping the faith, it's keeping faith per se! This disembowels the theology of the church because faith doesn't save, Christ does! It's the object that matters, not the amount. People can be sincerely wrong! In other words, we don't have faith in faith but faith in Christ, even if it's mustard-seed-like. Faith is seen as the channel that acquires it, grace the source that applies it, and Christ the means that accomplished it.
Faith is an abstract word that can more easily be seen than described. People who observe us may proclaim: "Now that's what I call faith!" That's because true faith expresses itself, it has a testimony to share! I'd rather exercise it any day than know its definition! We see someone's faith by their deeds, not because they tell us they have faith. Abraham was counted faithful because he obeyed. We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8). That implies there's no easy-believism and justifies lordship salvation.
Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." They are linked and the only test of faith is obedience, not ecstasy, religious experiences or highs, visions, or dreams, or private messages from God. God doesn't want our achievements either, but our obedience! Faith is the way to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices--We are not called to martyrdom and the more we suffer doesn't mean we are holier. Therefore, "stand firm in the faith" (cf. Isaiah 7:9, HCSB). As believers, we are primarily people "on a mission."
What is faith then? It is the gift of God that opens our hearts when the Spirit woos and quickens our spirit. "This is the work of God, that you believe..." It is composed of Fiducia, Assensus, and Notatia in Latin, and therefore it has a volitional, emotive, and cognitive element. The elements are confidence, trust, and knowledge. We must believe the right creed concerning Christ without heresy. But spreading the Word or the gospel message isn't disseminating a creed but presenting a Person.
We trust God with confidence and faithfulness as we proceed from faith to faith or grow in it. As we are saved by faith, so ought we to continue in it (cf. Col. 2:6). We progress in maturity from one faith to another (cf. Romans 1:17). We may get a spiritual encounter that makes us "high" on the mountaintop but God won't leave us there, He tests our renewed faith as if by fire because it's more precious than silver or gold. Do we walk by faith or by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7)? Once we have it we realize faith goes beyond reason, not against it.
Saving faith is not storybook faith or mere head belief, but in the heart; it's not childish, but childlike, not simplistic, but simple! Faith is not gullibility and doesn't commit intellectual suicide, but is based on evidence and sound reasoning, and intellectual integrity. We are not called to believe despite the evidence nor to be irrational. We have good, sound reason to believe and should defend the faith as Jude called it to contend for the faith (cf. Jude 3). Faith without evidence or knowing why is blind faith!
Dead faith doesn't save, we must desire to live it out (cf. Romans 7:18) and show it to the world--to give it away! Works validate faith and without them faith is suspect. We are not saved by works, though; but not without them either! The formula of the Reformers was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." CAVEAT: Faith that is easy isn't worth much; there must struggle to give it merit--it's a choice a decision of the will.
There are two vital, juxtaposed factors to faith we must never forget: faithfulness and repentance. Faith and faithfulness go together and one can distinguish them but not separate them, likewise with repentance--don't divorce them. Therefore they say there is no genuine repentance without saving faith and vice versa, or we come to God by penitent faith and/or believing repentance. Soli Deo Gloria!
Faith is an abstract word that can more easily be seen than described. People who observe us may proclaim: "Now that's what I call faith!" That's because true faith expresses itself, it has a testimony to share! I'd rather exercise it any day than know its definition! We see someone's faith by their deeds, not because they tell us they have faith. Abraham was counted faithful because he obeyed. We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8). That implies there's no easy-believism and justifies lordship salvation.
Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22). Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." They are linked and the only test of faith is obedience, not ecstasy, religious experiences or highs, visions, or dreams, or private messages from God. God doesn't want our achievements either, but our obedience! Faith is the way to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices--We are not called to martyrdom and the more we suffer doesn't mean we are holier. Therefore, "stand firm in the faith" (cf. Isaiah 7:9, HCSB). As believers, we are primarily people "on a mission."
What is faith then? It is the gift of God that opens our hearts when the Spirit woos and quickens our spirit. "This is the work of God, that you believe..." It is composed of Fiducia, Assensus, and Notatia in Latin, and therefore it has a volitional, emotive, and cognitive element. The elements are confidence, trust, and knowledge. We must believe the right creed concerning Christ without heresy. But spreading the Word or the gospel message isn't disseminating a creed but presenting a Person.
We trust God with confidence and faithfulness as we proceed from faith to faith or grow in it. As we are saved by faith, so ought we to continue in it (cf. Col. 2:6). We progress in maturity from one faith to another (cf. Romans 1:17). We may get a spiritual encounter that makes us "high" on the mountaintop but God won't leave us there, He tests our renewed faith as if by fire because it's more precious than silver or gold. Do we walk by faith or by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7)? Once we have it we realize faith goes beyond reason, not against it.
Saving faith is not storybook faith or mere head belief, but in the heart; it's not childish, but childlike, not simplistic, but simple! Faith is not gullibility and doesn't commit intellectual suicide, but is based on evidence and sound reasoning, and intellectual integrity. We are not called to believe despite the evidence nor to be irrational. We have good, sound reason to believe and should defend the faith as Jude called it to contend for the faith (cf. Jude 3). Faith without evidence or knowing why is blind faith!
Dead faith doesn't save, we must desire to live it out (cf. Romans 7:18) and show it to the world--to give it away! Works validate faith and without them faith is suspect. We are not saved by works, though; but not without them either! The formula of the Reformers was that we are "saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." CAVEAT: Faith that is easy isn't worth much; there must struggle to give it merit--it's a choice a decision of the will.
There are two vital, juxtaposed factors to faith we must never forget: faithfulness and repentance. Faith and faithfulness go together and one can distinguish them but not separate them, likewise with repentance--don't divorce them. Therefore they say there is no genuine repentance without saving faith and vice versa, or we come to God by penitent faith and/or believing repentance. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 23, 2020
My Theology On Prayer...
"He told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not to be discouraged" (Luke 18:1, HCSB).
We don't need to understand all the intricacies of correct prayer etiquette, format, or go by some template to pray effectively; what we do need is faith in God's will and to walk with Him in fellowship--unconfessed sins block prayer. The better we apprehend God's will, the more we can accomplish with God.--that's the key. Some people are too inclined to posture out of religiosity and don't realize that we can pray with ease standing on our heads if we so desire. But there may happen a crisis that may force us to our knees in humility.
We must realize God sees the heart and our motives in prayer too. It's much better to have a heart and not be able to articulate it than to be fluent and not have a passion for one's prayer life. Men seem to not be able to overlook the semblance of prayer and the verbiage, but God is able to translate our feeble utterings into divine words on our behalf. In other words, it's not so much how we address and approach God, as to how sincere we are and the faith we express.
What I'm saying is that there is no prefabricated M.O. or theology on prayer, in that if you know all the answers, it entitles us to answered prayer. God isn't going to give us a blank check if we pray in a certain methodology. We can be right and dead wrong in our hearts; for instance, praying to the Lord means we ought to own Him as our Lord and not be paying lip service. The Pharisees were known for being showoffs with long prayers and praying that others may see--flaunting it in public--they might've prayed correctly.
But the true prayer warrior prays in his prayer closet or sanctuary where there are no witnesses but God. The measure of prayer is how effectual it is in achieving God's will, not our own felt-needs. We don't come to God with a wish list as if He were Santa or a genie at our disposal. The closer we get to God, the more we see prayer as an experience with God, gaining entree into His throne room and into God's dimension, and then realizing the purpose of prayer is prayer!
James 5:16 says that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. This is so and we ought to not trust so much in our own righteousness in times of need but seek out the aid of the body of Christ. The best of us aren't too proud to ask for prayer. There is a direct correlation between results and righteousness. But note that our righteousness is God's gift to us and not our gift to God. We don't need a sermon on prayer, a lecture, or to read another book on prayer as much as we need to pray and exercise its muscle in our discipline--we need practice what we do know and not be critical or judgmental of other's or too introspective of ourselves.
There is proper prayer etiquette if one wishes to be nit-picky: Ephesians 2:18 says to pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. But that doesn't mean other prayers aren't heard, for God hears all His children. Actually, all members of the triune God are and ought to be involved. Jude 21 says to pray in the Spirit--practicing God's presence is paramount. I have witnessed many types of prayer from attending many churches in my spiritual journey and pilgrimage and have witnessed prayers being answered that I wouldn't pray or not done according to the template of the Lord's prayer: Our heavenly Father...
Jesus did say we can ask anything in His name and that is the key, but we must have faith and not be double-minded. Merely saying the wording "in Jesus' name" is no magic formula or guarantee of being heard (neither it is an excuse for unanswered prayer), for it means we are praying His will and seeking His glory, not ours. Most unanswered prayer may be due to just not continuing in prayer and giving up, taking a "No" too readily. But we ought not to ever pray amiss for our own selfish desires and not God's will. Find your voice, be real, know your genre or even the key that fits your talents: You cannot sing the blues from the back of a limo. As an illustration, there's no prefabricated prayer for salvation, God must judge the heart.
Finally, prayer is a litmus test of our faith and heart, not of our indoctrination; that is, when we feel least like praying, we should pray all the more. Soli Deo Gloria!
We don't need to understand all the intricacies of correct prayer etiquette, format, or go by some template to pray effectively; what we do need is faith in God's will and to walk with Him in fellowship--unconfessed sins block prayer. The better we apprehend God's will, the more we can accomplish with God.--that's the key. Some people are too inclined to posture out of religiosity and don't realize that we can pray with ease standing on our heads if we so desire. But there may happen a crisis that may force us to our knees in humility.
We must realize God sees the heart and our motives in prayer too. It's much better to have a heart and not be able to articulate it than to be fluent and not have a passion for one's prayer life. Men seem to not be able to overlook the semblance of prayer and the verbiage, but God is able to translate our feeble utterings into divine words on our behalf. In other words, it's not so much how we address and approach God, as to how sincere we are and the faith we express.
What I'm saying is that there is no prefabricated M.O. or theology on prayer, in that if you know all the answers, it entitles us to answered prayer. God isn't going to give us a blank check if we pray in a certain methodology. We can be right and dead wrong in our hearts; for instance, praying to the Lord means we ought to own Him as our Lord and not be paying lip service. The Pharisees were known for being showoffs with long prayers and praying that others may see--flaunting it in public--they might've prayed correctly.
But the true prayer warrior prays in his prayer closet or sanctuary where there are no witnesses but God. The measure of prayer is how effectual it is in achieving God's will, not our own felt-needs. We don't come to God with a wish list as if He were Santa or a genie at our disposal. The closer we get to God, the more we see prayer as an experience with God, gaining entree into His throne room and into God's dimension, and then realizing the purpose of prayer is prayer!
James 5:16 says that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. This is so and we ought to not trust so much in our own righteousness in times of need but seek out the aid of the body of Christ. The best of us aren't too proud to ask for prayer. There is a direct correlation between results and righteousness. But note that our righteousness is God's gift to us and not our gift to God. We don't need a sermon on prayer, a lecture, or to read another book on prayer as much as we need to pray and exercise its muscle in our discipline--we need practice what we do know and not be critical or judgmental of other's or too introspective of ourselves.
There is proper prayer etiquette if one wishes to be nit-picky: Ephesians 2:18 says to pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the power of the Spirit. But that doesn't mean other prayers aren't heard, for God hears all His children. Actually, all members of the triune God are and ought to be involved. Jude 21 says to pray in the Spirit--practicing God's presence is paramount. I have witnessed many types of prayer from attending many churches in my spiritual journey and pilgrimage and have witnessed prayers being answered that I wouldn't pray or not done according to the template of the Lord's prayer: Our heavenly Father...
Jesus did say we can ask anything in His name and that is the key, but we must have faith and not be double-minded. Merely saying the wording "in Jesus' name" is no magic formula or guarantee of being heard (neither it is an excuse for unanswered prayer), for it means we are praying His will and seeking His glory, not ours. Most unanswered prayer may be due to just not continuing in prayer and giving up, taking a "No" too readily. But we ought not to ever pray amiss for our own selfish desires and not God's will. Find your voice, be real, know your genre or even the key that fits your talents: You cannot sing the blues from the back of a limo. As an illustration, there's no prefabricated prayer for salvation, God must judge the heart.
Finally, prayer is a litmus test of our faith and heart, not of our indoctrination; that is, when we feel least like praying, we should pray all the more. Soli Deo Gloria!
Who Do You Say That I Am? ...
"My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, ..." (Psalm 27:8-9, NIV). "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from any one of us" (Acts 17:27, KJV).
Peter is known for answering this in saying Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah to come, is not just some great leader, prophet, or teacher--which doesn't do Him justice. He was right in his confession, but Christ wasn't right with him quite yet, and Peter had a lot to learn before he could own Him as Lord. Christ was nigh to his lips but not tied to Christ's will as of yet, seeing the purpose for his calling as an apostle. He wasn't aware of what he was getting into. Of course, we have the vantage point of the full counsel of God to put this into perspective.
But Peter was of the inner circle with James and John, Christ's bosom buddies, and witnessed the glory of Christ and heard the witness of the Father, Moses, and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration. Besides, the three that bear witness are the Spirit, the water, and the blood and these three are in agreement (cf. 1 John 5:7).
It is said that we perceive His deity by His character and personal credentials: in that, He committed no sin; in His signs or miracles that bore witness with purpose; and in the testimony of the prophets being fulfilled. Normally we don't believe people claiming deity (and He made claims like no other man and spoke like no other), but when someone lives like Jesus did and makes this kind of impact we tend to believe His virgin birth and resurrection are consistent with it ad confirm it. After all, the miracle of the resurrection proves His deity once and for all.
Hezekiah had to destroy the "Nehushtan" or the "bronze serpent" that the people of Israel had begun to worship because he saw it had become a fetish and idol. We must focus on Christ to see His glory and not get sidetracked or major on minors. Glory naturally exudes from Him and the good news for us is that we can share in it and reflect His glory to others. We worship "the God who is there" and glory is a sign of His presence. In other words, it doesn't matter what we think of the king or of the president, but only what we think of Christ concerning our souls--we must keep the main thing the main thing. Even Moses reflected God's glory too in coming down from Mount Sinai he hid his face from the people.
Normally, Christ hid His glory. But someday we shall all see Him as He is. This vision of Christ showed that Christ is the light of the world and doesn't reflect the glory of God, but is the glory of God in His own right. In His light we see light! He lights all who come to Him. Jesus had to make this point to disclose Himself fully, for it didn't matter what they thought of the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees or Sadducees, nor even Herod, but what they made of Jesus would determine their eternal fate. They had to come to the realization to preach Jesus and stay focused on Him: knowing it's all about Jesus! Everyone had to come to their own climactic decision and decide for themselves who Jesus is. We recognize Jesus due to His glory and from then on should have known that everything Jesus does is full of grace, truth, glory, and purpose.
Richard of Chichester quipped quite pertinently that we should know Christ more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. Indeed, Jesus' reputation preceded Him and everyone knew that He went about preaching the good news and doing good deeds, including healing the sick, but Jesus didn't want to be known as a miracle worker or a healer but as our Savior. Note that Jesus had done works to bear witness of His deity and told the people to believe in Him for His very works' sake. We may know Him as the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas "Lord" refers to His exalted position, "Jesus" to His purpose to save us, and "Christ" as to His promise as the anointed One. There is no other name by which we can be saved and we must bow to, and Jesus is the one who claimed to be the only way Himself (cf. Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Even though the disciples had this mountaintop experience, the life for the believer wasn't going to be that way, walking on cloud nine or in the memory or glow of some spiritual experience. We need to learn from Reality 101 and apply our faith, turning creeds into deeds, living it out--not just professing it. Our daily walk needs to be renewed daily and every day we must surrender to His will and renew our faith as we progress from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
We all must have some comfort zone to retreat to, some inner sanctum, or prayer closet that we can find God in private retreat--it's something to be privatized, not flaunted or publicized. I like what Francis Schaeffer said, "God is there and He is not silent." We must not be ashamed of Christ, but we don't wear our religion on our sleeves either. Wearing crosses as a chic accessory or fashion item doesn't do His glory justice nor even our testimony.
In sum, seeking the face of the LORD (cf. Psalm 40:8) is the "main business of the Christian life" (Jonathan Edwards), and "begins at salvation" (R. C. Sproul). "... [I]n thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (cf. Psalm 16:11, KJV)). Soli Deo Gloria!
Peter is known for answering this in saying Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah to come, is not just some great leader, prophet, or teacher--which doesn't do Him justice. He was right in his confession, but Christ wasn't right with him quite yet, and Peter had a lot to learn before he could own Him as Lord. Christ was nigh to his lips but not tied to Christ's will as of yet, seeing the purpose for his calling as an apostle. He wasn't aware of what he was getting into. Of course, we have the vantage point of the full counsel of God to put this into perspective.
But Peter was of the inner circle with James and John, Christ's bosom buddies, and witnessed the glory of Christ and heard the witness of the Father, Moses, and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration. Besides, the three that bear witness are the Spirit, the water, and the blood and these three are in agreement (cf. 1 John 5:7).
It is said that we perceive His deity by His character and personal credentials: in that, He committed no sin; in His signs or miracles that bore witness with purpose; and in the testimony of the prophets being fulfilled. Normally we don't believe people claiming deity (and He made claims like no other man and spoke like no other), but when someone lives like Jesus did and makes this kind of impact we tend to believe His virgin birth and resurrection are consistent with it ad confirm it. After all, the miracle of the resurrection proves His deity once and for all.
Hezekiah had to destroy the "Nehushtan" or the "bronze serpent" that the people of Israel had begun to worship because he saw it had become a fetish and idol. We must focus on Christ to see His glory and not get sidetracked or major on minors. Glory naturally exudes from Him and the good news for us is that we can share in it and reflect His glory to others. We worship "the God who is there" and glory is a sign of His presence. In other words, it doesn't matter what we think of the king or of the president, but only what we think of Christ concerning our souls--we must keep the main thing the main thing. Even Moses reflected God's glory too in coming down from Mount Sinai he hid his face from the people.
Normally, Christ hid His glory. But someday we shall all see Him as He is. This vision of Christ showed that Christ is the light of the world and doesn't reflect the glory of God, but is the glory of God in His own right. In His light we see light! He lights all who come to Him. Jesus had to make this point to disclose Himself fully, for it didn't matter what they thought of the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees or Sadducees, nor even Herod, but what they made of Jesus would determine their eternal fate. They had to come to the realization to preach Jesus and stay focused on Him: knowing it's all about Jesus! Everyone had to come to their own climactic decision and decide for themselves who Jesus is. We recognize Jesus due to His glory and from then on should have known that everything Jesus does is full of grace, truth, glory, and purpose.
Richard of Chichester quipped quite pertinently that we should know Christ more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. Indeed, Jesus' reputation preceded Him and everyone knew that He went about preaching the good news and doing good deeds, including healing the sick, but Jesus didn't want to be known as a miracle worker or a healer but as our Savior. Note that Jesus had done works to bear witness of His deity and told the people to believe in Him for His very works' sake. We may know Him as the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas "Lord" refers to His exalted position, "Jesus" to His purpose to save us, and "Christ" as to His promise as the anointed One. There is no other name by which we can be saved and we must bow to, and Jesus is the one who claimed to be the only way Himself (cf. Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
Even though the disciples had this mountaintop experience, the life for the believer wasn't going to be that way, walking on cloud nine or in the memory or glow of some spiritual experience. We need to learn from Reality 101 and apply our faith, turning creeds into deeds, living it out--not just professing it. Our daily walk needs to be renewed daily and every day we must surrender to His will and renew our faith as we progress from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
We all must have some comfort zone to retreat to, some inner sanctum, or prayer closet that we can find God in private retreat--it's something to be privatized, not flaunted or publicized. I like what Francis Schaeffer said, "God is there and He is not silent." We must not be ashamed of Christ, but we don't wear our religion on our sleeves either. Wearing crosses as a chic accessory or fashion item doesn't do His glory justice nor even our testimony.
In sum, seeking the face of the LORD (cf. Psalm 40:8) is the "main business of the Christian life" (Jonathan Edwards), and "begins at salvation" (R. C. Sproul). "... [I]n thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (cf. Psalm 16:11, KJV)). Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 16, 2020
To Gain What We Cannot Lose
Martyred missionary Jim Elliot is known for his famous line: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." Our very souls are at stake and the chips are high-- an eternity in focus. What will pass away is not worth holding to in perspective. Even Jesus didn't cling to His life but for the joy set before Him, endured the cross and despised the shame! We are all called to take up our own cross or its burden that is given to us for Christ's sake--but He didn't ask us to do anything He didn't do and nothing He won't be with us in--He was honest enough to warn us of the cost of following Him and to count it. Remember, Jim would tell you that you've got nothing to lose but infinity to gain by trusting in the Lord. It is said that he was warned he could die going to the jungles, but he only replied," I died years ago when I accepted Christ."
It may be as simple as re-prioritizing our lives, or as involved as sacrificing or laying down our lives--we all have a mission and calling from God that is suited for us in God's perfect will. Winston Churchill offered no easy road to victory over the Nazis and warned of "blood, toil, sweat, and tears," ahead for the UK. Likewise, Jesus doesn't want mere lip service but wholehearted, devoted followers that are gung-ho for Job One--the Great Commission, not lukewarm hypocrites.
When Jesus is our number one priority, all else fades in respective significance and we can say goodbye to self and live solely for Him, not-self. We can relate to Jesus and identify with His cross. We become new creatures in Christ and have a new identity. But somehow the problems we now face seem small because when the one giving orders is our Helper and Advocate, helping us do His will, it is no longer a burden we cannot bear. The same God who got us to the climactic situation is the same one who will get us through it.
So what is a disciple then? He meant we are to deny ourselves (cf. Mark 8:34), not asceticism, but who we are as a person--our identity is in Christ. We die to self and fully relate to Christ for our identity--saying farewell to the old man and welcome o the new man created in Christ's image. It's not a matter of denying ourselves "things" nor of having low self-esteem, but of giving Christ first place in our lives. It's not necessarily privation, but we cheerfully take the road less traveled for the sake of the Name. We get true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but of ourselves less!
Jesus went on further to elaborate that discipleship involved taking up our cross: we must be willing to follow Christ wherever He leads, even to the point of death obediently and cheerful as martyrs. We are willing to go all the way cheerfully on our assignment from God in an act of faith, fulfilling our calling of God's purpose. God doesn't call us to suicide missions with no purpose, and don't get the impression that salvation is by martyrdom, that the more we suffer, the greater Christians we are or our reward, but we must be willing to lay down our lives in faith despising the temporary rewards of this life; our belief in God is not mere lip service but a witness to others to show them how it affects our lives.
We are to go on to "follow Him" (cf. Mark 8:34) or be willing to go wherever He leads. I like to say that we should be willing to go anywhere as long as it's forward; we should never stand still in our faith or tread water but progress from faith to faith! Faith marches forward and doesn't balk or stand still! We say that the summation of Christian ethics is to follow Christ and this is the full application of our faith--it's not just a profession but a mission to complete--some merely make a profession of faith but don't live it out with their lives and belie their testimony.
The Greek philosophical goals to know God and to know thyself apply since they go together. We must have no delusions about reality and realize we are lost without Him. We cannot follow Christ if we do not know Him, and we must believe in Him for who He is and realize what we are in truth as persons.
That's why broad is the way that leads to damnation because it's the easy way of least resistance, and usually a cop-out. When we suffer for the sake of the Name, we enter into the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10), gaining eternal reward that we cannot forfeit. This is the ultimate future investment--not a 401(k). We must always have the perspective that this world is passing away and everything here is fleeting, knowing the brevity of life and how short our time is to do God's will, and only what's done for Christ will last and be rewarded.
But most people are short-sighted and don't see the music that vibrates for eternity when we do things in God's name, making a difference for Christ's kingdom. If we only could realize the impact our lives have, we would not lose heart and our attitude would be changed, as they say in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." A true disciple is a fully dedicated follower of Christ who stays the course and doesn't give up and goes all the way with the Lord through thick and thin.
When the chips are down, he doesn't lose faith but grows by adversity in fortitude and grit. All in all, we must acknowledge some who boast of great faith or even are pretenders of it, but we are not judged by our faith! We are judged by what we did with it; namely, our works (cf. Rom 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:12). ("to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4, KJV). Soli Deo Gloria!
It may be as simple as re-prioritizing our lives, or as involved as sacrificing or laying down our lives--we all have a mission and calling from God that is suited for us in God's perfect will. Winston Churchill offered no easy road to victory over the Nazis and warned of "blood, toil, sweat, and tears," ahead for the UK. Likewise, Jesus doesn't want mere lip service but wholehearted, devoted followers that are gung-ho for Job One--the Great Commission, not lukewarm hypocrites.
When Jesus is our number one priority, all else fades in respective significance and we can say goodbye to self and live solely for Him, not-self. We can relate to Jesus and identify with His cross. We become new creatures in Christ and have a new identity. But somehow the problems we now face seem small because when the one giving orders is our Helper and Advocate, helping us do His will, it is no longer a burden we cannot bear. The same God who got us to the climactic situation is the same one who will get us through it.
So what is a disciple then? He meant we are to deny ourselves (cf. Mark 8:34), not asceticism, but who we are as a person--our identity is in Christ. We die to self and fully relate to Christ for our identity--saying farewell to the old man and welcome o the new man created in Christ's image. It's not a matter of denying ourselves "things" nor of having low self-esteem, but of giving Christ first place in our lives. It's not necessarily privation, but we cheerfully take the road less traveled for the sake of the Name. We get true humility: not thinking less of ourselves, but of ourselves less!
Jesus went on further to elaborate that discipleship involved taking up our cross: we must be willing to follow Christ wherever He leads, even to the point of death obediently and cheerful as martyrs. We are willing to go all the way cheerfully on our assignment from God in an act of faith, fulfilling our calling of God's purpose. God doesn't call us to suicide missions with no purpose, and don't get the impression that salvation is by martyrdom, that the more we suffer, the greater Christians we are or our reward, but we must be willing to lay down our lives in faith despising the temporary rewards of this life; our belief in God is not mere lip service but a witness to others to show them how it affects our lives.
We are to go on to "follow Him" (cf. Mark 8:34) or be willing to go wherever He leads. I like to say that we should be willing to go anywhere as long as it's forward; we should never stand still in our faith or tread water but progress from faith to faith! Faith marches forward and doesn't balk or stand still! We say that the summation of Christian ethics is to follow Christ and this is the full application of our faith--it's not just a profession but a mission to complete--some merely make a profession of faith but don't live it out with their lives and belie their testimony.
The Greek philosophical goals to know God and to know thyself apply since they go together. We must have no delusions about reality and realize we are lost without Him. We cannot follow Christ if we do not know Him, and we must believe in Him for who He is and realize what we are in truth as persons.
That's why broad is the way that leads to damnation because it's the easy way of least resistance, and usually a cop-out. When we suffer for the sake of the Name, we enter into the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10), gaining eternal reward that we cannot forfeit. This is the ultimate future investment--not a 401(k). We must always have the perspective that this world is passing away and everything here is fleeting, knowing the brevity of life and how short our time is to do God's will, and only what's done for Christ will last and be rewarded.
But most people are short-sighted and don't see the music that vibrates for eternity when we do things in God's name, making a difference for Christ's kingdom. If we only could realize the impact our lives have, we would not lose heart and our attitude would be changed, as they say in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." A true disciple is a fully dedicated follower of Christ who stays the course and doesn't give up and goes all the way with the Lord through thick and thin.
When the chips are down, he doesn't lose faith but grows by adversity in fortitude and grit. All in all, we must acknowledge some who boast of great faith or even are pretenders of it, but we are not judged by our faith! We are judged by what we did with it; namely, our works (cf. Rom 2:6; Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:12). ("to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4, KJV). Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, February 14, 2020
The Battle Is The Lord's
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36, NIV).
HOW'S THE BATTLE? We are engaged in great angelic conflict in which we have no chance of coming clean without God's help using the military armor of God. We sin over and over again to be forgiven over and over again, sometimes for the same old sins (we certainly don't want new ones to worry about). Sin is like the smoking habit: it enslaves us and alienates us from others. People don't accept smokers as being "good" or polite company, especially when they light up without permission or even in your face. Cigarettes can become a god or crutch just like our bellies!
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them," (cf. 2 Peter 2:19, HCSB). [Smokes!] Alcohol can be a god but people can become addicted for life as a crutch because they haven't learned to lean on God and trust in Him in times of need, knowing "the central neurosis of man is emptiness"--Carl Gustaf Jung. They need therapy! NB: "You belong to the power you choose to obey," (Rom. 6:16, HCSB). We are bad, but not too bad to be saved!
That's why the first step in recovery is admitting slavery; that you cannot overcome it by yourself and need a "higher power," or a buddy. It wants to destroy us but we must not let it (cf. Gen. 4:7). Most men look for some outlet to let off steam, whether in escapism or in fantasies. They won't admit they "cannot see clearly," or they are clueless. Drugs seem to offer temporary solutions/fixes but the long-term effects aren't worth it and make one worse off. We must realize how bad we are to be good, and we don't realize how bad we are till we've tried to be good (a catch-22).
We must realize that our lives our not our own and God has first dibs on our bodies because He owns them. In God's economy, we must surrender daily; it's not a one-time event done at salvation, but a progressive one never to end. We are to be continually filled with the Spirit (cf. Eph. 5:18) to live the Christian life, not just have the filling we all received upon salvation as evidence of our initiation into the body of Christ.
When we get saved, we engage in the mop-up effort to defeat Satan, who's already doomed because of Christ's victory at the cross. We cannot do this alone but need the body of Christ and must not become solitary saints thinking we can defeat the enemy on our own. This battle is a joint effort of the body of Christ where everyone has a ministry and mission to complete in God's plan for their lives. That's where the ministry of the local church comes in to equip the saints. Hezekiah felt overwhelmed by his enemies and was reassured that the battle is the Lord's (cf. 2 Chron. 20:15)! God is on our side, He is fighting for us, and He is using us!
The good thing about our so-called slavery to sin is that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more, as John Bunyan wrote, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, to describe his testimony and his self-estimation. We must also realize God's grace is not only necessary for us for but we can do nothing without it, but that it's sufficient--we cannot merit it nor add to it nor subtract from it. Grace means that you don't deserve it!
We don't believe in Jesus and try to be good! We're a new creation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). We don't try, we trust because it must be Christ who changes us, not us turning over a new leaf or making a New Year's resolution, or an AA pledge. God's grace to us is infinite and we cannot exhaust it, He never gives up on us but we can give up on Him! We are the ultimate works in progress that God isn't finished with yet (cf. Phil. 1:6).
We all have failed the Lord and must realize that we can come clean by confessing our known sins, keeping a short account with God (cf. 1 John 1:9). Prov. 28:13 says that if we confess and forsake them we shall find mercy and if we hide them we will not prosper! But if we have unconfessed sin our prayers are hindered and blocked due to us being out of fellowship and in need of restoration or reconciliation (cf. Psa. 66:18; Isa. 59:2). We are to examine ourselves periodically for the sake of fellowship with the body of Christ at least during the Lord's Supper celebration (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28) and we should always examine our hearts to see if it's really Christ living there (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5).
We must be in awe of God's economy because the way to be filled is first to be emptied! The more readily we confess, the easier filled. As we get closer to God, the more we see our flaws and shortcomings, especially "laying aside every weight, and the sin which easily besets us" (cf. Heb. 12:1, KJV). "Love covers a multitude of sins" (cf. 1 Pet. 4:8, HCSB). NB: But "the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." --Henry David Thoreau
All in all, we must give God some credit for delivering us from ourselves, for we are our own worst enemy. It's not just you and I, that's the way it is and ought to be--to rely on God--we don't try, we trust! In summation, the way to change our lives is by full surrender and to have a change of heart, (will, attitude, and understanding of our sins)--renouncing them and coming clean. Soli Deo Gloria!
"The battle is the LORD's," (cf. 2 Chron. 20:15).
HOW'S THE BATTLE? We are engaged in great angelic conflict in which we have no chance of coming clean without God's help using the military armor of God. We sin over and over again to be forgiven over and over again, sometimes for the same old sins (we certainly don't want new ones to worry about). Sin is like the smoking habit: it enslaves us and alienates us from others. People don't accept smokers as being "good" or polite company, especially when they light up without permission or even in your face. Cigarettes can become a god or crutch just like our bellies!
"People are enslaved by whatever defeats them," (cf. 2 Peter 2:19, HCSB). [Smokes!] Alcohol can be a god but people can become addicted for life as a crutch because they haven't learned to lean on God and trust in Him in times of need, knowing "the central neurosis of man is emptiness"--Carl Gustaf Jung. They need therapy! NB: "You belong to the power you choose to obey," (Rom. 6:16, HCSB). We are bad, but not too bad to be saved!
That's why the first step in recovery is admitting slavery; that you cannot overcome it by yourself and need a "higher power," or a buddy. It wants to destroy us but we must not let it (cf. Gen. 4:7). Most men look for some outlet to let off steam, whether in escapism or in fantasies. They won't admit they "cannot see clearly," or they are clueless. Drugs seem to offer temporary solutions/fixes but the long-term effects aren't worth it and make one worse off. We must realize how bad we are to be good, and we don't realize how bad we are till we've tried to be good (a catch-22).
We must realize that our lives our not our own and God has first dibs on our bodies because He owns them. In God's economy, we must surrender daily; it's not a one-time event done at salvation, but a progressive one never to end. We are to be continually filled with the Spirit (cf. Eph. 5:18) to live the Christian life, not just have the filling we all received upon salvation as evidence of our initiation into the body of Christ.
When we get saved, we engage in the mop-up effort to defeat Satan, who's already doomed because of Christ's victory at the cross. We cannot do this alone but need the body of Christ and must not become solitary saints thinking we can defeat the enemy on our own. This battle is a joint effort of the body of Christ where everyone has a ministry and mission to complete in God's plan for their lives. That's where the ministry of the local church comes in to equip the saints. Hezekiah felt overwhelmed by his enemies and was reassured that the battle is the Lord's (cf. 2 Chron. 20:15)! God is on our side, He is fighting for us, and He is using us!
The good thing about our so-called slavery to sin is that where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more, as John Bunyan wrote, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, to describe his testimony and his self-estimation. We must also realize God's grace is not only necessary for us for but we can do nothing without it, but that it's sufficient--we cannot merit it nor add to it nor subtract from it. Grace means that you don't deserve it!
We don't believe in Jesus and try to be good! We're a new creation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). We don't try, we trust because it must be Christ who changes us, not us turning over a new leaf or making a New Year's resolution, or an AA pledge. God's grace to us is infinite and we cannot exhaust it, He never gives up on us but we can give up on Him! We are the ultimate works in progress that God isn't finished with yet (cf. Phil. 1:6).
We all have failed the Lord and must realize that we can come clean by confessing our known sins, keeping a short account with God (cf. 1 John 1:9). Prov. 28:13 says that if we confess and forsake them we shall find mercy and if we hide them we will not prosper! But if we have unconfessed sin our prayers are hindered and blocked due to us being out of fellowship and in need of restoration or reconciliation (cf. Psa. 66:18; Isa. 59:2). We are to examine ourselves periodically for the sake of fellowship with the body of Christ at least during the Lord's Supper celebration (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28) and we should always examine our hearts to see if it's really Christ living there (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5).
We must be in awe of God's economy because the way to be filled is first to be emptied! The more readily we confess, the easier filled. As we get closer to God, the more we see our flaws and shortcomings, especially "laying aside every weight, and the sin which easily besets us" (cf. Heb. 12:1, KJV). "Love covers a multitude of sins" (cf. 1 Pet. 4:8, HCSB). NB: But "the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." --Henry David Thoreau
All in all, we must give God some credit for delivering us from ourselves, for we are our own worst enemy. It's not just you and I, that's the way it is and ought to be--to rely on God--we don't try, we trust! In summation, the way to change our lives is by full surrender and to have a change of heart, (will, attitude, and understanding of our sins)--renouncing them and coming clean. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 9, 2020
How Shall We Then Live?...
"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2, KJV).
Francis Schaeffer wrote a book by this title too, showing its importance. The question we all must answer: "How shall we live in light of eternity?" Jesus didn't tell us to close shop and stop working to wait till He comes but Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it's our last! Jesus told us to occupy till [He] comes and be ready! But we are to be ready and watch for Christ's coming and live our life to have maximum impact on eternity. We aren't seeking to be remembered but to be obedient.
Francis Schaeffer wrote a book by this title too, showing its importance. The question we all must answer: "How shall we live in light of eternity?" Jesus didn't tell us to close shop and stop working to wait till He comes but Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it's our last! Jesus told us to occupy till [He] comes and be ready! But we are to be ready and watch for Christ's coming and live our life to have maximum impact on eternity. We aren't seeking to be remembered but to be obedient.
We see eternal results in everything; all we do strikes a chord that will vibrate for eternity. Everything will either be rewarded or not, and in time we can be disciplined for what we do if not in God's will. Paul said that to him "to die is gain" not as a death wish but he meant that he saw eternity in a better light than imagined ("what no human mind has conceived"). He only said this because he had a clear concept of heaven with no misconceptions or delusions to live the good life.
Living in light of eternity inspires us to do good deeds and to have a good testimony to the world at large so they get saved as a result. It helps us in our trials, seeing that they are only temporal and serve an eternal purpose. In short, we become purpose-driven. We prove and validate our faith by our deeds--the faith we have is the faith we show and authenticate. The more we see Jesus coming soon, the more eager we will be to show our faith also because we will see the urgency of the Great Commission relative to our personal lives. We will want to pass it on and become contagious Christians. We will be eager to make others ready and to stop living for the moment and the here and now. What we look forward to affects our worldview and how we interpret life in general. When the "Desire of all nations" (cf. Haggai 2:7) comes at His Parousia, we will be transformed to become like Him, but we can have a taste of the good things to come now: "Taste and see that the LORD is good." But now we can see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13, KJV).
We are simply pilgrims, aliens, foreigners, and even strangers in this life and to the world, and passing through, not meant to make ourselves at home here--we don't belong here! But God has a place for us in His plan. God has an eternal purpose for our lives that He will fulfill and not give up on us. We are on a spiritual journey too, growing in our relationship with Christ--Reality 101. We should not cling to our mundane lives but see that our spiritual lives take precedence; however, we do not live with our heads in the clouds nor on cloud nine. What matters is how our relationship with Christ is growing. It is wrong to think that we should live as if we go around once and should grab all the gusto we can. We must have an eternal bucket list that involves our beatific vision of God in glory.
Having a true focus on Christ, keeping our eyes on Jesus orients our life and sets the priorities to have spiritual value. However, we ought not to be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. We must not be known as mere secluded saints but actively involved in the real world. We can enjoy this life, but without sin, and thank God for the blessings that it gives to all in common grace. We can enjoy life to the max as Jesus promised: "I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full [more abundant life]" (John 10:10, NIV). On the other hand, we ought not to "love the world nor the things of the world" because the more we do, the less room we'll have in our hearts to satisfy our spiritual appetites to enjoy all the good things He gives us richly as blessing for stewardship (cf 1 Tim. 6:17).
The good life has universally been defined as an ethical one: our duty to God and mankind. We do this by loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. "Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, HCSB). This is achieved by a true sense of "oughtness." Knowing and believing right doctrine or having one's thinking straightened out is orthodoxy while living right and practicing what one believes and applying it is orthopraxy--both are necessary for the good life (which is not achieving the American dream!).
In the final analysis, when our lives are given their final audit and we go one-on-one with our Maker to face God in the Bema or Judgment Seat, we must ask ourselves whether we are faithful stewards to the blessings God has given us and whether we used them to have an impact. We all will pass on some legacy and people will tend to judge our lives, but what matters most is what Christ sees in us. He isn't going to ask us about our achievements but our obedience and we will realize that success doesn't matter to God because it belongs to Him anyway (cf. Deut. 8:18), but what matters is our call to faithfulness. Praise the Lord, life is good! Soli Deo Gloria!
Living in light of eternity inspires us to do good deeds and to have a good testimony to the world at large so they get saved as a result. It helps us in our trials, seeing that they are only temporal and serve an eternal purpose. In short, we become purpose-driven. We prove and validate our faith by our deeds--the faith we have is the faith we show and authenticate. The more we see Jesus coming soon, the more eager we will be to show our faith also because we will see the urgency of the Great Commission relative to our personal lives. We will want to pass it on and become contagious Christians. We will be eager to make others ready and to stop living for the moment and the here and now. What we look forward to affects our worldview and how we interpret life in general. When the "Desire of all nations" (cf. Haggai 2:7) comes at His Parousia, we will be transformed to become like Him, but we can have a taste of the good things to come now: "Taste and see that the LORD is good." But now we can see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (cf. Psalm 27:13, KJV).
We are simply pilgrims, aliens, foreigners, and even strangers in this life and to the world, and passing through, not meant to make ourselves at home here--we don't belong here! But God has a place for us in His plan. God has an eternal purpose for our lives that He will fulfill and not give up on us. We are on a spiritual journey too, growing in our relationship with Christ--Reality 101. We should not cling to our mundane lives but see that our spiritual lives take precedence; however, we do not live with our heads in the clouds nor on cloud nine. What matters is how our relationship with Christ is growing. It is wrong to think that we should live as if we go around once and should grab all the gusto we can. We must have an eternal bucket list that involves our beatific vision of God in glory.
Having a true focus on Christ, keeping our eyes on Jesus orients our life and sets the priorities to have spiritual value. However, we ought not to be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. We must not be known as mere secluded saints but actively involved in the real world. We can enjoy this life, but without sin, and thank God for the blessings that it gives to all in common grace. We can enjoy life to the max as Jesus promised: "I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full [more abundant life]" (John 10:10, NIV). On the other hand, we ought not to "love the world nor the things of the world" because the more we do, the less room we'll have in our hearts to satisfy our spiritual appetites to enjoy all the good things He gives us richly as blessing for stewardship (cf 1 Tim. 6:17).
The good life has universally been defined as an ethical one: our duty to God and mankind. We do this by loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. "Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, HCSB). This is achieved by a true sense of "oughtness." Knowing and believing right doctrine or having one's thinking straightened out is orthodoxy while living right and practicing what one believes and applying it is orthopraxy--both are necessary for the good life (which is not achieving the American dream!).
In the final analysis, when our lives are given their final audit and we go one-on-one with our Maker to face God in the Bema or Judgment Seat, we must ask ourselves whether we are faithful stewards to the blessings God has given us and whether we used them to have an impact. We all will pass on some legacy and people will tend to judge our lives, but what matters most is what Christ sees in us. He isn't going to ask us about our achievements but our obedience and we will realize that success doesn't matter to God because it belongs to Him anyway (cf. Deut. 8:18), but what matters is our call to faithfulness. Praise the Lord, life is good! Soli Deo Gloria!
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Finding Meaning In Suffering...
PERTINENT VERSES FOR REFERENCE:
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3, NIV).
"In their affliction they will seek Me early" (cf. Hosea 5:15).
"Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28, KJV).
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18, NKJV).
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil. 1:29, NIV).
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:67, NIV).
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, NIV).
"But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity" (Job 36:15, NLT.
"He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love" (Job 37:13, NLT).
As Christians, we believe God has a purpose for everything, even our suffering (cf. Prov. 16:4). It can be used to get our attention (cf. Job 36:15 above) or to even discipline us when we won't learn any other way and are wayward and don't heed the Word. C. S. Lewis said that God shouts at us in our pains, it's God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Sometimes we turn a deaf ear to God and become hard-of-hearing spiritually and need this little special attention-getting device.
But we know that "many are the afflictions of the righteous," but God always delivers us (cf. Psalm 34:19). And that God is a "very present help in trouble" (cf. Psalm 46:1). It's an honor to suffer for the sake of the Name, to be worthy, for which we will be rewarded, remembering that experience is not what happens to us, but in us, according to psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl, himself a victim of Nazi atrocities. We're fulfilling the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col. 1:24).
Paul was joyful to suffer and he probably suffered more than any believer of his day that it was part of the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10) or a red badge of courage, or even a Medal of Honor, or Purple Heart to wear with dignity (cf. Phil. 3:10). But all in all, only in Christ do we find meaning and purpose in our sufferings and trials and can grow by them. No religion has a complete explanation for suffering but we believe in the Suffering Servant who learned obedience by what He suffered on our behalf. Christ didn't exempt Himself from any adversity and was honest enough to warn us to count the cost of following Him and to bear our cross--no cross, no crown. Remember: Jesus feels our pains and we couldn't believe in a God who couldn't.
Christ doesn't ask us to do anything that He didn't do or expect of Himself and it all comes with the territory we signed up for a part of Reality 101, THE DIVINE CURRICULUM, as a believer, matriculated in Christ's school. As believers, we enroll in a ministry of Suffering 101; rejoice in it as Paul did in prison: "Rejoice in the Lord always." "... [B]ut we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3, KJV). Why? Because they give the opportunity for good and to show the testimony of Jesus and our grit. God doesn't willingly afflict the children of men (cf. Lam. 3:33).
Job was the example par excellence of suffering in the Bible where God gave him a crucible that tested his faith to the utmost, and he passed and didn't give up even his own integrity. This story shows that not all suffering is due to sin or because we deserve it, but also that we shouldn't judge another who is experiencing a trial. For it's in adversity that our character grows, not in our good times; show me someone who's never had any troubles, and I'll show you a person without character.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3, NIV).
"In their affliction they will seek Me early" (cf. Hosea 5:15).
"Come unto me all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28, KJV).
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18, NKJV).
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil. 1:29, NIV).
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:67, NIV).
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, NIV).
"But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity" (Job 36:15, NLT.
"He makes these things happen either to punish people or to show his unfailing love" (Job 37:13, NLT).
"It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God," (cf. Acts 14:22).
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all," (cf. Psalm 34:19).
"For it is through much affliction that we enter the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22
As Christians, we believe God has a purpose for everything, even our suffering (cf. Prov. 16:4). It can be used to get our attention (cf. Job 36:15 above) or to even discipline us when we won't learn any other way and are wayward and don't heed the Word. C. S. Lewis said that God shouts at us in our pains, it's God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Sometimes we turn a deaf ear to God and become hard-of-hearing spiritually and need this little special attention-getting device.
But we know that "many are the afflictions of the righteous," but God always delivers us (cf. Psalm 34:19). And that God is a "very present help in trouble" (cf. Psalm 46:1). It's an honor to suffer for the sake of the Name, to be worthy, for which we will be rewarded, remembering that experience is not what happens to us, but in us, according to psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl, himself a victim of Nazi atrocities. We're fulfilling the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col. 1:24).
Paul was joyful to suffer and he probably suffered more than any believer of his day that it was part of the fellowship of suffering (cf. Phil. 3:10) or a red badge of courage, or even a Medal of Honor, or Purple Heart to wear with dignity (cf. Phil. 3:10). But all in all, only in Christ do we find meaning and purpose in our sufferings and trials and can grow by them. No religion has a complete explanation for suffering but we believe in the Suffering Servant who learned obedience by what He suffered on our behalf. Christ didn't exempt Himself from any adversity and was honest enough to warn us to count the cost of following Him and to bear our cross--no cross, no crown. Remember: Jesus feels our pains and we couldn't believe in a God who couldn't.
Christ doesn't ask us to do anything that He didn't do or expect of Himself and it all comes with the territory we signed up for a part of Reality 101, THE DIVINE CURRICULUM, as a believer, matriculated in Christ's school. As believers, we enroll in a ministry of Suffering 101; rejoice in it as Paul did in prison: "Rejoice in the Lord always." "... [B]ut we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3, KJV). Why? Because they give the opportunity for good and to show the testimony of Jesus and our grit. God doesn't willingly afflict the children of men (cf. Lam. 3:33).
Job was the example par excellence of suffering in the Bible where God gave him a crucible that tested his faith to the utmost, and he passed and didn't give up even his own integrity. This story shows that not all suffering is due to sin or because we deserve it, but also that we shouldn't judge another who is experiencing a trial. For it's in adversity that our character grows, not in our good times; show me someone who's never had any troubles, and I'll show you a person without character.
We don't pray for an easy life but a strong character. God frowns on those "at ease in Zion," living the easy life or as idle rich. But God knows our breaking point and we can trust Him to lead us through what He leads us to, just as we pass through the waters, He'll be with us (cf. Isa. 43:2).
In Eastern thought, suffering is due to bad karma and we shouldn't interfere with one's karma when they suffer. There is no place for charity, relief organizations, and lending aid to those in need and less fortunate, "untouchables," or those "down on their luck." We must always realize that God gives us trials to strengthen us so that we may strengthen others in their trials: "Been there and done that!" We comfort others with our comfort.
We are capable of enduring any trial as long as we have hope, and there is hope in Christ, but without hope, there's nothing but despair that overwhelms us. Thus, the more purpose-driven we become in our suffering, the more we can endure and we can see God at work in our lives through it all, for we are assured He is with us all the way to the end for "... he will be our guide even unto death" (cf. Psalm 48:14, KJV).
In sum, we must accept these trials with the blessings of God and realize that no cross means no crown! "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but He delivereth him out of the all" (Psalm 34:19). It is written in Acts 14:22 that "through many trials, we enter the kingdom of heaven." Soli Deo Gloria!
In Eastern thought, suffering is due to bad karma and we shouldn't interfere with one's karma when they suffer. There is no place for charity, relief organizations, and lending aid to those in need and less fortunate, "untouchables," or those "down on their luck." We must always realize that God gives us trials to strengthen us so that we may strengthen others in their trials: "Been there and done that!" We comfort others with our comfort.
We are capable of enduring any trial as long as we have hope, and there is hope in Christ, but without hope, there's nothing but despair that overwhelms us. Thus, the more purpose-driven we become in our suffering, the more we can endure and we can see God at work in our lives through it all, for we are assured He is with us all the way to the end for "... he will be our guide even unto death" (cf. Psalm 48:14, KJV).
In sum, we must accept these trials with the blessings of God and realize that no cross means no crown! "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but He delivereth him out of the all" (Psalm 34:19). It is written in Acts 14:22 that "through many trials, we enter the kingdom of heaven." Soli Deo Gloria!
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Proper Disclosure Of Stigma
"After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, 'See you are well. Do not sin anymore so that something worse doesn't happen to you'" (John 5:14, HCSB, all italics and boldface mine in verses).
"I think, 'My bed will comfort me, and sleep will ease my misery,' but then you shatter me with dreams and terrify me with visions" (Job 7:13-14, NLT).
"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?..." (Psalm 43:5, NLT).
"Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens..." (Psalm 143:7, NLT).
I'm not speaking of popularized behavioral modification or self-help courses but after the onset of serious mental issues (neurosis and psychosis) that require immediate medical or professional advice and/or care. Mental health (or wellness) awareness has hit an all-time low in reputation because of assault crime committed by so-called mentally disturbed individuals or people with deep-seated personal defects in personality; therefore all mentally ill persons suffer a stigma from society, in extreme cases being ostracized from employment on the level of being an ex-con in rehab, even of being a danger to society. It is wise not to openly discuss one's disability because of this danger and this is called proper disclosure--only to one they trust "ought" to know or has a need to know.
We must refrain from ignorant, hasty, or uninformed diagnoses. Unfortunately, one's own family members may have known the legally diagnosed person in the day (and they can never manage to live it down) and nothing erases the memory of the way they were. No one likes being "labeled," so they try to avoid it now with young children in elementary school--a positive approach.
The road to recovery can be a long one; various coping remedies and strategies are available though. Mental wellness management of one's issues is not just executed by avoiding bad habits, taking meds, going to therapy or group, or a work therapy program with incentives, but by developing new therapeutic conduct and wellness practices or habits to replace the bad ones--in other words, "positive mental hygiene."
Education in wellness management is conducive to sound mental hygiene also. Mental illness should not be seen as merely behavioral disorders which need behavioral correction, (which is not cured, but only treated and managed!) and it is not just a matter of having "unresolved personal problems," (as if mere personal one-on-one counseling is the key or answer) nor is it a matter of being maladjusted, immature, of having a poor father image, or of poor self-image, and so forth, but some people are actually born with a vulnerability (much like alcoholism) to certain stressors and something traumatic triggers it and the onset begins and needs treatment.
Mental illness is most likely a bona fide disability, not a sin to overcome. Sometimes it seems like just the symptoms are being treated and a cure is not even sought like this is the way it's supposed to be. We must not remain complacent to medicate people to the point of becoming emotional zombies too.
CAVEAT: "It could happen to you!" All psychological, cognitive, or mood illnesses have stressors and triggers to bring them on. Some people may be equally vulnerable but never subject to the same level of stress (this is sometimes called PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, shell shock, or battle fatigue by old nomenclature).
It is a known, accepted scientific fact of research and not just my opinion, that biological factors (including several physical factors like diet, exercise, sleep, body chemistry) and temperament have an effect unless you adhere to free will and that one's nature is not predetermined by God. We are born with a certain disposition, inclination, or tendency, although we may misuse it and let it take over and overcome us, as it's written: "Sin wants to destroy you, but you don't let it--per Gen. 4:7). Sin, as well as levels of stress, plays a role in developing emotional/cognitive illness or psychological/mental disabilities to become a special needs person or even a vulnerable adult in an institution. Thus, biology, DNA or nature (temperament), sin, and stressors (nurture) all play a role and are a factor. But God is in charge of our life AND DESTINY by Providence and in a way, people can become the innocent victim of circumstances.
But don't get me wrong! We must not blame nature or nurture (a cop-out) for our behavior that we will be held accountable for and judged by. We are always responsible for our actions (according to our own conscience and awareness) and when someone pleads innocent because of insanity, he is on flaky and flimsy grounds spiritually--although a complete loss of moral compass is possible, and there may be extenuating circumstances. God has given all men some sort of moral compass. But all in all, God is the final Judge and we are to "judge nothing before the time."
We all experience spiritual highs and lows too, even occasional mood swings known as the blues or when one is in a depressed funk--no Christian is meant to walk around on cloud nine all day or to walk in the glow of some experience or existential encounter with God forever. We all come down to earth someday and become oriented to Reality 101, the OJT of real life. Pop psychology can become a crutch if one becomes overly dependent, when not used in combination with other methodologies, as well as an escape from personal responsibility or a way of pointing the finger and blaming others--the old game of throwing stones at glasshouses. Pop psychology is a tool and aid, not a substitute for balanced living. Anyone can go overboard and off the deep end. It used to be that everything was someone else's fault a la Freud's diagnosis or psychoanalysis! (It's all your father's fault!).
We must all grow up spiritually to a mature mind in Christ and learn to walk by faith, not sentiment: the proper order is the right knowledge, right thinking, right doing, and then the right feeling. Our orthodoxy (right beliefs) must align with our orthopraxy (right conduct) to be well adjusted and balanced with holistic health.
We are all spiritual works in progress and hopefully, people will be patient with us, God isn't finished with us yet! God promises to complete the work of forming Christ in us. We all have different crosses to bear and without a cross, we have no crown! We only build character through adversity! (No one is exempt!) That's why we must be cautious not to judge prematurely and to try to empathize and put ourselves in their shoes, and walk a mile in their moccasins. Sin is the ultimate cause of all maladies and illnesses directly or indirectly, as the curse on the earth that entered mankind through the original sin of Adam eating the "forbidden fruit," but we all have sinned and must consider our sins when judging another and their humanness or weaknesses.
But for every illness, there is a cure or treatment option and the Divine Healer can use physicians and therapists to do His will--in essence, all humanity is sin-sick, not just the mentally ill, no one can claim innocence. As Dr. Karl Menninger, MD, wrote: Whatever Became of Sin? It is regarded as the ultimate killjoy word. People must realize their responsibility--no sin equals no culpability either. However, the cure may involve more than just repentance! As Jesus said, "Repent or something worse will happen to you." In my opinion, it could be the judgment of God or even the test of God like Job's case "When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold," (cf. Job 23:10). I won't rule out other contributing factors.
In my opinion, Christians can suffer spiritual PTSD or become bipolar but they play the blame game (a cop-out) and don't want to seek help from professionals who deal with these issues all the time. Many are on an identity moratorium and are confused about life and the ultimate questions we all must answer. It could be as simple and easy as a medication or to "find oneself" and then "be oneself" in some therapy group where one feels "welcome" to express himself freely and open up, learning to trust without fear of disclosure or restraint, fault-finding, judging, shame, or blame. This is why they are sometimes called "encounter groups" where they can find their voice. We all have a desire for "touching base" and having fellowship with friends, similar to social media.
If nothing else, one may feel he finally knows himself and sometimes the picture isn't pretty--reality may dawn on him. He is meeting the group not to judge but to heal and help each other relate to the group as practice in the real world--realizing they need each other to achieve goals. This is akin to confession and getting it off one's chest, instead of living in denial. They found someone that will listen. Why confession and letting it all hang out in the open, showing vulnerabilities? The Christian sees one culprit as sin and we must recognize, admit, and repent of it. The first step to becoming healed is to admit a problem and that you cannot deal with it or heal it yourself. The psychologist cannot heal himself either--we all need someone like in a buddy system or group setting to have accountability and responsibility--two important contributions to healing.
Being open about one's faults is chicken soup for the soul and very therapeutic in itself, releasing a heavy yoke of shame. Today we see more celebrities even coming out of the closet and admitting mental health issues. That is why we must not be ashamed of our feelings either because we all are vulnerable just like George Whitefield said upon seeing a man going to the gallows: "There but for the grace of God, go I." It can be good to feel so bad! If you cannot feel another's pain upon being whipped check out where your heart is. Letting go of guilt also can be therapeutic! Paul reiterated, "I am what I am by the grace of God." So, we are all in the same boat and no one is immune from mental illness or in its forms of depression, given certain events: as they say, "Everyone has a breaking point" or the capacity of a nervous breakdown," all things being equal.
But Jesus promised we can overcome the world by faith, and can also be cheerfully doing it. The best treatment option is work therapy--staying busy--or a structured, organized, disciplined life with accountability--giving them some dignity and worth as individuals go a long way in boosting morale and spirit. There is no reason a person diagnosed to be bipolar cannot grow in Christ and become a mature believer, living a productive life giving back to the community if given the opportunity because there is no direct link or correlation between mental illness and spiritual bipolar symptoms which demonstrate unstable spiritual lives not grounded in the faith or sound doctrine.
We have no biblical warrant to stigmatize anyone for seeking support for mental health concerns because God has leveled the playing field and it could happen to anyone; it's just "them," a sort of tribalism. It takes courage to admit our weaknesses, even to boast of them. We must not be like Job's miserable comforters either. Today's Postmodern psychologists deny normalcy (What's normal? has become what's normal for you?) and that there is such a thing but that it's relative to person and situation or culture, and it has been said that "in a mad, mad world, only the mad are sane!" We need to be cautioned not to "define deviancy down" as sociologists do to deviant behavior when they are really justifying sin--which by any other name should still be called sin--call a spade a spade! Calling sin but shortcomings, mistakes, weaknesses, or habits maximized its hazard or danger to our soul; how can one repent if not admitting sin?
In sum, Jesus meant to raise the bar in loving others, and He inspired the highest ethics but also lived to be the greatest motive for them, but the question still remains, "What is the LCD or lowest common denominator?" How low must we go before denying moral relativism and realize some people aren't sick but evil (as at the trial of the Nazis at Nuremberg using natural law) and they're just sinners--we must not let insanity be an excuse for evil either, reasons are not excuses!
LET'S SAY AN AMEN TO THIS!
ADDENDUM: TALKING TO MY THERAPIST, WE BOTH AGREED, AFTER MY SUGGESTION, THAT TREATMENT SHOULD BEGIN WITH BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION AND NOT FOCUS TOO MUCH ON DIAGNOSIS SO AS NOT TO STIMAGITZE RIGHT OFF THE BAT BEFORE ANY MEDICATIONS ARE PRESCRIBED ONLY AS A LAST RESORT AND THERAPY FAILS TO AMEND THE INDIVIDUAL AS OPPOSED TO MEDICATING FIRST AS IS THE CUSTOM. JUST BECAUSE SOME RARE INDIVIDUAL MAY NEED A SEDATIVE TO CALM THEM DOWN, DOESN'T MEAN THIS SHOULD BE POLICY AS TRIAGE.
GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO BE HEALED ON THEIR OWN! IN OTHER WORDS, GOOD PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT JUST THE AVOIDANCE OF "BAD" BEHAVIOR BUT THE PRACTICE OF GOOD AND THERAPEUTIC BEHAVIOR AND HABITS ("POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HYGIENE"). IN SUM, WE SHOULD NOT SEE THE MENTALLY UNHEALTHY AS JUST NEEDING REHAB OR MEDS FOR SYMPTOMS, BUT ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY, EVEN THOUGH A COMPLICATED ONE, AS A WORK IN PROGRESS!
We all search for purpose, meaning, and dignity and Christ is the answer to all three, but they are extrinsic solely because we are in the image of God.
Soli Deo Gloria! (TO GOD ALONE BE THE GORY!)
"I think, 'My bed will comfort me, and sleep will ease my misery,' but then you shatter me with dreams and terrify me with visions" (Job 7:13-14, NLT).
"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?..." (Psalm 43:5, NLT).
"Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens..." (Psalm 143:7, NLT).
I'm not speaking of popularized behavioral modification or self-help courses but after the onset of serious mental issues (neurosis and psychosis) that require immediate medical or professional advice and/or care. Mental health (or wellness) awareness has hit an all-time low in reputation because of assault crime committed by so-called mentally disturbed individuals or people with deep-seated personal defects in personality; therefore all mentally ill persons suffer a stigma from society, in extreme cases being ostracized from employment on the level of being an ex-con in rehab, even of being a danger to society. It is wise not to openly discuss one's disability because of this danger and this is called proper disclosure--only to one they trust "ought" to know or has a need to know.
We must refrain from ignorant, hasty, or uninformed diagnoses. Unfortunately, one's own family members may have known the legally diagnosed person in the day (and they can never manage to live it down) and nothing erases the memory of the way they were. No one likes being "labeled," so they try to avoid it now with young children in elementary school--a positive approach.
The road to recovery can be a long one; various coping remedies and strategies are available though. Mental wellness management of one's issues is not just executed by avoiding bad habits, taking meds, going to therapy or group, or a work therapy program with incentives, but by developing new therapeutic conduct and wellness practices or habits to replace the bad ones--in other words, "positive mental hygiene."
Education in wellness management is conducive to sound mental hygiene also. Mental illness should not be seen as merely behavioral disorders which need behavioral correction, (which is not cured, but only treated and managed!) and it is not just a matter of having "unresolved personal problems," (as if mere personal one-on-one counseling is the key or answer) nor is it a matter of being maladjusted, immature, of having a poor father image, or of poor self-image, and so forth, but some people are actually born with a vulnerability (much like alcoholism) to certain stressors and something traumatic triggers it and the onset begins and needs treatment.
Mental illness is most likely a bona fide disability, not a sin to overcome. Sometimes it seems like just the symptoms are being treated and a cure is not even sought like this is the way it's supposed to be. We must not remain complacent to medicate people to the point of becoming emotional zombies too.
CAVEAT: "It could happen to you!" All psychological, cognitive, or mood illnesses have stressors and triggers to bring them on. Some people may be equally vulnerable but never subject to the same level of stress (this is sometimes called PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, shell shock, or battle fatigue by old nomenclature).
It is a known, accepted scientific fact of research and not just my opinion, that biological factors (including several physical factors like diet, exercise, sleep, body chemistry) and temperament have an effect unless you adhere to free will and that one's nature is not predetermined by God. We are born with a certain disposition, inclination, or tendency, although we may misuse it and let it take over and overcome us, as it's written: "Sin wants to destroy you, but you don't let it--per Gen. 4:7). Sin, as well as levels of stress, plays a role in developing emotional/cognitive illness or psychological/mental disabilities to become a special needs person or even a vulnerable adult in an institution. Thus, biology, DNA or nature (temperament), sin, and stressors (nurture) all play a role and are a factor. But God is in charge of our life AND DESTINY by Providence and in a way, people can become the innocent victim of circumstances.
But don't get me wrong! We must not blame nature or nurture (a cop-out) for our behavior that we will be held accountable for and judged by. We are always responsible for our actions (according to our own conscience and awareness) and when someone pleads innocent because of insanity, he is on flaky and flimsy grounds spiritually--although a complete loss of moral compass is possible, and there may be extenuating circumstances. God has given all men some sort of moral compass. But all in all, God is the final Judge and we are to "judge nothing before the time."
We all experience spiritual highs and lows too, even occasional mood swings known as the blues or when one is in a depressed funk--no Christian is meant to walk around on cloud nine all day or to walk in the glow of some experience or existential encounter with God forever. We all come down to earth someday and become oriented to Reality 101, the OJT of real life. Pop psychology can become a crutch if one becomes overly dependent, when not used in combination with other methodologies, as well as an escape from personal responsibility or a way of pointing the finger and blaming others--the old game of throwing stones at glasshouses. Pop psychology is a tool and aid, not a substitute for balanced living. Anyone can go overboard and off the deep end. It used to be that everything was someone else's fault a la Freud's diagnosis or psychoanalysis! (It's all your father's fault!).
We must all grow up spiritually to a mature mind in Christ and learn to walk by faith, not sentiment: the proper order is the right knowledge, right thinking, right doing, and then the right feeling. Our orthodoxy (right beliefs) must align with our orthopraxy (right conduct) to be well adjusted and balanced with holistic health.
We are all spiritual works in progress and hopefully, people will be patient with us, God isn't finished with us yet! God promises to complete the work of forming Christ in us. We all have different crosses to bear and without a cross, we have no crown! We only build character through adversity! (No one is exempt!) That's why we must be cautious not to judge prematurely and to try to empathize and put ourselves in their shoes, and walk a mile in their moccasins. Sin is the ultimate cause of all maladies and illnesses directly or indirectly, as the curse on the earth that entered mankind through the original sin of Adam eating the "forbidden fruit," but we all have sinned and must consider our sins when judging another and their humanness or weaknesses.
But for every illness, there is a cure or treatment option and the Divine Healer can use physicians and therapists to do His will--in essence, all humanity is sin-sick, not just the mentally ill, no one can claim innocence. As Dr. Karl Menninger, MD, wrote: Whatever Became of Sin? It is regarded as the ultimate killjoy word. People must realize their responsibility--no sin equals no culpability either. However, the cure may involve more than just repentance! As Jesus said, "Repent or something worse will happen to you." In my opinion, it could be the judgment of God or even the test of God like Job's case "When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold," (cf. Job 23:10). I won't rule out other contributing factors.
In my opinion, Christians can suffer spiritual PTSD or become bipolar but they play the blame game (a cop-out) and don't want to seek help from professionals who deal with these issues all the time. Many are on an identity moratorium and are confused about life and the ultimate questions we all must answer. It could be as simple and easy as a medication or to "find oneself" and then "be oneself" in some therapy group where one feels "welcome" to express himself freely and open up, learning to trust without fear of disclosure or restraint, fault-finding, judging, shame, or blame. This is why they are sometimes called "encounter groups" where they can find their voice. We all have a desire for "touching base" and having fellowship with friends, similar to social media.
If nothing else, one may feel he finally knows himself and sometimes the picture isn't pretty--reality may dawn on him. He is meeting the group not to judge but to heal and help each other relate to the group as practice in the real world--realizing they need each other to achieve goals. This is akin to confession and getting it off one's chest, instead of living in denial. They found someone that will listen. Why confession and letting it all hang out in the open, showing vulnerabilities? The Christian sees one culprit as sin and we must recognize, admit, and repent of it. The first step to becoming healed is to admit a problem and that you cannot deal with it or heal it yourself. The psychologist cannot heal himself either--we all need someone like in a buddy system or group setting to have accountability and responsibility--two important contributions to healing.
Being open about one's faults is chicken soup for the soul and very therapeutic in itself, releasing a heavy yoke of shame. Today we see more celebrities even coming out of the closet and admitting mental health issues. That is why we must not be ashamed of our feelings either because we all are vulnerable just like George Whitefield said upon seeing a man going to the gallows: "There but for the grace of God, go I." It can be good to feel so bad! If you cannot feel another's pain upon being whipped check out where your heart is. Letting go of guilt also can be therapeutic! Paul reiterated, "I am what I am by the grace of God." So, we are all in the same boat and no one is immune from mental illness or in its forms of depression, given certain events: as they say, "Everyone has a breaking point" or the capacity of a nervous breakdown," all things being equal.
But Jesus promised we can overcome the world by faith, and can also be cheerfully doing it. The best treatment option is work therapy--staying busy--or a structured, organized, disciplined life with accountability--giving them some dignity and worth as individuals go a long way in boosting morale and spirit. There is no reason a person diagnosed to be bipolar cannot grow in Christ and become a mature believer, living a productive life giving back to the community if given the opportunity because there is no direct link or correlation between mental illness and spiritual bipolar symptoms which demonstrate unstable spiritual lives not grounded in the faith or sound doctrine.
We have no biblical warrant to stigmatize anyone for seeking support for mental health concerns because God has leveled the playing field and it could happen to anyone; it's just "them," a sort of tribalism. It takes courage to admit our weaknesses, even to boast of them. We must not be like Job's miserable comforters either. Today's Postmodern psychologists deny normalcy (What's normal? has become what's normal for you?) and that there is such a thing but that it's relative to person and situation or culture, and it has been said that "in a mad, mad world, only the mad are sane!" We need to be cautioned not to "define deviancy down" as sociologists do to deviant behavior when they are really justifying sin--which by any other name should still be called sin--call a spade a spade! Calling sin but shortcomings, mistakes, weaknesses, or habits maximized its hazard or danger to our soul; how can one repent if not admitting sin?
In sum, Jesus meant to raise the bar in loving others, and He inspired the highest ethics but also lived to be the greatest motive for them, but the question still remains, "What is the LCD or lowest common denominator?" How low must we go before denying moral relativism and realize some people aren't sick but evil (as at the trial of the Nazis at Nuremberg using natural law) and they're just sinners--we must not let insanity be an excuse for evil either, reasons are not excuses!
LET'S SAY AN AMEN TO THIS!
ADDENDUM: TALKING TO MY THERAPIST, WE BOTH AGREED, AFTER MY SUGGESTION, THAT TREATMENT SHOULD BEGIN WITH BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION AND NOT FOCUS TOO MUCH ON DIAGNOSIS SO AS NOT TO STIMAGITZE RIGHT OFF THE BAT BEFORE ANY MEDICATIONS ARE PRESCRIBED ONLY AS A LAST RESORT AND THERAPY FAILS TO AMEND THE INDIVIDUAL AS OPPOSED TO MEDICATING FIRST AS IS THE CUSTOM. JUST BECAUSE SOME RARE INDIVIDUAL MAY NEED A SEDATIVE TO CALM THEM DOWN, DOESN'T MEAN THIS SHOULD BE POLICY AS TRIAGE.
GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO BE HEALED ON THEIR OWN! IN OTHER WORDS, GOOD PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT JUST THE AVOIDANCE OF "BAD" BEHAVIOR BUT THE PRACTICE OF GOOD AND THERAPEUTIC BEHAVIOR AND HABITS ("POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HYGIENE"). IN SUM, WE SHOULD NOT SEE THE MENTALLY UNHEALTHY AS JUST NEEDING REHAB OR MEDS FOR SYMPTOMS, BUT ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY, EVEN THOUGH A COMPLICATED ONE, AS A WORK IN PROGRESS!
We all search for purpose, meaning, and dignity and Christ is the answer to all three, but they are extrinsic solely because we are in the image of God.
Soli Deo Gloria! (TO GOD ALONE BE THE GORY!)
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Answering Life's Toughest Questions
All worldviews attempt to answer the ultimate questions of life: where did we come from? how did we get here? why are we here? where will we end up? what makes life worth living? Mankind has always asked these challenging questions. This is where religion came on the scene, for God has put eternity in our hearts from the beginning and man has always wondered about life after death, as the ultimate issue and the big question. All religions and worldviews attempt to give satisfying answers to these questions and to "save" mankind. Some people think religion is just escapism or a crutch, but secular people have crutches too and just put their faith in science that it has the answer or can find them.
Everyone is a person of faith! It just depends on what your presupposition is, i.e., it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but what you are willing to accept as truth, to begin with. We must begin with God and explain our worldview, not start with some interpretative framework and explain away God--for where you begin usually determines where you will end up; even Darwin pondered, "Would you trust the convictions of a monkey's mind?" It has been said that if you teach a man he's an animal that he'll act like one; some men want to believe they are animals so they can have the morals of one.
Man is not an animal in the sense that he seeks the reason for being, meaning, purpose, and understanding in life--we wonder "why" and contemplate ourselves. We not only know things but know that we know and ponder why we know it and what we can know even how we know things. In other words, man is a natural philosopher, while animals don't wonder or think about the bigger issues in life besides their basic needs.
Everyone is a person of faith! It just depends on what your presupposition is, i.e., it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but what you are willing to accept as truth, to begin with. We must begin with God and explain our worldview, not start with some interpretative framework and explain away God--for where you begin usually determines where you will end up; even Darwin pondered, "Would you trust the convictions of a monkey's mind?" It has been said that if you teach a man he's an animal that he'll act like one; some men want to believe they are animals so they can have the morals of one.
Man is not an animal in the sense that he seeks the reason for being, meaning, purpose, and understanding in life--we wonder "why" and contemplate ourselves. We not only know things but know that we know and ponder why we know it and what we can know even how we know things. In other words, man is a natural philosopher, while animals don't wonder or think about the bigger issues in life besides their basic needs.
Even having an education, a higher standard of living, and freedom, man can be empty inside. Man needs fulfillment and relationships, for we are a social, spiritual, moral, rational creature and have personalities that relate to others on a personal level, giving man the unique ability to know and relate to one another--even laugh together with a sense of humor!
Science can indeed give us the "know-how," but it cannot help us with the "know-why" of life, it cannot give us purpose in life and hope for the future, nor satisfy our longings for truth, identity, impact, importance, guidance, and meaning in life--animals have no such need. Do animals wonder who they are and try to find themselves or get in touch with themselves? Only man wastes time by worrying about the future and regretting the past. Man is by nature a religious being too, and if he doesn't worship God he'll worship something or someone else; on the other hand, no one has ever observed a monkey building a chapel outside of The Planet of the Apes!
It is my premise that Christianity answers these questions better and fuller than any religion or secular worldview. There is a harmony, coherence, and unity in the Christian worldview that lines up with the Bible as the authority. Christianity outshines all other worldviews in reasonableness, personal experience, and foundation in fact and history. The Bible is the foundation upon which the faith stands. Every worldview must have some authority or "scripture," and the Bible is the highest standard attained by man and it's self-attesting.
Science can indeed give us the "know-how," but it cannot help us with the "know-why" of life, it cannot give us purpose in life and hope for the future, nor satisfy our longings for truth, identity, impact, importance, guidance, and meaning in life--animals have no such need. Do animals wonder who they are and try to find themselves or get in touch with themselves? Only man wastes time by worrying about the future and regretting the past. Man is by nature a religious being too, and if he doesn't worship God he'll worship something or someone else; on the other hand, no one has ever observed a monkey building a chapel outside of The Planet of the Apes!
It is my premise that Christianity answers these questions better and fuller than any religion or secular worldview. There is a harmony, coherence, and unity in the Christian worldview that lines up with the Bible as the authority. Christianity outshines all other worldviews in reasonableness, personal experience, and foundation in fact and history. The Bible is the foundation upon which the faith stands. Every worldview must have some authority or "scripture," and the Bible is the highest standard attained by man and it's self-attesting.
It appeals to no authority higher than itself for proof and proves itself. This is not circular reasoning to say we believe the Bible is the highest authority because it claims to be, because God has the authority to speak through His Word and if He appealed to anything else or we did, like science or history, God would be taking a backseat to them and not be the ultimate authority figure.
Secularism believes that everything has a natural cause and can be explained naturally--there's no place nor need for miracles! The supernatural is ruled out from the get-go and doesn't enter the equation. Only the strong survive in this dog-eat-dog world of survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle--the real rat race. We are just all lucky to be here due to some great cosmic accident eons ago. They offer no explanation for life and their origin-of-life experiments fail to come off, and they must see the cosmos and life as mere givens, and unexplainable phenomena.
In their view, everything is an infinite series of finite, efficient causes and there was no First Cause, which they refuse to accept as possible and necessary because it sounds too much like God. But students of logic, science, philosophy, and mathematics know that an infinite series of causes is impossible--there must be a first cause! This is called the impossibility of crossing infinity. But they have no room for God in their equation and will not let a Divine Foot in the door, thinking that religion is a neurosis or delusion, a crutch for the weak. Much more they refuse to accept the spiritual dimension of life--everything is material and made up of matter and energy, without any spirit or Ultimate Mind behind it. For instance, the brain is just a cog of machines, made up of electronic circuits, and the mind doesn't exist independently of it, just another name for the brain. We have, therefore, no soul and no spirit worth saving.
The meaning of the cosmos hangs on which came first and which has precedence: mind or matter. Either one or the other preceded: In the beginning ultimate mind; in the beginning ultimate matter. The Bible starts out: "In the beginning God..." John elaborates as "In the beginning was the Word..." The Logos here referred to is the "expressed thought of God." Either mind created matter or mind evolved from matter--there's no other option. It's impossible for there to be nothing in the beginning, for "out of nothing, nothing comes." goes the axiom: ex nihilo, nihil fit.
Cosmologists now reckon a beginning to time, as the Bible has always predicated (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2). Time, being the corollary of space and matter, didn't always exist, and God must be outside of the time/space continuum to be the First Cause and get the ball rolling (something timeless created time!). What or who fired the shot of the Big Bang, who banged the Bang? We conclude that there must be someone behind the cosmos who is responsible and intelligent and programmed the universal constants, called the Anthropic Principle or the fine-tuning of the universe.
All worldviews aim to save the world too and to make a brighter future for posterity. Christians don't believe we can save society and do not attempt to save man through politics. Most secularists are highly utopian and believe man is capable of perfection and therefore so is society. But this kind of dreaming is pie in the sky and gives false hopes, like believing someday man will know how to become immortal. There are those who freeze their bodies in hope of man someday figuring out how to thaw it out and revive it. In the meantime, all members of the worldviews attempt to better themselves and their world and make it better for succeeding generations. Doing good works is a part of every worldview, it's the motivation that differs: Christians do it out of gratitude and love for God and others, while other worldviews want to earn their way to salvation or just make themselves feel good, because of their unresolved guilt. Soli Deo Gloria!
Secularism believes that everything has a natural cause and can be explained naturally--there's no place nor need for miracles! The supernatural is ruled out from the get-go and doesn't enter the equation. Only the strong survive in this dog-eat-dog world of survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle--the real rat race. We are just all lucky to be here due to some great cosmic accident eons ago. They offer no explanation for life and their origin-of-life experiments fail to come off, and they must see the cosmos and life as mere givens, and unexplainable phenomena.
In their view, everything is an infinite series of finite, efficient causes and there was no First Cause, which they refuse to accept as possible and necessary because it sounds too much like God. But students of logic, science, philosophy, and mathematics know that an infinite series of causes is impossible--there must be a first cause! This is called the impossibility of crossing infinity. But they have no room for God in their equation and will not let a Divine Foot in the door, thinking that religion is a neurosis or delusion, a crutch for the weak. Much more they refuse to accept the spiritual dimension of life--everything is material and made up of matter and energy, without any spirit or Ultimate Mind behind it. For instance, the brain is just a cog of machines, made up of electronic circuits, and the mind doesn't exist independently of it, just another name for the brain. We have, therefore, no soul and no spirit worth saving.
The meaning of the cosmos hangs on which came first and which has precedence: mind or matter. Either one or the other preceded: In the beginning ultimate mind; in the beginning ultimate matter. The Bible starts out: "In the beginning God..." John elaborates as "In the beginning was the Word..." The Logos here referred to is the "expressed thought of God." Either mind created matter or mind evolved from matter--there's no other option. It's impossible for there to be nothing in the beginning, for "out of nothing, nothing comes." goes the axiom: ex nihilo, nihil fit.
Cosmologists now reckon a beginning to time, as the Bible has always predicated (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2). Time, being the corollary of space and matter, didn't always exist, and God must be outside of the time/space continuum to be the First Cause and get the ball rolling (something timeless created time!). What or who fired the shot of the Big Bang, who banged the Bang? We conclude that there must be someone behind the cosmos who is responsible and intelligent and programmed the universal constants, called the Anthropic Principle or the fine-tuning of the universe.
All worldviews aim to save the world too and to make a brighter future for posterity. Christians don't believe we can save society and do not attempt to save man through politics. Most secularists are highly utopian and believe man is capable of perfection and therefore so is society. But this kind of dreaming is pie in the sky and gives false hopes, like believing someday man will know how to become immortal. There are those who freeze their bodies in hope of man someday figuring out how to thaw it out and revive it. In the meantime, all members of the worldviews attempt to better themselves and their world and make it better for succeeding generations. Doing good works is a part of every worldview, it's the motivation that differs: Christians do it out of gratitude and love for God and others, while other worldviews want to earn their way to salvation or just make themselves feel good, because of their unresolved guilt. Soli Deo Gloria!
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