Bring Back Obedience
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor

Obedience is not a popular topic these days.  There may be a particular resistance to it in that our first parents chose to disobey the only command God gave them.  One might think that in Christian circles it would receive greater interest, but even there it is largely abandoned.  I am going to be generous here and assume, for the sake of this article, that the circumstance may result from a lack of information or from casual adoption of misinformation or acquiescence to twisted doctrine.

We easily think of obedience being an Old Testament topic.  After all, the Old Testament is a book of laws, especially the portion that Moses wrote.  And the Old Testament is legalistic.  Some think there is no, or at least almost no, grace in the Old Testament.  Everything is related to laws and obedience.  And when we transition to the New Testament, we are relieved to find all that left behind!  All is now of grace--obedience is only a dusty memory.

But if that is so, the New Testament writers did not all receive the message.  Note the following:

Colossians 3:22  “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (NASB throughout).

Ephesians 6:1  “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

Hebrews 13:17  “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

2 Thessalonians 3:14  “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.”

Philippians 2:12-13  “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” 

As you progress through those, you might say that what is addressed to slaves is definitely obsolete, so we can ignore that one.  We probably should not be so quick with that, but we’ll let it go for now.  Then the children:  I’m an adult, a senior in my case, so that doesn’t apply either.

But what about obeying leaders?  Church leaders are in view.  It really sounds as though that is addressed directly to all Christians.  We may as well note here that though some folks beg to differ, God views Christians as being part of the Body of Christ which is expressed through local assemblies.  So it’s difficult to get rid of that one.

Then the 2 Thessalonians passage is directed at least to the original readers of that letter.  When you examine it closely, it is quite difficult to say it is limited to them.  And you really should take note, because there is a consequence.  The rest of the church is to disassociate from a person who does not take note, and that should be shameful.

Finally the two verses from Philippians.  This is the most difficult passage to avoid.  It really is directed to anyone who claims to be a saved individual.  If you look closely, you will see that obeying is the substance of working out your salvation.  You flesh it out by obeying what God has said.  Faith lives by the promises of God but also by the instructions of God.  So, even without boring any deeper, we really should admit that obedience is not obsolete, even in our time, regardless of claims made to the contrary.

(Right now as I write I am not sure when I will consider this article complete.  What I have written so far is supposed to serve as an introduction, yet it may be as long as all the rest combined.  Oh well, sometimes a proper introduction can be important; hopefully it sets the stage upon which the rest of the document makes the intended point.)

You may have heard that the Israelites were given 613 laws in the books of Moses.  That seems like a lot, maybe even overdoing it.  It is surely a large amount to learn and observe.  If there really are that many, we can see why someone might have tired of them and violated at least some of them.

So I thought we should take a look at the New Testament.  Are any laws written there?  Any rules?  Maybe something you would have to call a command?  Well, guess what I found.

I did a search with my trusty Accordance program, and it gave me 1207 verses in the New Testament which contain imperatives.  You may not be familiar with the expression ‘imperative,’ but it is the form of a verb which commands.  It is telling you to do something, and the only proper response is then known as, you guessed it, ‘obedience!’, in other words, doing what was ordered.

To be fair, not all those imperatives could be categorized as commands addressed to today’s Christian.  So I took time to look more closely.  I am not claiming absolute accuracy in this project--even an estimate will do for our purposes.  I tried to cull those examples which would be irrelevant to us today.  For example, Jesus in places used an imperative in prayer to His Heavenly Father, and those would not pertain to us; again a human being gave a command to another human being, while we are interested in the instructions God gave to us.  When I was done with the culling process, I counted the results, and, again, I could be off here a few one way or the other, but I’m sure the final number is quite close to accurate.  Are you ready?  What I had left was 925 instances of imperatives, commands in the New Testament addressed to the people who make up the Church, namely Christians, even those living today.  Each one of those calls forth from us a response of obedience.

No doubt some of you are curious about the statistics.  How these appear book by book and how many appear in each book is not very significant for us in that no two books of the New Testament are the same length.  But just to open this subject a bit:  Luke has the most with 155, Philemon contains one (questionable, but could be applied today), and all the rest had occurrences in between.  Every New Testament book has them.  So you thought 613 was bad; what do you think of 925?  (Of course you could find other imperatives in the Old Testament than just those in the Mosaic Law, too, but we’d really have to give them a close look to determine whether they are directed to us.)

The purpose of this article is not to harmonize imperatives with the idea of grace (we’ll leave that to the theologians) but just to point out that grammatically the New Testament calls for our obedience.

There is something clean and refreshing about imperatives in the Bible as Psalm 19:9 says:  “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.”  Instead of floundering in a wilderness, behaviorally speaking, when we meet a biblical command we know quite well what is expected of us.  And when we act in obedience to that command, we know that the pleasure of God rests upon us.  So to say to someone, ‘Now that you have believed in Christ, you should try to find His will for your life’ is somewhat ingenuous if we are suggesting that person ignore the commands that have been written in the Bible.  (I have been blessed by a few individuals who may not have always understood correctly and yet who were ready to obey!  I believe God honors their readiness.)

What we find when we examine the commands that are given is that they do not address specifically those personal issues in life such as where should I attend college, what should my major be, whom should I marry, what church should I join, what career should I pursue, where should I settle down, how many cups of coffee per day should I drink, what make and color car should I drive.  If we are concerned about doing the will of God in the 925 imperatives, likely some of these others will easily fall into place.

But in addition, we should note that God did create each of us with a brain which can supposedly research, evaluate, and decide.  So in areas that are not explicitly spelled out, we can decide with the best knowledge we have.  And even here God helps us.  In the New Testament (James 1:5) we are told He will give us wisdom if we ask for it.  And in the Old Testament (Prov. 3:6) we are promised that if we acknowledge Him in all areas of life, He will guide us.  That pretty much covers all the bases.  The only question is:  Do we believe Him?

Living via obedience simplifies.  Today seminars and study groups abound chasing down insight on how to live as a married couple, how to rear children, how to live as a blended family, how to handle money, how to be a real man or woman, etc.  If we obeyed Scripture, most of those groups likely would be unnecessary.  But it’s not very exciting to say, I live by the Bible.  Tell me, Madam, what secrets to being financially sound have you discovered through your scholarly studies and surveys?  Tell me, Sir, how we can raise our children successfully through sharing with me the funny stories of your life?  It sounds a lot more clever than perusing the Bible to see what I might obey.  And having such a study produced by a famous person has a bigger draw than anything simply inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The Lord blessed my wife and me with four strong-willed children.  I have to say this, because people looked at us and thought that we had easy children.  Not so.  Our children were born with (gasp!) sin natures and preferred to do wrong.  But the wisdom of Proverbs (Old Testament book expressing wisdom for living) was sufficient.  We give credit to God for steering us in that direction, because without that we would have been deficient for sure.  Every season in our children’s lives was delightful in spite of the battles.  But God’s wisdom won the day, and we are happy with the outcome.  We are well satisfied with trusting God’s wisdom.  Whatever else it is, it is practical.

So let’s look at some areas where God does command us.  I’ll only suggest some samples.  But when you look around, you can easily conclude that most folks are ignoring what God has said, and that is especially reprehensible for people who claim to be Christians.

If one is focusing on marriage, we can go to Matthew 9:6 (“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”) and Ephesians 5:33 (“Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”).

If the issue is your relationship to government, we can go to Matthew 22:21 (“Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’”), Romans 13:1 (“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”), and Titus 3:1-2 (“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.”).

If we are seeking help for the functioning of the local church, we can go to 1 Timothy 4:13 (“Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”) and Galatians 6:2 (“Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”).

If we are concerned about finances, we can go to Luke 16:9 (“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”) and Philippians 4:6 (“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”).

If sin is bothering us, we can go to Revelation 3:3 (“So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”) and Romans 6:11-13 (“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”).

And so on.  Whatever the issue is, see what God commands on that subject and do it!  It’s not very complicated.  I really do not think that God sent us His message so that we might evaluate it and then do something different.  What a waste that would be!

I can imagine readers generating numerous kinds of rebuttals at this point.  I admit that obeying is challenging enough without creating a formal proof against it.  But Romans 8:11 suggests that it is possible to obey the commands of God.  “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”  If you have genuinely trusted Jesus, the Holy Spirit does indwell you.  He comes to you with resurrection power.  If that is not adequate to obey the commands of God, then all is hopeless.

Ephesians 1:18-21 concurs:  “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”  Notice the promise of resurrection power directed toward you.

There is a difference between merely hearing and hearing-and-doing.  I suppose all professing Christians could be in the ‘hearing’ group.  I wonder how many are genuine children of God--fortunately God knows.  Below are more passages that address hearing and doing.  It would be good of each of us to examine how these describe our lives.

Luke 6:47-49  “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Luke 8:21  “But He answered and said to them, ‘My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.’”

Luke 11:28  “But He said, ‘On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.’”

1John 1:6  “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

John 12:47-49  “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.  For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.”

James 2:18-26  “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’  You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.  But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;  and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.  You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.  In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?  For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” 

Someone who looks closely at the details might object by recognizing that these verses usually do not use the actual term ‘obey’ but rather terms like ‘act,’ ‘do,’ and ‘observe.’  But I did research those words, and a word like ‘observe’ or ‘keep’ has a broad range of meaning which does include the idea of obedience.  This does affect what we believe and how we behave.

I wish to comment on the statement found in Luke 11:28.  The preceding verse gives the context:  “While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.’”  A person might call that woman’s pronouncement significant.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, did surely have a unique role in the coming of Jesus, a role unmatched in all of history.  But dwelling too much on a truth such as that can mislead us.  So Jesus redirected the audience to the ever important issue, that of obedience.

Mary, as the mother of Jesus, held a close familial relationship because of the physical process of giving birth.  And the rest of us are really kept outside that blessing, surely from the physical perspective.  As a result we might put Mary on the wrong pedestal.  But what Jesus said includes us in His family.  As Luke recorded in the words of Jesus three chapters earlier, anyone who hears and does the word of God is part of Jesus’ family.  I’m overwhelmed by the fact that I belong to Him and His family!  I can’t think of any higher privilege.  And I suspect that it is logical in that family to act according to the family name.

My conclusion is that the New Testament calls on us who live in the Church Age, the Age of Grace, to obey, just as the imperatives of God to people always have.  God is the authority over this universe, and, if we are willing to submit to anyone, it should certainly be to Him.  Christians should recognize this by obeying the Lord.  The Bible informs us to that end.

Now that the Blood Moons Are Past
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor

The blood moon scare has passed without events of prophesied proportion.  So now I can write about it.  Really?  Was I waiting to see what would happen?  No, I didn’t expect anything significant to happen, because the current rage was faulty from the start.  Actually I was stimulated to write because of a question from a friend.

Mark Biltz, John Hagee, and others have popularized the supposed significance of the blood moons which ended Sunday, September 27, 2015.  (We did enjoy observing the event from the patio via telescope as well as the naked eye.)  We do not have to rehearse here what these leaders have published.  In answer to them, I highly recommend Mark Hitchcock’s book Blood Moons Rising: Bible Prophecy, Israel, and the Four Blood Moons.  His book is easy to read and understand.

But I was curious about the prophecies themselves and discovered something very simple.  As is usually the case, we should read what is actually there.  If we would, we would avoid much ill-placed hoopla.  And you do not need to be an expert in Hebrew or Greek in order to draw the right conclusion.  The verses are these, and, as becomes quickly obvious, the Joel passage is the original.

Joel 2:31  “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”

 

Acts 2:20  “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come.”

 

Rev. 6:12  “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.” 

I decided to use the King James Version, because then I wouldn’t have to give credit.  But you see, I gave credit anyway.  Oh, well.

So here are the verses that present the phenomenon of the blood moon.  But when we read the entire verses, we see that there are two phenomena mentioned, not just one.  So this blood moon happens in conjunction with the sun being darkened.  As far as I can tell, that has been ignored in the popular literature.  The perpetrators have focused on the blood moons in connection with events affecting Israel and on those being positioned closely to Israeli festivals.  But the darkened sun has been left out.

It should be noted here that a blood moon by itself could not prove anything because blood moons have been occurring ever since the beginning of time.  There is a science involved here which is not the focus of my attention.  Furthermore, the Bible nowhere says that when you see the fourth blood moon, look up, because your redemption is drawing near.

Now if the blood moon does refer to a lunar eclipse, then the darkened sun refers to a solar eclipse.  That makes obvious sense, but it is naturally impossible to have a lunar and solar eclipse at the same time.  If such should happen at the same time, it would not be in the normal manner, and it would be something never before observed.  Probably never after either, because this astounding event in the heavens would be highly purposeful.  It would be something that deserves the attention of mankind.  It would be something unique and specially arranged by God.

Revelation 6:13 adds yet another phenomenon, that of stars falling to the earth.  Altogether this is an event that no doubt will focus the attention upwards from earth’s surface.  It is perhaps a sign of judgment, but it is preparation for light to come.

Though I cannot tell from the texts whether it is the next day, next week, next month, etc., yet there is sequence and proximity to the return of Christ.  I suspect it is very close.  Luke 21:25-28 is especially helpful.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Verse 25 refers to the same events as the blood moon passages.  People’s attention will be fearfully and properly directed to the heavens.  And then Jesus will return to earth “with power and great glory.”  ‘Spectacular’ is not strong enough to describe His return which will be observed by everyone.  Maybe ‘awesome‘ in its true sense will do better.  It will be obvious after the universally experienced darkened sun and bloodied moon.  For those who are eagerly awaiting Christ’s return, it will be a day of excitement like no other!

Every few years someone bursts onto the scene who catches the attention of many people.  Even our local newspaper editor was aware of the blood moon idea, and, though I know him as a gentleman and a man able to manage a daily newspaper, I have no measure of his interest in Bible prophecy.  From the prayer of Jabez for success to the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:10 in the 9/11 attack to the end of the world dated by Harold Camping to the blood moon promotion, someone is proposing something exciting that catches people’s attention.  But in the end it makes money for that person proposing, it drains the money and time of interested readers, and it discredits and distracts from God’s plan.  Some say that it reminds people that God has a plan and will judge.  But this method also says to the world, you cannot trust God’s revealed plan--but I have just discovered a secret!

And all of it could be avoided if each of us would just take time to carefully read.  You don’t have to be misled by false prophets.  When both parts of the prophesy in Joel and all three parts in Revelation take place, and if you are here at that time, then you had better be very excited with your eyes focused on the heavens.  Until then, relax and read the Bible for what is really there.  Be a Berean:  search the Scriptures daily to see whether the things proposed are so.  If not, don’t trouble yourself over them, but content yourself with doing the will of God.

The Fully Electronic Church
Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor

After having visited a number of churches, a thought has come to the fore that I have approached over and over again through many years.  Only this time it has taken more shape, perhaps.  If you read this, I would really like your response to it.

I have wondered why most churches, especially small churches, have pastors at all.  Now keep in mind that I am not necessarily thinking biblically here, only pragmatically.  I was actually troubled when I attended the National Religious Broadcasters convention in 2012 and heard an associate pastor at one of the well-known mega-churches in the country discourse about “D” pastors who would maybe be good enough for a small church somewhere with a congregation of maybe under two hundred, but the large church needs far better, an “A” pastor!

So why have pastors at all, in small churches especially?  With the technology we have today, we don’t really need them.  We can stream the great pastors every Sunday.  Just think, you could have any of those pastors who are on radio or television be your virtual pastor.  As long as you have internet or maybe even just a dvd player with a projector, you are in business.  You could have great preaching every Sunday.

I do need to include a bit of warning here:  you probably will not hear the whole counsel of God in that setup.  The popular preachers on radio and television have a habit of airing their more popular sermons--there are many biblical passages they will never teach on the air (you may surmise why).  I don’t know if they ever teach them otherwise.

Just think about your favorite radio preachers.  Each one of them is known for a certain emphasis.  I can think of one known for emphasizing God’s sovereignty.  That’s wonderful, but there is more to the Bible than that.  I can think of another who emphasizes successful living.  (What really is that?  Making it from the cradle to the grave?  I am sometimes amazed that we even accomplish that!)  Another preacher emphasizes assurance of salvation.  Another one seems to be always in Daniel or Revelation or preaching about Joseph.  If you want to hear the whole Bible taught, you can always bring in Dr. McGee.  Of course, if you listen long enough you may begin to realize that he repeats himself.

But the preaching can be done electronically.  We don’t need to pay someone to preach, provide housing, and fight the battles that occur between congregation and pastor.

And then there is the music.  I have often wondered what would happen today in many churches across America if the electricity failed.  Well, that is a bit of a hazard for the electronic church, but let’s not let that dampen our enthusiasm (even though the possibility is not farfetched).  In some churches the worship ensemble is there to lip synch.  Really!  They don’t know the songs either, but they can read off the back wall and make it look as if they do know them.  They reveal their shtick when they have to squint and the lip movement lags behind.  We don’t need to sing; instead let someone else do it for us--you know it will sound pristine!

Accompaniments are available electronically.  If you prefer piano or/and organ, you can have that.  If you prefer a rock band, you can have that.  Maybe you could even get it in bluegrass.  Nice!  It will be perfectly done--no wrong notes.  And if you want any special music to dress up the service--solos, small groups, choirs, orchestras, that’s available, also.

And we can even set up the giving so it is handled by credit or debit cards.  Don’t even have to pass the plates anymore or set up a box at the back.  We can do it with your smart phone.  Let the computer count it.

I realize I have focused on the church service usually but not always meeting on a Sunday.  I did that for a reason.  Some of you may think the church is more than what is visible Sunday morning.

But I’d really like to hear from you to know what you think.  Is the electronic church feasible?  With one significant expenditure (but nothing like paying real people over a long period of time) we would be set up, and we could be done with interpersonal problems.  So let me know if you think this is a good idea, the wave of the future, or whether it may have a shortcoming or two.

Now if only we could get someone else to attend church in our place, maybe even a robot.  I read that they will soon be available for all kinds of assignments.  Then we will really be set!

Inspired Illustration?
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor

Recently I was stimulated to wonder about Romans 7:3.  The verse in the New American Standard reads:  “So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.”

Now the discussion there is really not marriage, divorce, or marriage to someone other than the original spouse.  What is written there originates from what was known to be true and right and serves as an illustration of the truth which is affected by our salvation from eternal condemnation.

The Apostle Paul is discussing the jurisdiction of the Mosaic law as it relates to a Christian.  A law has jurisdiction as long as a person lives.  A person who has trusted Christ has died to the old life; hence, that law no longer controls, but Christ influences and produces a fruitful life for God in that person.

But where today do Christians believe what Romans 7:3 says?  If a wife, as in the example, leaves her husband through divorce and marries another man, who calls her an adulteress today?  (She is actually free to remarry only if her husband has died.)  In fact, we would claim that we are now beyond that.  We don’t stone for adultery, we hardly even consider it a problem, let alone a sin.  (We criticize another religion for stoning, but we must not let the abhorrence of that obscure God’s values!)  What would have to change in our society, even in the church, that we might designate anyone an ‘adulteress’?  (Of course, the same scenario applies if the husband were the one leaving and should be called an ‘adulterer.’)

Let’s grant for the sake of our conversation that adultery is no longer recognized, regardless of whether it should be so.  If it is no longer recognized, then what is the effect on the teaching the Apostle Paul is presenting?  If we are saying that the Apostle Paul’s illustration is obsolete, then is not also his teaching obsolete?  Is it logical to reject the illustration he used to establish his point and still hold the point to be valid?  Does the failure of the illustration suggest also the failure of the theological truth?  Is not the illustration itself part of what the Holy Spirit has inspired to be written as divine truth?

So if we grant that adultery is no longer recognized so that the principle that only death frees from the marriage attachment is irrelevant, then perhaps we should go the entire distance and agree also that there is no such thing as freedom from the law for a Christian.  The one great burden of the Apostle Paul in writing to the Galatians was to release them from bondage, from legalism, from the law by virtue of now being in Christ.  (People who have been divorced have testified circumstantially that they are not really free from that first marriage.  There are ongoing entanglements with that living person.) 

If we have not been released from the law through Christ, then salvation is a matter of works, of self-effort, of comparison with others and with standards we can never meet.  Then “By grace you have been saved through faith” is only so much ink.

Now, you may not have made the faith leap that I have just described here.  You may have totally rejected the reality of adultery because of legal constructs available today--if an activity is legal, it must be acceptable to God.  But if so, you are living a contradiction or at least a confusion.

It has perhaps been difficult for you to follow this trail, and for that I would not be surprised.  The point that I see here is that attempting to adjust or change moral standards at least results in a consequence of theological murkiness.  If you have had difficulty following this trail, that only illustrates the situation.

The point is that behavior reflects doctrine.  The point is that behavior adorns the gospel of God or defaces it.  Does adultery have any effect on the gospel?  None other than the Apostle Paul said so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Understanding adultery biblically helps us to understand and appreciate freedom from the law in Christ.

Do you call sin what God calls sin?  By what standard do you decide?  By what standard have you repented as a sinner and come for remedy to the Son of God who died for you?  By what standard of sin did He die for others?

Let us adorn the Gospel of God by our behavior.

A Preacher's Frustration
Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor

No doubt after reading this, some will conclude that I have a bad mood today.  The reality is that I have been thinking about this topic for years.  Finally, I put the fingers to the keyboard.

After some time ‘retired’ I have heard some nutritious expositional sermons, some topical sermons with emphases not promoted by the biblical texts, and some others.  One other was delivered for an anniversary of a pastor’s lengthy service; it referred to some Bible verses, but neither the outline nor the emphases were from a biblical text.  Basically the message was that the pastor receives revelation from God and the congregation needs to fully support him in that.  Seems dangerous and gives opportunity for costly error.

And then this morning I woke up to a radio program on which the speaker, a pastor, introduced the new series of sermons responding to questions from teenagers.  The first question wondered how one could know God’s leadership in one’s life, and the answer was that He often guides us by means of our fears.  I could play with that for a while.

So there’s definitely a mix out there.

But this morning (I just rose for the day) I am grateful for kind words spoken and written by many at our farewells.  Because what I more easily remember is certain individuals who by word or by deed demonstrated that they had learned nothing over a period of many years through Bible teaching in areas where they were not thinking biblically then and still are not now.  No progress where there should have been movement toward greater Christlikeness.  The opportunity was there.

I could conclude that it really doesn’t matter, at least horizontally, whether a person seeks to faithfully and accurately teach God’s word.  Perhaps there is hardly any effect.  Perhaps it is wasted effort.

That conclusion would, however, be inaccurate for two reasons that I will put forward.  The first is that Romans 10:14-17 gives the sequence of faith creation, and the proclamation of God’s Word is the indispensable stimulus.  Even there the testimony is given that not all have believed.  We want all to believe.  But there will be those who don’t—it’s not unusual.

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?  How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”  However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

The second reason is that the preacher, though preaching to people and for their benefit, is really preaching to the heavenly audience of the God who placed him.  Ultimately what matters to the preacher is that he is faithful to God to preach the message of God.  The complaints of others don’t matter, the responses of others don’t matter, really nothing on the horizontal level matters in the purest sense.

Look at the record from Acts 5:27-32:

When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.  “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.  “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” 

Nehemiah sought the reward from God—he knew that it would not come from people (Neh. 13:31).  Jeremiah, looking at the response, preferred to quit—he couldn’t because God’s Word needed to be proclaimed (Jer. 20:9).

So I conclude that it is not wrong to have a desire for people to respond.  Is it possible to serve without that desire?  Probably not.  But there will likely be a grief in that direction.

Ultimately the preacher’s focus must be vertical.  There is a satisfaction in considering the great privilege of vocalizing God’s message in the world.  The vocation may be misunderstood and unappreciated, but there is none higher in this world, yet at the same time we are not above the apostles of old (1 Cor. 4:9-13).  Preachers await not the acclamation of men but the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4), and they must serve as slaves of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:23-24).  Now if only I can remember that!

Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor
Topic: Grandparenting

We are now living close to some of our grandchildren.  This is something new for us.  One policy grandparents should or do follow has been expressed to us by people from a wide spectrum; it would seem to be an almost universal approach.  It is basically this:  when you are with the grandchildren, spoil them rotten; at the end of the day when you have managed to turn them into thorough brats by your doting and when you have reached the end of your patience, you can send them home, because, after all, they are not your responsibility.  After verbalizing this policy, those speaking often produce a sinister chuckle.

 

Allow me to suggest that that policy has a very bad aroma!  Many Christian parents would like to see their children grow up to be responsible citizens and people who believe, love, and serve God.  Do we really think that as senior citizens we are now permitted to encourage these grandchildren in the ways of selfishness, self-centeredness, and ungodliness?  When were we given permission to abandon lives of righteousness and at this point stimulate wickedness in children for whom we are ‘not responsible’?

 

Have you ever listened as someone shares about their grandchildren?  Their grandchildren are awesome!  Sometimes the description is not so positive when given by other people who know the same children from other settings and other relationships.  Our eight grandchildren are good-looking, intelligent, and gifted in various ways.  But I can also tell you that they are devious and rebellious.  They sometimes do not know what is best for themselves, but they are concerned that no one else tell them what is.  They well exemplify (as did we) the truth King David wrote when he testified that he had been sinful from the moment of conception (Ps. 51:5).

 

So this brings me to ask:  What is the role of grandparents?  Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but I really haven’t noticed much literature addressing this issue.  I did hear a talk show recently (unfortunately I was driving somewhere and can’t even state the source) on which the grandparents’ role was described something like making life fun for the little ones.  That may have some merit at least some of the time, but surely that is not the end of the matter.

 

Do you suppose the Bible says anything on the subject?  You won’t find a biblical book, chapter, or even verse addressed specifically to grandparents, as far as I can tell.  You may have to think creatively, but there is something there.  And I’d like to get you started.

 

We may not know exactly what the example is, but at the beginning of 2 Timothy the Apostle Paul mentions Timothy’s faith which was evident beforehand in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.  Many wonderful sermons have been preached, especially on Mother’s Day, about the training Timothy received from his mother and grandmother.  Nothing like that is written specifically, though we may not be far wrong to suppose something like that took place.  In any case, Timothy’s grandmother was mentioned in a complimentary way as it related to her faith.  Perhaps we could conclude that grandparents should encourage grandchildren toward faith in Jesus Christ.

 

In the New American Standard Bible the word grandfather appears only twice (including plural forms, and so for the other words mentioned here as well), grandmother only once, granddaughter five times, grandson fourteen, and grandchild four.  So that relationship two generations removed is not mentioned frequently.  However, it is curious that in 2 Kings (e.g., 14:3) and 2 Chronicles (e.g., 28:1) numerous times the word father actually includes the meaning of ancestor or forefather.  In other words, father could include the relationship of grandfather.

 

Now in Proverbs fathers are mentioned at least twenty-seven times.  Many of these statements involve exhortations to observe the instruction of fathers.  I’m not going to try to prove here that the word father in Proverbs actually means grandfather, but if we acknowledge that elsewhere, why might we not suggest it here?  Grandparents certainly could be involved in the moral and spiritual training of their grandchildren.  There is no prohibition of training that comes from the generation twice removed.  Grandparents have sometimes not done well in raising grandchildren (when the parents for whatever reason are absent), but there is no reason why they might not do well if they will live and train in the revealed will of God.

 

2 Kings 11 and 2 Chronicles 23 give the account of Athaliah, the only woman who ruled for a time as sole sovereign over Judah.  Her description is insightful.  We are told in 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2 that she was the granddaughter of Omri, who was earlier the king of the northern kingdom of Israel.  He was a very wicked king, who was the father of Ahab, who himself was so wicked that he provided the standard of wickedness by which later kings were measured.  One of his great acts of wickedness was to marry Jezebel who introduced Israel to certain kinds of idolatry.  The generation after was Athaliah.

 

Do you think grandparents influence the second generation?  They likely do via DNA and also via environment, especially if the grandchildren share in the environment.  And then there is the statement in Exodus 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.”  (Cf. also Ex. 34:7, Num. 14:18, and Deut. 5:9.)  Surely Athaliah was responsible for her own beliefs and deeds, but she was influenced by her grandparents as well.  And when she was assassinated, all of Jerusalem rejoiced.  Selah!

 

In Matthew 18, Mark 9, and Luke 17 Jesus used a little child as an illustration.  He was using the child as an illustration of a believer.  And we understand that.  But since he used that child as an illustration, we should pause and look at the consequences to ourselves that our treatment of our grandchildren might have.  It is obviously not a game--it has serious consequences.  In Matthew 18:6 He said, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

 

So, have all the fun you can with your grandchildren!  Live before them the life of someone who is established in the will of God!  Tell them the truth which your life exhibits to them!  Be part of the solution in passing on the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the generation twice removed!

Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor

_{A word of introduction is in order, because you should understand the background from which I write.  One of my pet peeves is that of a writer refusing to share background information that might enlighten the views he/she takes.  I might appreciate, even if not agree with, an opinion if I have some understanding of its origin.}

 

_{I grew up in a rural eastern Montana community and attended Grace Bible Institute in Omaha, NE, Nebraska University in Lincoln, NE, and Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, IN.  I served as pastor in four different churches, two of which were parts of denominations.  Even in those two churches, I was somewhat of a loner.  This is at least partly because I have tended to not uncritically immerse myself in human theological constructs, but rather my goal has been to inductively discover God’s message as it comes to us in the Bible.  My intention has been to be faithful to Him by living and teaching His message.}

 

_{I have diagrammed sentence-by-sentence every verse in Greek New Testament and numerous portions in the Hebrew Old Testament.  The Hebrew diagramming is ongoing.  This exercise has given me confidence that I have a better grasp of the biblical text’s message than just to read an English version.  My preaching ministry was based on that.}

 

_{To discover more about family, hobbies, etc., you may refer to turbooster.tripod.com.}

 

_{Recently we retired from the pastorate, but as a continuing ministry I hope to write on various subjects.  Some of these might be reflections on frustrations in the pastorate, some may be essays on current topics, some may be simply interests of my own that may resonate with others.  In any case, I hope that what I write may challenge, explain, or even entertain.}

 

_{With this introduction, enjoy!}