The Goal

12.08.11

1 Timothy 1.5 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. NIV

Paul wanted Timothy to command them not to get caught up in false doctrine, myths and endless genealogies. Such things, he said, were distractions that led to speculations, arguments and the like. They aren’t profitable for the church. Isn’t it amazing how much stuff we get caught up in? All of my life someone has preached, what they believe as, the truth of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. It’s not true but they’ve preached it as true. I know people in the church who believe such nonsense.

And why wonder about our ancestors anyway – they were sinners just like us; they were people just like us. What really mattered about their lives was how they related to God. They might’ve been colorful characters, they might’ve had wonderful talents but the only thing that really matters is what they thought about God and what they did with their thoughts.

Let’s look at Christmas shall we… what is your opinion of Christmas? Many people see nothing wrong with Christmas. Others see Christmas as the perpetuation of pagan fluff. The question for me is what is the fallout of such perspectives? Christmas is Christmas and to deal with the cultural fallout of where it belongs in the modern church is a discussion that needs to be approached carefully. Otherwise it becomes a distraction and whether the discussion is about the merits or detriments of Christmas, new moons, the Fourth of July or anything like that we have to be careful that we don’t lose sight of our own relationship with the Father…because:

Because, Paul went on to say that the goal of the command he gave to Timothy (and to us) is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. And why would it be anything less – like making an issue about the merits of Christmas or Easter or Halloween or whatever else it is that had invaded our culture. The issue is love and how we relate to one another in the presence of God.

I need to really think about what hills I want to die on when it comes to some of the thornier issues of what to do and what to avoid. I listened to a radio program the other day that railed against the exclusion of Christmas decorations on public property by municipal officials. The arguments went back and forth but the bottom line to me is this: what do you want to be forced to do? Name it. What do you want forced onto your life? Now, what do you want to force onto others? Name it. What do you want others to do that may be against their will? And lastly, is God too small to deal with us over issue of the merits of what we call holidays and their origins? Or does God run off with His “ball” and not let anyone play anymore because He can’t control them or convince them of what He does or doesn’t want?

The goal of the command is this: love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. I can tell you what I think you should or shouldn’t do: it’s up to you to listen (or not). I can try to persuade you but in the end, it must be your decision to accept or reject my suggestions and I can’t control that. I think we need to make up our minds of what is really important to us in our relationship with the Lord and with others who call Him Father…