Gentle Restoration

03.15.13

Galatians 6.1 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (ESV)

What do we do with those who are caught in a transgression? Do we excommunicate them? Do we cold shoulder them? Or do we mourn and weep and do our best to help them? For a black and white person, this is just too many shades of gray for me – but the Holy Spirit taught Paul who taught the Galatians and by whom taught us: you take care of the faulty and fallen.

About a year ago a very gifted man of God came forward and confessed to his church family that he’d had an inappropriate relationship with a woman to whom he was not married. Stuff happens. Immediately the larger church authority swooped in, and in my humble opinion, expertly guided the grieving, and started the healing process. I have to admit, even in my cynicism, I was impressed – and blessed. God took care of the whole thing and the man wasn’t taken out and shot at dawn. Those who were spiritual stepped in. And the restoration process began. I hope one day to see this man back in active service to his God and his church.

It takes a viewpoint of salvation and redemption and grace to rescue, save, and heal the wounded; what do we do when someone has been in an accident and suffered a serious injury? We jump in immediately to help and heal them: that’s what we do! What do we do when a brother gets caught up in some kind of overt sin: porn, infidelity, drug or alcohol abuse? Do we view them as severely injured, or to be severely punished; or to be put out? Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Excuse me, did he really just say any transgression?

To be sure a sick one is a sick one, but a sick one needs healed, not hammered. I realize I am treading on weird ground here but where in the New Testament does it call to kick a brother out for his sin except for when he won’t repent.

It is one thing to be stupid, intentionally, willfully or otherwise; but if that stupid one is willing to own his stupidity and repent, he needs to be saved from further stupidity and gently restored, if what I’m reading is correct. And the restorers must be wary lest they be caught up in a temptation as well: if it was that easy for him, how easy could it be for me now that I know how he did it?

The Bible calls for us to be vigilant with each other and to do what is necessary to heal, restore, teach, correct, and rebuke. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong and need to be set right. If I resist correction that’s another story, but if I repent, then I need to be helped not to be stupid or wrong any more. Those who are spiritual see how to help, and then because they are spiritual are able to act.

Father, may You find Your servant faithful, mature, and spiritually minded so that when the need arises I may be equipped to help a fallen one and be a part of his gentle restoration. Amen.

Immovable

03.14.13

Galatians 5.1 1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (ESV)

Sometimes it is difficult to tell which is harder: resisting the flesh or guarding one’s freedom. In this masterful argument, Paul told the Galatians that by giving into the flesh in one part of their lives, they gave into it in all of the rest of their lives: there is no compartmentalization, there is no segmentation; there is only freedom, or slavery.

Religious slavery doesn’t always look that bad either; unless one understands what is behind it. And what is behind religious slavery is always, always, always man’s attempt to save himself, or measure himself worthy before God.

The Judaizers who were troubling the Galatians were insisting that faith in Christ was important as long as the Galatians held to the Mosaic Law. Simple faith in Christ wasn’t enough, there had (according to them) to be circumcision, animal sacrifice, rituals, and celebrations in order to make their faith in Christ complete. It still happens today: Faith in Christ + ________________.

Religious slavery is doing anything to try to impress God and merit His favor. Religious slavery is doing anything to show God that although the sacrifice of Christ was huge, (after all, isn’t that why we have Easter eggs and bunnies?) is wasn’t huge enough unless I prove to God I do the right things, say the right things, and attend the right meetings: I can prove by my actions that although all those others are just lame sinners, I have arrived all on my own skill, talent, and devotion; and Christ’s sacrifice is for them, but not for me. With an attitude like that, who needs God at all?

And so in the face of this, Paul told his readers: stand firm. Standing firm means tenaciously holding to the truth, and doggedly withstanding the objections to holding so firmly to the truth.

The subtle excuses will come: why do you have to be so rigid; relax, it’s just a ceremony! Oh, come on, you’re just embarrassing yourself – don’t be so narrow! Look, if you’re going to be so dogmatic, I simply cannot be around you anymore.

Listen, on that day when we stand before Christ it won’t matter what the subtle excuses and reasoning sounded like; all that will matter will be the sound of His voice saying: Well done, good and faithful servant! Pleasing Jesus is found in doing what He asks; it’s that simple. The difficulty may be in overcoming the temptation to give ground but that is why the apostolic admonition. If it wasn’t such a big deal, Paul wouldn’t have spent the energy he did trying to convince the Galatians otherwise!

The lesson for me today is to carefully consider where or how I might be giving into religious slavery and then getting the heck out! And then standing immovable on this truth that: my faith is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on His dear Name. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground in sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand. Amen.

You and Only You

03.13.13

Galatians 4.20 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. (ESV)

Everyone worships something – even those who insist they worship nothing worship at the altar of I Worship Nothing. The reality is we are all wired to worship something greater than ourselves, outside of ourselves, or something we cherish deep within, or about ourselves. The difficulty with worship is it often seems to be driven by the wish to be: if only I could be… When the platform is burning, you want to get off.

Centuries ago, some disciples in Asia, in the region of Galatia, came to that place where they’d been fooled into thinking they were because they did – they worshiped a lifestyle of doing and were not happy with just being: being was strangely freeing but true freedom they’d been told was a result of keeping laws and regulations that gave them a unique identity as those who kept such laws and regulations. It was no wonder their mentor was perplexed about them.

Worship is tricky because it can bestow a false sense of arrival: I’ve made it because I’ve… (wherever and whatever “it” is.) Worship can bestow a false sense of achievement. Worship can promise a lot and deliver a lot – of the wrong stuff. The object of worship is crucial because it defines us. And that is exactly what was going on in Galatia all those centuries ago – and what the mentor was so perplexed about.

Worship will cost the worshiper something. Worship is not free. I know a guy who invested in silver when it was 30-something an ounce only to watch his investment shrink to less than 2-something an ounce. Worship is investment and it pays to invest in the right thing for the right reason.

The Galatian Church had been fooled into thinking their worship of Christ – the Ultimate Freedom – was only real if they kept Jewish ceremonial laws: a real Christian is one who didn’t forsake the Mosaic Law. Or the Levitical Law, or the Pharisaical interpretation of either…or both. And Paul, the mentor maintained that true freedom and real worship were only found by seeking God earnestly, listening carefully, and obeying Him entirely. Nothing else.

Everyone worships something: and rule keeping is one of the biggies. It’s not how much I give, it’s that I give with a heart that says, I know you can use it. It’s not how much I love, it’s that I know everyone needs to be loved and love covers over much. It’s not that I show up at church, it’s that I want to be with you and share life with you.

Worshiping God means nothing – even with many acts of goodness and kindness and generosity – if it’s devoid of love for God and love for people. Rule-keeping centers on me and my achievement: love centers on God and others.

Lord, protect me from “You +…”  It’s You, and only You, and the freedom to me be without fear because of You and only You. Amen.

Present to Win

03.12.13

Deuteronomy 20.1 1“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. (ESV)

I have always read this chapter and appreciated the heart in which it was written. I appreciate the fact that if war happens, then God makes allowance for the ones who’ve just got married, or just build a house, or had a baby or something along those lines. But today I thought something different: The Lord your God is with you.

The important thing to remember in this chapter is the Lord your God is with you. The battle is the battle but the outcome depends on who trusts in the Lord and accepts His presence on the battlefield. And if God is with you, then go, have a marriage, go, have a baby; go, build a house and enjoy it with your wife and family. The implication here is simply: you’ll be missed on the battlefield, but you won’t be needed because the Lord your God is with us… we’re going to prevail.

Prevailing in life has little to do with me, and mostly to do with God. Yes, I have to be present to win, but it has only to do with my faith in Him that I am a winner. In those days battles were very physical and there was mostly only hand-to-hand combat – battles were not much more than  huge street brawls and the toughest guys won. That is until God. The scope of the battle didn’t change much, there would be the rushing of opponents toward one another but the outcome would be weighted by the presence of God. The team on God’s side won – always. Of course the opposite was true: the team not on God’s side lost – always.

The bottom line is this: it isn’t about winning and losing, it’s about God. I have a friend who is dying from a terminal disease – he’s decided to go with God. If you’re gonna go, go with God. I suspect there’s been more than once he’s thought about his life and maybe faced a regret or two – but he’s going to go with God. His wife and kids have decided to go that way as well.

He’s going to die on the exact day he’s supposed to, at the exact time, and when he does his life on earth will have ended; but his life in eternity will have only just begun. I too have a terminal disease: it’s called being human and I too am going to die: on the exact day, at the exact time. Living and dying only means something when we live and die with God; apart from that it’s tragedy, fate, karma, whatever you want to call it; but only life and death with God means anything at all.

No matter the outcome, whoever lives or dies with God has already won because he (or she) stood with God; and with God: When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt – you’ve already won!

Father, the battle is already won, but I still have a life to live to tell others about it. Help me to do that today, and to relax and enjoy Your company, all along the way! Amen!

A Party to Remember

03.11.13

Deuteronomy 16.5-7 5 You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, 6 but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. (ESV)

Several things this morning: the Passover would be celebrated at the place the Lord chose, not just any old place. The Passover would be eaten at sunset in remembrance of the Exodus. And they would not be allowed to go back home until the morning. It was an all-nighter for God.

I think God wanted them to remember. We get so busy in our everyday lives that we tend to forget things like so and so’s birthday; our anniversary, stuff like that. God didn’t want them to do that – He wanted them to remember that the world and all that was in it, as good as it looked, pales in comparison to the riches of His glory; and He wanted them to believe that.

The date of the Passover was God’s choosing. The place of the celebrating was God’s choosing, and they were to give a night of their lives to remembering what happened, when, and why. It was supposed to be a party to remember…

I regret that much of my Christian experience is forgotten: I can’t remember the date of the day I got saved – I barely remember when or where, or who baptized me. We don’t celebrate many religious holy days in our culture because for many of us, they’re just not that important. God wanted them to remember because it was (and is) important. That’s why all the rituals and the specific instructions as to where, when, why, and how. And from what I read, other than the Passover, which was supposed to be somber, humble, and serious, it seems the rest of them were to be fun!

When is the last time your church celebrated the day of its founding? When is the last time you threw a party to celebrate on the date of your salvation? I’m feeling like my life needs more of this kind of celebrating and less of just being happy because it’s Friday…

Lord, as I struggle to take more of my life back from my culture and give it to You for Yours, I pray for help in remembering the times and the ways You stepped in and made a huge difference in me and for me. I pray for strength to be more grateful and more introspective as I attempt to remember Who You are and what You do. I ask for creative and fun ways to remember what is important in the Kingdom – help me I pray. Amen.