The Truth Process, Session VII, Post 3

He Must Become Greater

A recent Facebook post reads as follows: “Lindsay Lohan, 24, is all over the news because she's a celebrity drug addict. Meanwhile, Justin Allen, 23, Brett Linley, 29, Matthew Weikert, 29, Justus Bartett, 27, Dave Santos, 21, Chase Stanley, 21, Jesse Reed, 26, Matthew Johnson, 21, Zachary Fisher, 24, Brandon King, 23, Christopher Goeke, ...23, and Sheldon Tate, 27 are all Marines who gave their lives this week with no media mention. Honor THEM by reposting!”

It seems that today’s culture tends to glorify those who become famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view). Modern society glorifies actors and actresses, because they can act well, even though they often can’t seem to live well. We glorify rock stars and entertainers because they can sing well and put on well choreographed shows, even though their un-choreographed personal lives are chaotic and uncontrolled, sometimes ending in the train wreck of an early death. We glorify athletes, even when their conduct off the field or court lacks the discipline that makes them great on it. We glorify politicians, some of whom are all style and little substance, who look good and speak well, even though they may govern poorly.

As the Facebook post notes, our culture pays great attention to people such as these, while those who have made the “ultimate sacrifice” for them do so without great public fanfare and comparatively little recognition. In like manner, the one who made “THE ultimate sacrifice” – Jesus Christ – receives little recognition – at times even within the body of believers, and regrettably, in my own life as well.

The Westminster Assembly of 1643 to 1649 produced three documents of lasting value to the church: The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism. (A “catechism” is a book in which instruction is conveyed by means of questions and answers.) Question 1 of the Shorter Catechism is “What is the chief end of man?” The “chief end” is the purpose for which something was made. The Shorter Catechism answers this question as follows:

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. “ To “glorify God” is to magnify God through praising His name and honoring His commandments, and we are instructed in the word of God that all that we do is to be for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). When we praise His name and keep His commandments, we “magnify” God. He rises in prominence and position in our lives. We diminish in prominence and position. He assumes the position of authority. We humbly submit to that authority.

Perhaps John the Baptist said it best - "He must become greater, I must become less." (John 3:30). Here, John the Baptist professes his desire that Jesus would be glorified and that he himself would fade away in comparison. Christians seek to glorify God and not themselves through their lives and actions. Or at least we should…

It can be quite challenging to live in this “It’s all about ME” culture and maintain the same attitude as John the Baptist. This is nothing new, however. Isaiah 14:12-15 conveys the story of the fall of Lucifer, the greatest of the angels. Lucifer did not seek to magnify God any longer. His words disclose to us a heart attitude which is the polar opposite of that of John the Baptist – “He must become less. I must become greater.” Satan still whispers this message today, and we must be on our guard, as this message appeals to the sinful pride that still dwells within us.

The Apostle Paul wrote:“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle…” I know that in my own life it is impossible for me to live a worthy life without humility, and there is no greater humility than that I experience when I magnify God – “allowing” Him to be prominent and authoritative in my life, while I become less.

May it be so…

In Christ –

John

Soli Deo Gloria

The Truth Process Session VII, Post 2

Always Reforming

In Webster’s 1832 American Dictionary of the English language, “reform” is defined as follows: 1. To change from worse to better; to amend; to correct; to restore to a former good state, or to bring from a bad to a good state; 2. To change from bad to good; to remove that which is bad or corrupt; as, to reform abuses; to reform the vices of the age. To abandon that which is evil or corrupt, and return to a good state; to be amended or corrected.

In 1517, the “95 Theses” were written by a priest and professor of theology named Martin Luther. His document expressed his growing concern with the corruption within the church. In essence, his Theses called for a full reform of the Catholic Church and challenged other scholars to debate with him on matters of church policy. His revolutionary ideas served as the catalyst for the eventual breaking away from the Catholic Church and were later instrumental in forming the movement known as the Protestant Reformation. (To read more about the 95 Theses go here.)

When Luther observed the condition of the church of his day, it became obvious to him that change was needed – from worse to better; from a bad to a good state. He recognized that amendment and correction, as well as the abandonment of that which was evil and corrupt, was essential.

How did he know? How did Martin Luther know that the practices of the church were inconsistent with the word of God? How was he able to recognize the corruption within the church? Martin Luther was able to distinguish right from wrong because he knew the truth – the exact truth.

This past Sunday (September 19, 2010) Pastor Dan Hendley of North Park Church shared a message sub-titled “It’s About Truth”. The first passage of scripture referenced was Luke 1:1-4 –
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write {it} out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. (NAS)

Because Martin Luther knew the exact truth, he recognized the heresy of the church of his day. He challenged every practice and teaching of the church that was not consistent with the exact truth, and called for reformation.

It occurs to me that there is still tremendous need for knowledge of the exact truth, as well as reformation almost 1500 years after Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Castle Church door at Wittenberg, Germany. This is true of the body of Christ in general, and true for each individual believer.

I can’t speak for you, but I know that I have a tendency to get a bit lazy in some of the disciplines of my Christian walk. There are times when prayer is a struggle, and my time in the word – when I re-acquaint myself with the exact truth – is practically non-existent. It is during these times when I am most vulnerable to the false truth claims of the culture. Many of the messages of the world are blatantly wrong and wildly inconsistent with the truth of the Bible, and are easily recognized. Other messages are more subtle, and without knowledge of God’s exact truth, I am more easily taken captive.

Just as Luther’s observation of the church of his day led to the conclusion that reform was needed, my observation of my own life leads me to the same conclusion – my life is in need of reformation. Perhaps you find this to be true as well.

It is important to remember that reformation is not a “one and done” event. The church is still reforming, just as you and I are still, or at least should be, reforming. I know that I have to reform every day from the effects of the lies and illusions of the culture. Toward the end of his message on Sunday, Pastor Hendley said “A reformed Christian is to be always reforming.” How true. Reformation is a process, not a project.
Semper Reformanda (always reforming).

May it be so…
In Christ –
John
Soli Deo Gloria

The Truth Process, Session VII, Post 1

Mea Culpa
In our North Park Church Christian Education Class this past week, we reviewed a 2008 Barna Survey regarding the worldview of Christians. For the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview. The findings are discouraging. Here is a sample of what the survey disclosed :
Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview.
Even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.
One-third of all adults (34%) believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Slightly less than half of the born again adults (46%) believe in absolute moral truth.
Just one-quarter of adults (27%) are convinced that Satan is a real force. Even a minority of born again adults (40%) adopt that perspective.
Only one-quarter of adults (28%) believe that it is impossible for someone to earn their way into Heaven through good behavior. Not quite half of all born again Christians (47%) strongly reject the notion of earning salvation through their deeds. (If you would like to read more about the Barna study GO HERE)
Now I recognize that some of you are skeptical of statistics. Some may be familiar with Mark Twain’s comment in his autobiography that "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." Some of you are thinking that surely Barna’s identification of “born again Christians” was faulty. Whether you agree with Barna’s findings or not, my guess is that most would agree that the body of Christ has become anemic – infected by the false truth claims of a post modern culture. I can’t help but wonder –“What happened to the body of Christ?”
Our nation was founded by people who undertook the dangerous trip to the shores of North America as a mission (Mayflower Compact). The body of Christ had great influence on the culture, influencing government, education, and the overall operation of society. Many of our founding fathers expressed that the foundation of the nation was morality and religion, and at the time, there was no question that they meant the Christian religion. The more I think about this, the more upset I become. I feel frustrated, saddened, and at times – angry. Frankly, I am looking for someone to blame.
As a child, and still as an adult, I read the comics section of the daily newspaper. A number of years ago, a comic strip titled “Pogo” appeared in the daily Pittsburgh Press. Pogo was the title and central character of a long-running daily American comic strip, created by cartoonist Walt Kelly (1913–1973) and distributed by the Post-Hall Syndicate. Set in the Okefenokee Swamp of the southeastern United States, the strip often engaged in social and political satire through the adventures of its anthropomorphic funny animal characters.
Probably the most famous Pogo quotation is "We have met the enemy and he is us." Perhaps more than any other words written by Kelly, it perfectly sums up his attitude towards the foibles of mankind and the nature of the human condition. (Perhaps the second best-known Walt Kelly quotation is another one of Pogo's philosophical observations: "Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." But that’s another conversation...)
As I have been looking for someone to blame, Pogo’s words come back to mind, with some modification. You see, I have found the person to blame for the anemic condition of the church. Yes, folks – after looking long and hard, I have found him. "I have met the enemy and he is ME." Yes – I am to blame. This is my “mea culpa”. In fact it is my "mea maxima culpa." (Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my mistake" or "my own fault". To emphasize the message, the adjective "maxima" may be inserted, resulting in "mea maxima culpa," which would translate as "my most [grievous] fault.")
Now let me be clear. (A well known politician frequently uses these words. Oddly, what follows them is anything but. I will try not to make that mistake.) I am not accepting blame for what has happened to the Christian church in America over the last 400 years. While I fully admit to a unique ability to foul things up, I am not able to do so retroactively. But when it comes to the state of the Christian church here and now – in 2010 - "I have met the enemy and he is ME." Here is what I mean...
To the extent I fail to allow Christ to be lord of every area of my life, I weaken the body of Christ.
To the extent that I fail to read and study the divinely inspired word of God, I weaken the body of Christ.
To the extent that I fail to pray for myself, my family, my church, my government, I weaken the body of Christ.
To the extent that I fail to engage, in a Christ-like manner, with those whom God brings across my path, remembering that every person is an eternal being, I weaken the body of Christ.
The list goes on, but you get the picture, right?
Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.
Now, I know that I am just one person among many that constitute the body of believers. I realize that it is not entirely my fault that the church is in such anemic condition. Maybe you bear some responsibility as well. One of many things I have learned as I grow older is this: I cannot accept your responsibility. I can only accept my own. There is no “nostra culpa”. (“Nostra” is a Latin word meaning ''our'' or ''ours''.)
The condition of the body of Christ is dependent upon His work in the hearts of individuals, each of whom fulfills an important role in the community of believers. Perhaps it is time that each of us issues our own “mea culpa”. Then – with humble hearts, in submission to His lordship – Christ will go to work first in us, then through us.
May it be so…
In Christ –
John
Soli Deo Gloria