Minimizing me…making much of Jesus

Love and Kindness, great BIBLICAL words – great BIBLICAL commands – but they have been sorely and grievously redefined by the world.

We as followers of Jesus are instilled with the Spirit of love and Truth and are commanded to love and show kindness to one another without accepting, approving, or embracing the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, or the pride of life. However, the culture in which we live is trying to tell us that to not accept, approve and embrace these things of the world is to be unloving and unkind. We are told that to express opposition to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life is to be hateful and judgmental.

I know that there is a lot of real HATE, dishonor, and disrespect spewed toward God’s created masterpiece, both male and female who bear His image. It comes from all sides, even from image bearers who claim to be “christian”. This ought not to be so. This grieves the Lord just as much as the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life.

There are also people who foolishly believe a sovereign all-knowing God would give them a pass to do what violates His Holy nature. Others wrongly believe they can practice unholy behavior because He doesn’t understand civilized society.

These passages do not contradict one another. If you think that they do, take a deeper look.

1 John 2:15-17 ESV

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life— is not from the Father but is from the world. [17] And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

1 John 4:7-11 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Isaiah 5:20-21 ESV

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! [21] Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Galatians 6:2 ESV Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

When a burden is shared, it is halved. When a joy is shared, it is doubled.

When you come alongside me and genuinely share my burden, there will certainly be empathy, grief and maybe even tears.

But sharing my burden does not mean that you are drawn to the same depths as me. It doesn’t mean that you groan the same groaning. You don’t take on my burden nor do I pull you into the pit of despair with me. That helps NO ONE.

When you bear my burden, you come alongside me and share it. It is made more bearable…not because you feel as awful as I do, but because you have shouldered some of the suffering…you’ve EASED MY burden because it’s become OUR burden. The burden becomes lighter…it is cut in half.

Unfair and uncommunicated expectations set everyone up for failure, hurt, and disappointment.

When I expect you to respond to my situation in a specific way (my giving of a gift or doing a good deed, my sharing a need, a drama, a story or a joke, my absence from an event, a sigh on my part, etc.), and I have not communicated my expectations for that response, when you naturally do not respond that way, it hurts me and disappoints me. Then I behave in a way that hurts and disappoints you because you have no idea why I’m behaving that way. Then you react to your hurt and disappointment in me.

Epic Failure All Around.

If I’m going to have high expectations of my family, friends, and even strangers, then I must communicate those expectations to the detail that I want in response.

But just remember: Jesus conveyed some pretty detailed expectations to millions of followers and billions of His own Creation…and how does He respond to billions of unmet expectations? He laid down his life for us.

What gives me the right to expect and respond in a more self-centered way than the Lord our God, King of the Universe?

If people are talking about you behind your back to your friends, take comfort. If they’re talking about you, that means they’re leaving someone else alone.

God will use it for His glory and the good of His people. It separates the adults from the children, the wheat from the tares, good from evil.

Gossip says more about the void in the life and the heart of the whisperer than it does about the character of their target.

Your FRIENDS won’t tolerate gossip and will shut it down. Jesus followers won’t tolerate gossip, whether it’s about their friends or their enemies.

Friend, if you’re going to listen to gossip, remember: If they’ll whisper to you, they’ll whisper about you.

“You’ve got this!” – no, sorry…no I don’t.

“You. Are. Enough.” – no, absolutely…no I’m not.

Without the indwelling Holy Spirit’s presence and power in me, I am an utterly unworthy failure in the design, implementation, and purpose for which I was created. I’m weak. I’m a screwup on my own. I was a prisoner of war to an enemy that wanted to destroy me.

BUT GOD…He redeemed me from that bondage. He reconciled me back to Himself. He restored me and repurposed me according to His original design.

If it were not for the sustaining power of the Spirit within us and Christ’s continual mediation for us as High Priest, our remaining humanness would have immediately engulfed us again in sin the moment after we were justified. If for an instant Christ and the Holy Spirit were to stop their sustaining intercession for us, we would, in that instant, fall back into our sinful, damnable state of separation from God.

I DON’T GOT THIS. – but the Holy Spirit does.

I AM NOT ENOUGH. – but Jesus is.

#itsnotaboutme#ItsAllAboutHim

Reconciliation with our Creator through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ restores every single part of our lives to God’s original design (Ephesians 2:10) – it impacts and transforms everything.

I wish that were the case for every person that calls themselves a “Christian” and every group that calls themselves a “church”. But it’s just not…it wasn’t even the case in Corinth, only 20 years after the resurrection of Jesus.

I had a pastor friend ask the question recently, “Is there a use for the local church anymore?” (I believe he was attempting to provoke thought not really question God’s plans). But truthfully, that’s not for us to decide. The local church is God’s design and not ours…it is not only useful until the day of Jesus’ return but it is absolutely essential. If it is not functioning according to the New Testament design of God, then it is NOT a local church – it’s a religious organization.

Paul says that sometimes when “Christians” get together, it’s not for the better but for the worse. He said that their religious gatherings, small groups (“discipleship”), and practices, even taking the Lord’s Supper, are purely self-indulgent, self-centered, humiliating acts. It’s all about them – it’s not about Jesus. Paul said that in God’s providential direction of the life of the church, he allowed pockets of carnality in the church (professing believers who feed their flesh) to reveal the genuine spiritual quality of individual believers. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” People’s behavior reveals their identity to everyone who is watching. Our identity always drives our behavior. Paul called them out on it.

We need more of that in our community today. For the sake of Jesus’ prayer over the church and the lost world around them in John 17, “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” we need to distinguish between His Church and religious organizations by calling His Church to repentance.

But in the following instructions, I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. [18] For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, [19] for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. [20] When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. [21] For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. [22] What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

1 Corinthians 11:17-22 ESV

In your ministry and discipleship to people (not just pastors), desiring to walk in the ways of your Master, how do you discern when someone is…

– the Pharisee that Jesus called out as a viper, a white-washed tomb filled with dead men’s bones?

– the money changers whom Jesus drove out of the temple after turning over and wrecking their livelihoods?

– the rich young man who wanted to secure his place in the kingdom but after being unwilling to do what Jesus said to follow him, he walked away sad and Jesus just let him go?

– the woman at the well whom Jesus saved?

– the woman caught in adultery that Jesus forgave?

– the sinners with whom Jesus ate?

– the Jesus-denying, cursing disciple to whom Jesus gave leadership?

– the lost sheep that He leaves the 99 to go and rescue?

In other words, how do you know when to call a wolf pretending to be a sheep a wolf, when to continue to press into impacting the life of a professing believer that doesn’t appear to want to make much of Jesus, and when to let them go?

Jesus’ substitutionary death and powerful resurrection is for so much more than a religious practice to be performed on the Sundays we choose. It is for so much more than access to Him through prayer…when we choose, hearing His voice through the Holy Scriptures…when we choose, and telling others about what He did…when we choose. It is sooooooooo much more than being saved from sin and hell. It is sooooooooo much more than “going to heaven” when we die.

Reconciliation with our Creator through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ restores every single part of our lives to God’s original design – it impacts and transforms everything.

• It impacts our values and how we live them out.
• It impacts how we spend and invest our time.
• It impacts our relationships.
• It impacts our sexuality.
• It impacts our genders and our gender roles
• It impacts our marriages.
• It impacts why we have children, how many children we have, and how we raise them.
• It impacts how we educate our children.
• It impacts whether or not we go to college,
• It impacts our politics.
• It impacts what type of career we choose and how we perform at our job.
• It impacts how we handle our money and how we invest it.

It impacts and transforms the way we view the whole world. Every domain of our lives belongs to Him.

We are given ALL of CHRIST’s identity for ALL of our LIFE!

There’s a portion of the professing christian culture that gets a little twisted when we teach and preach about overcoming sin, wrongdoing, carnal thoughts and behavior, and the grief it brings to the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer when we do not renounce ungodliness and worldly passions. “Why focus on what we’re doing wrong rather than encouraging us in what we’re doing right?” It shouldn’t catch me off guard or cause me to wonder (even though it does) when people convey these types of comments. Paul told Timothy that this would happen.

It’s true, we NEED encouragement from our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be edified, and we need to be spurred on toward love and good works that we were designed to do before the creation of the world. We should definitely receive that from the body of Christ AND from our Elders.

BUT, the Elders/ Pastors/ Ministers/Priests/Bishops/Overseers of our congregations have a responsibility to teach the whole counsel of God. There are literally mandates in scripture that we teach our people how to die to sin and live to righteousness. I struggle to understand where this desire for “feel good, felt need” teaching is found in Scripture. The freedom from, not only the curse of sin but also the weight of sin SHOULD encourage the regenerate follower of Jesus. It SHOULD make us feel good and edify us to have our shepherds reveal things to us that we might not have realized were offensive to God’s character or displeasing to Him and also to challenge us to forsake the sins that so easily beset us. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, we deeply desire to be transformed to the image of Jesus and though surgery does not FEEL GOOD, the exposure and removal of cancer is reason for celebration and restored health FEELS incredible!!!!

Why do we want our church leaders to tickle our ears, make us laugh and feel good about ourselves when the Bible specifically teaches that this is a sign of an apostate generation?????

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. [3] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. [5] As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:2-5 ESV

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, [12] training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, [13] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. [15] Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Titus 2:11-15 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

Ephesians 4:1 ESV

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, [15] but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, [22] Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, [23] since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

1 Peter 1:14-15,22-23 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV

This is one of the ideas of progressive Christianity and a book title of one of the most self-righteous, damning, hateful, phobic, and bigotted progressive Christians that I’ve ever read.

It is true, Paul defines love as “patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;” But he also says, “it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” One of the problems is that many progressive Christians are limited in their scope of wrongdoing…they define it by what 21st century Americans view as “wrongdoing” and not by what offends the character and nature of God, which the Bible defines as “wrongdoing”.

It’s not an either/or…either you love this way OR you love that way. It’s a BOTH/AND. Love is not mean or rude or arrogant but it lovingly exposes wrongdoing and the lies of our culture and love celebrates Truth according to the Word of God and the Spirit of God. If love is ALWAYS approving and accepting…

-- What do they do with the scriptures detailing Jesus throwing the moneychangers out of the temple...overturning tables and releasing the doves? That was some guy's livelihood. Those birds belonged to someone else. That's how they put a roof over their families and food on their tables. How loving was that? That's an injustice in our culture and incredibly rude.

-- What do they do with both Paul and Jesus going into synagogues, arguing with and embarrassing the tar out of the rabbis and the Pharisees for their faulty practices of the Torah? What about when Jesus called the Pharisees white-washed tombs filled with dead men's bones? Doesn't that offend our modern sensibilities about what love is?

-- What do they do with Jesus' engagement with the rich young man who wanted to know what he needed to do to secure a place in the Kingdom of God? Jesus told him that he needed to give away his property and wealth to the poor. The bible says the young man walked away sad...and Jesus just let him walk away. How is THAT love in our modern interpretation?

Progressive Christianity does not view either Jesus or the Bible as central to their beliefs. They don’t deny either but instead selectively abuse them. The Bible says the GREATEST commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength…and the SECOND is like unto it — love your neighbor as yourself. We love ourselves and our neighbors by loving God first. This idea of progressive Christianity doesn’t have the priority of loving God first that FILTERS all other priorities. There’s a deep inconsistency. They argue AGAINST privilege but then turn around and bestow privilege on certain people over others while despising those that they deem to already have certain privileges they despise. Interestingly, their demonstration against privilege is often a personal exercise of the same privilege. It’s hypocritical. They argue FOR tolerance and then demonstrate some of the greatest intolerance toward those that THEY deem intolerant. If you’re hurting someone’s feelings with Truth, you’ve gotta be wrong and you need to change your theology…unless it’s you hurting me because you deem my definition of love as “injustice” from my position of privilege. Rather than going to scripture, progressive Christians often view modern experience, story-telling, as truth-making. But here’s the problem: my satisfaction in my story does not the goodness and truthfulness of a thing.

It is sooooooo true though that there are many professing “fundamental” Christians who are brutally bigoted, phobic, damning, hateful, and self-righteous. Defining “fundamental” is like nailing jello to the wall…everyone has their own tweaked definition or illustration. But there are also many professing Christians of progressive thought who are the same way from an opposing viewpoint. Both abuse scripture by either cherry-picking or proof-texting. We don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Both are wrong. There are many followers of Jesus who do not subscribe to either form of abuse or rejection of Jesus or His Word. One who has sworn allegiance to Jesus as King to trust Him, obey His Word and follow His lead and help others do the same will love as Jesus loved and in all ways as Jesus loved. We might get it wrong from time to time. We might willfully or unwittingly put our view of scripture (or Jesus) through our cultural lens rather than putting our culture through the lens of Jesus and the Scriptures. But we accept rebuke and exhortation. We confess and restore.

Thank you, Mike Winger, for inspiring thoughts.