The Miracle of Love

“Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” All God requires of us under the new covenant is to love.  That’s all He asks.  Really, that’s all He’s ever wanted.  

Various interpretations of just what it means to love our neighbor have surfaced through the ages. As fallible humans, we often see things, not as they are, but as we are. The “lens of our fallen nature” distorts our understanding of God’s commands. Many times, selfishness is at the root of this distortion as we subconsciously alter God’s Words to provide a more comfortable and pleasurable life experience for ourselves. Careful study of the human mind has shown that most of our behavior is driven by our subconscious. It is a sobering thought to imagine that many Christians have subconsciously altered God’s Word to fit their preconceived notions of Him. Even more sobering, is the fact that, (to some degree), it is the case with each one of us. Only pride would cause us to think that we are above the possibility of making this universal mistake. I’m convinced that hardwired in the subconscious of most Americans today, Christian and unbeliever alike, is an improper definition of love. The following definitions, straight from Merriam Webster’s dictionary sum up what most know of love:

• tender, passionate affection
• warm personal attachment arising out of kinship or personal ties
• attraction based on sexual desire
• affection based on admiration, or common interests

Ask anyone what it means to love and you’ll get some mixture of the phrases making up these definitions. I believe this is precisely why much of the church is not properly honoring the “greatest commandments” as confirmed by Jesus in the New Testament. We read and hear preaching about loving God and loving our neighbor, but Godly love rarely surfaces in our behavior, because the cultural definition of love saturates our subconscious.

Think of this, how often do we hear men, even in the church, saying “I love you, brother.” Rarely. It is also somewhat common for wives to go long periods of time without hearing these words from their husbands. Why? Because the cultural understanding of love (as above) has saturated the subconscious mind of men, and he thinks of words like tender, passionate affection, or warm personal attachment. These descriptive terms do not line up with his desire to be her protector, provider, and covering. He shows love through service, hard work, and, yes, you guessed it. We, as men must learn to be tender, passionate, and affectionate to our wives, and not neglect her obvious need for these warm emotions and soft touches. But when limited to these expressions, we soon feel demoralized and weakened. When men arrive at this point, saying “I Love You” is an expression of that weakness, and therefore, is rarely uttered. Husbands and wives alike must recognize that love from a husband is most often expressed through his strength, protection, and provision. When this understanding saturates a marriage relationship and the wife stimulates the husband by recognizing his hard work and provision in conversation to him and others, he can soon say the words “I love you” with greater ease, because he knows that she knows what that means.

This must take place with the bride of Christ as well. As believers living for the name of Jesus, we must re-program our thinking regarding what it means to love. Many times, in God’s Word, our call to love is actually a call to charity. Charity is: benevolent goodwill toward humanity, or generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy. It is neediness that most often moves us to perform actions of goodwill, generosity, and helpfulness. We act because it is the right thing to do. We may not feel warm, tender affection toward the object of our charity, but we recognize the value of their soul and their God-given right to have their needs met.

When Jesus calls us to “love one another as He loved us”. He was not speaking of the warm, tender affection He had for us. (Though he did) He was speaking of the price He paid for our salvation. He did what was necessary to provide what we needed. As one minister puts it so well, the message of the cross is “give up what you want so others can get what they need.” That is the love we are called to many times in scripture.

The trouble is, when God’s Word calls us to love our neighbor, the cultural definition of love that has saturated America’s thinking since the 60’s skews our understanding, and we can rest easy by feeling sorry for, or feeling affection for, needy people all around us without taking any action to meet their needs. Self-deceived believers proclaim their love for those around them without ever expressing such love in word or action. This is the state of many in the church today, but not all.

For those who have taken the step to show the Jesus-kind of self-sacrificial love for the good of another, especially a stranger or an enemy, we have experienced something special. It is when we act out on God’s command to love regardless of feeling that we become partakers of Heavens Glory in a new and incredible way. C.S. Lewis put it this way: “Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you love someone you will presently come to love him.”

With much talk of the supernatural in the church these days, love is rarely mentioned. But I will say that when the God-kind of love flows through humanity and we love the unlovable, there is nothing natural about it. If we do not recognize love as a supernatural occurrence, then we haven’t experienced it to the degree which is possible.

This miracle of love is not limited by the faith of either the giver or receiver. It can occur on demand, when we see a need, and choose to perform self-sacrificial acts of goodwill when we “act as if we love our neighbor” whether we feel like it or not.

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tongues, money, martyrdom, and love

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding bronze or a tinkling cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.”  -1 Corinthians 13:1-3

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This passage is the pentecostal’s worst nightmare and the non-pentecostals greatest excuse.  First off, let me say I consider myself to be neither.  After much experience, I prefer not to wear the “pentecostal” label… though I am filled with the Holy Spirit and I do have a prayer language that I use quite often.  I prefer the descriptive term “filled with the Spirit” rather than the inclusive and possibly exclusive group label “pentecostal”.  “I am filled with the Spirit” sounds entirely different than “I am a pentecostal”. 

The oft-used phrase “filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues” boldly, and rightly, proclaims that a prayer language is one proof of the indwelling Holy Spirit in a believer.  But moving on in Christian living after the initial “second experience” as some have called it, requires caution.  The experience of speaking in tongues is without a doubt thrilling and entirely supernatural; and overuse is an impossibility.  However, the Holy Spirit Himself clearly tells us through the pen of Paul that neglecting to allow His influence on our inner man to be seen in both word and deed will cause us to become spiritual noisemakers at best.  We are in serious and dangerous error when speaking in tongues becomes a spiritual status symbol by which we judge the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of fellow church members.  Spirit filled prayer is not necessarily a sign of spiritual maturity.  It is the method of prayer through which Gods Spirit “makes up the difference” when we fall short in our understanding in knowing how to pray in any given situation.  When we don’t know how to pray, we can pray God’s perfect will by using our prayer language.  1 Corinthians 14:14 says “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.”  We can easily forget that this blessing we call our prayer language is not given to supplement our wisdom-filled prayers, rather it is given as the remedy to our failure in knowing how to pray.

Make good use of your prayer language, and enjoy the experience of “speaking with the tongues of angels”, but don’t become too impressed with yourself if you could say with Paul “I pray in tongues more than you all”.  It is shocking but true that even praying in the tongues of angels is a useless racket unless we choose to live out love.

This passage is also a challenge to those who would consider themselves to be in the “word of faith camp”.  Prophetic insight into the Word of God which reveals mysteries and provides supernatural knowledge produces within us the ability to operate in supernatural kingdom principles.   One of those principles being faith-filled confessional prayer, speaking to situations in our lives which are out of line with God’s will for us and commanding them to change accordingly.  However, answered prayer is also not necessarily a sign of spiritual maturity.  Many times, God answering our prayer is part of the process that we go through on our journey toward spiritual maturity.  His answer does not necessarily come because of our “ability through faith”, but because it is part of His grand plan for the shaping of our lives.  Pride in what we might consider “accomplishments” in prayer can blind us to the truth that such “accomplishments” are wholly achieved by the God who “works in us both to will and to do His good purpose.”  This is why we are told that only a tiny, “mustard seed” amount of faith is required to simply agree with, and invite an All Powerful God to move miraculously in our lives.  Overestimating our part in mountain moving faith can deceive us and hinder us from having a “sober estimation of ourselves”.

Having faith filled words in our mouth is important, but not as important as having love on our lips.  We are not warned in scripture of the possibility of loving too much and having too little faith.  Rather, we are clearly warned that we can have all faith, and yet be nothing if we have not love.

There is yet one more group on the rise in modern evangelicalism who must watch their lives closely lest they be deceived, and that is those involved in the “social justice movement” in the church.  We learn from this incredible passage of scripture that it is possible to be generous enough to give all of our money to feed the poor, but do so with the wrong motive and have it profit us nothing.  I’ve written what I consider an important post on the topic of alms giving here, in which I suggest that in a large degree the church has neglected true alms giving… At times we meet the material needs of those in need around us or abroad, but we neglect paying the higher price of pouring our lives out in relationship to truly meet the deep spiritual need of those same people… that is, to know they are loved unconditionally.  Many Christian families will send out a $30 check once a month to sponsor a child overseas but are much less willing to welcome into their home the troubled teen from down the street.

We can meet the material needs of a person without making them feel loved… and we can give away all our money without ever truly loving a person.  Giving money is most definitely not equivalent to giving love.

The final portion of the passage I’ve quoted above is perhaps the most surprising… and as Christians in America, we give it very little consideration.  While Christians around the world are dying for their faith, (at times gruesome, horrible deaths), we have yet to experience such persecution in our great nation.

This truth from scripture seems impossible… that a person could die a martyr’s death and profit nothing from it.  “Though I give my body to be burned and have not love it profiteth me nothing”.  Wow.  It’s not as difficult as one would imagine… to explain how such a great sacrifice could be fruitless and without profit.  The death of a deceived “christian”, though it be in the name of Christ, is no more profitable for the martyr than the award awaiting the Islamic suicide bomber.

This passage reveals to us that those things which love drives us to do can also be performed without love, and we should never judge our life or the lives of others based solely on what sacrifices we might make, but rather by the sacrifice of Christ alone.  This thought is the basis of a principle found throughout scripture which is this: “obedience is better than sacrifice.”  The honest believer, after a time of self-examination, will humbly admit that he has offered many sacrifices that were performed more as recompense for his disobedience than out of love for his brother, but a man’s greatest sacrifice carries no merit toward the payment required for the very least of his sins.

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Prior to the beautiful exposition on love found in verses 4 through 13, these first three verses of 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen challenge us to consider that the daily fruit of our lives is much more telling than any of the significant acts that we may find the strength to perform.  Love is more a daily behavior than an occasional accomplishment.  To think of it as such is not only unprofitable, but potentially  perilous to the soul as our hearts can so easily deceive us.

Allow love to move you to good works toward your fellow man, and make a pattern of it.  There is no witness as powerful to the unbeliever as when you make a sacrifice on his behalf for the sake of the salvation of his soul.  But watch closely your daily behavior with everyone around you, especially those closest to you, and examine the measure with which you show patience, kindness, humility, purity, and selflessness.  For in these is love proven one situation at a time, day by day, over a lifetime.

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Personality is not Permanent

If you have not yet read the book “Personality Plus” by Florence Littauer; you have, by now, certainly heard of the 4 personality profiles she refers to in the book as a basis for learning how to relate and interact with others: choleric, melancholy, sanguine, and phlegmatic.  In hearing these words in the conversation of many, from CEOs to pastors, and especially among members of Generation Y, I’ve experienced a steady, subtle agitation when approached with the concept.  Upon further study, and with no desire to judge Florence or any other psychologist, (Christian or otherwise) I would like to humbly present my case against the use of psychometrics (psychological measurement of knowledge, attitudes, and personality through instruments such as questionnaires, tests, and personality assessments) to label men and women as a certain “personality type.”

Let’s start at the beginning, which is most likely much earlier than you might’ve expected.  Sometime around 400 BC, the Greek physician Hippocrates developed a medical theory from an ancient medical concept called Humorism.  Tracing it’s origins to ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia, humorism is a now discredited theory of the makeup and workings of the human body adopted and held by most Greek, Roman, and European physicians until the advent of modern medical research in the nineteenth century.  The theory held that the human body was filled with four substances, called four humors, which are in perfect balance when a person is healthy.  When a person suffered from a surplus or imbalance of one fluid, then his or her physical health and personality would be affected.

The four humors were:

Black bile, Yellow bile, Blood, and Phlegm

This ancient belief in “humors” has now, through the use of modern science and medicine become quite “humorous”. (sorry couldn’t resist)  Just take a look at these two definitions of phlegm in the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Phlegm: ________________________________________________

1. thick, sticky, stringy mucus secreted by the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection.

2. one of the four humors of ancient and medieval physiology, thought to cause sluggishness, apathy, and evenness of temper.

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We now know that the body responds to infection or sickness with God-given “healing mechanisms” that produce more fluid(s) to help remove sickness.  At times, fluids can also decrease as a result of sickness or disease.  Humorism incorrectly stated that an excess or lack of these fluids preceded disease or sickness, and personality traits!

Around 200 AD, enter: Claudius Galenus, a prominent Roman physician and philosopher, who’s understanding of anatomy and medicine was largely influenced by the theory of humorism as advanced by Hippocrates.  “Galen” as he is now known, was the first to develop “temperamental categories” or “psychological types”.  He named them sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic.

Early 1900’s, enter: Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist who was the originator of Analytical Psychology. Analytical psychology was a method rooted in Galen’s theories which studied unconscious forces and motivations underlying individuals behavior, to employ the unconscious mind as the source of healing and development in the individual.  Jung published his theories in his 1921 book “Psychological Types.”

1962, enter:  Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, original developers of the personality assessment test: “The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator” (MBTI).  The test, first published in 1962, was a questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. These preferences were taken from the theories proposed by Carl Jung.  If you’ve taken a personality assessment test, it was most likely the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator questionnaire.

Meet CPP Inc.

CPP, Inc. is the leading publisher and provider of products and services for individual and organizational psychological development.  CPP published the definitive reference source for the MBTI titled “The Manual”.  As the MBTI exam began to gain ground in our culture, some employers began to use the assessment when hiring new employees, hoping it might be a predictor of which potential employees might be best suited for the job.  The use of the MBTI as a predictor of job success has not been supported in studies, and its use for the purpose is now expressly discouraged in “The Manual”.  Many academic psychologists have criticized the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument, claiming that it “lacks convincing validity data”, and studies have shown the statistical validity and reliability to be low.

The MBTI Manual also states that the assessment test is “designed to implement a theory”, the theory of personality types.

Theory: _______________________________________________

a: a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation

b: an unproved assumption

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Now that I’ve puked up all the information… let’s get to the point.

I believe it’s crystal clear that the “personality type theory” is rooted in ancient, inaccurate, medical and psychological beliefs systems.  However… it is undeniable that a person’s personality can be measured through assessment tests like the MBTI (or simple observation and discernment for that matter).  While we may be able to observe and measure a person’s personality traits through these tests, my argument is against labeling a person as a certain personality.  Labeling a person can give the impression that their personality is fixed.  If we falsely believe that personality tests are scientifically proven and objective, many will believe the results emphatically, and believe there current personality is permanent.

Personality is defined as “the visible aspect of one’s character as it impresses others”, or “the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual”.

Either of these definitions make it very clear that our personality is merely the outward expression of our inward man.  At best, measuring our personality and taking the results to God in prayer could provide insight into what areas of our life we may need to grow spiritually.  Here is just one of many scriptures calling us to greater character and newness of mind as we strive to become like Christ.  From Ephesians:

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 “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”   ____________________

Carl Jung actually stated that personality traits are akin to “right-handedness” or “left-handedness”.  Meaning, if you’re born right handed, through practice and continued use, you can become proficient in using your left hand.  Personality can, and does change.  As a matter of fact, studies show that between 39% and 76% of those tested fall into different personality types upon retesting some weeks or years later.   For the sake of the length of this post I will not go into examples of positive and negative aspects of the different personalities.  I will challenge you to take what you know of your personality, (whether or not you have been “labeled”), and measure it against the revealed character of Christ that we see in His Word.

Take the test if you’d like.  Maybe even once a year.  But watch yourself closely and guard against using the results as an excuse to settle into a mode of living and relating to others that may be less than what Christ has clearly called us to as His followers.  As His followers, we must remember that the world is watching us, and in every situation we must give them Christ.  If Christ in any given situation stretches outside the bounds of what I believe my personality has to offer, I must go to the prayer closet and receive an infilling of the Holy Spirit and power to become more like Him in every way.

Lord may it be so in my life.

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Footloose Christians

Last night, my son Lucas and I showed no mercy to the basement carpet as we had a late-night dance session.  After a nice warm bath, sporting his 2 piece cotton pajama’s, and caring very little that I was finishing some office work, he made his way down the steps. Disappointed with the jazz music he was hearing and yet turned on by its rhythm, the “play a fast song daddy” cries began.  I resisted to no avail.  Scrolling down the media player list… I click on Kenny Loggins “Footloose”. He likes to dance… and so do I… so when he really gets in the mood it is contagious, and only exhaustion can stop us. (me)

Life affords few pleasures as enjoyable as dancing.  It is a great tragedy that so many of us have chosen a life void of dancing; missing out on the pure joy which, without fail, floods our hearts when we let down our walls and lace up our shoes.  So as Christians what is it that keeps our feet heavy and our knees stiff?  What has stolen our dance?

PRIDE… but not in the way you’re thinking…

The pride that hinders exuberant praise is not the fear of looking silly before others while we dance.  Like the million-dollar prize winner, or the child who gets just what he wanted but didn’t expect for Christmas, the physical expression of overflowing joy cannot be contained.  Jumping, spinning, and shouting all come out of a heart filled to the brim and running over with pure joy.  This most often happens situationally, and such is the case, at times, with our praise.  However, after receiving Christ and walking with Him (and the church) for any number of years, our human pride can cause our eyes to grow dim to our continued need for salvation.  When Christ’s provision of salvation becomes a daily necessity to us rather than a one-time experience, we’ll walk in an attitude of gratitude and praise will flow naturally.  So with David, we must pray, (daily if need be) “restore to me the joy of my salvation.”  Awareness of our sinfulness and need for a savior increases the joy we have in our savior and in our salvation.  When the heart is overflowing with joy, the physical expression of that joy is nearly unstoppable.

In some churches, and in certain circles of believers, a person will quite often hear strong exhortation and encouragement to “dance before the Lord!” and “Clap!” and “Shout Praises!”  These leaders will use words like “frozen chosen” in describing churches who worship quietly, or more traditionally, with old hymns and an organ perhaps.  Interestingly enough, while the “shouters and dancers” speak critically toward the churches who have forbidden such “ruckus”, often times, worshippers can feel forced to be loud in the same way some others are forced to be quiet.  Pure worship is a response, not to a worship leader, but to God and His goodness, love, and mighty work in our lives.   Forced praise most always fizzles out and can cause worshippers to questions their sincerity. Again, true praise will come forth from a heart bubbling over with joy.  Fill a cup with water, and the overflow will splash outside the cup on everything around it.  As containers of Christ and His joy, pride is the hole in the bottom of our cup that prevents the joy of our salvation from overflowing and overwhelming us.

I have found that the overwhelming sense of thankfulness that causes a physical response out of me such as dancing, jumping, or spinning most often comes after a revelation from God’s Word unveils a new facet of who He is in my life.  Just the other day I was listening to a song I’ve heard probably 50 times before, but it hit me deep in my soul and the reminder that “my deliverer is the great I am” caused my to stand up out of my office chair and move my feet and wave my arms as an adrenaline rush of joy forbade my sitting any longer.

If you only dance in church, I question your motives.  If you never dance in church, remember the path you were walking and what your final destination was before Christ placed His Cross directly in your path… translating you into His kingdom of Light.

If you hear “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, “The Twist” by Chubby Checker, or “Celebrate” by Earth Wind and Fire, I loose you to dance and enjoy!  God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.  He loves our dance when we express it as praise, and He is well pleased when we dance for the simple enjoyment of it.

Music and dance are His gifts to us, meant to be used in worship and in pleasure.  In praising Him freely, we will find the meshing of these two; worship & pleasure… and all fear of offending God in the dance disintegrates.   Once this occurs, worshipping God becomes our pleasure and a delight, rather than a responsibility or requirement from a Holy God.  He does not require it, and because He does not… Oh how He loves it.

Give it to Him.

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The Bond of Perfectness

God is Holy.

God is Love.

Love is Holy.

This is what I call “algebraic hermenuetics.”  It is my way of translating scripture using a simple algebraic equation.  If A=B and A=C, than B=C.  Love is Holy.

This simple truth can and will revolutionize your Christian life if you allow it.  In our attempt to live Holy before the Lord… considering the ten commandments and the mosaic law is surprisingly fruitless.  Somehow, approaching the mountain of rules given at Mt. Sinai simply awakens and strengthens our sinful desires.  It does so because that is what God created it to do.

In our attempt to live Holy before the Lord, we make significant progress and have the most success when we focus on learning and living LOVE.  Christ himself stated that above all we should, “Love the Lord thy God and love thy neighbor as thyself, for on these two hang all the law and the prophets.” Focus on the law, and sin is strengthened.  Focus on love, and love is strengthened, pushing out sin, and fulfilling the law in each situation it is correctly applied.

Writing from a prison in Rome to the church at Colosse, Paul encourages the Christians to “…put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing and forgiving one another.”  (Colossians 3:12&13)

Since this list sounds very close to the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians chapter 5… I am compelled to compare the idea of “producing fruit” with the “putting on” of these attributes.  As I look at my Bible… it states, as a heading above verse 22-26 the following:  “Christian character is produced by the Holy Spirit, not by self effort.”  I’ve heard this preached time and again, often also citing John 15:5… When Christ says “I am the vine and you are the branches… and without me you can do nothing.”  Many will echo the traditional thought regarding the fruit of the spirit, recognizing the truth that it is not produced from our nature, but from Christ’s Spirit within us.  While this idea is certainly true, should it not be equally emphasized that the daily crucifixion of our flesh and the denial of our selfish desires are also necessary so that the fruit may be seen and not hindered in our lives?  I think so.  Paul makes this very point when he calls the church to “put on” tender mercies, kindness, humbleness, meekness, longsuffering and forgiveness.

Many believers live far below this threshold of expected behavior for the simple reason that they are not being reminded of their duty to die daily.  “You can’t produce the fruit, so don’t try” pastors pipe from the pulpit… and unfortunately the “don’t try” sticks with people because it frees them from responsibility.  The Holy Spirit produces the fruit; however, we must make room in our lives for it to be seen.  Less of me, more of the Holy Spirit.  So to “put on” these attributes is a conscious decision, not something that occurs naturally.  Living the spirit-led life only happens intentionally.  It is a choice.  Just as Christ is a gentleman in giving us the choice to receive Him as Savior and Lord, so does the Holy Spirit give us freedom in choosing to express His will.  Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, He does not take over our conscious mind, our tongue, or our body.  He is simply their to whisper in our ear constant reminders of His fruitful attributes, and producing those attributes, “producing the fruit”… if you will, is a matter of our will.

Consider this thought as we look again at Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse… at the end of the list, in Chapter 3… He says… “above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”  Again, we see in scripture the “supremacy of love” in christian living.  And again, we see the words “put on” being used by Paul to express the truth that our will is involved.  God does not override our sinful, selfish tendencies.  His grace gives us power to starve them until they are weak and powerless.  Love doesn’t flow from our lives automatically or unconsciously when it takes up residence in our heart.  Only after the habitual practice of intentionally “putting on love” by choosing to act in a loving way though we may not feel love in the moment do we train ourselves to be “led by the Spirit and not by the flesh”.  At this point responding and interacting with those around us according to love becomes easier and easier and much more common in our lives.

The most beautiful truth of this passage is the last four words of verse 14, describing love as “the bond of perfectness”.

The bond of perfectness.

The word bond here translates “uniting principle”

The word perfectness translates “complete moral character”

There is but one principle which when correctly applied in our lives will unite us, (make us one with) complete moral character.  The tie that binds is LOVE.

LOVE: The uniting principle of complete moral character.

Learning to live love in every situation will cause us to become united with strong, mature moral values and ethics.  Love is the uniting principle, the glue that bonds moral character to us.  We are not people of love because we obtain a level of strength and maturity in our morality.   We reach higher levels of glory and  increase in righteousness and morality as a result of our simple, humble attempts at living love.

It is vital that we don’t get this backwards because to believe that morality can cause us to become a loving person is a dangerous misconception.  A moral law, while necessary, is insufficient to move us to love others.  It largely monitors and scrutinizes our behavior toward one another to “keep us from sinning against or bringing pain or suffering to other members of the human race”.  It does not move us to take action on behalf of others to share and thereby ease their pain and suffering.  Only love can do that.

Love will do that…if we “put it on”.

Put it on.

Or not…

The choice is yours.

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Sheep, Goats, and the Least of These

Many, many people have abandoned belief in the Bible due to what they call obvious contradictions.  Countless times I’ve heard this reasoning come from people either too ignorant or too prideful to admit their lack of understanding.  The argument is nearly always presented straight-forward and with a purpose.  That purpose is to shut down a spiritual conversation before it starts.  If our “Holy Scriptures inspired by Holy God” contradict themselves, then our foundation is broken, and our faith in vain.  Without the proper response prepared, our witness goes dull and the atheist has won out… he can continue denying his conscious because we are unable to express the truth to him without using the scriptures themselves.  To use the scriptures to try to witness to someone who does not believe the scriptures is fruitless.

On several occasions I’ve discussed with the “struggling atheist” what it is that hinders them from taking the leap into faith in Christ.  One complaint often cited from the atheist is that Christians use “circular reasoning”.  This is the phrase used by those who are wanting to believe in Christ, but are not yet “in faith” or “born again”.  They are unable to understand the scriptures because there spirit is dead, and the Word of God is as much spirit as it is truth.  Hence, as the evangelizing believer works through scripture in an attempt to convince another to believe, the atheist, trying to ascend to that belief using his carnal mind, is unable, and most always accuses the believer of “circular reasoning” or some other type of mental manipulation.  In reality, the believer most likely has pure motives but an untrained, less than thoughtful delivery.

Rather than presenting it accurately in function and purpose, we often use the Bible itself to attempt to bring others to express belief in it.  We must present the Bible and the Kingdom of God is such a way that the unbeliever cannot deny it’s truthfulness based on what they see and feel in both our words and deeds.  They must be drawn to belief first, and then with a new spirit, a new heart, and new eyes, the Word of God will come to life as they read and study its message.

On more than one occasion, Christ’s disciples asked Him why he taught the way he did, using parables and hidden meanings to seemingly veil over His message.  “Why make it so difficult?” they might’ve asked.  Jesus responded once by saying: “…it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13:11)  He spoke this of people who’s hearts had “become gross”, which, is most likely those who had chosen to continuously deny the God who was chasing them with His message of love and forgiveness through a covenant relationship.  Many deny the grace of God to flood there life because His provision and salvation are united with His Lordship in our life.

But here is where things get a bit awkward for the believer.  Alive and born of the spirit, we read the Word of God and it becomes a living word and daily bread to us.  Then one day, we stumble upon… well… a contradiction.  I will mention two and expound on one of the seemingly contradictory statements made by Christ Himself.  The first, being referenced above, states that Christ is purposely teaching in such a way that some can understand, and others cannot.  This does not line up with what we know of our Savior who came to save the entire human race, but would’ve died for just one of us if need be.  Why would he not give it to everyone to understand?

   If this were not difficult enough, Jesus really shocks us when He says “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance…  They that are well don’t need a physician, but they that are sick.” (matthew 9:12, 13)

I read this scripture one afternoon and was both confounded and annoyed.  So much so that I meditated on the passage and pressed into God for an answer to the obvious question… “Jesus, I know you came for everyone, and you are willing that none should perish.  So how is it that you make the distinction of two different people groups in your Word, saying that You came for these but not for those?  This clearly contradicted what I knew to be true of Jesus, revealing to me this one thing:  I am lacking understanding regarding this scripture.  If something seems “off” in God’s Word, I can be assured that in all actuality something is “off” in my thinking.  So Lord, teach me.

Teach me He did, and that evening, in the shower of all places, I heard the voice of the Lord more clearly than perhaps ever before in my life and more clearly than anytime since then.  What He showed me would prove to be a defining truth and purpose for my lifelong journey in serving Him.  I believe it should also be part of your lifelong journey; a kind of touchstone for every believer to measure our love and service for God by measuring our love and service to our fellow man. (1 John 4:20,21)

Holy Spirit showed me very clearly that in the passage, Christ does not speak of two different groups of people, but two different seasons that every person will work through at some point, or several points, in their life.  This immediately deflates any idea that seems to contradict the message of the gospel because it eliminates the notion that Christ refuses anyone.  He refuses noone, and yet it is only during certain seasons of life that His offer of salvation will be attractive to each of us.

“Those who are well don’t need a physician”, the Great Physician says.  Most certainly their “season of wellness” will come to an end.  “I did not come to call the righteous…” the Only Righteous One proclaims.  Most certainly a self-righteous man will at some point become aware of his moral failure.

Thankful for the understanding, I continued washing in a hurried manner, eager to get out of the shower and approach my wife Carol with this newly revealed truth when God’s purpose for revealing the truth burst into my heart and made it’s home there, never to leave again.  Purpose is one of two things always united with the revelation of truth; the other is responsibility.

Both the purpose and responsibility of my new understanding of this one red-letter passage have lingered to this day, so now I humbly present them to you.

The purpose:  Watch closely the lives of those unbelievers around you.  Family, strangers, friends and enemies.  Love them and befriend them for no other purpose than the friendship.  Love them because God loves them.  Watch then, as you engage life together in whatever fashion you may, for that time when their “season of wellness” comes to an end.  Watch closely for the time when they are sick, perhaps physically, or financially, or relationally. Watch even more closely for that time when you can discern that they sense a spiritual sickness on the inside of them.  When their unrighteousness churns within them.  You can see it on their face, if you take the time and effort to care… to watch.  It is in this season that such a person becomes to you, the least of these.  It is also in this season that such a person is ripe for the harvest.

 The responsibility:  Remain aware that “the least of these”, though they include the incarcerated, the poor, the sick, and the naked; also include our neighbor with cancer, our cousin going through divorce, our unhealthy elderly parents; anyone in a season of sickness, or a “dark night of the soul” as some have called it.  Remain aware and watch for them.  Do everything within your power to offer whatever help you may afford, for in doing so, you do it unto our Lord.  Above all, remember that not doing something within you power is to not do that something for our Lord.  Our Lord responds to such a one by saying: “inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  (matthew 25:45,46)

 Keith Green ended his song “The Sheep and the Goats” with these lyrics which ring convicting and true in my heart today:

“And my friends, the only difference between the sheep and the goats according to this scripture is what they DID AND DIDN’T DO.”

Watch this…

Give Love a Chance to Win

Just when I thought the “emerging church” was making some ground… our poster boy goes and publishes a book like this…  It seems Rob’s passion for God and his desire to reach the lost have been bested by his intellectual pride.  In an age where mindlessness seems a virtue in the church, such a one as Rob who truly sought to “love the Lord thy God with all his mind” was an attractive teacher and leader for many, including myself.   It is truly a tragedy to watch such a celebrated Christian thinker extend his theological boundaries outside of God’s Word and Christian orthodoxy.  His seemingly ignorant defiance toward clear scriptural doctrine is a warning sign to us all who are “thinking through” our beliefs, and “sifting through” what we might consider religious baggage accumulated by generations before us.  Now more than ever we should heed the words of Jesus as He shared a parable on the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13:52:

“Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

As culture changes and human history progresses, new methods and expressions of the gospel are made available to us all the time.  God-given new technology continues to prove ancient truths.  Biological and archeological discoveries confirm the veracity of scripture again and again.  As ministers of the Word; and a kingdom of priests mediating between God and the lost, we have a mandate to gather these “new treasures” which, when combined with “old truths” will provide an irrefutable argument for the God of the Bible.  On the evangelist’s plate, the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith are the life-giving nutrients in a meal that is spiced with new discoveries confirming Christianity. Unfortunately, Mr. Bell’s book is about as filling as a saucer of parsley… leaving the saint hungry and the sinner damned.

For time’s sake, I will limit responses to direct portions of the book and humbly present what I believe to be the overall spiritual tone and purpose of the book.  Considering the depth and gravity of the topic at hand, one would think that a bit more clarity would be suitable, if for no other reason than to comfort the reader.  By taking such a huge step, (which I’m sure Rob knew would separate him from most of the evangelical landscape in our nation),  I’m surprised at the quick jaunts through heavy topics and rushed explanations of supposed doctrinal truths, hastily providing an apparent “new translation” to scriptures that have been considered understood for centuries.  One example from page 68 of the 200 page book (with what looks like size 13 or 14 font):  Rob addressed the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” which is used at least 4 times in the book of Matthew alone.  He quickly explains that these verses refer to the noise that the wild animal’s teeth made as they fought over scraps of food along the edges of the fiery garbage dump called Gehenna outside of Jerusalem.  That’s it, no other mention…

I guess the animals that didn’t get any food are the ones who did the weeping.

Rob says the book’s purpose is to “spark a conversation about the topic”.  However, the discerning believer can recognize a spiritual purpose behind Rob’s purpose.  One that employs twisting and manipulation of scripture to bring the reader to a place of… not confusion… but uncertainty, which is undoubtedly worse, adding to the already immensely difficult doctrine of eternal suffering a sense of embarrassment for those who hold fast to this truth.  The spirit at work in the pages of this book obviously has every intention to diminish the reality of hell… confirming the oft-stated truth that “The greatest trick the Devil tries to pull is convincing the world he doesn’t exist.”

I admit there is no doctrine as challenging as the eternal suffering of those who reject Christ’s sacrifice during this lifetime.  And what of those who have never heard the Name?

I find it continually convicting and presently heartbreaking that believers (such as myself) will sit around behind a keyboard or a coffee and discuss the question: “what of those who’ve never heard the name?”

We’ll spend more time discussing it than taking the Name to those very same people…

The church’s apathy in evangelism is as damaging to our witness as Mr. Bell’s book. After all, which is worse, believing the wrong thing, or believing the right thing and not living like you believe it?  Many will passionately argue their case against Mr. Bell and universalism while they live in such a way that denies the reality, severity, and nearness of eternal suffering that looms over the head of unsaved friends and loved ones this very moment.  Love Wins… if we live it. The only thing more unfortunate than a soul lost forever is to realize the soul might’ve been saved had a loving expression of the gospel been given them in their time of need.  Let us watch for souls ripe for the harvest and give Love the chance to win them.

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Rob, if you read this, I love you man, email me, I can’t think of anyone who might provide a more exciting conversation.

Everyone else… I’m sorry I’ve lived in such a way that has made it easy for hell to seem a distant fairy tale rather than a near reality for the lost.  It seems that in trying to cover for folks like me, Rob has drifted into dangerous waters.

Father in Heaven, I pray for Rob… capture his heart and purify his mind with the reality of Your Word.  Forgive me for drifting away from Your passion.  Protect me from false doctrine and move in my life in such a way that I’ll be changed forever… made new with purpose to walk in good works which You’ve laid out beforehand for the salvation of souls for Jesus name’s sake and for Your Glory.

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The Blogger Who Jesus Loves

Just days before His death, Jesus and His disciples arrived in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem.  As usual, Jesus chose the home of one considered “the least of these” to stop to eat and rest. That is, the home of Simon, a leper.  It was there that a precious follower of His broke her alabaster box of oil and anointed Him for His self-announced burial.  Then, on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus to ask Him where He would like to eat the Passover meal.

Jesus must have been an exciting mentor…

He tells Peter and John, “go into the city, and there you shall meet a man with a pitcher of water, follow him, and wherever he goes, say to the owner of that house, The Master saith, “Where is your guest room?” and he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared, there make ready for us.” (mark 14)

Sure enough, later that evening, the twelve anxiously awaited Jesus in this homeowners candle-lit upper chamber, probably hoping they followed the right water pot.  And in walks Jesus, with His head down.  Though they had noticed a steady decline in His demeanor over the past few weeks, the solemn tone and manner of Jesus this night immediately produced a heavy atmosphere which caused the men to stop all chatter as their smiles slowly gave way to concern.   As they ate, Jesus spoke of His broken body and His shed blood, causing the disciples to imagine the worst.  And as they most certainly wanted to take advantage of what little time they had with Jesus to show love and honor to Him, it was Jesus who first bowed the knee, disrobed, and began to wash the visibly shaken disciples dirty feet.

Scripture beautifully captures what the disciples surely felt to their core at this moment:  “When Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father; having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end.”

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The Apostle John was perhaps the most comfortable during this first “foot-washing ceremony.”  It was he who called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” regularly.  He labeled himself this way five times in the book of John, never once identifying himself by name, but only as the “beloved disciple” of Jesus.  We can safely assume he spoke often of the love Jesus had for him, working diligently to rest and reside in the safety of such powerful love.  John knew that Jesus loved Him and he quietly pondered and reveled in the fact regularly.  His strength lied in his understanding of the depth with which Jesus loved him.

Perhaps answering Jesus prediction of his thrice denial… Peter seems to show where his strength lies as he boldly promises that his willpower can and will withstand any necessary suffering to prove his love for Jesus. All four gospels record the account…

“Though all men shall be offended because of you, yet will I never be offended…Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.” -peter

“Lord I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and into death.”  -peter

“Lord… I will lay down my life for thy sake.”  -peter

“Although all shall be offended, yet will not I…  but he spoke more vehemently… If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any way.”  -peter

 While Peter wept bitterly in hiding, John was the only disciple who was with Jesus during His crucifixion. Speaking from the cross, Jesus committed His mother to John’s care.  I can only imagine the immeasurable comfort Christ received from Johns presence that day.   He is the only Disciple that did not run away or hide from authorities when the times of persecution from the Roman oppressers and the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees were rumbling towards them. He was loyal to our Lord, and was the only disciple that lived a long life and died a natural death.

In the typical, paradoxical way of the Kingdom, we once again land on our heads with the revelation that scripture gives regarding the source of our strength in service for Christ.  Our ability to please God is proportionate to our awareness, appreciation, and receiving of His great love for us. Stirring ourselves up to serve Him proves useless, planning our response in times of pressure is vain, and working to strengthen our will toward pleasing God is futile.

Growing in the knowledge and experience of His magnificent love for us is the key to victorious Christian living.  It drew John to the blood splattered base of the cross.  It alone will bind us to Christ’s side as the world despises both He and us.  It alone will bind us to Christ’s side when we soar with Him in cloudless skies on that great day.

“This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.” 1 John 4:10

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Love and Heroism

On August 6, 1974, Philippe Petit, a French “wire-walker”, gathered a small crew of friends and acquaintances, created fake id’s and snuck into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center.  After hiding from gaurds throughout the day and half the night, one of them shot an arrow with fishing line tied to it’s tail-end from the roof of the south tower to the north tower.  They then began guiding heavier and heavier gauge wire across the space between the towers until they were able to pass a 450-pound ¾ inch steel cable across the 200 foot gap over a quarter of a mile above the New York City sidewalk.  Mid-day the following day, Philippe stepped onto the wire and proceeded to walk above the city and his onlookers, spending a full 45 minutes on the wire, making 8 crossings back and forth, kneeling and even laying down on the wire.

Petit was warned by his friend on the South Tower that a police helicopter would come to pick him off the wire unless he got off. Rain had begun to fall, and Petit decided he had taken enough risks, so he decided to give himself up to the police waiting for him on the South Tower. Upon completion of what some call “the artistic crime of the century”, he was arrested once he stepped off the wire. Provoked by his taunting behaviour while on the wire, police handcuffed him behind his back and roughly pushed him down a flight of stairs. This he later described as the most dangerous part of the stunt.  His audacious high wire performance made headlines around the world. When asked about the stunt, Petit would say, “When I see three oranges, I juggle; when I see two towers, I walk.”  He also responded to what he called the very unappreciative “Why?” question that Americans asked him by saying “there is no why.”

You and I know better.  There is always a why… especially for such a death defying stunt.  For Philippe, I believe it was artistic zeal coupled with the desire to “conquer” the towers that stood as the greatest challenge and opportunity for the expression of his profession and passion. 

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I am the middle of three brothers… the oldest, Eric, died of a heart defect before he reached one year of age.  The thought of meeting him for the first time in heaven nearly always brings tears to my eyes.  My younger brother, Travis, is my best friend.  We have shared life together, and I look forward to a continued strong and healthy relationship with him which has proven to be beneficial for the both of us as we turn to each other in times of need and times of joy.  Travis and I have been the recipients of  abundant love from our parents.  Whom, having lost their firstborn before he stopped wearing one-sies, have learned through the school of tragedy and difficulty to value each and every day.  They’ve never had a problem saying the words “I love you”.

 Big Jon, our father, has taught Travis and I to cry well.  Unashamed to let our emotions get the best of us, we’ll cry at the drop of a hat at family gatherings, weddings, funerals, picnics on beautiful days, concerts, thanksgiving day prayers, Christmas morning, and movies.

We watched “Unstoppable” last weekend.  Now… I never anticipate when we might break down and cry when the three of us are together, but I’ve learned it can be at any moment based on any number of variables.  Sometimes we each try to dry the tears before other’s notice, and sometimes one of us (usually me) will just straight get up and get the tissue box and pass it around… at which point we all just let loose boohooin’.

So we’re reaching the end of the film, and the young train conductor in the movie has a busted up foot from connecting his engine to a runaway train at 70 m.p.h.  He jumps from rear of the train (at 70 m.p.h.) into the bed of a truck.  The truck driver speeds to the front of the train where the conductor has to jump from the truck bed into the lead engine to stop the runaway train.  Bloody foot and all he makes the jump and nearly loses his life… but makes it.   And as he is grunting and yelling to pull himself up into the engine… I noticed that dad and travis and I are crying… moved to tears by heroism.

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Men are meant to live untamed lives.  You can see it all around us with men walking on high wires between the two towers of the world trade center, jumping on and off trains, jumping over 20 cars on a motorcycle, wrestling bulls, spitting fire and juggling chainsaws.  This desire for adventure and doing exploits is innate in every man.  Being made in God’s image means we take on His likeness, and being born again means we take on his purpose.  In a fallen world where an unseen warfare rages every day for the souls of our wives, children, family, and friends, men sense the God-given need for adventurous battle, a need to conquer what ails everything around us.  This tendency for gallantry and bravery in the face of danger is, in reality, the man’s way of expressing love through heroism.  As men, the boldness that we long to express in combat or conflict is the strength and conviction of the love that resides in us, rising up to risk (and deny) ourselves in attempt to rescue others. 

As we watched Unstoppable, I found myself wishing that a runaway train would make it’s way to my town so I could have my shot at heroism.   It was then that Holy Spirit reminded me of a truth I once learned regarding this idea of being a hero.  As I share this thought I’ll direct it to us men…  Us men who long for the chance to fight for our family.  Us men who wish for the occasion to jump aboard and stop a runaway train.  Us men who, without flinching, would go into a burning house to rescue the neighbor’s dog.  Us men, who long for those rare moments and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that we might have the shot at saving a life.

 Let us be reminded that we have a daily opportunity to save a soul.

We value life so much that when we encounter a situation that might possibly risk our life to save another… we jump in without thought.  Yet day by day we pass by dying souls, holding the answer to their eternal salvation, and the hero within us goes spineless.  Let us work to renew our mind to the truth of God’s Word and the reality of Christian living and Christ’s call.  The truth that the most heroic actions are self-sacrificial acts of love meant to reach straight to the heart of a person, drawing them ever closer to the day that they choose to kneel before Calvary’s King. 

Let us become “daily heroes” as we boldly share Christ with those around us who are destined for a Godless eternity without Him. 

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Love’s Requirements

Love is not always soft.  Unfortunately, the abuse of language in our culture has led to this common misconception.  Love takes many forms as it consistently seeks only good for it’s recipient.  It is often expressed tenderly, yet some of the greatest expressions of love have required difficult decisions of uncompromising sternness.   I believe it was Dr. James Dobson who either coined the phrase “Tough Love” or cashed in on it with one of his many bestselling books. 

As I have come to wear the “blogger” label quite comfortably these days… I must admit I had my reservations titling this site “loveleaven” or anything with the word love in it for obvious reasons.  As I mentioned above, there is a misconception about love in our culture, which has caused many, (men especially) to feel uncomfortable simply saying the words “I love you”, let alone having a discussion, reading, or writing about it.  Nonetheless, I realized, through prayer and by the motivation of the Holy Spirit, that this is all the more reason to boldly express what I believe to be the underlying steady theme of the entirety of scripture… God is love, and growing to become like Him will both require and produce a walk of love both toward Him and our fellow man.  This maturity in love includes the understanding of the necessity of love’s requirements.

Love’s requirements?

These seemingly contradictory terms would most certainly be viewed as an oxymoron by many; yet they undoubtedly go hand in hand.  As the working definition of love in our culture has shifted over into an area of feeling and emotion void of responsibility, suggesting that love has requirements is a “bubble-bursting” statement to say the least.  In fact, the idea will surely be rejected by many.

As we look into scripture for our basis, let’s begin with a red-letter sentence.  “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (john 14:15)  Jesus reiterates this statement in verses 21, 23, and 24 saying “he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.” And “if a man love me, he will keep my words.”  Of course, the implications of such a statement are overwhelming, especially coming from the lips of Jesus.  Can He really mean it?  There must be hidden revelation here, something that a little translation can help us with, give us a little slack maybe…

 If there is any slack, we know for certain that we cannot walk in total obedience to the law, yet it is clear that a pattern of living according to Christ’s commands is required.  Mistakes will occur and we will fall short… but what is the standard of our life?  In the practical, day-to-day, living, breathing “book of our life”, what is written on it’s pages regularly?  If it is not holiness (expressed by loving others), then we do not love Him.

The apostle John apparently picked up this same notion as he walked with Jesus for three years.  He states: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.”  (1 John 5:2,3) He also says: “And this is love, that we walk after His commandments” (2 John 1:6).

The belief that love is expressed in emotion and language only is surely a damning heresy.  For by it, many have dishonored the name of Christ in action, relying on stirred emotion and empty words to display their so called “love” for Him.  These occasional references of love for God, however often or sincere they may be, are a lifeless shell without obedience in action to bring them to life.   After lifting His voice against the Pharisees to call them “hypocrites!”, Jesus expresses His frustration with them by saying “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, they worship me in vain.”

The church has gotten pretty good at expressing our love for God through word and song, and I believe we’ve also come a long way in allowing the expression of emotion toward Him amongst the congregation and in our worship services.  For this I am thankful.  But I strongly sense that the Holy Spirit is awakening the church again to the awareness that obeying His commandments is the greatest expression of Love to Him.   Out of the abundance of an obedient heart, the mouth will then speak the praises of God, and our emotions can flow freely in worshipful adoration to Him.  The lesser is included in the greater.  Learning to walk according to Christ’s commandments will produce a zeal inside us that overflows in emotional, verbal expression of praise to Him.  We must be aware, however, that emotional, verbal expression of praise to Him can also be achieved by those who are not walking in obedience to His commandments.  Before we get too discouraged, let us be reminded that obeying the law and honoring God’s commands is not what it once was…

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8