Do I Know You?

Text- Matthew 7:15-23
(A brief note – much of the idea for this sermon came from M Robert
Mulholland Jr's book Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap for Spiritual
Formation.)

Rene Descartes famously said, "I think, therefore I am." Popeye said, "I
yam whats I yam, and that's all thats I yam." In reply to Moses'
question of who should he tell the Israelites who sent him, God replied
"I am has sent you." Descartes acknowledged his existence, Popeye his
status, and God His identity. All used the verb of being – is. In the
Latin, Descartes' famous statement is "Cogito, ergo sum." One word, a
verb, makes the statement of existence due to act of thinking. Popeye
the sailor-man uses the verb to say that what he does is who he is, and
that's all he'll be. God however, uses the verb to be, as His name. "I
AM has sent you." In that statement God expresses who He is, what He is,
and that He is, without question. There is no doubt as to the nature of
the being addressing Moses. God is certain of who He is, and who Moses
is. Over that time they develop such a relationship that Moses alone can
meet with God on behalf of God's chosen people.
Identity is a huge thing throughout the Bible, and it is just as big
today. Throughout scripture we see all the lists of genealogy – so and
so the son of such and such; this person was king of this kingdom; that
person was of this peoples. People are always looking to find out who
they are, and they seek it in so many different ways – I'm a republican,
I'm a democrat, I'm a teenager, I'm banker, I'm a mom and the ever
popular, "I'm still trying to find myself." What is it that provides our
identity? It is what we do, who we listen to, who we follow? How do we
know who we are? Christ gives us an answer in scripture, so let's look
there and to Him for direction.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. By your fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit
but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear
bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (Matt 7:15-19)

We know what an apple tree is. We know it's an apple tree because it
produces apples. Trees are great for explaining the source of identity
because there is no changing with trees. There is only one reason an
apple tree produces apples – because that's what it is. It does what it
does because that's what it is. Identity comes not from what something
does; it is the opposite - Whatever something does comes from what it
is. That's why Christ said "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them." (Matt 7:20) Now, Christ was not talking about apple trees, but
about false prophets, but the saying still applies because it's true. We
know what all sorts of things are because of what they produce. We
identify living things by what they do and how they look.
Because we know certain characteristics that have been decided on and
are now named such. Ants are ants because they are small insects that
have a certain shape and size. Lions are lions because they're mammals
that are cats that fit a certain description that has been agreed by us
to be called Lions. Apple trees are called apple trees because God,
through Adam determined that they would be call apples, and so
everything that matches the description is called an apple. Something
interesting to note about all these things – do any of them have control
over what they are? Can a lion say it is no longer a lion? Can an ant
change its identity to be anything other than an ant? Can an apple tree
exercise control over itself and produce oranges or pears? The answer to
these questions is no. The control over the identity of flora and fauna
is not found in themselves, the control is totally external.
We might call things works of art, but do we know what they are
identified individually as? Do we know what the purpose behind each of
these things was? Not unless we talk to object's creator. How many
parents have had a child come home from school with an art project and
asked "What is that?" I once brought home a piece of woodwork from
school and my parents looked at and said "Nice whale…what's it for?" I
proudly informed them that it was key rack – they still use it as such
today. But they didn't know what it was for until I told them. They had
to seek the knowledge of the purpose from the one who made it. Then they
could know its identity – a key rack. With things that are created, when
they don't produce things readily or consistently, we often have to ask
what the thing is so that we can know what it does. Not only that, but
they also, like plants and animals exercise no control over what they are.
We are in that same situation. We have been created – we look to
scripture for confirmation of that. Each of us is made special, and
uniquely by the creator of all. In Jeremiah God refers to himself as the
potter. In John, Christ calls the Father the Gardener. In Psalms, David
praises God who "knit him in his mother's womb." We are that piece of
artwork or pottery that someone looks at and says "What is it?" I look
in the mirror sometimes and ask myself "What is it?" And there is only
one place to go for that answer – the maker.
I think that this might be the point that Christ was getting to in the
second portion of the scripture we're looking at. First He tells us that
we will know false teachers by their fruit. But we don't know what kind
of fruit we are to produce, unless we seek the Gardner. He knows us – He
knows us because He made us, and because of that He knows us even better
than we know ourselves. He knows what fruit we are to produce as well.
We can do all sort of good things because when God created man, He did
make mankind good. However, in the fall poison entered into the root of
mankind and now bad fruit comes forth from us so easily. To get back to
the good fruit – the true fruit, we have to go back to the Maker, the
Gardener for healing.
For us, healing comes through relationship. We have to get to know the
Creator – the Maker or Gardener. We can do all sorts of things that are
good – that's what the people who come to the Lord saying, "Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and
in your name perform many miracles?" All of these things are well and
good, but Jesus replies, "I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers." All this good done, and yet Christ says, away from me? Again
it points to the fact that we must know Him to be able to do His
father's will for us. We have to be healed by knowing him, and in the
process He, who knows us already, knows us more.
The hard part about the relationship and healing and growth, is that
most of it is not in our control. That is something we like – control.
We like to have the power that is associated with control, but we have
no idea how to truly handle it. Only one does, and that is the One that
Created all for His Glory and enjoyment. Unless we enter into
relationship with him, and do what little we can to grow and nurture
that relationship, we don't know His will – we don't know who we are,
and in turn, He cannot know us. God, who is all powerful, ever present,
and knows everything, cannot know us – be in relationship with us –
unless we ask Him, and relinquish ourselves to His control.
So it comes to this point. Does He know you? Remember, our identity –
who we are is the fountain from which all we do flows. So many today
have it all mixed up. They create their identity from their acts, naming
themselves based on their actions. That is backwards. Our doing comes
because of our being and there is only one way to know what your being
is, and that is to be in relationship and know the one who made your
being, who crafted your identity. If you wish to know who you are, come
into relationship with the one who knows your name, and who knew it
before your grandparents came to be. If you have entered into
relationship with him already, recognize that your process of healing
will come only by allowing Him to work, will you let him? Do not be the
one who comes to the gates of Heaven and is asked by Christ, "Do I know
you?"

Blessings,

The Law of Opposites

Ephesians 4:17-32

 

 

            Preparing for this so many different things went through my mind as to how it should be presented. These verses have so much to unpack, so much to chew on, you want to sit down and think about it for a long time – longer than I have, and I promise I will try not to have the fire alarm go off this time. As we look at this passage I want you to think of a tree. The trunk is the Word of God – which since Christ calls himself the True Vine is very fitting and true, for Christ is the Word of God. From that trunk springs five branches – Fact, Principle, and Implication are the first three branches, we’ll talk about the other two a little later. First, however, are the facts.

 

            What are the facts? The facts here are the words that Paul has written to the Ephesians, and indirectly, to us now. Paul has had, up until this point, spoken mainly about the desire he had for the Ephesians to be unified. In the beginning of this chapter Paul speaks of the unity of the Spirit, then uses the word one 7 times, and then follows it up with describing God as the Father of all, which implies a thought of unity through who is over everything. Now that he has spoken so long about the fact that he desires the Christians to be unified, he now proceeds to tell them the facts of how to achieve this. To do this he reminds them of where they were. “You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.” Think about the advice that Screwtape gave to his nephew about how to prevent his patient from growing deeper with the “enemy.” The letter that I read earlier said “I gather the middle aged married couple that called at his office are just the sort of people we want him to know – rich, smart, superficially intelligent and brightly skeptical about everything in the world. . . a dash of purely fashionable . . .” I’m sure you can think of people like that – people you know who don’t believe, maybe even some that do profess to be Christians. This is the sort of ignorance and hardening of the heart that Paul talks about. This hardening does not come all at once, usually. It comes from a continuance in a lifestyle saying they’ve lost all sensitivity, and so because of this they must go further and further in to get their “fix.” This all is the description of where the Ephesians came from. I know too that it is good description of life as I’ve seen it, and I’m sure it rings true for many of you as well.

            But the facts continue. Paul then says after this “You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.” He reminds of them of the difference that happens when we confront Christ. Paul should very much know about this difference because he was confronted personally by Christ. Paul now begins to explain the facts of what they should now do. Look through these next several verses, and if you care too, underline with me the facts Paul gives for their actions to come. “Put off the old self;” “Be made new in the attitude of your minds . . . put on the new self;” “Put off falsehood . . . speak truthfully” “Do not let the sun go down . . . do not give the devil a foothold;” “Must steal no longer, but must work . . .” “Do not let unwholesome talk . . . only what is helpful.” Do not grieve the Holy Spirit;” “Get rid of . . . Be kind and compassionate . . .” All these actions are facts of life and they mean something.

 

            What do they mean though? In the scientific method we are taught to create a hypothesis which consists of an “If . . . then” statement. You then test that statement to come up with a conclusion. After one or two tests a hypothesis that is confirmed by a conclusion is often called a theory, which can become a scientific law if it is proved duplicated several times in unrelated tests. Look at Paul’s construction in his words here – we have an “if…then” statement, but Paul by his confrontation with Christ can then skip the testing of the hypothetical and goes straight to the conclusion and he then makes all those statements that form a principle – a standard, in effect a law. My uncle Bill calls it the “Law of Opposites.” Now, he might have heard it somewhere else, but that’s where I heard it from, so I give him the credit for it.

My uncle illustrated the law by telling a story of a little boy who he was taking home one day after activities. The young boy was sitting in the van and said, “Major, I have a problem.” My uncle listened as the boy told his story. “I think I like to steal. I haven’t come a couple of weeks because I got caught stealing a little while ago from a store. A while ago it just started small, a candy bar here or there – nothing big. Then they caught me taking that and told my mom. Then, I found it was easier to take money out of her purse, so I started doing that and not getting caught. I know I’m not supposed to do it, but I don’t know how to stop. What can I do?” My uncle thought a minute and then said, “Well, how about this – every time you think you want to steal, do something to help someone else. Stealing is a very selfish thing, so replace it with something unselfish. If you feel you want to steal from your mother’s purse, go help her with the dishes, or do another chore for her.” The boy agreed that seemed like a good idea. The idea, the principle was to replace something with its opposite – hence the name “Law of Opposites.”

This is exactly what Paul says in his facts to the Ephesians, and to us. Again, look at what he has written by inspiration of the Spirit. For everything he says is bad, he has replaced it with the opposite – look at verse 28. It’s exactly the advice my uncle gave the little boy. When you replace something it must be replaced with something new, or something reconditioned. Paul tells us to put off the old self and replace it with the new. But the new is simply the old made new by a reconditioning of the old attitude.

Looking at principles leads usually leads to recognition of something. When we look further into the scientific laws we see that they have an impact on what happens in our world today – we see that every time we take a step, throw a ball or drive a car. This law of opposites is just as impactful. We now climb further into the tree – we’ve seen the facts, hopefully we memorize them. We see there is a principle – an unchanging truth that sheds light on life. Now what? When insects see light they know something is coming, they either run from it, or run to it. They know that something will happen because of the light – there is an implication, usually it means the bug is going to get squashed or zapped. For us, when we see and understand the principles found in a scripture, we too must see there are implications for us. Paul tells us the implication is that if we do not try to live by this there is the chance we will not have the unity he knows that God has called us to, and as such will not set an example the will draw those who do not believe to the Father.

When we began, I spoke of the five branches of the tree. We’ve looked at the first three:

·        The facts, which are the verses in the scripture, and I can give you a whole host of reasons to believe why scripture is fact, and why this portion of scripture is so important.

·       
The principle, which is the Law of Opposites. I can tell you that the law does work – a couple weeks after that my uncle talked to the boy, he came back and told my uncle that he hadn’t stolen anything for a while, and that every time he had felt the urge to steal he had helped his mom. His mom was very happy with him, and he said that he had felt the urges to steal become less.

·       
The implication is that if we do not live by this principle we risk missing out on the unity that is modeled to us by God, and that is desired by Him for us. Also the when those who do not believe do not see us living by this, they will wonder why they should, since we are no different than they.

 

Here are the last two branches of that tree – obedience and change. What will you with the principle and the implication – does it mean anything to you? The young boy showed us what it meant to realize the impact of the principle and what it could do for his life. He chose to obey and began to change. He actively worked to put off the old self and put on the new by replacing the old habits with new ones. He regained the sensitivity he had lost by indulging in impurity, by indulging in service. By obeying in his actions, he changed his attitude and his impulses. What now will you do?

Blessings,

 

 

 

A Father’s Love

Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 13

In a devotional I have there is a story about a man named
John Griffith. This man had great dreams of being a traveler, but the
great depression of the '20s and early '30s sort of killed it. However,
he began to dream again, for he had a young son who he now dreamed of
working side by side in fellowship and friendship. One day when Greg was
8, John took him to work on the drawbridge John was responsible for.
Greg was amazed at all the huge machinery in action as the bridge went
up and down during the morning. At noon, John and his son had a picnic
lunch on an observation deck just over the mighty river the bridge crossed.

While they ate Greg listened as his father told story after story of
exotic places and amazing sites he had seen on the trains that passed
by. In the middle of a story a loud whistle announced that a train was
rapidly approaching, and the bridge was still raised. John told his son
to stay put while he rushed along the myriad of catwalks and ladders to
reach the control booth and lower the bridge. Just about to push the
button to lower the bridge John notices motion where there shouldn't be
and realizes his son has fallen off the catwalk and has his leg stuck in
one of the massive gears. He quickly conjures a plan to save his son and
lower the bridge in time, but another blast from the whistle brings him
back to the crushing reality that he cannot do both. Looking away as he
smashes the button down in anger, he sobs as the screams of his son are
drowned out but the grinding wheels and cogs and then the rush of the
passing train. He lifts his head and see the people in the train
serenely passing by, unaware of the anguish he is suffering. He shouts,
"Do you know what this trip really cost? It cost my son! I gave up my
son so you could live. Do you know that? Do you even care?" But there is
no notice of him. Did this man love his son? Was there Love in that action?

Or consider Hosea, he grew up around some big little names
like Jonah and Amos, he heard eyewitnesses of Elijah and Elisha, and he
heard the word of the Lord. This is how Eugene Peterson puts it in his
paraphrase, The Message:

The first time God spoke to Hosea he said:

"Find a whore and marry her.
Make this whore the mother of your children.
And here's why: This whole country
has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God." (Hosea 1:2)

Would that make you feel loved? God told Hosea to marry someone who
didn't have love, and show love to her. What's more, when Hosea had
children by his wife Gomer, God told him to name the children Jezreel,
Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi. The names had special meanings. The first one
was to signify that God was going to take his revenge on a man who
killed people he wasn't supposed to and that God was more or less done
with the kingdom of Israel in the north. The second child, a daughter,
had a name meaning "No more mercy" or no compassion. The third meant not
my people. Are you feeling any more love in all this?

I say there is Love in all that God said through the story of John
Griffith and in what God demonstrated through Hosea. In the story of
John we see a picture of God the Father and Jesus the son, the big
difference here is that God and Jesus were deliberate in their sacrifice
– John's story simply brings the emotional price home to our hearts.
However, in Hosea there is a greater picture when you read through the
whole of the book. God make Hosea an example in the flesh, of how He
loves us in reality. I believe that in 1^st Corinthians 13 God more
clearly spells out what His love means, and the importance it has to our
lives. For in these 13 verses penned by Paul to the church in Corinth,
we see a portrait of Love that gives meaningfulness, definition and
lasting vision. As we look into this, please keep in mind that God is
Love, and we can interchange His name everywhere we see the word love,
for that is who our Father is.

The first three verses speak to the meaningfulness that Love gives to
everything it touches. "If I speak…but have not love, I am a sounding
brass or cymbal clanging." How often have we heard someone teach us, but
they sound empty? Doesn't it seem that, if you go up to talk to them
later, it was something they didn't really care about, or the people
they were teaching didn't really seem to matter to them? Words spoken
without love are either hurtful or empty. Just like the untimed crash of
a cymbal in music or the banging on the piano by someone who doesn't
know how to play, it lacks life. I think Paul uses this first image of
life without Love to show how worthless life is without Love or God.
Almost anyone can hear the difference when a soloist performs something
they cherish – there is such a marked difference between a performer
that is in love with the music and the one who simply plays or sings the
notes as written. We all feel the warmth when a speaker has a passion –
a genuine passion, derived from their Love of God. Usually it creates a
deep imprint in our hearts and minds, but not because of the words that
are said, but because of the force of Love behind them. We also see Paul
talking about our understanding, and faith, as well as our giving. "If I
have…but have not Love, I am nothing" and "If I give all… but have not
love I gain nothing." The value and worth of anything said, possessed or
given away is ultimately determined by the Love with which we do it.

From verses 4 to 7 Paul changes methods. He has used metaphors to
provide a portrait of the importance of love in our actions and words.
Now, he changes to defining Love. Here again we can switch each instance
of the word love with the name of God, for God is Love. Webster's
dictionary's entry for definition is as follows:

*1* *:* an act of determining; /specifically/ *:* the formal
proclamation of a Roman Catholic dogma

*2 a* *:* a statement expressing the essential nature of something *b*
*:* a statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or
symbol <dictionary definition/s/> *c* *:* a product of defining

Now I only put the first two lines in here because they're
the most important. Paul uses that second part to express the essential
nature of Love. Webster's also has entries for Love as both a noun and a
verb, but Paul's series of "Love is" has much more depth to it. Paul
doesn't just define love as a word, but as a lifestyle, as a choice of
how to view ones' self as well. God, through Paul, does what some
philosophers said cannot be done – He defines himself as an individual,
and in the process of doing so provides us with a defined identity as
well. He tells us who we are because He has called us his sons and
daughters and then told us who He is. While I am not yet a father, I
know that when I become one I want to teach and train my children to be
like me in the good ways. I am not perfect, none of us are, but God who
is perfect, and who we can call Abba wants to do the same with us –
teach us to be like him. Many of us know a lot of people, and some of us
have more people who know us than we know, and usually they know us as
"so and so's kid." I know there are some people here that knew me not a
Matt, but as "Wes and Eva's boy." In some ways that is my identity now –
but I strive more so to be known as a son of God than anything else. The
way we are taught who we are however, comes through learning boundaries,
for when we know our boundaries we know where we really are. In knowing
where we are we become more comfortable with who we are, and it is the
Love of God that allows us to do this.

Paul starts the last verses in this chapter with a bold
statement. "Love never Fails." And while that is included in the
definition of Love, it segues into the fact that Love provides us with a
vision that is unparalleled in all of creation. Love, because it is
embodied in the person of God who is eternal, is eternal and lasting in
and of itself. When we have love we have access to a vision that
perceives, not in the short term, but in the long term. As Paul says
wisdom, prophecy, knowledge, and tounges will all eventually fade away,
but Love remains. When we look through Love we see not the temporary,
but the eternal. God, who always looks through love saw the same thing
in the kingdom of Israel even as He told Hosea to call his children Lo
(meaning not) Ruhamah (mercy) and Ammi (my people). For just a few short
verses later he renames them without the Lo, calling them Ruhamah and
Ammi – mercy and my people. Love looks and see the possibilities of what
is to come. Love also sees clearly too. "Now we see in a mirror dimly
but then…" Whenever we look without Love we see only the poor reflection
of reality. Even the best magnifying mirror does not always give us a
perfect view of ourselves. Paul might have even said "Now we see in a
picture dimly." Pictures, though made to mimic what our eyes see, do not
catch all that our eyes see, and to add to that, our eyes can't see
everything that is there. Now, does this mean that with Love we will be
able to see the infrared or ultraviolet light? No! Nor does it mean that
we will see the spirit world either. But with Love we can often see
things we miss on first glance. It means that we can see clearly and
discern what God has for us in our relationships both as families by
marriage and birth, and as our family the body of Christ.

Still you might ask, like Tina Turner did, "What's Love got
to do with it?" Love has everything to do with it. That is why Paul
finishes the chapter with these words "And now these three remain:
faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13)
Love is the base, the foundation for everything else. In the Fruit of
the Spirit, Paul lists Love first. Christ says the greatest commandment,
"Love the Lord your God…" the second is like it, "Love your neighbor…"
Without Love our lives our empty, without meaning, and blind. But with
Love, we have life! Christ said "I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full." We have the possibility of that life only
because of the sacrifice the Christ made – out of Love. That is why what
He did impacts the whole of history – Love. That is the love we are
called to have – as Fathers, as families, and as brothers and sisters in
the family of God. God's love gives life, amazing life. But it always
comes at a cost – our own life. But if our life is without Love, is it
worth anything? Yes, it is, but according to scientists, that might only
be about $8 or so. Life with Love is invaluable – it's worth is beyond
measure. If you want that worth, that identity, that vision that allows
you to see what more there is to Life, why don't you ask Love Himself to
take and fill your emptiness now? If you have already asked Him to fill
you – ask Him for more! The Father's love is deep and always available
for free refills.

A Simple Question, A Simple Answer.

Right now I find myself at a crossroads of life. I'm nearing 30, was
just let go from a workplace where I had poured quite a bit of myself
over nearly 5 years, and have a wife of almost one year who's not
feeling as well as she'd like. I will readily admit I am no perfect man,
and have definitely done things that are sinful, and have done my fair
share rebelling against God. All this that is happening right now does
make me question somethings, and at the same time solidifies my beliefs.

When someone loses their job, or get sick (or in my case have something
similar to both happen at nearly the same time) people always ask, "How
are you?" or some variation thereof. In times past I would say "had
better days, had worse" or "six of one, half-dozen of another" or "I'm
climbing" or something along those lines. It indicates a truth about how
I'm feeling at the time - definitely not where I want to be. This time
has been different. Even though I have the added stress of being in a
completely new situation (the last time I was unemployed I was also
single and not living on my own) with added responsibilities, I have no
problem whatsoever of saying, "I'm fine." And I mean it too.

I mean, I've never been in something like this - never in a position
where things were more than slightly dependent on benefits at work (heck
last time I lost my job I didn't even have benefits). Never in a
position where my living situation was at stake, or having to consider
getting unemployment (I detest all things government mostly, with the
exception of the military and law enforcement). But through all of this
I have a peace that hasn't been there before. I know, without a shadow
of a doubt that my wife and I will be fine. I have no clue how that will
look, or when it will happen, but I know we'll be fine.

It's strange how a simple question can impact you like that. I can't
control most of the things that will make things "fine" but I know they
will be. And more to the point, if fine means that I don't have an
apartment or a computer, or a good reputation (credit history and the
like - I plan on keeping a good legal record) Erin and I will be just
fine. I guess right now that's the meaning for me of "Take every thought
captive" - if He's taking care of the sparrows and the flowers and
trees, how much more is He going to take care of Erin and Me?

Blessings.

Vision of Grace

Text: Galatians 6:1-18

I'm not sure if I mentioned when I gave my testimony here some time ago
about my faults. I may have, but I don't remember. Let me remind you of
one of the most important parts of my testimony – I am not perfect. I
know – big surprise, but it is true. During my college years I was
blessed to be involved with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, which is
a wonderful ministry to young people. As I went through my years at
Norwich, struggling to grow deeper in my walk with Christ, I had a huge
stumble, this just before I was a senior and was supposed to be taking a
leading role in the fellowship on campus. During this difficult time in
my life while I was caught in a sin, I had three men who understood the
vision of grace.

Just before this conclusion Paul has announced to the Galatians that
they have freedom, and that they need to be careful in how they live it,
gently instructing them on how to know if they're living in the freedom
by what fruit they will produce. Now he's telling them about the
practical applications of this freedom, and reminding them to be mindful
of who they are ultimately responsible to. Just like any teacher, Paul
tells them, in essence, to keep watch – to pay attention to how they do
things. Paul is telling them to see through eyes of grace.

When I was reading this scripture I noticed that several times where
Paul says to watch, or test, to not be deceived, and about making
impressions. All of these things require vision of some form. Warren
Wiersbe, in Nelson's Quick Reference, breaks these "articles of vision"
into four different sections:

· See others humbly

· See yourself honestly

· See your leaders appreciatively

· See the Cross clearly

Let's look at these means of checking ourselves in how we are picking
the fruit of the spirit, enjoying its freedom and helping others to
continue to grow in it as well.

As we started today, I reminded you that I'm not perfect. I made a huge
mistake and was caught in sin. Three men, two older than me, and one my
age, were at that time I would say more spiritual than myself. Rev Wick
had often counseled me through the four years I was at Norwich out of
this very passage. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are
spiritual should restore him gently." I didn't quite grasp the fullness
of how that worked until after Ralph and Ryan put that into practice
with me. While doing some research for the message I found out that the
word for restore used in this passage was the Greek word "katartizete"^1
which is a form of katartizo^2 meaning to put back in joint or to mend.
When setting a joint or broken bone a doctor must be very careful and
gentle, for the slightest movement causes great pain and puts great
danger in that if not done right the bone will not heal properly. The
doctor also must be careful that in the process of healing the broken
bone, he or she does not hurt themselves. And in just that fashion my
friends helped to restore me.

What Paul is cautioning through this section is that we must see and
respond to others humbly. In several different commentaries, I noted how
each reflected that how we respond to the slips and falls of others
gives us a gauge to measure our own walk with Christ. Augustine wrote
"There is no surer test of the spiritual person than his treatment of
another's sin. Note how he takes care to deliver the sinner rather than
triumph over him, to help him rather than punish him and, so far as lies
in his capacity, to support him."^3

Of course there is more to it than just that. We all know that Proverbs
16:18 it says "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before stumbling." We might not know that's where it's found, or we more
commonly recognize it as "Pride goes before the fall," but the message
is the same, and Paul applies it here as well – he counsels "But watch
yourself, or you also may be tempted." We need to help each other –
that's what we do as Christian brothers and sisters, for no one person
can truly carry their burden alone, especially as this is how we express
the command of Christ to love one another, as he loved us. Yet in doing
all this, we must remain humble and test ourselves against and with
God's standards, and not against anyone else. If we do not look and see
others, and ourselves with the humbleness of grace, we set ourselves up
to be tempted by the worst sin of all, pride.

This principle of seeing others humbly goes hand in hand with Wiersbe's
second breakout – seeing ourselves honestly. While we are so busy
judging ourselves by how we see others doing, we deceive ourselves as to
where we really are. I see this so often in myself as I look at how my
peers are doing. Some of the people I graduated from high school and
college have great paying jobs, or seem to have some power or influence
or great responsibility. I look at myself and what do I see? I see me,
just another person with great dreams but nothing to show for them. Paul
says this is nothing but self-decit, we need to test ourselves against
God's standard for us. Now, that can be a scary thing, especially since
we all know for the most part, we fall short of that standard. Yet Paul
gives us hope because God gives us grace in that He himself is helping
us to reach His goal for us, if we let him. In that way, when we see
ourselves honestly, we can take pride even in what we see, because we
know that God loves us even as we are now, and it is He who will make us
to His standard – if we let him.

"Anyone who receives instruction from the word must share all good
things with his instructor." It seems like Paul is completely changing
subjects here, but he's not. Matthew Henry, in his commentary says that
this part is about "Christians [being] exhorted to be free and liberal
in maintaining their ministers."^4 This is what Wiersbe is talking about
when he says to "see our leaders appreciatively." While we are all a
priesthood of believers, and as such are all in one form or another
ministers, there are those who are set apart to be teachers. Henry
states, I think with some humor that "if all were teachers, there would
be none to be taught." And this is true, as we grew up in school we had
those who instructed us about how to read and do our times tables. Some
explained why or how things worked. So it is in the family of believers.
We have mentors and those who help and bless us with understanding and
wisdom, and we in turn, as good students should do the same for them
that taught us. Nothing makes one feel quite as good as when we see
someone we're teaching get that "ah-ha" moment, or share with us how
something we helped them learn helped them in some way.

Jesus counsels us that we will know the false teachers from the good
ones by the fruit they bear - the fruit they bear is based on what
they've sown. So often we see teachers that claim to be good sowing
seeds that are flesh and sinful in nature, and so often we see the
disastrous results of these teachings. But when we encourage those who
teach in accordance with the Spirit and the truth He is, something
different happens. You see lives transformed into things of beauty. We
see a crop from that one seed of grain, which is one hundred fold, which
continues the cycle. That, I believe, is part of the reaping of eternal
life that Paul talks about in verses 8 and 9.

Verse 10 reminds us that while we of course, have a responsibility to
those outside of the family of believers – for without a doubt the
desire is to bring them into the family – we need to pay attention and
help those who are in the family just as much. I believe we would all be
hard pressed to say that we don't know someone who serves in some way
that is or has had a difficult time. When those in ministry have rough
times – and they come in so many ways, we must help in any way we can,
for if we don't the ministry suffers, and the possibility arises that
those who need it the most might not get what is needed.

Through all of his reminders of seeing things through grace Paul caps it
off with the reminder to keep our eyes and focus on that which provided
the grace in the first place. We must see the cross clearly. Paul, who
said he bore on his body the marks of Jesus knew what it meant to keep
the Cross at the center of His vision. Please, keep in mind Paul isn't
talking about the "stigmata" that some mystics say are the five wounds
of Christ. Paul is reminding his readers about the scars on his back
from numerous beatings and attempts on his life. If you need a refresher
on that, read through the book of Acts, starting at about the 8^th
chapter. Even Paul's own conversion story brings about an image of what
is important to see.

We see Paul, then known as Saul, on the road to Damascus, blinded by a
bright light; encountering Christ – possibly not for the first time in
person, for Paul was at least a young man by the time Christ had begun
preaching and teaching. Who knows, maybe Paul had been a distant witness
to Calvary, and so had seen Christ on the cross with his own eyes. In
that bright light a voice comes and asks "Why are you persecuting me?"
This is Saul we're talking about –a man who sought to kill those who
preached the cross of Christ, he knew full well what was at stake in
this. He lost his sight until he realized that the only thing worth
looking at was Christ and what he did for us.

Paul says "those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying
to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason [for that] is to avoid
being persecuted for the cross of Christ." He goes on to say that those
who are circumcised don't even follow the law themselves. It goes back
to the whole concept we looked at earlier about seeing others humbly and
seeing yourself honestly. This group wanted to boast in the flesh, but
when we compare ourselves to the standard of God, we find it lacking and
nothing to write home about, except to say what utter failures we are.
But here again, Paul reminds us our hope, "May I never boast except in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world." The hope we have is that our
standard is not set any lower, but we are made higher solely in the
grace of God through the cross. It's not about circumcision or
un-circumcision – it's about the new creation that is made through the
blood of Christ on the cross.

We will always here about those who call us to follow the law (now I'm
talking about the Law of Moses here, not our civil laws). The whole
concept of legalism is dead – the law, as Paul writes in Romans was
written that sin might increase, so that in turn grace might increase as
well. It does not give us the right of ability to sin, but it does allow
us to be restored. Christ also said that not a jot or stroke of the law
would pass away until the new age. I firmly believe that because we
become new creations in Christ we are now judged by a different, but
even higher standard than the Law of Moses. "My command is this: Love
each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that
he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-13)

Christ himself modeled the manner of living the freedom we have in him.
He saw others humbly – look at how he restored Peter after being
disowned three times. He saw himself honestly – "For even the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) He saw his leaders appreciatively – he
always gave honor to his father, for though He was one with his father,
he shared everything he learned and received with the Father. And He
never once wavered from the sight of the cross, which was his mission.

What will we take from this? Only that by grace we are saved and are
given a freedom of life, but that we must maintain the fruit of that
freedom by viewing others and ourselves with that same grace which we
received. If you haven't yet experienced that grace, come be made new by
the cross of Christ. We all are sinners and have been restored – have
been put back in joint – by grace. Is there a part of you that needs
that restoration? Someone will surely come alongside you and share with
you of the grace they have received, so that in time you too can pass
that grace on to another. Have you been falling prey to the sin of
pride, judging yourself to be good simply by looking at the weakness of
another? Remember your ruler – and your measuring standard – is not your
fellow man, but the Creator himself. Please, do not hesitate to submit
to look through his lens at yourself. More often than not you will be
surprised at how He sees you and what he wants you to see about
yourself. You must be willing, however, to submit, for even in His work
with you he will follow in His own counsel. Will you submit to how he
asks you to sow your resources, that you might have sown things looking
toward eternity?

Let us never forget to always keep the cross in the center of our view,
for it reminds us of the three other sets of vision we must keep, and
the way in which we can and must keep them. He who chose the cross not
only spoke to teach, but lived as an example. Let us always be reminded
to see the cross clearly, so that we do not lose sight of our model and
of our ultimate goal.

Blessings

(P.S. My references are in the comment...)

Fruit of Freedom

Text: Galatians 5:13, 16-23

Freedom is not free. According to Wikipedia, this is a phrase used in
America to express gratitude to men and women in the Armed Forces who
give of themselves to give us the freedom we enjoy. We as Christians
know this all the more because the freedom Paul says we are called to
have comes from the death – and resurrection – of Christ. However,
knowing where freedom comes from, and the cost it entails, some would
ask why be free? If freedom is really about giving up something why
would you do it? What is the reward of freedom? When we look at the
bible, with the freedom we receive, we are called to bring others to it
– to be salt and light and to spread it around. In the midst of that
however, we face the challenges both of confusion and pain. The
confusion of not understanding what freedom means, which comes from
jealousy sometimes, makes it difficult to stay and enjoy your freedom
because people bug you about it. Pain simply seeks to take it from you
forcefully.

Freedom, which Paul (and don't forget Christ) says calls us to use in
service, not in indulgence, does have its rewards. Sure all the evil
stuff seems fun – I mean, look at the people who are living in it not
seeing anything outside their lives. I see shows like "Secret life of a
teenager" which wrestles with some difficult topics facing the youth of
today. In "Secret Life" a young girl gets pregnant in high school, and
we see all the convoluted webs of what happens when people fail to
follow the simple, common sense things of not having sex before
marriage, or not gossiping. While the moral of avoid these things is
more or less broadcast throughout and after the show, only more recently
has it begun to make a point I believe. Most recently in the show, the
young mother is finding out how much freedom she has lost since the baby
was born. Her free act of indulgence brings about another free life that
must be cared for. Here we see the clear point that indulging in the
acts listed by Paul in verses 19 through 21 have a high cost – they take
away the freedom we are called to. They take freedom away by removing it
from us physically – incarceration and incapacitation being the chief
means of that; or by forcing us to care for another. What Paul says is
simple, "You are called to be free." That sounds great, who doesn't want
to be free? He adds to this "…do not use your freedom to indulge the
sinful nature…"The Amplified bible says it this way "only [do not let
your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh /and/ an opportunity /or/
excuse [for selfishness]. . ." Most of us think of freedom as a form of
autonomy – I can do what I want how I want when I want. This freedom,
even as Paul says, is rooted deep in selfishness – the pronoun I was
just used 4 times in that statement.

But we see the fruits of this in every day life, and amplified in pop
culture and shows like the one I mentioned before. But what fruit is
produced by this freedom? We see divorce rates skyrocketing, children
facing greater exposure to harmful drugs, promiscuous lifestyles and the
resulting broken lives. Doing some looking on the internet, I came upon
familyfirstaid.org which had a wealth of statistics. The one I found
most interesting dealt with suicide – it's the 11^th leading cause of
death in the US. Looking at the WHO statistics, the US has the 32^nd
highest suicide rate amongst men. If autonomy is freeing, and we are so
free, shouldn't we be less likely to lose hope? One of the leading
causes of suicide is depression, often characterized as a loss of hope.
Hearing how great all of the things the world says is "freeing" wouldn't
you think that there would be great hope? I mean, doesn't having 'sexual
freedom' or the freedom to drink as you please or imbibe mind altering
drugs mean you shouldn't have a care in the world? The search for
freedom and power through witchcraft, or even just replacing any thought
of something above us that can empower us, right? Shouldn't plain out
declaring "God is dead" give us the hope of a freedom that wipes out all
traces of despair from our lives?

All of those things I just mentioned are the sinful indulgences that
Paul warns us against squandering our freedom on. But where is the hope
of freedom – the promise of the liberty we're called to? Paul says
"rather serve one another in love." or "but through love you should
serve one another." (Amplified) Christ said the same thing. "For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many." (Mk 10:45) Service however does not sound
like freedom, does it? Most of the time especially in the Church – all
denominations – service is viewed as a requirement. I was talking with
one of my best friends about how things were going for him, and we began
to converse about his Mormon neighbor. He mentioned how the Mormon faith
is very centered on works. And works is a good thing – don't get me
wrong. But what the issue my friend's neighbor isn't the works – it's
the motivation for the works. She couldn't grasp the idea of doing the
works because of being free. For many the whole concept of being good
not out of fear but out of gratitude. That is why Paul urges us not to
indulge, but to serve in love. By choosing to serve, we exercise our
freedom and thereby reap the rewards of our freedom.

Joseph Girzone wrote a wonderful novel in the early '80s titled /Joshua:
A Parable for Today/. In it he tells the story of a man who shakes up a
small town simply by serving. Now, a reader of the books knows quite
plainly that Joshua is a characterization of Christ himself, but the
people don't know this. In it we see a man serving out of love and we
see the fruit of the freedom he knows and enjoys to the core of his
being. This are the fruit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,
Goodness, Faithfulness and Self-Control. All of the fruit of the Spirit
– these are our fruit of freedom. The build upon one another – if you
start lacking in one of them, you will begin to lack in the others and
see a diminishing of the freedom of grace. This is why Paul, who says we
are called to freedom, so strongly says, "So I say, live by the Spirit.
. ." The Spirit is freedom, he, the third part of the godhead is the
embodiment of freedom. God the father is from whom we receive freedom,
God the son is by whom we receive the freedom and God the spirit is
through whom we live it. And when we live that spirit of freedom in
service we begin to grow that fruit of freedom.

The fruit grows in a specific way, because it must. Just like the grape
must come from the vine which came from the seed, so also our fruit
grows from a seed. The seed is Love. Love of God, and a recognition that
He loved us first. Oh how He loved us first! He loved us so much He made
us, gave us the choice to love Him, was so hurt when we chose not to
that He gave Himself that we could join Him again. If that is not love,
what is? How can you not love him back? How does the old chorus go? "Oh
how I love Jesus, because He first loved me." Love is the seed, and the
soil from which all the other fruit grows. And when we get absorbed into
that Love, and it overtakes us is that not when things start to sprout
and go? When you love the Lord as the greatest commandment says "with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind" that imparts a sense of Joy. Joy springs from that
all consuming love of God because that love runs so deep the enjoyment
of all situations, of all happenings makes happiness seem absurd and
superficial. That old Sunday school chorus had he order backwards. We
need to have Love like an ocean before we can have Joy like a fountain.
The water that flows from that fountain of Joy is pulled straight from
the ocean of Love. And when that love is so limitless like the ocean, a
fountain of joy will overflow and create a river – a river of peace.
Peace is best defined, I believe, as the ability to sleep amongst the
greatest storm. Jesus did it – he epitomized peace when he slept as the
boat crossed the Sea of Galilee. Peace is born out of joy because joy
permits us to be ok with any situation – and that's what peace is. The
other important thing to note about these first three fruit is that they
originate from God himself. We cannot and must not take credit for
creating these first three fruit of freedom, and therefore we must not
take credit for the other six, for they are formed from the base of
these three – Love, Joy and Peace.

The next three make sense to follow, and they all have the unique tie
that they are all exhibited traits toward others. They come out of the
overflow of love, joy and peace because we are so full we must share
them. Peace shown to another person is also called patience. Patience,
that "capacity to tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without becoming
angry or upset" is always a kindness to the ones we show it to. Those
who are kind to others are always referred to as being good, or showing
goodness to others. What is also interesting to note, is that these
three fruit are also the same three fruit that God shows us when we are
away from Him. Three of God's greatest traits are his abundant patience,
his unfailing kindness, and his goodness to all generations. How fitting
that we should see modeled to us the same fruit of freedom by the one
who gives it to us.

The final group of three – faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
are certainly not the least. While they, like all the others, are
exhibited to people outside of ourselves, it would be wise to note how
they also impact us, and bring the circle complete. If a farmer does not
take some of the seed from the mature fruit, how can he make more? In
the same way if we do not exhibit the faithfulness that comes from the
first six fruit how can we stay connected to that ocean of Love? That
faithful farmer who takes the seed from the maturing plant is gentle
with it. Some scrapes and scratches are necessary so the seed can
germinate, and branches and leaves must be pruned from time to time, but
always it is done gently to promote a new growth and a fulfillment of
that faithfulness. This is all also done with great self-control, and we
need that self-control to maintain that faithfulness and gentleness.
Thus the growth of the full fruit is complete. The soil and seed
producing the vine, which is held up support system which produces the
grape, which is seen and enjoyed by others – hopefully to grow into
another vine.

Paul finishes the list of the fruit of the spirit – the fruit of freedom
by saying, "Against such things there is no law." Why is there no law
against them? It is because man cannot put a law on that which God
gives. I find it fitting that a month after we have celebrated our
freedom in this country we should look at the results of the true
freedom we talked about then. We saw that true liberty comes from the
Son of God, who can set us free. We listened to a plea to do what we
must – share that freedom with others as the salt and light of the
earth. We were reminded that there are those who are jealous when they
see our freedom and wish to enslave us in confusion about true freedom.
Last week we learned about one of the keys of how to live in freedom –
praising at all times. And now we see where it all leads to, the Fruit
of Freedom.

Do you now posses this fruit, even if in part? Or is it something that
you find you lack? Who here today knows what it is like to be enveloped
in God's love to overflowing, and the joy and peace it brings with it?
Would you want to have that same feeling, to know freedom and the fruit
that it brings? We know only one way to become free to begin with and
that is through Christ. Come now, if you don't know him, why settle for
the false freedom of sinful indulgence? Come, taste and see that the
Lord is good, the fruit of His vine, none can match. If you know him and
want to express and grow more in your freedom, remember what Paul calls
us to do, "through love, serve one another." Come, dedicate yourself
again to service, be willing to serve in whatever way possible. The
altar is open, as it always is.

Child Rearing

I should be the last person to write anything about child rearing.
Seriously. I'm almost 28, only been married for 4 months, and we're not
thinking of having kids for at least 2 years. I was an only child and I
would need a truly exorbitant amount of money to step foot inside a
child or development psychology class, primarily because I despise
psychology. Be that as it may, I find myself unable to sleep right now,
due to thought of raising children running through my head. The only way
to put them to sleep is to get them outside and make myself tired. Words
of wisdom huh?

In any case, my thoughts have been triggered, strange as it may seem by
some recent events that have happened. I found out today that Michael
Jackson (a father of three children somehow) died. On Monday night I
watched Jon and Kate plus 8, as I'm sure many others did. Jon and Kate
brought most of these thoughts to the surface just about 20 minutes ago,
and Michael Jackson popped into my head as I started writing, so I don't
know if I'll talk about him much in this - maybe another time. Just
forget I mentioned Jackson, he's a whole nother post.

Those who aren't aware, Jon and Kate are separating. In this last
episode that I watched with my wife, I noticed some key things, and I
wonder if Jon or Kate ever thought of them. One of the first things I
noticed that both Jon and Kate referred to their (plural possessive)
brood of eight children as "my children." Some might not make much of
this, but I think it could be indicative of an underlying issue that
might have caused much of the strife and could have been easily
avoidable. (Please note, I do not write this as a judgment on Jon or
Kate, or them as a couple, merely an observation.) It was something that
I picked up over the course of the last several episodes that I had
watched, which were leading up to the whole split that happened. This
was something new that only started happening during the middle or so of
last year.

Prior to the middle of last season, I think that Jon and Kate would
refer to the kids as "our kids" which is a correct recognition of
ownership (as owning of children goes). It takes both parents to be
there to make the children in the first place, whether or not a
fertility doctor is in the mix. Though a parent might jokingly say to
the other "Did you know what /your/ son did today" or something along
those lines, the child still belongs firmly in the grasp of both
parents. I believe that the ever increasing use of the singular
possessive in their interview is a telling symptom of a growing
selfishness. I could be wrong, but that's what I observed.

In any marriage, and especially once children become involved (I'm only
imagining this, I don't have first hand experience of having children in
my marriage yet) selfishness is a somewhat necessary evil. In order to
best serve the other members of the family, you do need to look after
yourself to some degree. Parents especially need to be, at times,
selfish of their time together, and slightly less their time apart.
Solitary self-time is an important thing, but how important is it. How
important are your children that you must sacrifice everything for them?
If you give everything you have to them, what do they have for
themselves to grow up? A wise couple once said, "Children are temporary,
marriage is permanent." I like that saying - I know I was temporary in
my parents marriage (I'm still their son and talk to them regularly, but
I'm not in the house anymore except to visit).

As you're raising your children, one must be careful and mindful of how
you want them to grow and mature. The best way to make sure they grow up
the way you'd like them to is to model what you want to see in them as
they mature. If you're wanting wise, considerate, open, self-less
(correctly) and upstanding children, that's how you must live your lives
in front of them. A reason does exist why two parent households that
stay together rightly have children that more often than not do right
and well themselves. They do that because they see god things emulated
by their parents and they want to do the same.

What is the best for your child? What does that really mean? For each it
is different, but children still learn it the same way - they follow the
old maxim "Monkey see, Monkey do" Mom and Dad, they are watching you, so
if your goal is to do what's best for your kids, and to see them have
happy, healthy and long lasting relationships and marriages - why not
set the example? It's not easy, but it's still good.

Blessings,