The Fullness of Christ: a meditation

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to

walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

with all humility and gentleness,

with patience,

bearing with one another in love,

eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit

—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

one Lord,

one faith,

one baptism,

one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”

(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

And he gave the apostles,

the prophets,

the evangelists,

the pastors and teachers,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry,

for building up the body of Christ,

until

we

all

attain

to the unity of the faith

and

of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to mature manhood,

to the measure of the stature of

the fullness of Christ,

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine,

by human cunning,

by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up

in every way

into him who is the head,

into Christ,

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,

when each part is working properly,

makes the body grow so that

it builds itself up in love.

My Journey: Life with Mrs. T

Greetings!

We have internet at home again so, Lord willing, I will be writing and posting a little more frequently.

I am currently working on the next installment of our study in Romans as well as  some things concerning prayer and our Lords desire for unity in the church.

For now, however, I wanted to give you a little insight into my own personal and spiritual background.

If you are new here, or one of  —or should I say— my only faithful reader…

perhaps this  will help you to understand where I am coming from personally.

********************************************

I am a man who didn’t grow up in ‘Christianity’, but I did grow up in the midst of it.

While my home town, Pensacola, is very heavily populated with churches and the local culture is permeated with ‘Christianity’, I grew up viewing much of it as  nothing more than religious fodder.

Why?

There are a few different reasons for this, but at this time I would like to zero in on just one:

My mother is a Christian….

but she will not ‘go to church’.

Every since I can remember, whenever she would comment on why this was so, it went something like this:

You  don’t need a man preaching at you all the time. All you need to do is love God and treat people the way that you would want to be treated.

You don’t have to dress up and go visit God. He lives on the inside.

And she practiced what she preached.

I can already hear the theologians squirming in their seats.

Rest easy. I hear you, and I ‘amen’ much of what you are thinking, but hear me out.

I don’t know if I can ever remember a time growing up when we didn’t have some displaced soul living at our place with our family.

There always seemed to be someone there who, due to poor choices or unfortunate circumstances, found themselves in a desperate situation….usually a friend of one of my mothers children or an acquaintance of some other acquaintance…

Sometimes it would be an extended family member…

but my point is this:

Her home was also the home of anyone that needed a home.

“That’s nice and all, brother, but we need the church. We need the gathering of the saints!”

Let me tell you, oh compassionate friend, she knows more about ‘the church’ than many of these so called church’ “leaders”  that we have  today.

As I sit and write this article I vividly recall Sunday mornings at our little single wide mobile home on Navy Blvd.

Mom would get up early in the morning to begin making “brunch”.

The meal would always consist of some kind of good old fashioned country cooking, often with some variety of fresh Gulf seafood:

Baked ham, pork chops, fried chicken, collard greens, green beans, lima beans, corn fritters, corn bread, rolls, crawfish, fried catfish, mullet, brim,

banana pudding….

Did you hear that?

Was that the sound of an artery hardening?

But I don’t want to miss the point here…

The food wasn’t just for our family, but it was for everyone.

But it wasn’t just all about the food.   That would miss the point…

There was fellowship.

Acceptance.

Care.

Love.

LOVE.

L O V E !

It was for the person that we housed at the time.

It was for the folks that we had housed in the past.

Sometimes, as it turns out, it was for the people that we would house in the future.

It was for close family and extended family.

It was for friends of the family.

It was for people that we had come into relationship with somehow….

It was even for the ex-girlfriends and ex-boyfriends of moms kids.

We had hippies, druggies, alcoholics, bikers, preachers, Christians, heathens…

Blacks, whites, Asians….

And they all loved “Mrs. T”.

And as far as i know, they all do still.

(And they all had a certain respect for “Mr. T”.)

(That’s Mrs. and Mr. Thomas for those who weren’t aware of my last name.)

Now, we didn’t really ‘pray’ then…

and we didn’t talk about Jesus much or share bible verses…

But what I didn’t understand at the time, and what I am so blessed to understand now is that we embodied much of what the bible pointed to.

We embodied the living Christ.

My mother cooperated with God to answer the prayers of these hungry, displaced and confused souls.

Not only that…

but she also

cooperated with God to answer the prayers of  many saints.

While many dear saints have felt obligated to the religious duties of attending stale sermon meetings, and routine “worship services” they have also prayed that a deeper and more authentic expression of the church of Christ would become a living reality.

In their hearts, they have all asked the same thing:

Is this it?

Could there be more?

Something more than a ‘worship service’.

Something more than a ‘bible study’.

(I can’t help but wonder if these prayers are not just as prevalent today. I know that they are in my own heart.)

In This way, we did not miss the point.

In this way, we were without sin.

This was ‘organic” before ‘organic’ was cool.

Sadly, these Sunday meals fizzled out about fifteen or so years ago and perhaps that’s another story for another time.

These gatherings were special. So very, very special.

Now, I’m not trying to paint an unrealistic picture here, just because she’s my mom.

She is human.

She is not without her own personal flaws.

But if you were to ask anyone who knows her, I assure you, you would not receive one bad report.

She is an earthen vessel of both grace and humility.

This is the foundation of my own personal Spiritual journey.

It is thoroughly rooted in the Spirit and Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps I will be able to continue this train of thought soon as it is a good reminder for me to bring these things to remembrance.

It’s a good thing to reflect on the things which help to define who you are from time to time.

And maybe this testimony will provide a slightly different perspective on what authentic Christianity can look like.

God bless.

Update: My Personal Top 11

In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t written much here in a while.

I’ve been consumed.

Life can be very demanding sometimes, ya’know? But it can also be very rewarding.  There is something to that…, something holy.

It would take me a while to write about my more current thoughts and experiences….so that’ll have to wait for the time being.

Instead, I’m going give you some links to what I currently believe to be my most important writings from this blog:

Here are the first three installments of a study on Romans 6,7, and 8:

Don’t You Know?

Death and Remarriage

The Law is Good

(There is more to come in this series, so please stay tuned!)

Here is a little poetry:

All in the Family

This is basically my take on living the Christian life in general (not that I have ever done it, of course…)

Us or Him…?

An open letter to my most favorite denomination:

(This one almost didn’t make the cut, but I believe that it is still very relevant indeed!)

OPEN LETTER

Here is a two part admonition against being triple minded:

Be-think-do

Be-think-do-2

What is ‘the world’ anyway?

What Is the World 1

What is the World 2

What is the World 3

Thanks for reading…and please feel free to leave any comments!

An Intimate Evening with Terry Scott Taylor

Terry Scott Taylor is a man who wears many hats. Singer. Cowboy hat. Songwriter. Baseball cap. Father. Fedora. Producer. Prophet. Prankster. Pioneer. As the founder of legendary CCM band Daniel Amos he helped pioneer a new artistically-minded aesthetic in a musically stunted genre. As the merry prankster behind the Swirling Eddies he became a supreme satirist while continuously shedding musical skins. As chief songwriter for the Lost Dogs he brought modern maturity to the old forms and helped make them relevant to new generations. As a composer for video games and cartoons he brought his quirky genius to bear in a field that had been rendered dull and void by electronic keyboards. As a solo artist he laid bare his personal life—its triumphs and tragedies—and made his story our story as well. Some of his songs are limericks. Some are literature. He’s flown under most of the radar for more than 30 years but those in the know rank him among our greatest living treasures.

Out of a deep humility he usually works within the context of a band of musicians in order to take a little of the heat off himself. Not this night. This night, joined occasionally on stage by special guest Steve Hindalong and Terry’s son Andrew, and armed only with a guitar and his incredible collection of hats, audiences will discover the real Terry Taylor. Intimacy is the name of the game and everyone is invited to play along. Songs. Stories. Answers. You’ll hear them all like never before. Come witness the mind of a visionary, the heart of an artist and the soul of a fellow pilgrim.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Joining Terry on stage for a select number of songs chosen from his extensive repertoire of Daniel Amos, Swirling Eddies, Lost Dogs, and solo recordings, will be special guest Steve Hindalong ( Lost Dogs’ member, founding member of The Choir, creator and producer of the ‘City on a Hill’ series, and co-writer of ‘God of Wonders’). The ever illusive Camarillo Eddy, founder of ‘The Swirling Eddies, is rumored to appear as well. We are also thrilled to announce that for the very first time ever, Terry’s son Andrew will also join his father on stage.

Terry will not only entertain you with humorous and moving anecdotes and songs, he will offer readings from his forthcoming book of collected non-fiction, lyric recitations and commentary, and perform a variety of familiar songs as well as those rarely, if ever, performed in a live setting. At selected venues the evening will be capped off with an audience participation Q&A.

An Intimate evening with Terry Scott Taylor promises to be a surprising, ‘don’t miss’ one-of-a-kind event.

A note from Terry: “As far as live performances go, I don’t believe I’ve done anything quite like this before. I think the audience, which is really more a gathering of close friends and family, is in for some real surprises including a few firsts. Now, the mysterious Camarillo Eddy says he’ll show up, but you never know about that guy. On the other hand, I know the great Steve Hindalong will be there to join me on a number of tunes. I’ve got to say however that my greatest thrill concerning this tour is that my son Andrew will, for the very first time in my 30 plus years of performing, be joining me on stage. I’m extremely proud of him and can’t wait for folks to meet him. The song selection should be surprising as well. It’s eclectic, unpredictable and culled from every musical entity I’ve ever been involved with down through the years. At many of the shows I’m planning to field questions from the audience and, if I know my crowd at all, this should prove quite interesting. I may even get Steve to do his leprechaun dance and also that thing where he flips a coin into the air and catches it behind his back. Now that’s a show!

“We all essentially agree that we’re living in fairly dark and unpredictable times. I’m prayerfully determined to lighten the audience’s load a bit and do so through laughter, some challenges, and more importantly some heart-felt inspiration. (Oh, by the way, I’ve got some road stories to tell which, in some instances, are truly weird and astounding.)

“Anyway, in the words of Sam the Sham ‘Let’s not be L7!’ Come on out to the show and let’s all have a wonderful time together.” – Terry Taylor

The opening act will be Teel Montague Cook.

If you are interested in being a part of the TST Street Team, leave me a comment below!

Click here for a map to this event at New River Community Church!

The Love of God

Greetings!

I’m in the process of finishing up the next installment of our Romans 7 study.

Soon afterwards we’ll be going into chapter 8 followed by at least part of chapter 9.

I am truly looking forward to what the Lord might have to say to us through it all.

In the meantime I thought that I would post a link to my very first (and only) spoken message that I have ever shared with a group of believers.

It’s a message which was inspired by our time together in the Gospel of John, and was shared during the Lords supper.

I humbly submit to you The Love of God. 

Grace to you all.

Lithia Springs Community Kids Camp 2008

A People’s History of Christianity

 

I’m about halfway through this gem of a book which I picked up after reading Mikes post about it.

It’s really good so far. It’s incredibly interesting to see the variations and similarities in how Christians, over the years, interpreted and expressed their faith in Christ.

From chapter eight;  Devotion: Speaking of Faith  author Diana Butler Bass gives an account of one Katharina Schütz (ca. 1498-1562) which reads as following:

“She believed that speaking out is necessary for Christian devotion, that proclaiming truth demonstrates love of God and neighbor– especially if ones neighbor is spreading falsehoods.

 ’To keep silence is not patience. To suffer is patience,’

…she wrote.

‘By keeping silence I give him grounds to continue in his trumped up lies, and that, in my judgement, is against brotherly love.’ 

 For Katharina, not to speak the truth was to support error.”

So very true, Katharina, so very, very true.

Living in God’s Future- Now!

Virtue isn’t about struggling to obey a whole bunch of rules. It’s about practising the habits of heart and mind and life which will form your character so that, eventually, you do naturally – though it will be a kind of second nature, one you’re not born with but which you choose to develop – the things which reveal that your character is developing into that of a whole, wise, well-rounded human being.

~ N.T. Wright

 

Read the complete message here.

The Need to Exercise Judgment-Part Two: Discerning Authoritarianism

In the last post of this vein, I spent a good deal of energy looking into what judgment is really all about and how it is a vitally important practice for the spiritual health of the believer.

At this time, I would like to exercise a bit of discernment in the area of….

authoritarianism.

Authoritarianism is a very widespread problem in the church today. It is essentially the result of unbroken individuals who muscle (or talk) their way into a leadership positions among groups of believers.

There are recognizeable traits to look for which are indicative of authoritarian tendencies in someone.  Let’s look over a few of them, shall we?

One is that the leader will often preach on and magnify the virtues of humility and submission while at the same time making their own agenda loud and clear to the “faithful flock”.

This is manipulation at it’s best as it uses the truth to propagate what is essentially a lie.

Another is that once they establish their alpha position, they will impose their own ‘unspoken’ laws upon you in order to fulfill their agenda. These laws will  typically be taught in the form of sermons or messages and they will be ‘backed’ by brief excerpts of biblical text.

One of these laws is known as ‘the law of silence’ and could be written like this:

“Thou shalt not question my authority nor my judgment. Mine is the way and the only way and If thou hast any issues with me or my ministry, take them to the cross or leave in silence!”

And the second which is like it, goes like this:

“Thou shalt sweep any and all offences under thine rug, for there is no good nor evil, but only Christ!”

One can only imagine all of the other ‘laws’ that hang from just these two.

I realize that these are tricky because, well, what they impose on you is “biblical”. Furthermore, these are just a couple of examples from a vast array of abusive authoritarian methods.

But let me tell you a secret:

Just because something is biblical, doesn’t mean that it’s right.

You can make the bible say anything that _you want_ to make the bible say, and that is exactly what an authoritarian leader does.

Now hear me me out: I do believe in spiritual authority. It exists…..but It’s not what we so often believe it to be.

It’s not a certificate of accomplishment.

It’s not length of years in ‘the ministry’.

It’s not the skill of oration.

It’s not the knowledge of the bible.

It’s not the tone or volume of the voice.

It’s not the carefully crafted sermon or message.

It’s not the charisma or personality.

{However, it can be expressed in any and all of these things…}

Authentic Spiritual authority is present only to whatever degree  that the living  Christ is  expressed  in and through the thoughts, words, and deeds of the believer.

In other words; authentic Spiritual authority is Jesus Christ.

Paul lets it be known that there are some  (and today many) who take the Logos of God and use it in the wrong manner. In the passage below, Paul is referring to teachers who try to sell their twist on God’s revelation to unsuspecting victims:

2 Cor. 2:17

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

I have issues with this first example, but for me, for now, that’s just not my drum to beat (although I hope someone starts beating it soon….). it is rather with this next example that I am presently concerned. Read how Paul makes a clear and obvious connection between dishonesty and the improper handling of God’s Word:

2 Cor. 4:2

But (we) have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

It’s this kind of misleading that I’m bothered with today. It’s a very big problem.

While I’m not quite sure as to what kind of mishandling Paul was referring to in this letter to the Corinthians, I do believe that it is safe to say that whenever the Word of God, be it the scripture or the revelation, is used in a dishonest manner, a manner which is crafty or decietful, it inevitably causes harm to the Lords people.

All too often, gifted men of God turn their hearts away from the living and active Jesus in order to pursue the lusts of their flesh and the pride of life.

Sometimes it’s for money, but it’s always about power.

Recently In a brief conversation about church leadership, a dear brother reminded me of a passage in Hebrews which speaks of submitting to ‘those who have the rule over’ you, and ‘who watch over’ and ‘give account for you’.

Here is the text–

Hebrews 13:17

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

I needed to be reminded of this principle. Honestly, I believe in submitting to those with authentic spiritual authority. To not do so would be a sure indicator of a prideful spirit on my part. I will submit, but I tell you the truth:

My Standard is very, Very high.

Why?

Because my standard is Gods standard.

We need more than the text which states that we are to submit. We also need to be reminded of the other stuff that is being said in those passages, the stuff that is an important part of the context. Not only that, but we also need to be taught what these principles really mean.

Here is a similar exhortation just a few passages prior–

Hebrews 13:7

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

Let’s look at the definition for “those who rule“ .

Lexicon Results

Strong’s G2233 – hēgeomai

Part of Speech

verb

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) to lead

a) to go before

b) to be a leader

1) to rule, command

2) to have authority over

3) a prince, of regal power, governor, viceroy, chief, leading as respects influence, controlling in counsel, overseers or leaders of the churches

4) used of any kind of leader, chief, commander

5) the leader in speech, chief, spokesman

I like what  ”1)a ” says.

“They lead by going before“.

They are further along, not only in general experience, but in following the Lord Jesus. They have gone first.

They are not simply talking the talk, but they are also walking the walk.

They are not simply talking about the race, but they are finishing the race!!

“Ordination” doesn’t cut it.

“Titles” can be just mere words.

“Revelation” is limited.

“Apostolic Succession” fails.

But wait!… there is more!!

Look at what STRONG’S says about “over you” in this same passage:

Lexicon Results

Strong’s G5216 – hymōn

Part of Speech: pronoun

1) of yours

Of mine?

You mean…. not those who are lording over

me, but rather those who belong….. to me?!

So we could accurately interpret this passage to read in the following way:

“Remember those  who are further down the Path, those who are yours, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, and whose faithfulness is proven by their conduct”.

This means that we have something of a right to assess those whom would desire to lead us in spiritual things.

Please read carefully what I’m about to say here:

The writer of those passages was, in the first place, writing to an actual group of people in a particular historical event. There was a very specific context for all that was said in that letter (this is true for all of the New Testament epistles).

At best, we can only presume to know and understand what that exact context was. Otherwise, we end up reading into the inspired scripture our own biases, philosophies or worse; our own agendas.

We must be extremely careful in how we read, teach, and apply.

While I believe that the scriptures are inspired and vital to the present life and welfare of the church, I also believe that the word of God is to be rightly divided.

It’s not that the scripture has no practical/spirtual value. Of course it does.

But even so, I believe that ultimitely the place of scripture is to help guide us into personal relationship with Jesus Christ whom, by His Spirit, writes His ways on our hearts.

The bible as “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”, I think kind of misses the mark.

Moving along…

Paul says to test everything, hold to the good and eschew the evil. This includes teachings, doctrines, sermons, messages, etc…

So then, based on the handful of scriptures that we have looked at thus far, we may conclude the following concerning the kind of person in the church that we should be persuaded by:

1) They lead by example and the proof is in their conduct.

2) They truly care for and watch out for your soul.

3) They are accountable.

4) They don’t peddle Gods word.

5) They are honest.

6) They are sincere.

That’s a pretty tall order, friends… but it’s an order which needs to be filled by anyone who seeks to be, or is appointed as a ‘leader’ in God’s community.

My advice to you, dear reader, is that if the character and disposition of your ’spiritual leader’ doesn’t harmonize with the above,…. then don’t follow.

Seek the Lord.

Pray for an example.

Does such a person even exist?

Yes, His name is…

Jesus Christ,

the same yesterdy, today and forever…

and…

He is known by His fruit.

(And we wonder why that little line is written in the middle of those texts about “leadership”.)

Too many dear saint’s have been swept up into the deception of men who talk the talk, and yet who do not walk the walk. What troubles me about this is that it continues under the mind wrenching guise of ’spiritual authority’.

It must come to an end.

Brokeness is the key to Spiritual authority.

If you want to become the greatest, you must become the least.

(To be continued…..)

The Need to Exercise Judgment

Philippians 1:9-11

…And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all judgment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Hebrews 5:12-14

…For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

I Corinthians 5:12

…For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges  those outside….

I Corinthians 6:2,3

…Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

I Corinthians 6:4-11

…So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

Do you not know that the unrighteous  will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

This is a subject which I admittedly write about with much ‘fear and trembling’.

Why?

Primarily because I honestly feel as if I know so very little about it. Beyond that, (but still, mostly because of that), I don’t want anyone to misunderstand what it is that I’m trying to communicate here.

Hopefully I will be able to clearly articulate what it is that has been weighing heavily in the back of my mind for the last couple of years…, and hopefully I can do it with sufficient grace and tact.

Help me Lord.

In the Christian world there are universal catch phrases that have been derived from  sayings which can, in fact, be traced back to the four gospels. Some of these sayings are attributed to Jesus Himself. Others are attributed to Paul, Peter, James, etc… or other writers of what we currently refer to as the bible.

Again, these sayings are widely recognized among  the whole of the “Christian community”, — but, some ‘circles’ emphasize them more so than others. And to be fair, I suppose that there are some who do not emphasise them at all!!

This selection of preferred sayings  could be referred to as “The Higher Way” teachings…or something to that effect.

I’m not going to quote, word for word, the scriptures from which these ‘higher way principles’ spring forth, but instead I’ll paraphrase and leave the bible study up to you.

“Turn the other cheek.”

“Suffer the wrong.”

“Take it to the cross.”

“Submit.”

“Take the higher road.”

You get the idea?

I want you, dear reader, to know that I do understand and agree with the gist of what these statements imply. Especially when they are understood in their proper context. After all, they are truly inspired.

To me they say, essentially, “Don’t stoop to the level of the wicked, and in maintaining your faith, dignity, grace and character in the midst of hard times or mistreatment, you might reveal the heart of God to your fellow man, and potentially even change their heart”.

However, what troubles me is the fact that there is another side to spiritual law, one which is equally as valid but recieves much less airplay.

While The Higher Way obviously leans towards the Way of Mercy, the other way, which I am referring to now, leans more towards…

The Way of Judgment.

Of course I recognize and accept the reality of these two maxims, mercy and judgment(and everything in between), being fully manifest, exercised and reconciled (or fulfilled if you prefer) in the Person and work of Jesus the Messiah, and so it is therefore, for that very same reason, that I believe that this should also be the case in and through His people in this present time.

Not only do I believe that both facets should be realized and expressed but they should also both be expressed and realized in their proper time….

His time.

You see, there is a place for judgment among those who are called out.

Judging from what I read in the New Testament,  (no pun intended) there is a much higher standard of life for those within the church than those without. From what I can tell, at the present time, we should leave judgment of those who do not profess Christ to the Lord Himself, and thank God for that.

In spite of what you may be thinking right now, I have no desire to become a “sin sniffer”.

However…

Ironically, I do believe that we are called to use careful discernment when it comes to those of us who do profess to be ‘brethren’ (or  ’sisteren’) in Christ.

I know that statement will not settle well with everyone. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the word judgement has been both mishandled and misunderstood.

“Don’t Judge Me, Man!”

See, I think ‘Judgment’ has gotten a bad rap.

But c’mon, it’s necessary for the spiritual health of the individual believer as well as for the corporate church. In fact, I believe that it is necessary for the overall welfare of the world.

Look again at Paul’s prayer for the church in Philipi:

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment,
that ye may approve things that are excellent, and that ye may be sincere and without offense until the Day of Christ,
being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

You see how judgment is directly linked to fruitfulness?

Okay, now take a closer look at the “J” word.

See?

Now that wasn’t so bad,… was it?

It’s not all about condemning people for being ‘wrong’! It’s about seeing things for what they truly are!!!

For good measure, let’s take another look at a portion from the letter written to the “Hebrews”…. I want to be sure that I’m not misunderstood in the direction that I’m going with this post.

Hebrews 5:8-14

Although (Jesus) was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

There is a lot being said there, folks.

There is certainly a place for ‘milk’, and to be honest, I think that historically speaking, the church at large has not done a very good job in nourishing the Lords people in the milk of the Word the way that they should. The (over)reaction to this, of course, is the super milky theology which is so prevelant today.

You see, there are many “out there” (and yes, I have been caught up in it myself) who speak of the sinfulness of ”partaking of the ‘wrong tree’”, the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And in a sense, this caution against our partaking of that particular tree of knowledge is valid,  as it was also for Adam and Eve.

However….

There is a difference between what Adam and Eve did in the garden and what those who are growing up in the Lord are called to do by their Heavenly Master.

Adam and Eve suffered from a classic (or the most classic) case of disobedience to God. They could have eaten from any tree in the garden, including the tree of life, and yet they chose to do the one single thing that God warned them not to do.

That sneaky snake told Eve that she if she would just go ahead and eat it, then she would become wise like God.

You see, Adam and Eve did partake of that forbidden tree, and they did become like God…..

…and they did die.

(hmmmmm….)

And you know what? There are a million and one things that we could say about all of that…., what all of it means or doesn’t mean, how it plays out, etc… (and I hope to explore that train of thought here more sometime….) But let’s be honest for a moment here…

Us human beings get more than just a bit defensive when our erroneous behavior is called into question. Heck sometimes even when the word sin is mentioned!

Go on.

Just admit it.

Were all the same.

We sometimes find ourselves doing the very things that we ought not, but it is because of the error within that we find ourselves doing them!

Something in us simply loves to make us do those things!!

In this present age of such heavy ‘Grace’ theology, there are many groups and individuals who would go so far as to say that ’sin’ (or ‘error’) does not even exist for those who believe in Christ.

If you are one such person…..

you need your bubble popped.

You see, to ’sin’ or to ‘err’ means simply to do that thing which you should not do. Generally speaking, it is to do something which is un-loving. More specifically, it is what happens when we assume self reign rather than submitting to the government of God.

It is to walk in darkness.

It is to walk in a false identity.

But here is my point:

There are offences and sometimes those offences  come about when we operate according to our old nature. The result?

DEATH.

“But all things are lawful!!”

Yes, but not all things are good.

This is something that we need to be mindful of….but it’s difficult when even the word ‘good’ is seen as a curse!! You see, there are some Christian circles that, in over-reaction to legalism, have deemed the words “good’ and “evil” as being, ironically enough…… evil.

Paul, however, makes no such assumptions:

…Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good….

…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good…

…So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil….

You see, Paul knew the difference between good and evil and he wanted the same discernment for all of Gods people.

Some will say, “No, no, Paul want’s us to know the difference between life and death…”.

Well, that’s true also. But life and/or death are merely the outworking, the fruit, of good and evil.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a champion for freedom and liberty! If you have read my thoughts here for any length of time, you might even think that I lean too far ‘left’ for your tastes.

I don’t want anyone telling me what to eat, drink, watch, read, say, or anything else….

However…

Neither do I want to lay any stumbling blocks before the feet of my brothers and sisters.

Which is more important; Me having my way in destroying your conscience, or me, if I truly posess any authentic Spiritual maturity, exercising God given self control?

I guess this is the issue.

Stumbling blocks.

I suppose  if we could write up a formula for ‘getting along’ among ourselves, it would read something like this:

1. Love others the way you would want to be loved….

2. And if (when) others don’t do that for you,  you can let it go (take it to the cross) or you can let them know and still offer forgiveness….

3. And if (when) you fail in  loving them,  repent and hope that they will let it go, or let you know and  they may offer forgiveness to you.

After all, have we not all received such great forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Now that I’ve shared all of this, I want you, Dear Reader, to know that ultimately,  I do confess that I fully realize that mercy triumphs over judgement, and I thank the Good Lord for that. However, this mercy can sometimes take the shape of a brother or sister who, in the spirit of Meekness, is able to restore one who has gone out of the Way and fallen into darkness.

The Lord doesn’t give us more than we can bear. Sometimes you have to speak up….

Sometimes you have to call somebody out on an issue….

Sometimes you have to be the unpopular prophet.

And let me give you some advice on the matter:

Bear what you can bear…

But do not wait too long to address a matter that needs addressing.

It can fester and swell and get real ugly when it finally does pop.

I’ll be posting again soon on how higher way teachings can be used inappropriately resulting in harm to the spiritual condition of the Lords people.

In the meantime, I pray the Lord search our hearts….

and I pray we seek His ways above our own.

Peace.