oasisCHURCH

What is "Christian" ?

Part One: Christian Bookstores and an Introduction to Christianity and Pop-Culture

This might sound like a subject on the effect of the protestant ethic in the United States. But, its not. It could be a positive review of an outspoken Christian CEO in America, like Truett Cathy, the founder of Chik-Fil-A. But its not. Its actually a sarcastic, maybe obnoxious but hopefully realistic view of one slice of the cultural issues that face Jesus-followers in America. I hope to cover a few different issues in Christian culture. The next article will cover what "Christian" means today. Please remember this is my opinion and I am in no way trying to speak for any other authors on BeTheChurch.com.

Christian bookstores...where do I start? They are often a great resource for ministers, lay people and students for study material, as well as the latest Christian music, software, or even devotionals. These are very helpful things, especially for people in rural areas where choices are limited and the internet is a bit slower.

TOP TEN ITEMS I'M NOT BUYING AT A CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE

What is not useful in a Christian bookstore? Here's a top ten for me. (You could silently to yourself add "Christian" before every one of these. More on that next time.)

1. Clothing

2. Bumper Stickers

3. Jewelry

4. Candy

5. Propaganda (Heartless, impersonal tracts. Ick.)

6. House ware (Cups, plates, etc.)

7. Ornamental, collectible figures and trinkets. (See the figurine above.)

8. Toys (Board Games and action figures, which would include the likes of Bible Monopoly --um, a contradiction anyone? -- and Bible Man.)

9. Health and Beauty (Yea, I'm serious.)

"Around the outside of each Nahara gift box is a breathtaking photograph of the world-famous Yardenit Baptismal Site, the site by the Sea of Galilee where tourists and pilgrims come to be baptized in the Jordan River. The interior of the gift box transforms into a map of Galilee, providing customers an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Holy Land. "

10. Pictures, Artwork. (OK, this ain't so bad. But man sometimes people get downright untalented with this stuff, and I have to answer for it as a Christian.)

Bookstore Gallery

Easy targets. Thats what I call these pictures. I could comment on these--well, OK--so I will. Yeah, thats you Jesus. Right there! Gotcha! (Wink!) He reminds me of a used car salesman. Is this plastic Jesus a smaller representation of a larger problem? I believe so.

Here's your everyday Jesus action figure. Capitalism at work in our Christian lives. Has Jesus become irrelevant?

Ah, here we are. This is an innocent little cross, right? I cringe at objects like this. Its clean. Its smooth. It is a false representation of the Christian life and of Christ's sacrifice--and someone's making money on it. This is an example of the sanitizing of the cross. What kind of perception does this object project? Is it more for your kid, or for you to think about your kid? Will life be peachy if he or she's a "good Christian kid"? Jesus said to measure the cost before you follow the Rabbi for the road is a rough one. Life is tough but God is good.

And here's one of my favorites: Kirk Cameron starring in "Left Behind." This just fuels the xenophobic Christian's desire to throw out the outside influences in this world and go pure Christian media to protect themselves and their children. (Not to mention the bad exegesis by writer Tim LaHaye with this series.)

How many Christian bookstores don't carry Testamints?  (Not many. It is a national Christian bookstore staple.) Am I really supposed to give my friends a Testamint without feeling like a total dweeb?

The above images really are painful for me as a Jesus follower living in today's world. I mean it is funny, but also tragic. The majority of conservative Christian culture we have come to know or have grown up with have been marginalized by the rest of the world, and I must say for good reason. Now I'd like to quickly point out that I hate making generalist statements, but just like with every slice of life, there is culture and subculture. There are churches and movements out there that are going against the negatively perceived mentality about the Church, and relating Jesus in an authentic way. There is a reason we need to move from the modernistic (Christendom) way of living and thinking, and move towards authentic and relevant church/living/thinking.

Where Christianity meets religion, and where religion meets the world

If I may define a few words and phrases: Christendom and post modernism

Christendom, or "dominion of the church" to briefly summarize a very complex idea and context, is the world view and reality of much of the world since Emperor Constantine divined Christianity as the new public/common religion of Rome in the 5th century. This term is closely associated with the notion of theocracy, a God-centered government, or more recently defined as just the social landscape. Christendom had essentially come to an end by the 1960s, and had reached a deafening halt around the late 80s and early 90s. The dominion of the church wasn't and still isn't in most cases a good thing. Of course this depends on your social perspective.

We live in a postmodern age. You may have modernist tendencies, but the truth is, modernity is all but gone. The 50's, the golden age is gone. There are few places in America where the effects post modernity have not had some influence. (Which would have to be a place without TV and the Internet.) Are you aware that you live in a post-modern world, where there is no accepted truth--no universal accepted truth? Are you aware that Pop-culture, (i.e. American Idol, Mass media outlets, etc.) to a growing number of people and generations is more authoritative and influential than what the bible says, than common time-tested values that their parents reinforce, what they are being taught in the classroom, even more authoritative than what documented history tells us?

If you are aware of this shift in thought and perception, which you now are through reading these lines, you are an aware postmodern. It is not a bad thing, its not anti-Christian as I will point out--it is just a shift in how we have adapted to different historical events and technology such as the freedom of speech, human rights, the information age, the Internet, etc. To further express the idea of post modernism vs. modernism, think of how opinion columns and editorials are just as or even more important to people as the actual news events in papers, magazines, and TV. 

Back to Christendom. The 5th century and Constantine's politicizing of Christianity reflects the neutering of the heart of the gospel by the Roman empire as the "national" religion causing the first political Christian influence; Its legacy is still seen today by the likes of figures such as Pat Buchanan, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, George Bush--the list goes on. Not that politics and Christianity is purely a bad thing, but is so dangerous when using Christian influence on such a magnified scale to effect and validate non-Christian power and authority, and money. Lets not forget the likes of the Spanish inquisition, the "Christian" crusades led by the "church," and the "Christian nations," and let us not forget the thousands of years the self-authoritative Catholic church kept the common man from the words of the bible by speaking it only in Latin when the printing press wasn't yet in existence and by proxy, keeping the power in the hands of those who wished to keep it: church leaders.

Was this dominion of the church ever good, or predominantly bad? I think good in a few ways, but for the most part very bad. There were the social and moral standards that were raised all over the world the influence of the church had over the social norms and unspoken values it had in society. As I mentioned, wars were fought over the politicizing of the church. Positive influence was often a guise for real power and gain. I could see how Karl Marx believed religion was an opium for the masses - way to control people's behavior.

Now in the year 2007, the idea of the gospel and God's values being the REAL truth or over-arching world view for the majority of Americans is unfortunately not getting traction anymore. Of course, spiritualism and mysticism are popular as most Americans proclaim that there is a higher power, but less than half actually attend a church or can define specifically the Christian God or Jesus as authoritative in their lives, and even those percentages are superficial. In light of these figures, I know probably most of the Christians I know would despair and think, "how low has our nation sunk? We were once a great Christian nation with Christian values. It is time that we renew the faith we had as a nation!

Is it really about striving to being a Christian nation as a whole, or being the church (a shameless plug) where we are as individuals and with our Jesus-following local communities. The idea that our countenance as American Christians in the 21st century is tied to past nationalistic faith is outdated and really not biblical. The Old Testament people of God were closely tied to the people of Israel. The New Testament church are a people of every nation, color, and ethnicity. We, the church, are a spiritual nation and not a physical nation like Israel.

Expert sociologist and author George Barna recently posted that over 100 million Americans are unchurched. ( That may surprise some of us as having been historically speaking a "Christian nation" (whatever that really means), but the numbers don't lie: In 1994, for instance the number of unchurched leveled around 39 Million, and as recently as 2004 was estimated at 75 million. Thats 3.5 Million people on average a year for the 10 year period between '94-'04; From 2004-2007, over 3 years, has jumped 25 million--averaging over 8 million a year. The trend is not changing.

So What Age Are We In?

Postchristian

It sounds so discouraging, and so anti-God. "Let's go stand up for what we believe in!" "Let's go rage against the machine!" "Stand up for the Ten Commandments! Don't let them take that away, too!" Wrong.

This speak is very much modernist/Christendom thinking. It is out-dated. It used to be a battle of science: you give me your facts and I'll present mine. Whoever has the best argument wins. Well, that way of thinking is not effective to be honest. If you are out to find something "Christian" to fight for, maybe it should be for your neighbor who doesn't know Jesus. Instead of politicizing your faith--instead of boycotting for Jesus and perpetuating the notion that Christianity is no more than a facade and a politician's voucher into office, the power of a postmodern Christian testimony is king. That's right, its not so much about (as it used to be) facts and figures, measurements, height-width-depth as it is personal experience. I am not diminishing the objective nature of God's supremacy. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-encompassing, but how can man know that for sure? Instead of an attitude of, "everyone is a Christian, you're an outsider if you don't believe," black and white--we live in a world where Christianity is no longer accepted as THE truth. It is merely another option in a sea of choice.

I remember in High School, I would often try to live my life in an acceptable way to God, and try to project that holiness to my classmates. There was no realness factor to my Christianity, though. Church to me stressed the importance to separate yourself from "the sinners", the nonbelievers for fear of pulling you down. So, I lived by that standard, not realizing by creating a holy bubble I was making the Great Commission an irrelevant joke. I wasn't holy. I was a sinner. So was everyone else. I was just an "informed sinner."

I believe Christianity is the main theme in our reality; Its a truth that is the only truth. The rest of the world doesn't get that or doesn't want to get it. If we are more aware of what popular trends in thinking are, we will be more equipped as Christians to make a difference in the lives of those who need God. Think of how you can make traction with those you come into contact with that really don't get Christianity, who may not think like you do.

A Word about Virginia Tech

All week I have been thinking, pondering, contemplating, and praying about how I should respond to the dreadful evil events that unfolded on Monday morning at Virginia Tech University. Like you, I have probably asked many of the same questions: Why? Did God allow this? If so, why would He? How does this fit with a biblical worldview of a Sovereign God? These are all good questions. And we ask them because they are desperately needed by our human minds in order to try to piece together some sort of rationale for what took place. But in the end we will undoubtedly be left with the conclusion that these kinds of acts are purely irrational. There are no “reasonable” explanations. And the conversations and various responses we hear and see all around us are very revealing of the worldviews we hold. Your response to tragedies like these reveals your worldview, and your view of God.

Perhaps the oldest and most asked question of Christian theology is “Where was God during this tragedy? How could God allow evil like this to happen?” It always comes up at times like these. And it always has come up throughout history whenever evil, tragic events rock our world. In fact these questions go all the way back to the Bible. The questions are asked all throughout the book of Job. And they are asked throughout the gospels in conversations Jesus had with his disciples. It is an age-old question. It is the question of evil. And it always rears its head whenever evil manifests itself in such a dramatically horrifying manner such as at Virginia Tech.

As with any evil that manifests itself in our culture, the terrifying evil of the killings at Virginia Tech bring us face to face with the reality of all human evil. Biblical Christianity does not duck the question of the problem of evil. Christianity faces this challenge honestly, and acknowledges the horror of moral evil and its consequences. The Bible never shies away from assigning responsibility for moral evil. Human beings are capable of committing horrible acts of violence, wickedness, cruelty, and killing.

Here is a paraphrased summary of Dr. Albert Mohler’s On Faith article in the Washington Post from this week that I thought was very insightful and on the mark:

The Bible locates the problem of moral evil, and points directly to the human heart. As the prophet Jeremiah reflected: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). In taking moral evil seriously, the Bible affirms that we (human beings) are responsible creatures. Our Creator will hold us fully accountable for our actions. All are sinners. Some sinners embrace evil more explicitly than others—leading to horrors such as these killings on a university campus.

As author C. S. Lewis so powerfully reminds us, we must trust that God's perfect justice will destroy evil and reset the moral equilibrium of the universe.

A central principle of the Christian faith is the claim that, on the cross, Jesus Christ willingly suffered the full force of evil, even unto death—and that in raising Christ from the dead, the Father vindicated Christ's victory over sin, death, and evil.

The Virginia Tech horror reminds us all what human beings can do to each other. The cross of Christ reminds us of what Jesus did for sinners in bearing the full punishment for this evil.

Christianity does not deny the reality of evil or try to hide from its horror. Christians dare not minimize evil nor take refuge in clichés (i.e. “God is in control”). He certainly is, but we must be willing to acknowledge how God is in control and how God has responded to human evil. Additionally, we cannot accept that evil will have the last word. The last word will be the perfect fulfillment of the grace and justice of God. We know this promise from God’s Word. And we trust in it and live by it.

In the meantime, we are witnesses to the true nature of moral failing and tragedy such as the killings at Virginia Tech. We mourn with those who mourn, and weep with those who weep.

None of us can truly know the pain and suffering of these victims and their families? Even now as I pray for those who grieve and suffer, I place my confidence in the assurance that God will bring all things to the perfect conclusion of his judgment. Without this confidence, how could I make sense of what certainly appears to be senseless evil and violence?

Does this still not answer your question of how can I believe in a God who would allow something like this? What answer will satisfy that question? One thing I know for sure, and I will stand by this regardless of what evil I see in the world or even experience personally. And that one thing is: God is GOOD. He is so good that it’s not as if he measures up to some external standard of goodness—He actually determines what goodness is just by being who He is. God is love. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. And you may even hear some Christians try to wiggle out of this question by suggesting that God is not omnipotent—meaning, God did not have any control over this circumstance. He is omnipotent. He is in control of all things. God is the creator and He is ultimately responsible for all things, either by making it happen, ordaining it to happen, or allowing it to happen. He is omnipotent and sovereign.

So if He is truly omnipotent, then how can He be good? It would seem, in our minds that a truly good God who was also omnipotent would never allow something like this to happen. I will again say what I said above. The Bible hits every single one of these issues head-on. On every issue that deals with this problem of evil, the Bible never flinches. It tells us that God is omnipotent and in control of His creation. It tells us that God is good and in Him there is no evil at all. And it tells us that we (his creatures) are responsible and will be held accountable for the evil we do.

There is such a clash of worldviews out there, and you have undoubtedly seen, read, or heard them. For instance, the Christian scientists say that there is no evil at all. There is no sickness. It is all just an illusion. Well, those students and families in Blacksburg, VA know all too well that evil is not an illusion. I remember hearing one preacher address the question, why do bad things happen to good people by saying this: “Look, God is good, but He is not in control of all these evil events (translation: God is not omnipotent). He is doing the best He can under the circumstances. He tries his best to make good come out of the evil we choose to do, but it is not always possible. In that case He is always ready with ‘plan B’ whenever ‘plan A’ fails.” Open theists offer similar answers: “God is ultimately resourceful; He’s just not completely sovereign.” In other words, we cannot blame God for this because God could not have prevented it.

All of these are efforts to keep people from blaming God for evil events. For many, the only way to make sense of the answer that God is not to be blamed is to suggest that God could not have done anything about it. For if He could have controlled it, then He would be to blame. And if He is to blame, then He is not good.

The problem with all of this rationale is that it is completely antithetical to the Bible. The Bible says He is in control. The Bible says He is good. There is no “Plan B.” The Lamb—who was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8)—is, was, will be, and always has been “Plan A” for the problem of evil. God is not shocked or surprised by the events of this world. God is not stunned or taken aback by our actions. And God’s plan is not thwarted by evil. God’s will has never been thwarted by man’s evil. The story of Joseph teaches us that clearly. God did not just use the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers, the Bible says that God “meant” for Joseph to be sold for “good” reasons according to God’s redemption plan (Genesis 50:20).

So, God ordains and/or allows all that comes to pass. Within that omnipotent sovereignty you will find man doing evil. The distinction that we must make in our understanding of biblical theology is that God did not ordain the evil but “allows” it because it is going to bring about the good will of God. This is consistent throughout the full counsel of God’s Word.

For example, Judas was not forced by God to betray Jesus. But God allowed Judas to act like Judas (an evil sinner) because God’s will of the cross would be thus fulfilled. In order for Judas to act like Judas all God had to do was cease from restraining the evil in Judas’ heart. Thus, God did not create the evil, Judas did.

As you can probably see by now, I for one believe that God is not a casual observer in His own universe. He does not sit idly by with His hands tied and watch the events of His creation unfold, wishing He could do something about it but either not having the ability to or restraining Himself from interfering. That is not the God that is described in the Bible. He is the Lord of all that He has created.

But, He has done something very interesting with human beings. He created us as moral creatures. If you go back to the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis, you will see that God created Adam and Eve as moral creatures, in His image. What it means to be created in God’s image is to be creatures who have moral capacity—to do good and to do evil; to obey and to disobey. The whole story of the fall of humanity had to do with this very issue of evil: they did evil rather than good. They disobeyed rather than obeyed, and it came with consequences. One of the consequences of their sin (Adam and Eve) is that for all of us in the human world, sin is a very real threat, evil is an all too real reality. And the fact of the matter is that we do not have to look very far to find horrific acts of this evil.

Just looking at the many photos and video captures of the faces on the campus of Virginia Tech University tells us that human beings know all too well the face of moral evil. The biblical Christian response to this, as well as to any tragedy, is to affirm that God is sovereign and Lord over all; that God is good, absolutely righteous. And that God has made us as moral creatures, capable of doing great good and great evil. And the sad story of human sinfulness is that we so often choose the evil rather than the good. The Bible doesn’t say that some people are sinners, but that all are sinners. But there are some sinners who give themselves unreservedly with abandon to their sin, and that is the only explanation for what took place on Monday morning in Virginia.

And the only HOPE to find in what took place is that God, who is ultimately good and sovereign, is working together in this evil—as well as in all the evil we experience—for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.

Whenever something like this happens in our world it tends to put Christians on the stage with onlookers saying, “Okay, how will you respond?” It certainly puts us on the spot. And so my word to you is this. Respond with truth. Respond with grace. Respond with the compassion of Jesus Christ. Respond ultimately with the Gospel. And most of all I would exhort you with this: to respond with a theology that is honoring to God rather than with one that simply makes us feel better. Do not be quick to rationalize in order to make sense of evil. Hold fast to the timeless truth of God’s Word. To me, the theology of a sovereign, holy, omnipotent, loving and good God is the most comforting thing there is. To know that we have a Lord of lords and a King of kings, whose supremacy reigns over all people, all events, and all circumstances; that is what helps me rest and have joy even in times of tragedy. Because I trust Him; even when it is difficult to accept the events and the results of the evil in the world. I trust Him.

Even if just a little, I hope you feel more equipped to converse with your friends and co-workers on this. Do not overlook the incredible opportunity you may have to be a witness to the truth of the Gospel as a result of this event.

May God bless you this week, church.

A New EP on the Horizon

The men's Fight Club meetings have been incredibly fruitful.  We have been using The Song of Solomon as our text and it has really blown much of my thinking wide open.  I have always loved Solomon's song but I have never quite looked at it so in depth before.  The beauty of this biblical text makes my heart yearn and ache every single time I read it.  Well, recently I was looking over the text and I just so happened to have a guitar in my hands.  I started strumming out a chord progression and suddenly I found myself singing one of the lines I was reading.  It was in that moment that something was sparked in me.  How many biblically based "love songs" exist for husbands and wives?  I couldn't really think of any off the top of my head.  Yet here in front of me was one of the most beautiful texts I have ever read in the form of The Song of Solomon and I found myself saying, "I want to write words like this to my wife.  I want to sing songs to my wife that are like this."  Thus began a songwriting project that has been going on for about the last 3 weeks.  My aim was to, more or less, capture the Song of Solomon into a series of songs that were based straight from the text.  In some cases I'm merely quoting the lines directly from the text but I'm also doing a little cutting and splicing to help make the phrases fit.  I'm using the ESV and The Message as my two primary translations.  I'm trying to be very careful to use only the language that Solomon used.  I want to represent this letter as literally as possible but also as fluently as possible.  Sometimes literalness doesn't always translate well to songs so in some cases I've had to shorten several words into one or try to condense a really solid thought into a line that would fit the music yet retain the impact of the meaning of the text.  You'll also notice that in some lines I've changed the gender around.  I feel like God has been gracious in guiding me through this process.  I had started three songs but finished none of them.  Tonight I think I finally finished one and it's really spurning me forward to hammer out the other two that I've begun.   

I don't have anything recorded yet but I wanted to share some lyrics with you.  If you read these lyrics carefully you'll notice that many of these lines come directly from the text.   I hope that what you see here represents the truth of Solomon's words.  I hope they inspire you to pick up your Bible and begin reading.  But above all I pray that these words bring glory to God who designed love, marriage, and sexuality.  The song below is called "Open to Me" which is a line from Song of Solomon 5:2.

Open to Me
I slept, but my heart was awake
A sound, my beloved's at my door
Says open to me my love
Open to me my perfect one...arise

My soul failed when she spoke
I sought but found her not
I called but no answer she gave
My love, where are you now
My love, where have you gone

Until the day breathes and the shadows flee
I will search for you
You are altogether beautiful my love
There's no flaw in you my bride
No flaw in you...open to me....

When I'd found you
Fast I held, never letting go
Then you looked up at me
I was lost...falling into you
Body and soul you are paradise

Until the day breathes and the shadows flee
I will search for you
You are altogether beautiful my love
There's no flaw in you my bride
No flaw in you...open to me....

When I get the chance I'll begin recording these.  Eventually I think I'll have about six songs on this project.  The song I've posted here will be recorded soon.  I'll post the actual song as soon as I have it completed.  If you have any question about why I'm doing this or precisely where these lines are coming from then just email at chad@bethechurch.com

take care

Commentary: James 4:1-10

At War With the Nature of Self

“¹What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ²You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

At some point in your life, no matter who you are, you will find yourself at odds with someone or something. It is unavoidable. But what causes these things? This can be a potentially problematic question to answer intelligently. There are so many varying factors that calculate themselves into any dispute that it is often difficult to pen down the true root of it all. At least that’s what I used to believe. Then the first two verses of James 4 crashed into my life and ruined so many of my carefully thought out perceptions.

Everyone, no matter how unselfish, has a set of needs and wants. It is true that some pronounce this more than others but a theme of self-fulfillment resides within each of us. To properly understand this thought we need to first consider what our conceptions of selfishness are. When the average human being thinks about the nature of selfishness they tend to envision things like this: people who care more about themselves than others, people who insist on having material things no matter what the cost, people who do only the things that they want to do, people who want rewards but don’t want to work for them, people who are unappreciative, people who show no respect to others, etc. But what about something like anger? Is anger a sign of selfishness? This might seem like an odd question. I daresay that when we think about anger our mind doesn’t jump straight to selfish desires or thoughts. But we know, if we think about it for a moment, that anger often springs from self-centeredness. I see this all the time at school. Kids are constantly getting upset because they feel verbally attacked by other kids. One day two of my high school students (girls) were ready to fight one another so I separated them and sat both of them down individually to try and find out what the issue was. It was simple. One had said something about the other which in turn began a war of insults. I asked one girl, “Are the things that she is saying about you true?” To which she responded, “Uh…NO!” So I then asked her, “So what are you so upset about?” She had no good answer. She tried valiantly to come up with one but in the end neither girl could properly explain why they were so livid at the other. Yet if we look at James’ words in verse 1 it should become quickly apparent what was wrong with both of them. Their passions were at war within them. They were selfishly consumed, to the point of intense rage, by the thought that some else was slandering them. So, in an odd tactic of retaliation, the one being attacked immediately picked up a banner of slanderous retaliation. They both became guilty of slander and thereby became guilty of the same crime. They were both impassioned with indignance so they raged within and then turned that rage into an ugly, outward display of hatred. 

Self-indulgence takes the form of many things and they are not always what we might consider the most obvious forms. James’ examples are very straightforward and easy to understand illustrations of how people’s passions war within them. Everything from murder to covetousness can be viewed as an outward expression of how one’s passions war within them. Yet James is not content to stop with these illustrations. He continues by further revealing how the corrosiveness of self truly causes us to fail in our worship and honoring of God. 

The Adulterousness Within Us All

“You do not have, because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴You adulterous people!”

There is a gospel of prosperity being taught in the world that says, “If you just have faith and ask in faith, you will receive whatever you ask for.” Really!? I’d love to have a brand new baritone saxophone. The one that I want is $9,000.00 bucks. So according to the prosperity gospel if I just have enough faith I’ll get that baritone saxophone. Does the logic of “ask in faith and receive in faith” hold up under what James says in verse 3? Look at verse 3 again before you read on. I find it interesting that James says that we can actually ask “wrongly” for things. How is it that we ask wrongly? If we ask for things only to spend them on our own passions and not for the glory of God then we are guilty of being adulterous people against God. People want things all the time. They even ask God to help them in obtaining many of these wants. Yet the great contradiction is that often time’s people “want” only for the sake of self-fulfillment. This is adultery against God and is, of course, sinful. But you might be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute…didn’t James, in chapter 1, say, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given him. But, let him ask in faith with no doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double minded man and unstable in all his ways.’” Some might see this scripture as proof that if you simply ask in faith you shall receive. But you must also temper that with what James says in chapter 4. 

The question that anyone should be thinking when they are wondering about asking and receiving in faith is this: In what spirit do you wish to receive it? Do you wish to receive it for your personal glory or the glory of God? You can say that you want to receive it so that you can use it to glorify God but God will always know your underlying intentions. No “clever” front of man will ever hoodwink God so don’t think that just because deception may claim the better judgment of some that it will ultimately outwit the perception of the Creator. In light of such knowledge we must search our hearts with a naked honesty so that we would truly seek to be guided by God and not self-motivated precepts. 

Enemies of God

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit He has made to dwell in us’? ⁶But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

Are there truly ways in which we can become enemies of God? James is pretty clear about this in his conclusion of verse 4. “…whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” So if we choose to be a friend of the world we knowingly make ourselves enemies of God. At this point it becomes critical to define and explicitly understand what it means to be a friend of the world. This is really a pretty simple thing to define. Here’s a thought to consider that may help you define what it means to avoid being an enemy of God: Do not love what the world loves. Instead love only what God loves. For example, the world values social status and position. The world loves more wealth than could ever be needed for one person or even a small group of people. The world says certain things are tolerable in certain situations. The world is very flexible. The world says you should be whoever you want to be. The world says that YOU are important above all other things. The world wants to tell you how you can make YOU better. The world wants to inflate your sense of self. If all that were true how could you ever hope to submit yourself to anything when the world has you at its pinnacle. If you want to be an enemy of God then buy right into that philosophy of the world. It will get you nowhere but you’re bound to have a lot of fun along the way. People entertain themselves into hell on a daily basis using this philosophy. Some of them are probably even people who are convinced that they are Christians. 

God does value those that He has chosen to be conformed to the image of His son. James is very clear about this. He makes this clear in the form of a plea of sorts by saying, “Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit He has made to dwell in us.’ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” God made the spirit that dwells within those whom He has chosen for adoption as sons of glory. He yearns over that spirit. He has given grace in that spirit and that grace has come through Christ. It never ceases to amaze me that even though humans as a collective civilization are very insignificant in the grand design of the universe, God still prizes and cherishes those whom He has called his own. He has known them throughout time. He has known them before their existence. He has written us into his story. Why? I’m not sure but He has. All of our joy should begin with the fact that God is a sovereign, reining, risen, unrivaled, and uncontested king. He is majesty and glory forever and ever and ever and ever.

Grace to the Humble // Opposition to the Proud

I want to take a brief moment to discuss the closing statement of verse 6. As a reminder it says this, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James is making reference to Proverbs 3:34 which says, “To the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.” We must wrench from our minds the portrait that God has disdain for nothing. It’s not true. God does oppose things and He also opposes people. If you need further proof of that read some of the verses surrounding Proverbs 3:34. How about the verse before it which reads, “The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.” How about this statement in verse 32, “For the devious person is an ABOMINATION to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.” Read those verses and then tell me that God is not a distinguishing God. Eyeball those words and then say with unshakable confidence that God embraces all. God does oppose those whom do not love Him. Proverbs even tells us what such people receive, “The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace (3:35).”

Do not think that it is impossible for you to ever be an enemy of God’s purpose. It is very possible and the consequences are toweringly terrible. Therefore we must do something. The answer is simple yet complicated. In verses 7 and 8 of chapter 4 James makes the most crucial statement in the entirety of his letter. Everything up to this point has been a crescendo up to this one statement.

Submission

^“7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

Take a moment and briefly define the word “submit” to yourself. If you came up with something like, “The act of yielding yourself to the power and authority of another,” then you did well. The act of submitting to anything means that you are letting go of all your thought and regard for own sense of control or power. This is far from an easy thing to do. This is acutely true when it comes to submitting to the sovereignty of God. To resist the devil is to resist the world and all the schemes that the enemy has laid in it. A vast amount of people in the world have so many vested interests in the world that it is difficult for them to relinquish their illusions of personal control and authority. Even many self-proclaimed Christians have trouble doing this. It’s easy to see why. When you weigh the temptations of the world against the authority of God one of two things happen. 

One: You see that the world meets your wants, or at least such potential exists, and in the world there is very little expectation of you so you’re open to travel the minutes in whatever pedestrian fashion you choose. This sense of autonomy is very appealing to many people. They’re not really bound to anything except that which they choose to be. So they go seeking the fulfillment of self and have many indulgences that bring temporary relief into their life. They fill up the tanks of their time with things that will soon be depleted and usually, only when it has been far too long, they end up wondering why it is that they feel so unfulfilled. Yet all they’ve ever known is the pursuit of self. Some will continue that pursuit until they shed their mortal coil. Others begin to realize that something is wrong with their meticulously painted self-portrait. They may put their finger on it and they may not. Does this sound like a tragically sad existence to anyone else? 

Two: The authority of God is vividly on display in the Bible. What he demands from us is made more than plain. When people begin to see this and embrace it a glorious change begins to occur. God opens the eyes of those whom He has predestined for adoption as sons and daughters in Christ. Such people will see and do what the word says. They will pursue the ways of righteousness and have no desire to sin against God. This doesn’t mean that they will never again sin, nor does it mean that the desires of the world will not bombard their better judgment. But for those whom God has awakened from sleep, they will always desire to do the will of God. They will repent when they fail. They will be in constant submission to God. They will be in a constant state of growing into maturity. They will be an evident voice for God and all glory will be sought not for self but for God. 

When James says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God,” he means that in light of all that he has said, submit yourself to God. In other words, rejoice in suffering for you know that these trials test your faith and produce steadfastness in you. Do not solely hear the word. Be doers of the word. If you don’t you will be deceiving yourself. Avoid anger for it is unrighteous. Put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness. It will only deteriorate you and make you fail in your worship of God. Visit orphans and widows. Keep yourself unstained from the world. Do not show partiality as you hold the faith in Jesus. If you show partiality you have become a judge with evil thoughts and you also show yourself to be a transgressor against God’s law. Works will be produced out of faith. Those who truly have faith will have the display of doing God’s word all over their lives. If your life is lacking of the works that God has called you to do then your faith is dead. Realize that your tongue is a fire and a poison. Choke the wickedness from it and let only the word of God roll off of it. Though you cannot fully tame the tongue ask for God to help you discipline it. Let the wisdom that comes from above reign in your entire being. This wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. Do not quarrel against one another. Control your passions, which are at war within you. Do not ask for currency from God to spend on your own passions. This is adultery against your creator. In light of all these things, submit yourself to God. 

The last paragraph was my attempt at summarizing all that James has said thus far. Consider those words with great care. James gives us such a clear portrait of what it means to be in submission to God. If you read over that list of things and find yourself saying, “Yeah…I genuinely feel like I do all of that,” then you are doing well. But if find yourself saying, “I do none of these things,” then there is something that you should do. This next bit of advice comes from James himself.

The Face of Humbleness

“Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. ⁹Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

The first time I ever read these passages I didn’t think twice about them. It wasn’t until I began memorizing this letter that I began to truly consider what James was meaning. The language in verse 9 was, I admit, somewhat troubling to me. When I think of the word wretched I think of an ugly old lady from the cover of a book of ghost stories that I used to have when I was a kid. This ugly old lady had a yellow tint to her eyes. Her teeth were haggard, discolored. Her nose was big and bulbous. To make matters worse her nose was crowned on its end with a big hairy mole. She had this wicked grin on her face that said, “Come to me children so I can put you in the oven.” It still gives me a slight full body trimmer just thinking about it nearly 20 years later. So needless to say I think about a very terrible look when I think about the word wretched. However, this isn’t really an accurate depiction of the word at all. A wretched person is one who is actually characterized with great misery or sorrow. I’ve seen gut wrenching mourning. I remember being 17 years old, sitting across from a woman who had just been told that her son was going to die. I don’t ever want to hear again the noise that came from his mother as long as I live. It was the kind of noise that immediately brings sorrow into the whole body. The kind of sound that depletes you and renders you barely able to move. Great tragedy is what comes to mind when I think of the word mourning. With mourning often comes weeping. The combination of these three things (wretchedness, mourning, and weeping) would make for the most miserable person that I’ve ever witnessed. Yet this is how James advises sinners to cleanse their hands, and the double minded to purify their hearts. This got me to ask myself a question. To what depth and breadth does the nature of my own sinfulness affect me? 

When you sin, what is your immediate reaction? Is it one of repentance or is it one of water off a ducks back? I have to admit that I never had a moment in my life where I was truly in a state of wretchedness, mourning and weeping over the sins that I had committed. I had never tried to purify my heart in this way. Then one day I blatantly sinned. I lied to someone and I did it with premeditation. I carefully constructed the lie in my mind before I delivered it. I did this because I knew that the truth would corner me into a place of guilt. So to avoid this I made up a lie to help everyone in the situation feel better. When I delivered the lie I used my few years of experience in theater to help me deliver a winning performance. It all worked like a charm. The lie was promptly bought. I felt a moment of inner relaxation because the tension was past. Nobody was in trouble. Everybody understood the fictional situation that I had created and no one was the wiser. For about three hours I continued to feel good but then it fell on me like a mountain…the reality of what I had done began to set in. I had sinned and felt fine with it. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! When I replayed the incident in my mind I found myself saying, “Somebody tackle me. Don’t I see what I’m doing?” In that moment I just broke down. I literally began to weep. I didn’t even know how to open my mouth to God. I knowingly sinned against him. I mourned and became wretched over what had happened. It was one of the first times in my life that I had felt humbled before God in this particular way. It was a powerful moment for me and I have not yet, nor will I ever, forget it. I think about it every time the urge to sin pops into my mind and it halts me. I’m not saying that I’ve found a one-time cure for sinfulness for myself. But what I am saying is in that one moment I finally understood what it meant to really cleanse my hands and purify my heart. I finally understood what James meant by being wretched, mourning, and weeping. 

We must abhor sinfulness in our lives. We must identify and smother the life out of it. We must humble ourselves before God in the ways that the Bible calls us to do so. We must bear the weight of what it means to submit to God and then do it. If you are out there reading this and you realize that you’re stuck to a sense of self-autonomy and control then simply let it go and submit yourself therefore to God.

In the next section of this commentary we will be examining the aftermath of James’ vertex here in chapter 4. We will begin to see how he winds down his brilliant letter and we will be further challenged by the ever-unflinching words of this strong and steadfast servant of God. 

"Good Friday" - What Makes It Better Than Other Fridays?

Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! That is why we must look at the crucifixion with eyes to see a dimension deeper than the surface. On the surface it looks merely like a brutal beating and a cruel, undeserving death. But as believers, we know why the events of this day are called GOOD. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

This morning I was talking to my son Brock about Good Friday, explaining what it means to us. He asked me, "So, where would Jesus be around this time of the day when he died?" It was 9:00am, and so I replied, "He would be hanging on the cross, with people gathered around looking up at him, some yelling insults, some spitting in his direction and mocking him. But his mom and his closest friend were right there watching. Can you imagine watching someone you love very much die like that?" Hardly seems "good" doesn't it.

In contrast to all of the GOOD that has come as a result of Christ’s obedient and selfless death on the cross, this Friday was certainly the darkest day the world has ever seen. And while our hearts are heavy because Jesus had to die this day this way, (as a victim of capital punishment, abandoned by his friends, betrayed, mocked, etc., all of which stands to remind us of our fickle faith), we are full of awe of the love that God has for us. And we approach Good Friday with thankful hearts because we know that THE DEATH WE COMMEMORATE THIS DAY ENDED IN RESURRECTION.

I look forward to celebrating this event with you at this Sunday’s Oasis gathering.

5 Days Before Passover

Christ and his disciples woke from a night a great fellowship with Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  From Bethany Christ began the 2 mile journey towards Jerusalem.  Before arriving in Jerusalem Christ and his disciples stopped in Bethphage on the Mount of Olives.  Jesus sent ahead two disciples with these words, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once."  The disciples did as Christ said and all happened as Christ said it would.  Then, when the disciples had returned with the donkey and colt, Christ sat on them and began his ride into Jerusalem.  There was a frenzy outside the city as Christ approached.  Many people spread out their cloaks on the road before him while others cut branches from trees and laid them on the road in front of Christ.  They celebrated with loud voices saying, "Hosanna to the son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!"  The disciples were shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  Some of the Pharisees who were in the crowd were repulsed by the words of the disciples and shouted to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."  But over the noise of the crowd Jesus said to them plainly, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."  Commotion ran wild throughout Jerusalem as many in the crowd asked, "Who is this?"  People were responding with immense enthusiasm saying, "THIS IS THE PROPHET JESUS, FROM NAZARETH OF GALILEE!!!" 

Yet in even in all this Jesus lamented for Jerusalem as he was preparing to enter.  Jesus knew what was to become of this glorious city.  He knew how it would fall and how those in it would be crushed under the feet of their enemies.  Yet Christ was also bringing a different kind of victory into this once great and mighty city.

Christ pressed forward into the temple only to meet an appalling sight.  The temple was filled with all manner of unrighteousness.  So Christ tore through the temple overturning the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling animals while he shouted, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers."  A great shudder went through those in the temple.  Jesus began to teach and heal.  The Pharisees were dumbstruck in many ways and were uncertain of what to do with this peasant king from Galilee.  In one day Jesus had managed to turn Jerusalem inside out.  There was a buzz in the city about this king.  Some were saying and asking, "Could this man be the messiah?"  Christ had entered Jerusalem in triumph like the great kings of old.  Great things were being done by Christ.  For many, they felt as though a great hour of redemption had arrived.  Many believed that Christ would overthrow the Roman occupation in the city.  Many believed that Christ would restore Jerusalem to its former glory as it was in the days of David and Solomon.  So many different kinds of rumor and conjecture were in the minds of both those who believed and those who were yet skeptical. 

What a day it had been for Christ.  As he left Jerusalem there must have been a sense of grandeur in those following him.  It must have really seemed like things were about to change in unimaginable ways.  No one knew what new change the next day might usher in.  All, that is, except one.   Things were indeed about to change but as is often the case, the way that God defines great change and the way that we define great change are often vastly different.  What lay ahead for Christ in the next 48 hours was something that many, judging from the events of this day, would never have guessed.  Who could have predicted that the man who was called king one day would soon be called a villain in the next.  I'm sure these things all weighed on the mind of Christ as he made his way back to Bethany that night.  But we have no account to tell us what Christ shared with his disciples that night.  Perhaps he told them little.  Perhaps he merely enjoyed another night of celebration and fellowship with them knowing that dark and difficult times lay ahead.  No one can say fore sure. 

6 Days Before Passover

This post will begin a daily chronicle of the last days of Jesus as told through the Bible.  We will consider where Jesus was in these final days, who he was with, and how he spent his time.  We will talk about what he taught, what he suffered, and what he triumphed.  We begin six days before  the most glorious event in the history of grace. 

The Jewish holiday of Passover was quickly approaching and Jesus traveled to the town of Bethany on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives.  Jerusalem lay less than two miles away.  Jesus had been to Bethany before.  It was here where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  So Jesus went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  Jesus was received with love in their home.  Martha served dinner.  Lazarus reclined in fellowship with Christ.  Mary, for reasons not clearly known, lavished affection on Jesus.  She took a pound of expensive ointment that had been made from pure nard, an aromatic Himalayan plant, and rubbed it on the feet of Jesus.  I imagine that there may have been a stillness in the room as she did this.  It may not have been clear to those present why she was doing this.  Yet still, the wonderful fragrance of the ointment filled up every corner of the room, intoxicating the senses of most within its reach.   Then Mary, with great tenderness, wiped the feet of He who was from the beginning.  What a scene was here. 

But then, the voice of cynicism.  Judas Iscariot scoffed at this gesture from Mary saying, "Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?"  Yet he said this not from compassion or love of the poor but rather because his heart was twisted with the sickness of greed.  Jesus responded in both a firm and curious way, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.  The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."  Judas said no more and the night carried on. 

Not long after this a crowd began to gather outside the home of Lazarus.  Many had come because they had heard that Jesus, who gaining great renown, was staying at the home of Lazarus.  Many also came to see Lazarus.  The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead had not gone unnoticed.  In fact, many Jews were believing in Christ because of the miracle that had been performed through Lazarus.  Naturally people wanted to see Christ and the one that he had raised.  While excitement filled the air, something sinister was also brewing in its undercurrent.  That night the chief priests hatched a plot to kill Lazarus.  They must have felt that they had to do everything in their power to stop people from following this miserable peasant from Galilee.  Not only would they try to get to Jesus, they would also try to get to those who were spreading his message.  This is merely foreshadowing of what was yet to come.  Many of those gathered to see Jesus and Lazarus had no idea what was coming next.  Only Christ truly knew what was about to happen.  He knew that tomorrow would not just be another day.  He knew that in tomorrow lay Jerusalem...and in that, the start of something tragic and triumphant.