Jump Start # 2569

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

The other day I watched a documentary about President James Garfield. The show was about his assassination, and the horrific attempts to find the bullet lodged inside of him. The wounded president lingered for months before dying of infection. Many accusations were made toward the lead doctor and some of his practices. The show highlighted the life of Garfield, the poor boy who grew up to become President. Several from the Garfield historical society spoke about his kindness, especially towards the poor and the slaves. He was not part of the massive political machinery that was run by rich businessmen and politicians. He was different.

What the show never mentioned, not once, was that Garfield was a preacher. He was connected to the American Restoration Movement and was a preacher among the churches of Christ and Christian churches in the mid 1800’s. I have preached at a little place called Wolf Creek, where Garfield is reported to have preached and stayed.

As I was watching this show, I was thinking of our verse today. Paul changed. He was no longer the person he used to be. “…and the life which I now live” is so telling. The life which he now lived was shaped by Jesus. And, when one is shaped by Jesus, he will naturally be kinder, more thoughtful, and more of a servant. The program about Garfield stated that he was a gifted speaker and hundreds would come and hear him, but the impression was that he was giving political speeches. Nothing, even by the Garfield scholars, was said about his preaching, his faith and “the life that I now live.” I don’t know if they producers of the show were trying to appeal to a larger, secular audience, but they missed understanding this man. He was the way he was because of his faith, his lifelong study of God’s word and his allowing Christ to dwell within his heart.

The program about Garfield could also be said of us. Our family, our friends, our co-workers may see a difference in us, but without understanding the link to Jesus Christ, they will never fully understand why we are the way we are. We are different. It’s has nothing to do with the way we were raised, our circumstances, the experiences in our lives. It’s all about Jesus. He has changed us. He has molded us. He has made us who we are.

There are three aspects of Jesus’ life that we manifest and the world has a hard time understanding.

First, there is the grace and forgiveness factor. This is truly of Christ. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We are a people of second chances. The returning prodigal receives a celebration, not a lecture and a beating. The woman caught in adultery is given life not death. The denying Peter is allowed to continue on with the Lord. That’s our story. That’s the way we treat others. The world looks for some unique experience in our past that explains this. Some sad story. Some tragedy as a youth. But the world misses it. It’s none of those things. It’s Jesus. We forgive because Jesus does. Without the Lord, we would not be this way.

Second, there is the heart of a servant that swells within us. We see things to do and we do them. We don’t ask for anything in return. We don’t get upset if no one even thanks us. The world tries to find some oppression in our past that we overcame that makes us this way. The world misses it. It’s Jesus. He came and washed feet. He served. He wasn’t pampered. He wasn’t sheltered. He wasn’t snapping His fingers and expecting the apostles to come running. He was making life better and showing the multitudes the hope of the Gospel. That’s what we do. We take food to people who need it. We call. We visit. We serve. Without the Lord, we would not be this way.

Third, there is a deep love within us for all people. We love, because God first loved us. We want all to do well. We want all to be saved. This love compels us to serve and to extend grace and forgiveness. We love those who do not love us. We do not seek to get even. We do not dwell upon hurting others. We pray for those who oppose us. We love and pray for our enemies. Again, the world has a hard time understanding this. They look at some social injustice that changed us and left an impression upon us. They try to find the times when we were victims. But that’s not true of all of us. We’ve spent time with Jesus. The Cross is God’s greatest demonstration of His love for all of us. We are this way because of Jesus.

The program about Garfield missed it. They really didn’t understand the man. And, in the same way many do not understand us today. Jesus makes all the difference. He did to Paul. He does to us.

The life that I live…it’s a life of choice. It’s a life of Christ. It’s the best life.

Roger

Jump Start # 1809

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

It is interesting that this verse plainly states that Christ indwells within Paul. Folks have no problems with that statement. They love it, quote it and refer to it often. However, quote a passage that states the Holy Spirit dwells within the Christian, and people get all excited. They talk about the Spirit doing this and that for them. They talk about certain feelings they have when the Spirit is in them. Some would take these feelings over plain Bible verses. What’s the difference? What’s the difference between Christ dwelling in us and the Spirit dwelling in us?

A person does not lose accountability nor free will with Christ or the Spirit in them. If they did, then they would not be responsible for what they chose and they would not sin. We know, from the Scriptures that neither one of those is right. We are always responsible for our choices. And, we can sin.

Having the Spirit in you does not mean that God speaks to you like He did the apostles. That’s the common idea in most modern books today. Modern authors claim being led by the Spirit is nothing more than direct divine guidance, like God leading Israel through the wilderness. You might be guided to find a parking space. You might be guided to find a new house. You might be guided to find the love of your life. One would think with all this guidance going on, why do we even need the Bible. The impression we get from many modern writers is that God guided just about everyone in the Bible on a daily, personal basis. You’d think that, but when you actually read your Bible, you’ll find a different story. Few had God directly speaking to them. When God did speak, it wasn’t about parking spaces, buying homes or what to name their pet. It always involved His will. It involved fulfilling His promises. It involved the fulfillment of prophecy. It involved the spread of the Gospel.

Modern writers make one huge blunder which deceives the readers every time. When we read about the apostle Paul in our Bibles, we must remember that Paul wore three hats. He was a Christian. He was a preacher. He was an apostle. When I read, I must learn from the context, which hat Paul is wearing. We cannot do everything that Paul did. When he is speaking about the revelation he received from God, he is talking about his role as an apostle. We are not apostles. God does not reveal to us like He did to Paul. Lifting Paul verses out of context, without making this distinction, will lead people to believing that they can do anything and everything that Paul did. “He was a Christian, like me,” but he was more than a Christian. He was also an apostle. So, Paul saw visions. Paul had angels speak to him. Paul received revelations from God. Paul could do miracles. Paul could command churches what to do, because he had the authority of God. What Paul wrote was the Lord’s commands. You and I can’t do all those things.

It is also important to note, in our Bibles, when God spoke to someone, they always knew it was God. God never used feelings or divine nudges to express His will. People knew when God spoke. God declared Himself when He spoke. People today, misunderstanding the role of the Spirit, believe that God guides them and leads them. When questioned about how they knew it was God, it comes down to a warm feeling inside of them. Something you don’t read about in the Bible. When pressed, “How do you know those feelings are from God and not Satan,” there isn’t any substantial proof or evidence. They just know, they say. It’s feeling based. I’m all for praising God. I don’t think we do that enough in a day. But to think that God provided a parking space right in front of the store I was going to, is based upon what? My wishes? Maybe, if truth be known, God would rather me park far away and get more exercise. Maybe God wanted me to walk and pray. There is no way to know which one God wanted or even if He wanted either one. Maybe He wanted me to stay home and save my money. Feeling based religion cannot know the answers to these questions. What God wants somehow is exactly what I wanted. Very interesting how that works out in their faith and minds.

Our verse, where Paul states that Christ lives in him, is based upon faith. Our faith is built, supported and founded upon the word of God. This section of Galatians is dealing with sin. Paul is saying that he died to sin. That was his choice. He even states, “If I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.” A lot of personal pronouns in that sentence. I destroyed. I prove. I rebuild. Those are all choices. God wasn’t preventing Paul from going back. Paul’s faith is what kept him going.

Christ dwelling in Paul was a relationship. It indicates that Paul was living and choosing to do things God’s way. These were his choices. His faith, built upon the Scriptures, is what kept this relationship going. How is this any different than the Spirit dwelling in us? It’s not. It’s a relationship. It’s built and sustained by faith. The Spirit is not going to violate divine principles or teachings from the word of God. Not only is Christ and the Spirit in the Christian, but the Christian is in them. How can I be in Christ, when I’m down here and He is up there? By faith. By relationship. By choices.

We walk by faith. That faith is encompassed by the word of God. We belong to Christ. In a simplistic example, I am an American. My choices reflect that. When the anthem is played, I put my hand over my heart. When the flag enters a room, I stand. I honor the privileges of this country. I believe in this country. My life reflects that I am an American. I also am a Christian. My faith, my choices reflect that. I treasure the Bible. I love what God loves. I want to be with other Christians. I seek to please God. My life reflects that I am a Christian. I belong to Christ. He is in me and I am in Him. The same is said about the Father and the Spirit.

Ownership, is what our passage is about today. The Corinthians were told, you are not your own. You were bought with a price. That’s what it means to be a Christian. It is no longer I who live, but God lives in me.

Don’t get excited in the wrong way about the indwelling of the Spirit. Don’t be looking for things to happen that cannot happen. Don’t expect God to keep you from making wrong choices. If that’s your choice, it will happen and you will face any consequences that come with that.

Your life, by your choices, reflects God dwelling within you. The life I live, Paul says, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me. What a wonderful statement!

Roger

Jump Start # 1073

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

  This week we have been looking at some serious thoughts about congregational life. We have examined some of the internal reasons why small churches remain small. We’ve looked at the “Small church mentality.” We’ve looked at leadership problems. We’ve given thought to staleness and a lack of vision in a congregation. One final lesson. One more thing needs to be said. Of all the things we mentioned, one of the greatest things that keeps a church from being what they could be is when the spirit of Christ is missing. Christ is what it is all about. You can have the coolest looking church building, the greatest programs, tons of money, the busiest place, but if Jesus is missing, you will fail. Ephesus was there. They were busy as a church. They were dealing with false apostles. They were working, enduring and toiling. They definitely weren’t standing still. They were not hopelessly stuck in idle. Yet, with all that was going on, they had left their first love. Something was missing. It was Jesus. A church that has left it’s first love will not please the Lord. It doesn’t matter what they are doing, that must come first. A person can tell when Jesus is not the center of things. It is noticeable.

This is an issue that all churches must deal with—small and large. This is something that can happen so gradually that it’s not noticed until it’s too late. Christ was not the center any more. Attitudes shift when that happens. The spirit changes. Compassion runs thin as does patience. We tend to forgive less and remember more when Christ is no longer the center of things. We get irritated with each other. We bother each other. The joy of worship becomes the drudgery of duty. Christ has been moved off center. We settle for substandard service. We find ourselves going through the motions.

This will especially haunt and hurt small churches. Judgmental attitudes are known to prevail when Christ is no longer the center of things. Opinions rise, tempers flair, motives are questioned when Christ is moved off of center.

A young preacher recently encountered someone who was very vocal and demanding where he preached. In a Bible class, a woman answered a question. This brother when ballistic. He demanded a meeting with the young preacher. He was all over him about women not being allowed to speak in church. This brother never gave any thought to what his abrasive tone was doing to the spirit of the young preacher. He never gave any thought to how would Jesus handle that. He came with guns blazing. The young preacher called me. “What do I say?” I encouraged him to ask this guy if his wife and daughters sang any hymns during worship? They did. Now, how could he go along with that if he believes that women cannot speak in church? Further, was this man’s wife a Christian? She was. How did she confess Christ before men if she couldn’t speak in church? Very odd. It shows, the man hadn’t really studied things out. He was repeating old arguments that were not right. But worse, he was causing a stink because of his wrong opinions and was hurting someone who was willing to devote his life to preaching. Where was Christ? It certainly wasn’t at the center of the discussion. We can get so upset and so mad that it justifies us being rude, offensive and mean for the sake of truth. Really? What page from the life of Jesus gives us that impression?

Those kind of horror stories can be told all day long. They are numerous. I have dozens myself, from being accused of being sinful because I had a beard, of being loose because I did not use the King James Version, of being radical because I wear loud ties, of being told I was wrong because I use stories in my lessons, and accused of being soft because I preach in a large congregation that has a steeple on the top of the building. Yes, I’ve been there. I’ve heard it so many times. Loud, forceful, dominating the conversation, unwilling to listen, demanding, threating, opinionated and ugly. It hurts. It leaves scars. But worse, that spirit slows down momentum and keeps a church from growing. And too often, that spirit is permitted and tolerated.

When Christ is the center of our lives, we think about things before we say them. We try to be helpful We want to leave the person better and closer to Christ. Destroying someone isn’t even on our radar. That doesn’t interest us. We want to save them. We want to encourage them. We want them to be healthy and spiritual. A brother once wrote an article in a magazine entitled, “Drive out, destroy and Defeat.” His application was to those that he deemed wrong in the church. That bothered me. I wrote the editor. I told him I thought we were supposed to “seek, save and restore.” How can we forget Christ in any discussion or moment in our lives?

Unhealthy Christians is a plague today. We’ve fooled ourselves into thinking as long as we are doctrinally right with God, nothing else matters. Some can be so mean toward others. Some can be so hard on others. Is it any wonder some congregations do not grow? Some will quickly turn to Matthew 23 and say that Jesus called the Pharisees “hypocrites.” That is true. He didn’t do that on the first day, though. This came after three years of miracles, sermons, parables and examples. Three long years with them. He was patient with them. This came after everything else. It seems that some fail to realize that. They want to start with name calling.

My daughter has a baby growing in her. Yes, I am going to be a grandfather once more. She calls and tells us that the baby kept her up or the baby is kicking or the baby didn’t like what she ate. The baby in her is affecting her. Paul had Christ in him. It was affecting him. It would soften the rough edges. It would make him think before he spoke. It would make him choose grace and forgiveness. It would lead him to being kind and tender hearted. Stuff the macho attitude. We need to be like Christ. Kind and tender hearted are the very words Paul used in Ephesians. That’s what we are to be. Christ in you will affect you.

Unhealthy churches will not grow much. They are destined to drive people away in tears. They are always fighting about something. They are miserable. They make everyone else miserable. If they won’t put Christ back at the center of their hearts, they might as well put a for sale sign out front. They are not doing any good. They are not acting like Jesus. They are not showing the world Christ. They are hurting. They are distorting things. Get it together, or get out of the way, is how I see it. There’s no excuse for Christ not being the center of all things. That decision should have been made a long time ago when one became a Christian. Gossipy churches…judgmental churches…unfriendly churches…dead churches…stale churches…they are everywhere. There’s nothing impressive about them. They are small and staying small because they are sick. Their only hope is what the Ephesians were told, repent and return. Get Christ back to the center of things. Spend volumes of time reading the Gospels. Look at Jesus. Watch what He does. Learn from Him. Imitate Him. Be like Him. That is the hope. That opens the windows of a place. Christ brings fresh air. Christ is the refreshing spirit. That brings change. That starts the movement of growth and life and joy. The Gospel is good news. Have we forgotten that?

Thank you for sticking with me in this series. This hasn’t been easy to write because it brought up many painful reminders from my past. I hope that this series will be a bridge for serious dialogue. Ecclesiastes tells us that a live dog is better than a dead lion. There is hope as long as we are alive. Unhealthy churches can become healthy. Small churches can start growing. Leadership can change. Attitudes can change. Things can happen. Pray for it. Work towards it. Doing nothing is defeat. Doing nothing is wrong. Use these articles as a starting point. Take a serious look at what is going on. Begin with self. Make adjustments. Don’t deny reality. Don’t make excuses. Become what God wants, as a person and as a congregation.

This series will be printed in a booklet that will be entitled, “Essays on Small Churches.” It will be free. If you want a copy, or several, email me at: Rogshouse@aol.com

May the Lord help us to be pleasing to Him. May we invite Christ to live in us and be the center of all things.

Roger