Not to Forsake the Fellowship

The Bible says to not forsake the fellowship of believers. I agree with this wholeheartedly; however, what do we do when we can't find a Biblical church? The last two years my family has been searching for a church. We found a body we attended for about a year, but we knew we were compromising. We attended and we tried to influence the church to move toward a true belief in the sufficiency of Scripture, but in the end, they could not. Since then, for about the last nine months, we have been searching.
I recently read an article about what to look for in a church. The number one thing was finding a church with the proper view of Scripture - inerrancy, sufficiency, and inspiration. Yes! Yes! Yes! You know it is easy to find churches that list these things in the statement of beliefs? It's another thing to find a church that means it - that believes it enough to rely on that, and not tradition, to make decisions. That is the problem. That is an easy statement and a difficult belief. In fact in two years - much longer actually, we have not found a church that really believes it.
The truth is that the modern church more easily relies on tradition and feelings than Scripture when it comes to church doctrine and practice, and instructions for living. The Bible is actually pretty clear on most matters, but it is sufficient for everything. Sometimes it takes some digging, but it's there. There is never a reason to suggest that the Bible does not have an opinion on a matter. God's word is sufficient. Period. Yet, we add our own feelings and tradition into church culture, usually based in paganism, and in the process reject God's word as sufficient.
So, therein lies the problem with finding a church. Where does one go when the modern church blends paganism with faith in the one true God, and still claims to rely solely on Scripture.
Well, sorry, but so far, we have no answer. We are just still looking.

100 Days Until Christmas

Today I saw a poll: there is 100 days left until Christmas. Does that excite you or terrify you? 

And well, my answer is abnormal, even if superficially the same as many people's feelings. Most people would probably feel both ways:  excitement of this precious holiday arriving soon, and terror at the idea of the shopping malls and lengthy wish lists. I used to feel this way, so I am well versed in it.

However, my excitement is now for it to be over, and my trepidation is now not related to shopping days and wish lists, but rather church and church folk. I'm a Christian, and I love Jesus. And I hate Christmas. That's right. Call me Scrooge or whatever, but really we all know Christmas isn't Jesus' birthday. We just pretend because it's a good excuse for scented trees, twinkling lights, sentimental ornaments, cookies and presents. And when someone dares not celebrate this precious pagan feast day, well, the holier than thous come out of the woodwork to condemn. CONDEMN! 

Each and every year as I avoid it, someone will pick an argument with me over it. Explaining to me that it is Jesus' birthday they celebrate and in spite of all the pagan trappings, it only matters what is in their heart. I hear explanations of the Christmas tree really symbolizing the trinity, eternal life and all sorts of excuses for keeping that secular tradition. I hear that Santa Clause was really a Saint and did good deeds. I hear so many arguments that people use to make their pagan trappings feel better. And honestly, it all makes me a little nauseas. 

I'm not judging the truly uninformed. Heck, I'm not judging the ones who know it all and still do it. I WAS THERE ONCE TOO! A friend showed me all the facts once upon a time and all I could say was that I could see the truth but wasn't ready to make the change. I reasoned that I had a husband and infant daughter and could not take all those sentimental things away from them. But I could at least acknowledge that there was truth there. I didn't force my friend to defend herself year after year. I didn't mock her to her face or behind her back. 

And that is the kicker for me. We do not celebrate Christmas, and the church mocks us. The pastor and his wife ridicule us. The other church folk say unkind things and try to manipulate our children behind our backs. I'm very serious. Each year, my family takes a stand and each year the church persecutes us for doing what we see is right according to the Bible. 

And so, as we approach the hallowed holiday, I do feel a sickening trepidation knowing my kids will be signed up for the church pageant without my consent, that I will be looked down on for not attending services on Christmas Eve, that Christmas trees and wreaths and mistletoe will be proudly displayed at church and at church events, and that my family will make Christians so uncomfortable that we will be lepers of society for the month of December. Yes, I am excited to pieces at the end of the month, when it is all finally over. Let's celebrate the 40 days of weeping for Tammuz, call it Lent and repent for our holiday gluttony. Or let's NOT! 

He Removed Their Sandals

Passover is coming and Praise God, someone asked me if Jesus washing the disciples feet was the same as the hand washing ceremony performed in the Passover. I always thought it was, but God must have put it in my spirit to find out if this was really true.

And you know what? I found out it isn't! First of all the hand washing ceremony typically occurs at the beginning of the Passover seder, long before the actual meal, and John 13, says that the meal was already underway. That would imply that they had already eaten the main course of the meal and were in the home stretch of the Passover seder because the early elements are not really part of the "meal" so to speak. So I prayed for God to show me why He washed feet and not hands, and what was the meaning of it all. 

John 13 also says that Jesus told the disciples that they would understand the foot washing later, so it couldn't have been a typical part of the seder or there would have been no question why Jesus would do this. 

My whole life I had heard it was Jesus showing he was the servant of all. Absolutely, one can make a good argument for this. At the time, when someone had guests over, the lowliest servant would wash the feet of the guests to remove the dirt, so Jesus could have been stating that He was the lowliest of servants. My qualm with this reasoning came with the fact that they had not just arrived to the gathering. The meal was underway. So why then? Why feet?

Then the Lord reminded me that his death on the cross was the purchase price for His bride. The disciples were the Bride at the time, so I wondered if the Jewish betrothal ceremony included foot washing. And well, not exactly, but I found something very interesting. 

When a person is making a covenant with regard to an inheritance he removes his sandal and gives it to the person who will inherit from them. (There is a sort of sandal covenant aspect to every Hebrew betrothal ceremony, as the Bride is both inheritance and co-inheritor with the groom.) The sandal covenant is clearly seen in the book of Ruth as an inheritance agreement. Boaz was a kinsman redeemer, but not the closest to Naomi, so he had to ask the nearest kinsman to redeem Ruth. When he declined, that indicated that Boaz would then stand to inherit all of the property and could marry Ruth. This agreement was confirmed when the nearer kinsman removed his sandal and gave it to Boaz in the sight of the elders, indicating that Boaz would receive the inheritance. 

When Jesus removed the sandals from the disciples and washed their feet, He was not merely stating that He was a servant. He was saying they are his inheritance, and as His bride, they will also have an inheritance. Jesus was depicting a sandal covenant, that indicates sonship and is also a typical part of the betrothal ceremony between a groom and his bride. He claims her as his own inheritance and offers her an inheritance with him. 

What Jesus did that Passover was not a simple cleansing of feet, not a simple act of servanthood, but so much more. He said to them, "you have been my servants, you have been my friends, I now call you sons! I claim you as my inheritance and offer you an inheritance with me as my bride."

Fatherhood

Growing up, I had a pretty good father. He was by no means perfect, but he worked hard, provided for our family, occasionally did something with us kids, didn’t yell, wasn’t violent or drunk, or anything awful like that. However, whether it was an accurate assessment or not, I always felt my dad was distant, didn’t really know me, or what was best for me, and didn’t care enough to get close to me. He was my father, a good father, but not really a daddy to me.

While he was a pretty good father to me, when I grew up, I realized that I saw God as this distant sort of God, who didn’t really want to get close to me, who loved me, but didn’t really know me or what was best for me. I struggled with having any relationship with God, with coming to Him with my menial requests, or believing that He played a role in my day-to-day life. I realized I understood God through the lense of my own relationship with my father. When I tried to have a relationship with God, I was limited by what I believed about Him, and that was limited by what I experienced with my own Father.

Hearing this, the initial tendency may be to blame your father for your imperfect vision of God, and yet I challenge you to move beyond that. It’s certainly not fair to hold our fathers to the standard of the Almighty, yet it’s also not fair to hold the Almighty to the low standard of our own fallible dads.

Galatians 4:7 tells us we will cry out to God, Abba Father. Abba means Daddy. But as humans we’ve all experienced sinful fathers. None of them are perfect. And so our image of God as Abba Father is also imperfect. So, how do we learn to see God as this perfect Father, and remove the lense we see God through?

First, I think we must be aware that our relationship and our experience and perceptions have impacted how we see God. Once we can understand this, we can begin to believe there might be more to God than we’ve thought. It will help you turn to Scripture to see who God is as a Father and learn to trust Him more.

Matthew 7:11 speaking to fathers says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” God is much much much better than even the best fathers.

Second, remind yourself that your father is human, that he is or was a sinner, that he could never have lived up to a perfect father image and that his own imperfections as a dad were probably the result of his own experience with his father. Our dads aren’t perfect. None of them. They didn’t stand a chance at being as good as God. That is what helps us to turn to God. And when we can remember that they’re just human and they failed as humans, it frees us up to forgive.

The third step is to forgive. Now that you can acknowledge that they’re human, that they’re sinners, consider what God has said about forgiving those who’ve wronged us. Matthew 6:14 says, “… if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” That is a tough word, right there, because that implies the opposite as well. If you don’t forgive others who have sinned against you, God will not forgive you either, and without God’s forgiveness, we have no relationship with God.

I don’t mean to make light of this, because I know many people have suffered serious abuse at the hands of their fathers, and some who may still suffer at their father’s hands. Forgiveness isn’t always easy, but God does demand it. I urge you, if you struggle to forgive your father, to seek God on this matter. Ask Him how you can do this. Give your hurt and anger to God. God will take you in His arms and heal your wounds.

Now, if you are a Father or you expect you will be someday, I urge you to live a life worthy of this calling. Yes, fatherhood is a calling, and not only will your sons learn to be like you, and your daughters will desire to marry a man like you, but you are also impacting their image of God, what they believe about God, and their future relationship with God. Certainly its no easy task, and certainly you will not be perfect, but seek God on this calling so you can learn to be abba father to your children and lead them to a relationship with the Almighty.

You say, "It's What's In My Heart"

The most common argument people give for worshipping our God in the ways of pagans is that it matters what is in their heart. While the heart certainly matters in obedience, I would argue that it does not matter with regard to disobedience.

Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

How then can we believe that what is in your heart in the way of motivation is of greater importance than God's law?

Lent

Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday have passed and now Christian churches are turning their attention to Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday. A couple years ago I heard some disturbing information about Lent, along with Easter, Christmas and the like. Most people choose to ignore these facts and live by the mantra that it's what is in their heart that counts. I've been there. I get it.

Nonetheless, Ezekial 8-9 has some interesting history with regard to Lent. In fact, Lent was originally known as the 40 days of weeping for Tammuz, a pagan god. It was rolled into the Christian faith by Emperor Constantine who was one of the early politicians trying to create a one-world religion, hence the term Catholic meaning universal. Now, 40 days of weeping for Tammuz is not what good Christians are doing in their hearts. This much I know. Yet, God has forbidden us from worshipping Him in the ways pagans worship their gods (Dt. 12:30). So what does that mean for Lent?

Well, on that basis alone, I would stop participating in Lent, as I've done with Easter and Christmas (instead my family celebrates the Lord's feasts). Yet, it is interesting to note that the Bible actually speaks of these days of weeping for Tammuz. Ezekial 8:14 says, "...and to my dismay women were there weeping for Tammuz." I read this single verse a year ago and was distraught that so many well meaning believers still perform this pagan ritual. And then today, I read the whole chapter again. In my prayer time, God led me back to this passage. I didn't even know it was about Lent as I began reading it. In summary, God took Ezekial throughout the Temple and showed him the idolatry and pagan ritual being performed in His Temple and said the people have chased Him out of His Temple. He lists the detestable practices he sees. Then in chapter 9, Ezekial sees God send warriors armed for battle. First they come and mark all those who are "sighing and weeping" over the evil deeds in the Temple, and then when the marking is complete, warriors go and kill all those who are not marked.

God takes this stuff seriously, friends. I knew weeping for Tammuz was detestable to God. I knew that worshipping Him in the ways of pagans was forbidden. I knew idolatry was wrong and pagan rituals were wrong, but God hates them so much he will destroy all those who aren't bothered by it, whether engaging in it themselves or not.

Yet, sadly, many in the church today, are following the traditions of men and celebrating at Mardi Gras, having ashes placed on their heads (another pagan practice I'll discuss later) and practicing the 40 days of weeping for Tammuz, thinking its ok, as long as they do it for God.

God says "Don't worship me the ways pagans have worshipped their gods. I hate it!" and we say, "We can worship God in the ways of pagan ritual if we want because it only matters what's in my heart." Does it? Perhaps it matters what is in God's heart.

Fear God

Fear God. What does that mean? Many people, religious leaders even, contend that we should not actually fear God. It must mean have respect. Right? Yet that has often bothered me. The Bible says fear. Anyone seeing an angel, a mere angel, fell down in fear. That sounds like real fear. More fear than I typically feel. Yet, often I find myself fearing man more than fearing God. I fear saying things a certain way, being too odd, too Christian... (Eek). So, I began praying to God that I would begin to fear him and not man. This was my prayer for a long time. It did not happen over night. Then one day, I had to contend with a believer about the law of The Lord. We're free from the law... Right? Are we? Then, I began to think about the 10 commandments and which ones I keep. I realized I kept the ones that were culturally relevant to me. Thou shalt not murder... Check. But did I keep the Sabbath? Not so much. And then I thought that maybe I keep the commandments to be a good person, but not so much because God said to. Ouch. I read my Bible, I study it even, I am learning to keep the feasts because God said to and I believe there is prophetic significance in them. I am beginning to fear God, and then I still felt I didn't fear God enough. I don't.

One day as I was preparing the Passover feast for some people someone said I should have an alternative to lamb because some people might be put off by lamb. Sure, I understand. A few years ago, I had a Passover at home with several people and some people would not eat Lamb. And then I thought about the Exodus and what might have happened to those folks who refused the Lamb. Those people who didn't want to see the blood, kill an innocent lamb. I get it, but they'd have awoken the next morning to find their first born dead and be left as slaves in Egypt.

Now, granted, we aren't going to hell for abstaining from lamb. That's not my point, but we may end up there for not fearing God, for not wanting to obey Him because it's creepy, weird, whatever. And I think there was value in the daily sacrifice. Being required to bring a sacrifice for your sins, placing your hand on that animals head for it to die for your sin, slitting its throat, skinning it, hanging it, removing its organs and innards, burning it... There is value there to seeing in a physical way the consequence, the death, brought about by my sin, your sin.

Jesus died for our sin. No animal sacrifice could do it. And somehow we think, well, he already died so it doesn't matter anymore. Will this lie really matter? Jesus already died. Will my lust really matter? Jesus already died. Close your eyes. In your mind, place your hand on Jesus' bloody brow, transfer your sin onto Him, and see Him crucified for your sin, for today's lie, last nights filthy movie, for failing to observe the Sabbath! Until His death is real, the consequences of our sin are distant and seem insignificant, and we don't fear God.


And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! Psalm 111:10

My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.  Psalm 119:120

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Psalm 2:11.

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecc 12:13

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12