Salvation

I fully believe that the church's greatest irresponsibility is not the lack of evangelism but the assumption of the religious people's salvation. When there are so many churches, the sad thing is that they aren't broken for the lost people yards away from their doorsteps, or thousands of miles away from country. But the saddest thing yet is that these churches hold within their walls the masked non-believer who feels unable to approach anyone about their searching because the church has done such a stellar job of telling everyone how to "be saved". "Today is the day of Salvation," not because salvation is a form of "being" something, or having a feeling or an emotion, or because of a prayer, or through something a pastor or priest can affirm... but because Salvation is Jesus and God saving us is through His Divine, Holy, Righteous, and Glorious election of His saints. When we as a church attest to someone's salvation by a pointing to a prayer or their feelings in some moment in time, we rob them of the truth of the character of God: that He receives glory in saving and damning anyone He so choices in accordance with His predestined will... but that He loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, as a sacrificial atonement; to die on a cross - my death; to descend in Hell - my damnation; and to be buried - in my grave; but to then defeat them all in His precious resurrection. 

We cannot barter with God and offer anything to Him except what He has required. There is nothing - no life, possestion, assest, or worth - that exists that did not come from Him and that He doesn't already own... it is all His. To 'give' Him something is simplly placing it in the hands of the one who already owns it. To get to God we don't 'give' Him anything... to get to God He gave US Jesus and it is by Him and through Him we crusify our old selves and are saved. Salvation isn't "simple" because of what we can do or say or pray. Salvation is HERE because of how glorious He is. Praise God and to Him: Glory.

Hobble

Last Friday was a busy day for me, so I ran and picked up lunch to bring back to the office. Chick-fil-A was my natural choice. As I was leaving, there was a lady coming with her leg in some medical get-up that made her walk a little slower that perhaps she was used to. I held the door for her, and grabbed the second door, too (why they put two doors, I have no idea)… and she said the customary thank you and something along the lines of having to hobble everywhere. “We all have to hobble sometimes," I said, in a quick attempt to be pseudo-conversational.  She laughed and that was that.

Perhaps, in my attempt to be witty, I was unintentionally more the wiser than I realized. We all have to stumble sometimes. While I do not mean we will all eventually spend a few days in a cast, I do mean that spiritually, we are prone to stumble and - often times - fall.  When we fall, any first reaction we have usually carries one purpose - to look like we haven't fallen. Frequently, we naturally want to jump back to our feet and survey the area for any onlookers that have just witnessed this blemish in our perfect stroll.  Other times, we have pain from the fall, but we walk anyway, trying harder by the step to not look as though something isn't right.  When we must, we go to the doctor and get put in a cast.  No one really likes that - it forces us to face our fall every day; and worse: people will know.  No matter how hard we try to cover it up, not matter how quickly we want our wounds to heal, the worst part of it all is that others will know.  Why is that?

When, in sin, do we look for grace?  

Before we sin and say we never found it?  

While we sin and say it's to late? 

After we sin and blame it on not enough?  

Perhaps Christians have done a great job of showing everyone how to get up quickly from the fall and walk again... we've made our churches into hospitals of broken people all walking around with casts praying no one notices.

We've all fallen.  In fact, We were all born fallen.  As a Christian, I have been reborn, though... this time - I've been born into grace.  What does that mean?

We don't have to look for grace.

Before we sin, we have been given grace that is enough.

While we sin, we cannot sin it away.

After we sin, we cannot find His grace to be inadequate.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ made reside in me." 2 Cor 12:9

We should never boast in our sin.  That is foolish.  We should boast in our Savior whose grace is enough no matter how bad of a fall we had or how wounded a person we are.  His power is perfect in our weakness.

Perhaps a great lesson for us to learn is not to worry so much about looking like we are perfect walkers with 'hidden' limps, but to realize we, as Christians, are chosen to have the ability to walk at all... and, even though we fall, and even though we all have to hobble sometimes... in that very ability to walk, grace abounds.

J.P.

My boss was a youth minister before he became the director of the ministry where I work.  There is this man that is about 40-years-old who comes around all the time.  

He is doesn't have a house, and his home is where ever he finds a place to lay his head at night.  /  He is addicted to several medications and literally has to be picked up off of the floor when he is high.  /  He has a good heart underneath it all, and goes to visit his mother in the nursing home everyday.  /  Sometimes, he just ticks me off because I am trying to work and do my job and he always comes in and needs something.  /  "What now, J.P.?"  /  He is dirty and smells.  /  His brain is so fried that when we do actually have a job he can do, he can't comprehend how to do it and needs to be walked through every step over and over again.  /  The only thing he has to offer me is an open hand to receive.  /  He is always so needy.  /  There are things I want to do, but I have to take care of him first.

The other day, he comes and sits at one of the chairs in front of my desk.  I wasn't doing much, so I took the chance to get to know him a little.  As he told me about his life, the Lord just smacked me in the head.  The Lord desires J.P. to know Him.  He craves to be J.P.'s savior.  He loves J.P.

Wait.  I am suppose to love J.P.?  Find him greater than myself?  Wow.  It is so easy to give out of duty or to get him off my back.  But The Lord loves J.P. in spite of J.P.  Whatever I do unto the least to these, I do unto Christ. 

Here I am - just absolutely baffled that someone could have the nerve to keep coming around and getting hand outs from us... and really just put out with him.  Only to realize - I am a J.P. before God.

I am dirty.  All I have is fifthly rags.  I come before God with one thing to offer: an opened hand for him to give me something.  I am addicted to getting high from things of this world that leave me crippled and needing God to drag me up off of the floor.  I am so needy.  The Lord wants to do so much for me and with me, but there I am, always begging for something more and something better.  Sure, I do good things, but my good deeds done for any reason outside of my faith in the Lord is sinful.  I am nasty and I smell horrible and no one would want to embrace me.  I am a pile of self-seeking desires.  I have no value.  I am J.P.

But the Lord.  Oh, the Lord is good.  He wraps his arms around me, and cleanses me.  He meets my needs in spite of me  No matter how far I walk away from Him, he sees me and turn to Him and he runs to me.  The Lord loves me and knows me.  He is my Savior.

"To be a true servant, a servant of humbleness, we must condescend to all the weaknesses and infirmities of out fellow-creatures, cover their frailties, love their excellencies, encourage their virtues, relieve their wants, rejoice in their properties, compassionate their distresses, receive their friendship, overlook their unkindness, forgive their malice, be a servant to servants, and condescend to do the lowest offices to the lowest of mankind."

Entitlement

What is that instinct that is built in to us that wants things bigger, better, newer, more expensive?

I’ve spent some time over the last few days thinking about what it must be like to look at the way Christians live; moreover, at the way I live. An astounding piece of a case-study, I am.

As I have been taking note of how we as Christians operate our lives, it was not long before a lot of things came into view. We have an entitlement perspective on life when we are the very ones who should not feel entitled to anything. Instead of being people who seem to act as though they are due something from God, we seem to have just left God out of the picture altogether (as to not offend Him, I’m sure), and simply act as though other people owe us something.

I am not a preacher of the poverty gospel that says we cannot have anything of value and stresses that we must ascribe ourselves to some vow of scarcity. On a second glance, though: why not? Why, if there are so many Christians, are their so many homeless people? Why, if America’s Evangelical Christian community grosses $16.5 Billion a year in income, are their so many hungry people? Why in the world, when there is someone close by in need, do I need a new computer? Really, all I have is wants. I have all I need. If this is the case, then why, if I am a Christian, do I have lost neighbors? Because I also have all they need in my precious Savior.

Why is it that we deserve nothing but feel entitled to it all: bigger and better; yet have the Savior of the world and give nothing of possession or of ourselves away?

If we are who we say we are – believers – surely we do not think we honor God when we have any sense of entitlement. If our faith is real, it becomes aggressive because of this massive outpouring of love we have for God. Aggressive love for God will produce an aggressive faith in God, which produces aggressive actions. Actions alone do not honor God. God honors those who honor him. Which means it is our response to God that determines His response to us.

If we are who we say we are, then where are we? What is our response to God who has given us all that we have? What is out response to God who has given us Salvation?

God is entitled to bigger and better. I am merely given the privilege, despite my broken life of dirty rags, to lift my hands to Him and sing His praise.

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4.11.08 12:37 am