Archive for the Category » Word for Wednesday «

August 04th, 2010 | Author: akagaga

Early this summer I bought a book by Laurence Vance titled Christianity and War, a collection of essays. I’ve been meandering through it as time permits, and one essay that has grabbed my attention is titled Charles Spurgeon on Christian War Fever, also posted here if you’d like to read the whole thing.

In a day when pastors routinely celebrate our military agenda, it’s refreshing to learn that it was not always so. Spurgeon (1834-1892) had a lot to say on the subject that can and should be applied to today. So my Word for Wednesday this week are excerpts by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, forward by James, afterward by Jesus.

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. (James 4:1-2)

Sin is the mother of wars; and remembering how plentiful sin is, we need not marvel if it brings forth multitudes of them.

if we should see at our doors the marks of carnage and bloodshed; then should we more thoroughly appreciate what war means. But distance takes away the horror, and we therefore speak of war with too much levity, and even read of it with an interest not sufficiently linked with pain

The church, we affirm, can neither be preserved nor can its interests be promoted by human armies.

for this I will assert, and prove too, that the progress of the arms of a Christian nation is not the progress of Christianity, and that the spread of our empire, so far from being advantageous to the Gospel, I will hold, and this day proclaim, hath been hostile to it.

For my part, I conceive, that when an enterprise begins in martyrdom, it is none the less likely to succeed, but when conquerors begin to preach the gospel to those they have conquered, it will not succeed, God will teach us that it is not by might. All swords that have ever flashed from scabbards have not aided Christ a single grain. Mahommedans’ religion might be sustained by scimitars, but Christians’ religion must be sustained by love. The great crime of war can never promote the religion of peace. The battle, and the garment rolled in blood, are not a fitting prelude to “peace on earth, goodwill to men.” And I do firmly hold, that the slaughter of men, that bayonets, and swords, and guns, have never yet been, and never can be, promoters of the gospel. The gospel will proceed without them, but never through them. “Not by might.”

The Church of Christ is continually represented under the figure of an army; yet its Captain is the Prince of Peace; its object is the establishment of peace, and its soldiers are men of a peaceful disposition. The spirit of war is at the extremely opposite point to the spirit of the gospel

First of all, note that this crusade, this sacred, holy war of which I speak, is not with men, but with Satan and with error. “We wrestle not with flesh and blood.” Christian men are not at war with any man that walks the earth. We are at war with infidelity, but the persons of infidels we love and pray for; we are at warfare with any heresy, but we have no enmity against heretics; we are opposed to, and cry war to the knife with everything that opposes God and his truth: but towards every man we would still endeavour to carry out the holy maxim, “Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.” The Christian soldier hath no gun and no sword, for he fighteth not with men. It is with “spiritual wickedness in high places” that he fights, and with other principalities and powers than with those that sit on thrones and hold sceptres in their hands. I have marked, however, that some Christian men – and it is a feeling to which all of us are prone – are very apt to make Christ’s war a war of flesh and blood, instead of a war with wrong and spiritual wickedness. Have you never noticed in religious controversies how men will fall foul of each other, and make personal remarks and abuse each other? What is that but forgetting what Christ’s war is? We are not fighting against men; we are fighting for men rather than against them. We are fighting for God and his truth against error and against sin; but not against men. Woe, woe, to the Christian who forgets this sacred canon of warfare. Touch not the persons of men, but smite their sin with a stout heart and with strong arm. Slay both the little ones and the great; let nothing be spared that is against God and his truth; but we have no war with the persons of poor mistaken men

We would persuade all lovers of peace to labour perseveringly to spread the spirit of love and gentleness, which is indeed the spirit of Christ, and to give a practical bearing to what else may become mere theory. The fight-spirit must be battled with in all its forms, and the genius of gentleness must be cultivated. Cruelty to animals, the lust for destroying living things, the desire for revenge, the indulgence of anger – all these we must war against by manifesting and inculcating pity, compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and goodness in the fear of the Lord. Children must be trained with meekness and not with passion, and our dealings with our fellow-men must manifest our readiness to suffer wrong rather than to inflict it upon others. Nor is this all: the truth as to war must be more and more insisted on: the loss of time, labour, treasure, and life must be shown, and the satanic crimes to which it leads must be laid bare. It is the sum of all villainies, and ought to be stripped of its flaunting colours, and to have its bloody horrors revealed; its music should be hushed, that men may hear the moans and groans, the cries and shrieks of dying men and ravished women. War brings out the devil in man, wakes up the hellish legion within his fallen nature, and binds his better faculties hand and foot. Its natural tendency is to hurl nations back into barbarism, and retard the growth of everything good and holy.

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. (Matthew 5:22)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:38-45)

Category: Christianity, pacifism, war, Word for Wednesday, Words about War | 6 Comments

WFW: Insured by the Nanny State or by God?

July 28th, 2010 | Author: akagaga

The Word for Wednesday is a meme for Christian bloggers to share what’s on their heart. If you’d like to participate, see the WFW tab above.

No matter what problem may befall an American, there’s a government insurance program for that. Here’s a sampling, although I’m sure I’ve missed dozens of others.

Has your bank failed? Never fear. If your bank is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, your deposit up to $250,000 will be covered by the government. “No depositor has ever lost a penny of insured deposits since the FDIC was created in 1933.”

Lost your job? The Senate has just passed a bill to extend unemployment benefits through November 30, retroactive to June 2.

Can’t afford groceries? “The SNAP food benefits (used to be called food stamps) helps people with low incomes and resources buy the food they need for good health.”

Can’t get credit for your small business? HR 5297, the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010, is now working its way through Congress. It “Establishes in the Treasury the Small Business Lending Fund, administered by the Secretary of the Treasury to cover purchases of preferred stock and other financial instruments from eligible institutions (Small Business Lending Fund Program). Limits the aggregate amount of purchases at $30 billion.”

Is your house subject to flooding? The National Flood Insurance Program will solve your problems.

Is your house subject to flooding and wind? HR 1264, The Multiple Peril Insurance Act of 2009, is also going through various committees. It “Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to require the national flood insurance program to enable the purchase of multiperil coverage and optional separate windstorm coverage to protect against loss resulting from physical damage or loss of real or related personal property located in the United States. Defines windstorm as any hurricane, tornado, cyclone, typhoon, or other wind event.”

And, of course, there’s Obamacare, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act comprised of 2,000+ pages. I’d tell you what it does, but even it’s champion Nancy Pelosi doesn’t know:

Many Christians feel compassion for those who are suffering, and Jesus feels it most of all. Prior to the Nanny States of America, Christians would feel compelled to heed the words of our Lord:

Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42)

In this day and age, though, we rely on the government to do our giving for us. I know of church ministries designed specifically to help the down and out find just the right government program to solve their problems. Is that a valid ministry of the Lord, or is it a cop-out that allows us to keep our own possessions and still feel good about ourselves? Is it how the early church operated? I think not.

For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:34-35)

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints (2 Corinthians 8:1-4)

I firmly believe that forcing Christians and others, through taxation, to supply for the needs of all cannot be considered a Christian practice – nor does it spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, our one true task on this earth. In fact, I think forced redistribution of wealth teaches people to trust in government instead of God – which may be one of the reasons we are now considered a post-Christian culture.

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. (Psalms 37:3)

It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes. (Psalms 118:8-9)

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Category: abuse of power, nanny state, Word for Wednesday | 2 Comments

WFW: Alone Again, Naturally

July 21st, 2010 | Author: akagaga

The other day I heard Alone Again, Naturally on the car radio. It was a song made popular by Gilbert O’Sullivan in 1972, the year I graduated from high school. It was one of those songs that I had claimed as my own, one that resonated inside me, expressing the feelings of my heart. Have a listen.

Shattered … cut into little pieces … broken-hearted … alone again, naturally.

Until I heard this song again, I’d forgotten what it was like to feel so alone. I’m sure part of it was teenage angst, but I felt that way more than once as an adult, too, convinced that there was not one person on this planet that understood me or truly loved me.

The sad fact is that it’s usually true. As much as we may be loved by someone else, they never really know our deepest heart, that place inside that we can’t express, even to ourselves. And that’s a very lonely thing to realize.

I’m sure the human condition has not changed substantially since 1972. And I’m sure there are more modern songs that express these same feelings.

And I’m equally sure why this is no longer an issue for me. Oh, I still have days where I feel isolated from other people by bridges that somehow just can’t be crossed. I still have days where it feels like the world is crumbling down on my head.

But I’m equally certain that I am no longer alone to face the trials that come my way. Should every person I know abandon me, I will still not be alone.

And this is why. In 1994 I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. I clearly remember the moment when the Holy Spirit came to live in me. It felt like a gossamer-thin shawl was laid gently over my shoulders by a loving hand.

When I became His, I learned through experience that He would always be with me. And then I learned that Jesus promised the same. I encourage you to take the same step. Turn to Jesus, and never be alone again, naturally.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:18-20)

Category: Bible, Christianity, Word for Wednesday | 3 Comments

WFW: “The Pastor”

July 14th, 2010 | Author: akagaga

With the myriad of churches around the world divided by denominational and doctrinal lines, there’s one thing that almost all have in common. You’d think (and hope) the commonality of Christianity would be Christ, but that’s not necessarily the case. There are many Christian churches today that deny the atonement of the cross, among other things. No, the one thing churches have in common is “the pastor.”

Walk into most any church, and you will find rows of chairs or pews facing a pulpit (or a platform or a stage). That’s probably the most conclusive method of determining that you are in a church.

While others may make an appearance, the position behind the pulpit belongs to “the pastor.” This is where he/she stands to conduct a worship service. It’s the place where “The Word” is delivered to the people each Sunday morning.

And when the pastor is not behind the pulpit, he’s doing all the other things that make a church a church. He’s visiting the sick, mediating disputes, baptizing infants or adults, preparing sermons, consoling the bereaved, setting a vision for the church, teaching Bible studies, making decisions, and generally running him/herself ragged.

In most cases, without the pastor there is no church. Given this emphasis on the position, I think we should see what the Bible has to say about it. Ready?

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (Ephesians 4:11)

That’s it. The word pastor appears in the Bible just this once, translated from the Greek poimen, and even then it’s part of a list.

So why is a position that has so little biblical emphasis the one that most clearly defines the church? I’m sure there are many reasons, but here are a few possibilities that occurred to me.

Following a flesh-and-blood person that you can see behind the pulpit each Sunday is a lot easier than following the Holy Spirit, whom you never see.
It’s far easier for pastors to adopt some form of the Old Testament priesthood than to follow the Holy Spirit, too. A scripted worship service is much more predictable.
Before the printing press, when most people were illiterate, it may have made some sense for one person to read from the limited number of biblical scrolls that were available. That can only apply now to those in repressed countries where the Bible is forbidden, especially in light of the internet.
Like the hypocrites Jesus refers to in Matthew 6, some pastors like having a title and a position that brings honor to them from other men.
Some pastors, like some CEO’s, like the power of their position. They like being in charge and making the decisions.
People often prefer having their ears tickled from the back of the church once a week than being accountable to one another, day in and day out.
Tradition. For most of church history, there’s been a priest (or a pastor) behind a pulpit. Why question something that is so well established?

Why? Because I don’t think God ever intended that the church be arbitrarily divided into clergy and laity. I don’t think He ever intended that worshipping Him be reduced to a Sunday morning formula. I don’t think our mindless rituals bring Him honor or pleasure.

And I don’t think church as we know it draws people to Christ. As this is our main purpose for being on this earth, I think we would be wise to give some prayer and thought to just what God did intend that His church look like. I don’t have all the answers to this, but here are some scriptures that I think give us clues.

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:4-21)

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, “BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,” says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:20-26)

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:19-26)

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Revelation 12:10-11)

In light of these verses, I think the real question then becomes, “Why don’t we do these things?”

Category: Bible, Christianity, church history, Word for Wednesday | 4 Comments

WFW: Aliens and Strangers

July 07th, 2010 | Author: akagaga

Since I was born, I’ve not fit into any neat molds. First having three boys, my mother dressed me in ruffles and bows and tried to turn me into a girly-girl. Fifty-six years later she’s still trying, God bless her.

In high school, I was on the perimeter of social groups, always a step ahead or behind. I never really fit.

When I got saved, for a while I thought I had found my home in the church I first attended. But it turns out that was a temporary plan, and I was not to put my faith in a particular church or pastor, so God called me out of there before I got too comfortable.

Nor I have ever fit neatly into a political category. Neither conservative or liberal, republican or democrat, left or right, can be defined in an apolitical Bible.

More recently, I’ve come to realize that I have far more in common with Christians on the other side of the world than I do with Americans, which seems apropos given that God is not limited by geographical boundaries.

In short, I’ve always been an alien and a stranger in this world. And as a Christian who looks to a future home, I think that’s as it should be.

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19)

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; (Revelation 3:12)

Category: Bible, Christianity, Word for Wednesday | 3 Comments