Sunday, June 28, 2015

I've Got Nothing but Love for You

One of my mentors used to say, “If you want to know the object of a man’s affection, look at his checkbook.”  Our money, and how we spend it, is a direct indication of where our hearts lie.  In like manner, the objects of our affection are reflected in our debts – the things we are making payments toward and working to someday own or acquire.


Romans 13:8, NLT
“Owe nothing to anyone – except for your obligation to love one another.  If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”


We often forget that Jesus gave His life not only to secure eternal life after our earthly vessels are returned to dust, but also that we may build and live in God’s Kingdom, right now – here on earth.  The Kingdom of heaven is NOW, and those that belong to that Kingdom should experience life here in this world, just as it is in heaven.


Everything Jesus teaches screams against the stresses and desires of this world, the very things that drive debt and anxiety.  Think about those things that we work for and stress over – the things that hinder our time in worship and fellowship.  The systems of the world, of which Satan is prince, drive us into a mindset and lifestyle that defines success by possession.  Those possessions cost money, often more than what we have.  As a result, we utilize Satan’s system of “credit”, which dictates that we obtain items for which we lack cash and vow to pay the debt over time, requiring essentially that we vow to give our time and attention to a natural matter, without regard to any time or effort God may require of us to meet spiritual needs.  We vow to capitalism, trumping our vow to God.  Even if we do have the currency to make such purchases, the careers that provide that luxury require our time and moral sacrifices on a daily basis, taking away from the things that should matter most in the life of a believer.


We are warned, in 1 John 2:15-17, not to love the world nor the things in it.  The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life are our downfall.  Everything in this world will fade away.  It will profit us nothing, so we must be careful of the treasures we store (Matthew 16:19-21).  Even when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the same worldly possessions were offered (Matthew 4:1-11).  He was tempted with food, power and worldly possessions.  The enemy was able to present such things to the Messiah, because the control of them, the systems under which they are produced, distributed and controlled, belong to Satan.  Yet the Savior declined ALL OF THEM.


Here’s my point.  If we are not to be driven by fear or anxiety and we are not to desire the things of this world, does it make sense for us to work forty or more hours a week just to obtain houses, cars, big televisions, clothes and restaurant food?  Where is the balance?  To our shame, a disproportionate number of churchgoers are in debt with less than perfect credit.  That means we are living above and beyond our means.  Why?  Obviously, the wrong spirit is driving in some form or fashion.


Many will argue that we, as believers, must work so we can provide for others.  I will have to disagree.  In reality, we in America work so we can have all we want AND some extra to help others.  That’s a very different attitude than that of the New Covenant Church we read about in Scripture.  These believers provided for one another.  They bartered among themselves and provided services and support within their own communities.  No one lived in luxury unless their wealth was already established, in which case it was shared.  Still, obtaining stuff and status was not a priority like we see today.  In today’s church, much of what we see is mere selfishness.  It’s an overt love for the things of the world, though condemned by the Scriptures, covered up with a false doctrine of prosperity or a false sense of holiness when the wealth seeker is able to “bless” someone else.


I’m not proposing that we all quit our jobs and move to a compound.  I’m simply praying that we will pay more attention to the condition of our hearts, repent, and ask God to give us balance.  If some of us would down grade our standards of living, perhaps demote ourselves in the workplace and give more time in worship, we will have the time to do what we are truly called to do – go into the all the world and share the love of God!  We won’t be jealous or envious of others, when driven by the right motives, allowing us to truly love others as we do ourselves.


We need to stop and understand that being blessed means we are favored by God.  Blessing has nothing to do with possession.  It is a state of being, not a collection of things.  Cable TV, for example – is it really a blessing?  Is it really drawing us closer to God, or is it doing more harm than good?  How about our large luxury car?  Is it really drawing us closer to God?  Or does it simply foster competition among believers, feeding an ego and sense of pride?


Did Jesus really meant what He said?  Are we to owe no one?  We are commanded not to be anxious for anything.  Fear of losing a home or a car breeds a level of anxiety known to cause stress-induced illness.  We are commanded not to covet the material possessions of others.  Yet almost everything we buy is the result of advertising that breeds envy and covetousness.  Even our methods in shopping are designed to ignite the flesh.  We search racks until we find that thing we can’t live without.  Our malls are immaculately decorated to seduce us into spending.  We rarely walk out of the house with the intent of purchasing only what we need.  This is Satan’s system.  Surely, we aren’t surprised.


Here’s the conclusion.  Debt is not God’s plan for His people.  Instead, we are to concentrate on love.  Love is something we owe to ALL men.  It is a debt that must be paid continually.  In the Kingdom, it is the most important bill.  It must be our priority – to share the love of God to others.


May your testimony be: LOVE is the only debt I owe, and I intend to pay up!

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Forced Celebration and Servitude

There is a culture in the modern day church that concerns me gravely.  The Father is not pleased with our prideful leadership and narcissism.  Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost sight of servant hood and humility.  For many, church has become a social club governed by control, manipulation and man-made hierarchy.

The trend being adopted by many stems from the misunderstanding that leaders in the local church “deserve” to be honored and celebrated according to their own rules and expectations.  Where did this come from?  The phenomena is almost cultic. Just within the last few weeks, I’ve observed the following:

  • Pastoral Anniversary Services (include “pre-anniversary” and “post-anniversary” events)
  • Pastoral Birthdays
  • Pastoral Life Event Celebrations (birth of a baby, graduation, new home purchase, etc.)
  • Pastoral Marriage Celebrations


Let me start by saying that none of these celebrations are sinful in and of themselves.  I truly don’t see anything wrong with celebrating an anniversary, per se, though I do find it a bit grandiose to celebrate “pre” and “post” days as well.  Nevertheless, that’s merely my opinion.

The spiritual challenge is introduced when others are coerced, forced or manipulated into participating and “honoring” their leaders out of obligation, rather than a free will.  Even God honors our free will.  More often than not, I’ve observed leaders and church boards dictating that an occasion will be celebrated.  How does one not see the pride in that?  Are we really so blind that we see nothing wrong with “staging” a worship service to celebrate one’s own birthday or anniversary?  To top it off, many will require that members of the church give monetary gifts of a specified amount.  There are many dangers introduced with such practices.

  • Strange worship.  God’s people should come together to worship the Father, not to celebrate a man and “throw” some worship into the process.  Making worship a secondary or tertiary goal in His own house proves that such a house is in fact, not His, but the house of said leader.
  • Artificial acts of love.  When people are commanded to give or show support toward an individual, the heart is disengaged.  This teaches a false sense of love and respect.  What of those who truly want to show love and honor, yet don’t have the means?  Have we considered those who express love and appreciation in different ways?  And what a person doesn’t want to celebrate at all?  After all, none of this is biblically required.  It’s important to note that these practices also blind the honoree.  They will have no idea who truly cares for them, versus those who are simply obeying instruction.  As a result, any trust that may be built sits upon a false foundation of deception, dressed up as honor.
  • Disparity.  If the greatest among us are to be servants (Matthew 23:11), why are the church leaders the only ones having all these services.  What about the church mother, the deacon, the newest member, the children, etc.?  After all, the true Church of Jesus Christ, Messiah, includes more than the senior leaders in a local church.  Are they not worthy of the same, or more honor, than whoever considers himself to be the “greatest” or “lead” servant?
  • Disobedience.  The bottom line is that God simply doesn’t agree with the spirit behind such acts.  Proverbs 27:2 (CJB) clearly states, “Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.  The implication here is that it’s just not our jobs to “toot our own horns.”  God hates pride.  As servants, the need to be celebrated should be the furthest thing from our minds.  We are catalysts for worship of the Father, and Him alone.


My prayer for the church is that we, as leaders, would learn that others will acknowledge the love and power they observe.  Even more, when men see our good works, they will glorify the Father.  THAT is our goal (Matthew 5:16).  Demanding that people refer to us by a title, treat us a certain way, or celebrate our personal milestones simply doesn’t reflect the character of Christ… period.  If we are truly worthy of honor, we should trust that God will move someone's heart to follow suit.