Courier-Times Article for Saturday, May 26, 2007
John, a disciple of Jesus, said, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
Is Grace available from Christ and from the church? Yes, but Grace does not come alone, she always comes with Truth. They are two sides of the same coin.
Grace without Truth is simply Tolerance, and Tolerance doesn’t care about the truth. In fact, the kind of Tolerance we see in today’s society denies the very existence of truth. The one-word, hallmark response of Tolerance is, “Whatever.”
Hank Aaron’s homerun record is about to be eclipsed by a man who has probably used steroids to achieve that feat. Whatever.
Another drunk-driver kills an innocent traveler. Whatever.
Drug abuse is ravaging our neighborhoods, destroying families, and fueling violent crime. Whatever.
Since 1973, defenseless infants have been killed in the womb 48.5 million times in the United States alone. Whatever.
A convicted sex-offender, a repeat offender while out on bail for three new counts of child sexual molestation, is arrested for raping and killing a 16-year-old girl in Cambridge City. Whatever.
Tolerance doesn’t care about the truth. Tolerance is killing our society.
Tolerance says, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just act like it didn’t happen.” Grace and Truth say, “What happened was wrong. It will not be tolerated, but confession, repentance, and redemption are possible.”
Tolerance says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Grace and Truth say, “Today I set before you life and death. Choose life!”
Grace is not cheap, and it is not painless but it is the only way to fight and overcome evil in our world. Tolerance seems free, but in the end the price we all pay is greater pain, destruction, and death. Tolerance extends and enables evil, and when we promote Tolerance without Truth, you and I are the ones responsible for all the evil that follows.
Many good words in the English language have been hijacked, and had their meanings changed. Tolerance is one of those words.
In the real world, Tolerance is a measurement with specific boundaries. If a car part is manufactured with a tolerance of plus or minus 3/16ths of an inch, all parts made outside that tolerance are judged flawed and unusable.
If a drug is manufactured with a Tolerance of 0.2% contaminants, any batch measuring 99.7% pure is rejected and unfit for human consumption.
Tolerance, when used accurately, is when we recognize a true standard, and then judge the results by that standard. And thank God for specific boundaries on tolerance. Otherwise replacement parts for cars wouldn’t fit, and prescription drugs would be killing people instead of healing them.
The word, Whatever, should only be used on holiday weekends when deciding between a hamburger or a hotdog. It should never be used when talking about steroid use in sports, drunk-driving, drug abuse, abortion on demand, or sex-offenders. These things are wrong! We need to say it, and mean it, and do something to ruthlessly eliminate them from our society.
But Christ and the church also say to the individuals who have been caught up in these intolerable actions, “There is One who purchased a way out. You are not hopeless, choose life. You must live with the earthly consequences of your actions because your behavior cannot be tolerated. You can, however, choose a new road, a new direction, and a new destination.” Grace and Truth.
Is Grace available? Only when accompanied by Truth. When Grace comes alone, it’s only Tolerance in disguise. We cannot tolerate anything less than Grace and Truth together.
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Is Grace Available?
Courier-Times Article for Saturday, May 5, 2007
I got a phone call from God on Wednesday. Actually, it was from one of those telephone sales people, but I’m sure that God was behind it.
Wednesday afternoon was busy, as usual, and we were short-handed in the church office. When one of the secondary phone lines started to ring, I knew it must be a sales call. I don’t like sales phone calls and I really didn’t have time for this one, so I was going to dismiss it as quickly as possible.
“Hello. Church of God, Curt speaking.”
“My name is . . .” at this point I was so disinterested in the call that I can’t even remember the lady’s name or the company she was calling from. I instantly came to attention when she asked, “Is Grace available?”
Just then, I had one of those moments where time slows down and you have an extended conversation with yourself. I wanted to say, “There is no Grace here.” But my mind said, “Actually, there IS grace here, but not a person called Grace.”
The conversation in my head continued, “Right, but if I try to explain that to . . . ‘what’s-her-name’ from ‘what’s-that-company’, she won’t understand. Then we’ll have a longer conversation and she really doesn’t want to have a long conversation. She just wants to sell me something.”
Being slightly frustrated at the conversation going on in my head and feeling awkward about the extended pause in the conversation in the real world, I answered, “I think you have the wrong number.”
She apologized and hung-up, but that’s when God picked up the phone and continued the conversation. “Is it really the wrong number?”
Is Grace available? How about Joy, is Joy available? If I knock on your door, will you answer with Charity? If I come to visit, will I meet Hope? If I visit your home will I be greeted by Faith?
I didn’t answer quickly because I know that when God asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer. He wants to know if I know the answer.
Talking-the-talk is easy, but walking-the-walk is challenging. I hope the answer to all of those questions is, “Yes!” But I fear that many times I am so consumed with things that are urgent, I respond in ways that prevent Grace, Joy, Charity, Hope, and Faith from showing up.
When God calls your number and asks you those questions, how will you respond?
Today you may witness Cinco de Mayo celebrations among many of our Hispanic neighbors. Given the national debate about immigration, legal and illegal, when you greet someone celebrating Cinco de Mayo, will Grace be available?
We have several prisoners in Henry County, some from out of state. If you visit them will you bring Hope along?
New Castle is full of nursing homes, transitional care facilities, and those who are simply shut-in. Could you take Joy with you the next time you visit?
Look at your community and ask yourself, “What is it that Charity is asking me to do for my neighbors?”
If you are facing dark days of depression, or sickness, or family strife, how would Faith deal with the situation?
I pray that you will be ready to respond the next time the phone rings. By the way, when God does call, you don’t have to worry about the phone bill. That fee has already been paid by His Son.
I got a phone call from God on Wednesday. Actually, it was from one of those telephone sales people, but I’m sure that God was behind it.
Wednesday afternoon was busy, as usual, and we were short-handed in the church office. When one of the secondary phone lines started to ring, I knew it must be a sales call. I don’t like sales phone calls and I really didn’t have time for this one, so I was going to dismiss it as quickly as possible.
“Hello. Church of God, Curt speaking.”
“My name is . . .” at this point I was so disinterested in the call that I can’t even remember the lady’s name or the company she was calling from. I instantly came to attention when she asked, “Is Grace available?”
Just then, I had one of those moments where time slows down and you have an extended conversation with yourself. I wanted to say, “There is no Grace here.” But my mind said, “Actually, there IS grace here, but not a person called Grace.”
The conversation in my head continued, “Right, but if I try to explain that to . . . ‘what’s-her-name’ from ‘what’s-that-company’, she won’t understand. Then we’ll have a longer conversation and she really doesn’t want to have a long conversation. She just wants to sell me something.”
Being slightly frustrated at the conversation going on in my head and feeling awkward about the extended pause in the conversation in the real world, I answered, “I think you have the wrong number.”
She apologized and hung-up, but that’s when God picked up the phone and continued the conversation. “Is it really the wrong number?”
Is Grace available? How about Joy, is Joy available? If I knock on your door, will you answer with Charity? If I come to visit, will I meet Hope? If I visit your home will I be greeted by Faith?
I didn’t answer quickly because I know that when God asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer. He wants to know if I know the answer.
Talking-the-talk is easy, but walking-the-walk is challenging. I hope the answer to all of those questions is, “Yes!” But I fear that many times I am so consumed with things that are urgent, I respond in ways that prevent Grace, Joy, Charity, Hope, and Faith from showing up.
When God calls your number and asks you those questions, how will you respond?
Today you may witness Cinco de Mayo celebrations among many of our Hispanic neighbors. Given the national debate about immigration, legal and illegal, when you greet someone celebrating Cinco de Mayo, will Grace be available?
We have several prisoners in Henry County, some from out of state. If you visit them will you bring Hope along?
New Castle is full of nursing homes, transitional care facilities, and those who are simply shut-in. Could you take Joy with you the next time you visit?
Look at your community and ask yourself, “What is it that Charity is asking me to do for my neighbors?”
If you are facing dark days of depression, or sickness, or family strife, how would Faith deal with the situation?
I pray that you will be ready to respond the next time the phone rings. By the way, when God does call, you don’t have to worry about the phone bill. That fee has already been paid by His Son.
Friday, April 6, 2007
The Lone Ranger Wasn’t Really Alone
August 19, 2006 – Christian Perspectives - New Castle Courier-Times, IN
Growing up in America, I’ve learned a few things that are as American as apple pie and Chevrolet. The Cubs will probably never win a World Series Championship. You can remember the names of the Great Lakes because each lake starts with a letter in the word HOMES. Columbus discovered the New World; or was it Leif Eriksson, or maybe Americus, or maybe the Native Americans?
Anyway, I also learned that the heart of the American Spirit was the self-sufficient, entrepreneurial pioneer most typified by the Lone Ranger. I’ve been taught that Donald Trump is a self-made man, that Rambo and the Terminator can each save the world all by themselves, and that Elvis and Frank both did it “My way!” And while this might be the heart of the American Spirit, it is far from God’s design for us.
Scripture teaches us that it is God who made us and, not we ourselves. It also shows us that very rarely does God use a lone individual to accomplish His purposes. Moses needed Aaron and Hur. When Moses tried to be the lone judge of the people, his father-in-law, Jethro, convinced Moses to select several judges to help with the work load. David had his mighty men. When Elijah was depressed thinking he was the only one serving the Lord, God reminded him that there were still 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
We see the same pattern in the New Testament. When Jesus sent the twelve out to minister the Good News, He sent them two by two. Jesus did the same thing with the 72 followers who were sent out to do ministry. The missionary tours of Paul were not taken alone. It was Paul and Barnabas, then Paul and Silas. Dr. Luke tells us that the church spent time working and worshiping together as a community.
I am becoming more and more convinced that effective, God-honoring, Kingdom advancing ministry can only happen within the context of community. God doesn’t desire, and hasn’t designed Lone Ranger Christians; He has made us for community.
Evangelism, when practiced outside of full participation in the community we are evangelizing, may still win souls to Christ. But the motivation for that kind of evangelism is rarely compassion for lost souls. Instead, the motivation is a self-serving, check-list, do-the-right-thing mentality.
Giving a turkey to the homeless on Thanksgiving is better than not giving one. But the motivation behind this once a year, social-sacrifice is usually to appease our guilt and not based on love or concern for those in a desperate situation.
When we lose our identity as a body of believers, even worship gatherings can become centers for selfish spiritual consumers, rather than communities of grace.
Grace, compassion, love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, joy, goodness, self-control, and many other marks of true Christ followers all indicate a relationship with someone else. You cannot have compassion except for someone else. You cannot show kindness except to someone else. There is no need for self-control except in dealing with others. You cannot show faithfulness without someone else to be faithful to.
Our very nature, as new creatures in the Kingdom of God, presupposes that we will live, and work, and laugh, and grieve, and experience joy, and peace within a community. To live outside of community is to deny the very core of our new nature.
I’m still not sure who first discovered the New World but it was probably some guy who wouldn’t stop and ask for directions. Maybe the Cubs will win a World Series, but I’m not holding my breath. And if Donald Trump could do it by himself, why does he need an apprentice?
However, I am convinced that the Lone Ranger didn’t do it “on his own.” He had Tonto and they worked as a team. The Lone Ranger is not only fiction, it’s a myth. The Lone Ranger Christian is also a myth, whose legend is better suited for the comic books than real life.
Growing up in America, I’ve learned a few things that are as American as apple pie and Chevrolet. The Cubs will probably never win a World Series Championship. You can remember the names of the Great Lakes because each lake starts with a letter in the word HOMES. Columbus discovered the New World; or was it Leif Eriksson, or maybe Americus, or maybe the Native Americans?
Anyway, I also learned that the heart of the American Spirit was the self-sufficient, entrepreneurial pioneer most typified by the Lone Ranger. I’ve been taught that Donald Trump is a self-made man, that Rambo and the Terminator can each save the world all by themselves, and that Elvis and Frank both did it “My way!” And while this might be the heart of the American Spirit, it is far from God’s design for us.
Scripture teaches us that it is God who made us and, not we ourselves. It also shows us that very rarely does God use a lone individual to accomplish His purposes. Moses needed Aaron and Hur. When Moses tried to be the lone judge of the people, his father-in-law, Jethro, convinced Moses to select several judges to help with the work load. David had his mighty men. When Elijah was depressed thinking he was the only one serving the Lord, God reminded him that there were still 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
We see the same pattern in the New Testament. When Jesus sent the twelve out to minister the Good News, He sent them two by two. Jesus did the same thing with the 72 followers who were sent out to do ministry. The missionary tours of Paul were not taken alone. It was Paul and Barnabas, then Paul and Silas. Dr. Luke tells us that the church spent time working and worshiping together as a community.
I am becoming more and more convinced that effective, God-honoring, Kingdom advancing ministry can only happen within the context of community. God doesn’t desire, and hasn’t designed Lone Ranger Christians; He has made us for community.
Evangelism, when practiced outside of full participation in the community we are evangelizing, may still win souls to Christ. But the motivation for that kind of evangelism is rarely compassion for lost souls. Instead, the motivation is a self-serving, check-list, do-the-right-thing mentality.
Giving a turkey to the homeless on Thanksgiving is better than not giving one. But the motivation behind this once a year, social-sacrifice is usually to appease our guilt and not based on love or concern for those in a desperate situation.
When we lose our identity as a body of believers, even worship gatherings can become centers for selfish spiritual consumers, rather than communities of grace.
Grace, compassion, love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, joy, goodness, self-control, and many other marks of true Christ followers all indicate a relationship with someone else. You cannot have compassion except for someone else. You cannot show kindness except to someone else. There is no need for self-control except in dealing with others. You cannot show faithfulness without someone else to be faithful to.
Our very nature, as new creatures in the Kingdom of God, presupposes that we will live, and work, and laugh, and grieve, and experience joy, and peace within a community. To live outside of community is to deny the very core of our new nature.
I’m still not sure who first discovered the New World but it was probably some guy who wouldn’t stop and ask for directions. Maybe the Cubs will win a World Series, but I’m not holding my breath. And if Donald Trump could do it by himself, why does he need an apprentice?
However, I am convinced that the Lone Ranger didn’t do it “on his own.” He had Tonto and they worked as a team. The Lone Ranger is not only fiction, it’s a myth. The Lone Ranger Christian is also a myth, whose legend is better suited for the comic books than real life.
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