Sam was the deacon of a church somewhere in the US. He had been a part of that church all his life and had seen a number of changes over the years. One of these changes included an increase in the number of exhortations offered by the music minister for the individual audience members to offer up a sacrifice of praise, each in his own way. Also offered was a reminder that we are not to judge another because “God knows that person’s heart, which is more important to Him than that person’s manner or quality of worship. If your brother across the aisle prefers hymns over praise choruses, fine. If he likes to close his eyes and meditate, let him. If you feel like lifting your hands, go for it. You worship the Lord the way you want, and let him worship the way he wants.” But Sam couldn’t help but wonder if God Himself had not specified in His Word the manner or quality of worship that was acceptable and pleasing to Him.
Sam was also the father of a 6-year-old boy named Saul. One day at home, Sam said, “Saul, I have to run some errands in town. I’ll be back shortly. Please have your room cleaned, including your bed made, by the time I get back. Okay? I love you.” And off Sam went.
He returned a couple hours later to discover Saul’s room untouched, but there was a fairly impressive oil painting (on canvas) setting on a three-legged easel in the corner of the living room. Running in from the kitchen came Saul and saying, “Hey, Dad! Since you like pictures of Old Testament things, I painted this picture for you while you were gone.”
“But, Saul,” Sam said, “you did not clean your room as you were told.”
“But look, Dad.” Saul explained, “It’s a picture of a fat ram and some sticks being consumed in flame atop some blood-stained stones and smoke ascending into a deep blue sky. I sacrificed my time and energy and paint materials to paint this picture just for you. Certainly you can see that my intentions were good.”
“And Samuel said, ‘Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’” – I Samuel 15:22
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Saturday, March 31, 2007
My Absent Son
2005, May 7th, Saturday evening, around 8:24 pm: The heart that took my son's life also claimed a part of mine. For our family, it seemed that a part of the sun had become darkened; but it was only an eclipse – it soon shall pass! “What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” “... The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” – Job 2:10, 1:21
Such an event has drained me of many tears, but it has not erased my memories nor destroyed my affection. So please, ask me about my absent son. I love him.
If you were to ask me right now about my Dad, I might say, “Well, I suppose he’s doing well. You see, he’s not with us now.”
Then you might say, “Oh, … huh …. How long has he been gone?”
“Well, the last time I saw him alive was October 1st of last year.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” you say.
“Why are you sorry? I didn’t say he was dead. He lives somewhere in south-central Ohio. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He’s just absent from our presence right now. I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.”
And I expect the same of my son, Elisha Malachi Rauch. Actually, I expect it of the Lord, because I “judge Him faithful Who promised” (Heb. 11:11) that “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).
So ask me about my son. I am very fond of him, and I like to talk about the people and things about which I am fond. Don’t you? He lives with the Lord. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He may be absent from our presence right now, but I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.
If it were up to you, he’d be “gone and forgotten.” But I do not want to forget him. In truth, he is not “gone and forgotten;” he is only gone and for-a-little-while. “But now he is dead,” as King David said, “wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (II Samuel 12:23).
The Psalmist also wrote, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). So wherefore should I mourn? Wherefore should we avoid discussion about those who have “fallen asleep in Christ”?
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. … The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain …: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Such an event has drained me of many tears, but it has not erased my memories nor destroyed my affection. So please, ask me about my absent son. I love him.
If you were to ask me right now about my Dad, I might say, “Well, I suppose he’s doing well. You see, he’s not with us now.”
Then you might say, “Oh, … huh …. How long has he been gone?”
“Well, the last time I saw him alive was October 1st of last year.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” you say.
“Why are you sorry? I didn’t say he was dead. He lives somewhere in south-central Ohio. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He’s just absent from our presence right now. I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.”
And I expect the same of my son, Elisha Malachi Rauch. Actually, I expect it of the Lord, because I “judge Him faithful Who promised” (Heb. 11:11) that “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).
So ask me about my son. I am very fond of him, and I like to talk about the people and things about which I am fond. Don’t you? He lives with the Lord. But what he’s doing right now, I don’t really know. He may be absent from our presence right now, but I certainly expect to see him again. I’m not sure when, but I plan to spend time with him again. I expect he will be doing well.
If it were up to you, he’d be “gone and forgotten.” But I do not want to forget him. In truth, he is not “gone and forgotten;” he is only gone and for-a-little-while. “But now he is dead,” as King David said, “wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (II Samuel 12:23).
The Psalmist also wrote, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). So wherefore should I mourn? Wherefore should we avoid discussion about those who have “fallen asleep in Christ”?
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. … The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain …: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” – I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Deceiving Is Believing
James 1:22, 26 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. … If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
Everybody believes something. Even those who say, “Trust no one,” apparently believe that no one can be trusted; and they who claim that all religion is phony probably believe that life is little more than a pile of manure. Similarly, deception, especially self-deception, is a belief. Probably not as much a denial of a truth, self-deception is likely more an affirmation of a lie, a falsehood, an untruth.
In the passage read from James, the Holy Spirit cautions us against only hearing and talking about the Word of God but not doing It. “Hearers only” are “deceiving [their] own selves.” Someone who “seems to be religious,” who always talks about religious things “and bridleth not his tongue, … deceiveth his own heart,” and “this man’s religion is vain,” worthless, and without profit. Deception comes not from hearing, but from hearing only. Both the doers and the deceived hear, but the deceived stop right there.
Perhaps you have met people like this. You might even have some enjoyable, agreeable conversations; but afterward, you walk away, shaking your head because you know about them and their disobedient lifestyle. Often among the Scriptural passages they have heard are the ones about faithful participation in church.
“But why do I need church when, as I can show you, I’m learning quite well on my own at home? After all, we are ‘saved through faith’ and ‘faith cometh by hearing,’ right? And I hear the Bible on the radio and television, and I read books about it, etc., etc. So I’m saved because I’ve heard and believed.”
“Yeah, but what about ‘Not forsaking the assembling of – ’”?
“Yeah, yeah, I know: Forsake not ‘the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ – Hebrews 10:25 See? I knew that! And I believe it, too.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?”
“Well, first of all, you shouldn’t be judging me, especially since you don’t know that I blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, ….”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I think I see now: You’re someone who doesn’t believe in the Trinity, huh? You’re someone who doesn’t really get the significance of covenants, or of marriage, or of family, or of baptism, or of the Lord’s supper, huh? You’re someone who believes that a finger can successfully amputate itself from the body and still continue to function just fine on its own, huh? You’re probably someone who doesn’t like four-part harmony or orchestral music either? And I suppose, in a battle, you’d prefer to face the opposing army on your own, wouldn’t you? Or you’d be the type to build a skyscraper all by yourself, huh? Or wait! No, you wouldn’t build the skyscraper, because all you need to do is believe that you can build it all by yourself. If you believe, that’s all that matters, right?... because then the skyscraper will automatically appear on its own if you just believe, right?”
Everybody believes something. Even those who say, “Trust no one,” apparently believe that no one can be trusted; and they who claim that all religion is phony probably believe that life is little more than a pile of manure. Similarly, deception, especially self-deception, is a belief. Probably not as much a denial of a truth, self-deception is likely more an affirmation of a lie, a falsehood, an untruth.
In the passage read from James, the Holy Spirit cautions us against only hearing and talking about the Word of God but not doing It. “Hearers only” are “deceiving [their] own selves.” Someone who “seems to be religious,” who always talks about religious things “and bridleth not his tongue, … deceiveth his own heart,” and “this man’s religion is vain,” worthless, and without profit. Deception comes not from hearing, but from hearing only. Both the doers and the deceived hear, but the deceived stop right there.
Perhaps you have met people like this. You might even have some enjoyable, agreeable conversations; but afterward, you walk away, shaking your head because you know about them and their disobedient lifestyle. Often among the Scriptural passages they have heard are the ones about faithful participation in church.
“But why do I need church when, as I can show you, I’m learning quite well on my own at home? After all, we are ‘saved through faith’ and ‘faith cometh by hearing,’ right? And I hear the Bible on the radio and television, and I read books about it, etc., etc. So I’m saved because I’ve heard and believed.”
“Yeah, but what about ‘Not forsaking the assembling of – ’”?
“Yeah, yeah, I know: Forsake not ‘the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ – Hebrews 10:25 See? I knew that! And I believe it, too.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?”
“Well, first of all, you shouldn’t be judging me, especially since you don’t know that I blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, ….”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I think I see now: You’re someone who doesn’t believe in the Trinity, huh? You’re someone who doesn’t really get the significance of covenants, or of marriage, or of family, or of baptism, or of the Lord’s supper, huh? You’re someone who believes that a finger can successfully amputate itself from the body and still continue to function just fine on its own, huh? You’re probably someone who doesn’t like four-part harmony or orchestral music either? And I suppose, in a battle, you’d prefer to face the opposing army on your own, wouldn’t you? Or you’d be the type to build a skyscraper all by yourself, huh? Or wait! No, you wouldn’t build the skyscraper, because all you need to do is believe that you can build it all by yourself. If you believe, that’s all that matters, right?... because then the skyscraper will automatically appear on its own if you just believe, right?”
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Honor Your Mother
In our egalitarian culture, how is it that many in the church still do not recognize a mother’s authority that they verbally acknowledge as belonging to the father?
I know a man who is very faithful to his family. He loves his wife sacrificially. He is a very generous provider and a rather zealous protector. He knows how to be perfectly balanced in disciplining his children, which brings us to our story.
One day, while the man was out, one of the children began to become restless. The mother quietly cautioned the child about the direction into which his behavior seemed to be heading. This apparently had no effect as the child quickly crossed the line into disobedience. After waiting a couple moments to see if the boy would correct his own misbehavior and settle down, his mother again offered a mild reprimand. She was also just beginning to explain that the other children were also becoming offended, when suddenly the disobedient child put his fingers in his ears, stuck out his tongue, turned around and walked away, all the while yelling, “La-la-la-la-la…!” After fifteen minutes or so of this, the child finally tired of yelling but still continued to antagonize those around him in not-so-subtle ways.
A half hour later, the husband and father walked through the front door, unnoticed by the rebellious child. The father quickly observed that all was not right and wasted no time chastising his son with a firm spanking and a clear reminder as to the respect and honor that the son must exercise toward his mother and the type of home that must be maintained. Immediately after this father corrected the chaos that had been growing, he called his wife aside into a private place. He then reminded her of the oneness between them in marriage, of the authority which he held, of the expectations that she exercise much of that same authority including the authority to maintain discipline, with firmness when necessary, and of the promise he’d made to be ever-present in his support of her maintaining a Godly home.
Actually, I believe his words were “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:18-20).
I know a man who is very faithful to his family. He loves his wife sacrificially. He is a very generous provider and a rather zealous protector. He knows how to be perfectly balanced in disciplining his children, which brings us to our story.
One day, while the man was out, one of the children began to become restless. The mother quietly cautioned the child about the direction into which his behavior seemed to be heading. This apparently had no effect as the child quickly crossed the line into disobedience. After waiting a couple moments to see if the boy would correct his own misbehavior and settle down, his mother again offered a mild reprimand. She was also just beginning to explain that the other children were also becoming offended, when suddenly the disobedient child put his fingers in his ears, stuck out his tongue, turned around and walked away, all the while yelling, “La-la-la-la-la…!” After fifteen minutes or so of this, the child finally tired of yelling but still continued to antagonize those around him in not-so-subtle ways.
A half hour later, the husband and father walked through the front door, unnoticed by the rebellious child. The father quickly observed that all was not right and wasted no time chastising his son with a firm spanking and a clear reminder as to the respect and honor that the son must exercise toward his mother and the type of home that must be maintained. Immediately after this father corrected the chaos that had been growing, he called his wife aside into a private place. He then reminded her of the oneness between them in marriage, of the authority which he held, of the expectations that she exercise much of that same authority including the authority to maintain discipline, with firmness when necessary, and of the promise he’d made to be ever-present in his support of her maintaining a Godly home.
Actually, I believe his words were “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:18-20).
Change Change
“It’s all about change.” “A church that refuses to change is a church that refuses to grow;” at least, that’s what we have been told by many minister’s in the national Christian community today. “You’d better jump on the bandwagon of Change if you expect your church to go anywhere.” Well, here I go …. I certainly don’t want to be one who hinders the church from going where God wants it to go.
I’m all for change. There are some significant changes that are in order if many churches are going to get back to being the “city that is set on an hill [which] cannot be hid. … [Letting our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14b & 16)
I agree that the decline in church attendance is unacceptable. I think that we should not hold onto every tradition passed down to us without a first or second thought about it. I agree that children and young people ought to be permitted opportunity to participate in regular, corporate worship. Hell’s Angels, prostitutes, drug dealers, dead-beat dads, alcoholics, and smokers should be invited to church and into the kingdom of Christ.
Yep, I’m all for change, except that I’d like to use a more Biblical term, if you don’t mind (or even if you do). Jesus preached about “change.” John the Baptist did, too; and so did Peter. … except they all called it something else – repentance!
“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and” would just learn how to change … er, I mean, … “turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14
(See? I do want change. We could maybe start with replacing our Dictionary of Popular Culture with one known as the Holy Bible. But this would simply be a change back to the way things were meant to be from the beginning. And, of course, this is just a side-note, so please don’t get distracted from the main principle mentioned above, of which this is just one application.)
I’m all for change. There are some significant changes that are in order if many churches are going to get back to being the “city that is set on an hill [which] cannot be hid. … [Letting our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14b & 16)
I agree that the decline in church attendance is unacceptable. I think that we should not hold onto every tradition passed down to us without a first or second thought about it. I agree that children and young people ought to be permitted opportunity to participate in regular, corporate worship. Hell’s Angels, prostitutes, drug dealers, dead-beat dads, alcoholics, and smokers should be invited to church and into the kingdom of Christ.
Yep, I’m all for change, except that I’d like to use a more Biblical term, if you don’t mind (or even if you do). Jesus preached about “change.” John the Baptist did, too; and so did Peter. … except they all called it something else – repentance!
“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and” would just learn how to change … er, I mean, … “turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14
(See? I do want change. We could maybe start with replacing our Dictionary of Popular Culture with one known as the Holy Bible. But this would simply be a change back to the way things were meant to be from the beginning. And, of course, this is just a side-note, so please don’t get distracted from the main principle mentioned above, of which this is just one application.)
A Generation of Mules
One spring day, a young stallion went exploring and soon found himself in the northern pasture, about where his dad had once cautioned him. The wild animals did not roam there, the terrain was not uneven, and the grass was plentiful – indeed, these only added to the danger of the place. For it was on this north end of the pasture where They were corralled and fed. Who were They? – The Donkeys!
The stallion had previously noticed from a distance that they didn’t look so different from donkeys, and at moments, the grass appeared to be greener on their side of the fence. His glance lingered a little longer than he knew his father would like, and he was about to turn and run away when he saw her. A beautiful donkey with big, dark eyes and the prettiest coat of fur he’d ever seen. They soon began walking along the fence and talking about how they might get together. She reminded him that the fence was too high for the donkeys to jump over, but horses had hurdled it on several occasions. But the stallion loved his parents, his pasture, and his way of life too much to leave it all, even for her; so he searched along the fence until he found a hole in it just large enough that a donkey might squeeze through. The donkey agreed to come, marry the stallion, and live like a horse from now on.
Some eleven months later, a baby equine was delivered by the donkey. It had its father’s strength and its mother’s good looks. It grew to be a hard worker and stubbornly resistant to evil. – As a matter of fact, this entire scenario began to be quite typical of many other equines in that area of the pasture until, before long, mules were running around everywhere.
There’s a problem with mules, though: they cannot effectively carry out the Great Commission over the long term. Neither can we succeed across the street, across the state, across the nation, or across the seas until we succeed across the living room.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
The stallion had previously noticed from a distance that they didn’t look so different from donkeys, and at moments, the grass appeared to be greener on their side of the fence. His glance lingered a little longer than he knew his father would like, and he was about to turn and run away when he saw her. A beautiful donkey with big, dark eyes and the prettiest coat of fur he’d ever seen. They soon began walking along the fence and talking about how they might get together. She reminded him that the fence was too high for the donkeys to jump over, but horses had hurdled it on several occasions. But the stallion loved his parents, his pasture, and his way of life too much to leave it all, even for her; so he searched along the fence until he found a hole in it just large enough that a donkey might squeeze through. The donkey agreed to come, marry the stallion, and live like a horse from now on.
Some eleven months later, a baby equine was delivered by the donkey. It had its father’s strength and its mother’s good looks. It grew to be a hard worker and stubbornly resistant to evil. – As a matter of fact, this entire scenario began to be quite typical of many other equines in that area of the pasture until, before long, mules were running around everywhere.
There’s a problem with mules, though: they cannot effectively carry out the Great Commission over the long term. Neither can we succeed across the street, across the state, across the nation, or across the seas until we succeed across the living room.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
If You Won't Baptize Babies, Then Stop Having Church
Not too long ago, I heard a Bible teacher basically say that one of the arguments against baptizing babies (and thus, why the church where he serves does not teach or practice it as Biblical faithfulness) is that people have relied upon that one act as their ticket to Heaven; those same people, otherwise, are unfaithful to Christ and His Bride. – Granted: such a perspective of infant baptism is unacceptable within the church of God. But please, let’s be consistent!
What if a 50-year-old woman began relying upon that single act alone for her salvation? What if she trusted in the sign and not in the thing signified? What if some think that simple church attendance will save them? Will that teacher then discourage people from coming? … because “we don’t want you to mistake your attendance for an automatic transfer through the pearly gates.” What if some rely upon their financial giving? Should we then preach against any further giving and receiving of offerings? What if some weirdo thought that drinking water would get him into Heaven? Would all Christians be condemned for drinking water then? Of course, you can begin to see that this sort of thinking could not only put the preacher out of a job, but it could also become quite fatal, literally.
The problem is not with the baptism, just as it is not with the church attendance, the offering, or the drinking water. The problem is with the perspective. Does God only require you to be baptized as an infant but then expects nothing further by way of faithfulness to the covenant into which you’ve been baptized? Of course, this is not the case. But let’s not “throw the baby out with the [baptismal] water.” Perhaps we should not even throw out the baptismal water. – What is the right perspective on all this? Well, I’m glad I asked. Let’s discuss this further …. (to be continued ... maybe)
What if a 50-year-old woman began relying upon that single act alone for her salvation? What if she trusted in the sign and not in the thing signified? What if some think that simple church attendance will save them? Will that teacher then discourage people from coming? … because “we don’t want you to mistake your attendance for an automatic transfer through the pearly gates.” What if some rely upon their financial giving? Should we then preach against any further giving and receiving of offerings? What if some weirdo thought that drinking water would get him into Heaven? Would all Christians be condemned for drinking water then? Of course, you can begin to see that this sort of thinking could not only put the preacher out of a job, but it could also become quite fatal, literally.
The problem is not with the baptism, just as it is not with the church attendance, the offering, or the drinking water. The problem is with the perspective. Does God only require you to be baptized as an infant but then expects nothing further by way of faithfulness to the covenant into which you’ve been baptized? Of course, this is not the case. But let’s not “throw the baby out with the [baptismal] water.” Perhaps we should not even throw out the baptismal water. – What is the right perspective on all this? Well, I’m glad I asked. Let’s discuss this further …. (to be continued ... maybe)
Foreknowledge of God
Have you ever heard this from a believing Christian? “I believe God has foreknowledge, but I think He may choose to not tap into it all the time.” What is that all about? What motivates such a statement? I think that it likely stems from the great difficulty in our minds to accept the fact that God has always known the depths to which evil would sink and still does not do anything to stop it within the timeframe that we think He should.
To help you understand this struggle, let me just ask you a few, potentially disturbing questions.
– Before He created the world and Adam, was God thinking about all the terrible abductions, physical abuses, torturous murders, cannibalistic mutilations, and ridiculous wars that would occur after the Fall?
– Before God said, “Let there be light,” did He realize all that His Son would have to experience at the time of His crucifixion?
– How far in advance did God know that I would have a son who would have a big hole in his heart, scores of needles poked in his body, a ventilator tube shoved down his throat several times, medicines and blood transfusions pumped into his body, a feeding tube inserted through his nostrils and then through his belly, and a surgeon’s knife across his chest, only to die 102 days after his birth?
He is supposed to be a God of love, right? What kind of love is it that allows all this, especially if He knows about it long before it ever occurs? So it seems that some have concluded that God apparently doesn’t think about it unless He wants to.
But have we not read the Holy Bible, the very Word of God? Or have we forgotten what God says of Himself in the writings of Isaiah? “I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:6-7). “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Have we not read the first couple chapters of Job, where God initiates the discussion with Satan that would lead to Job’s great trials? Have we not read of the Holy Spirit’s prophecy concerning Judas hundreds of years before Christ (Psalms 69:25, 109:8; Acts 1:15-26), and that “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64)? Have we not noticed that the Lord says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8)? Have we not read? Have we forgotten? Or do we just refuse to believe?
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
To help you understand this struggle, let me just ask you a few, potentially disturbing questions.
– Before He created the world and Adam, was God thinking about all the terrible abductions, physical abuses, torturous murders, cannibalistic mutilations, and ridiculous wars that would occur after the Fall?
– Before God said, “Let there be light,” did He realize all that His Son would have to experience at the time of His crucifixion?
– How far in advance did God know that I would have a son who would have a big hole in his heart, scores of needles poked in his body, a ventilator tube shoved down his throat several times, medicines and blood transfusions pumped into his body, a feeding tube inserted through his nostrils and then through his belly, and a surgeon’s knife across his chest, only to die 102 days after his birth?
He is supposed to be a God of love, right? What kind of love is it that allows all this, especially if He knows about it long before it ever occurs? So it seems that some have concluded that God apparently doesn’t think about it unless He wants to.
But have we not read the Holy Bible, the very Word of God? Or have we forgotten what God says of Himself in the writings of Isaiah? “I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things” (Isaiah 45:6-7). “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Have we not read the first couple chapters of Job, where God initiates the discussion with Satan that would lead to Job’s great trials? Have we not read of the Holy Spirit’s prophecy concerning Judas hundreds of years before Christ (Psalms 69:25, 109:8; Acts 1:15-26), and that “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64)? Have we not noticed that the Lord says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” (Revelation 1:8)? Have we not read? Have we forgotten? Or do we just refuse to believe?
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
Deeper Than Deep
Rich Mullins once recorded a song entitled “If I Stand” (on his album entitled Stuff of Earth), which included these words:
“There’s more that dances on the prairie than the wind
And more that pulses in the oceans than the tide.
There’s a love that is fiercer than the love between friends,
More gentle than a mother’s, when a baby’s at her side.
There’s a loyalty that’s deeper than mere sentiment
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing.
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
That I owe only to the Giver of all good things.”
We work and sweat to get lots of money; but what we really want is security. We pursue pleasures; but what we really want is joy. We become activists; but what we really want is purpose. We pop in a CD, sit cross-legged on the floor in a room surrounded by large windows, close our eyes, inhale deeply, and find ourselves in some enchanted sunny, flowery meadow where birds sing sweetly and butterflies smile at us; but what we really want is peace. We strategize and entice for intimacy; but what we really want is love.
Thus, we begin to understand the love and grace of the Holy Spirit when He teaches us in Philippians 4:6-7 to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Notice that when you “let your requests be made known unto God,” He does not promise here to grant your every request; but He does promise a peace, “which passes all understanding.”
“Be not ye therefore like unto [the heathen]: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8); and “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). So take comfort, because “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“There’s more that dances on the prairie than the wind
And more that pulses in the oceans than the tide.
There’s a love that is fiercer than the love between friends,
More gentle than a mother’s, when a baby’s at her side.
There’s a loyalty that’s deeper than mere sentiment
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing.
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
That I owe only to the Giver of all good things.”
We work and sweat to get lots of money; but what we really want is security. We pursue pleasures; but what we really want is joy. We become activists; but what we really want is purpose. We pop in a CD, sit cross-legged on the floor in a room surrounded by large windows, close our eyes, inhale deeply, and find ourselves in some enchanted sunny, flowery meadow where birds sing sweetly and butterflies smile at us; but what we really want is peace. We strategize and entice for intimacy; but what we really want is love.
Thus, we begin to understand the love and grace of the Holy Spirit when He teaches us in Philippians 4:6-7 to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Notice that when you “let your requests be made known unto God,” He does not promise here to grant your every request; but He does promise a peace, “which passes all understanding.”
“Be not ye therefore like unto [the heathen]: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8); and “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). So take comfort, because “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Exercise Faith, & You Won't Believe Your Eyes!
The Holy Spirit tells us, in Hebrews 11:27, that “by faith, [Moses] … endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible.” Now how do you see Someone Who is invisible?
The preceding verses imply that Moses could have had “pleasures” and “treasures” – those things which appeal to the lust of the eyes and flesh – but instead he chose affliction and reproach. He chose rather to exercise faith in Someone Whom he could not see Who promised to lead him to a land he had not seen.
Could Abraham not see his wrinkled, gray-haired wife? Did Moses not understand the strength of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots? Did Joshua not see that big wall surrounding Jericho? Didn’t David hear King Saul say that that 9.5-foot tall giant out there, who’s carrying over 140 pounds of armor and weapons, has been “a man of war from his youth” (I Samuel 17:33)? Didn’t the 3 Hebrew boys realize that King Nebuchadnezzar could demand the fire be made much hotter? Did Daniel not know how big and hungry the lions were? Of course, they saw the challenge before them. But they also saw “Him Who is invisible,” with His mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deut. 26:8) poised to crush any who would dare to touch His anointed.
Yet the enemy, from the beginning, tempts us to trust our physical eyes. He wants us to put our faith in that which we can observe, handle, and experience. He showed Eve “that the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). He showed Christ the stones which could “be made bread” and then showed “Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:3, 8). Then Satan shows us the harlot (as mentioned in Revelation). – Our eyes see the “gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, … and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;” our skin feels the “fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet;” our noses smell the “cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense;” our tongues taste the “wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep;” and our ears hear “the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, … and the sound of a millstone … and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride ….” – He tempts us through all of our senses toward “the fruits that [our] soul[s] lusted after …, and all things which were dainty and goodly …” (Revelation 18:12-14, 22-23).
But “faith is … the evidence of things not seen,” without which “it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:1, 6). Therefore, exercise faith in God and His Word, and you will not believe your eyes!
The preceding verses imply that Moses could have had “pleasures” and “treasures” – those things which appeal to the lust of the eyes and flesh – but instead he chose affliction and reproach. He chose rather to exercise faith in Someone Whom he could not see Who promised to lead him to a land he had not seen.
Could Abraham not see his wrinkled, gray-haired wife? Did Moses not understand the strength of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots? Did Joshua not see that big wall surrounding Jericho? Didn’t David hear King Saul say that that 9.5-foot tall giant out there, who’s carrying over 140 pounds of armor and weapons, has been “a man of war from his youth” (I Samuel 17:33)? Didn’t the 3 Hebrew boys realize that King Nebuchadnezzar could demand the fire be made much hotter? Did Daniel not know how big and hungry the lions were? Of course, they saw the challenge before them. But they also saw “Him Who is invisible,” with His mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deut. 26:8) poised to crush any who would dare to touch His anointed.
Yet the enemy, from the beginning, tempts us to trust our physical eyes. He wants us to put our faith in that which we can observe, handle, and experience. He showed Eve “that the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6). He showed Christ the stones which could “be made bread” and then showed “Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:3, 8). Then Satan shows us the harlot (as mentioned in Revelation). – Our eyes see the “gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, … and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;” our skin feels the “fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet;” our noses smell the “cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense;” our tongues taste the “wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep;” and our ears hear “the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, … and the sound of a millstone … and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride ….” – He tempts us through all of our senses toward “the fruits that [our] soul[s] lusted after …, and all things which were dainty and goodly …” (Revelation 18:12-14, 22-23).
But “faith is … the evidence of things not seen,” without which “it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:1, 6). Therefore, exercise faith in God and His Word, and you will not believe your eyes!
Attack Lust with the Sword of the Spirit
Before I present today’s challenge, let me first remind you that one of the primary goals to which God’s people are always being called is to believe God and His Word. Adam and Eve were presented with this test, and they failed. The people of Israel failed it many times as well. Finally, the Second Adam, the True Israel, our Example passed the test, showing us the power of the written Word of God, our “Sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17).
Men, are you greatly tempted and perhaps even often defeated by the lust of the eyes? Then I would like to encourage you to pick up your Sword, and accept this challenge with me:
“As of this ____ day of the ____ month in the year of our Lord ____, by the grace of God and the power of His Holy Spirit, I hereby declare that,
– since I am not my own, but I have been bought with a price and therefore must glorify God in my body and in my spirit which belong to God (I Cor. 6:20), I will henceforth love God with all of my being, including my mind (Mark 12:30), and
– since my body also belongs to my wife (I Cor. 7:4), I will love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), and
– since I am not to lust after a woman’s beauty in my heart (Prov. 6:25) but rather to abstain from fornication (I Thess. 4:3), I will mortify my members on the earth, including lust and fornication (Col. 3:5), and
– since Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2), I will walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4) and in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), and
– since I have made a covenant with my eyes (Job 31:1), I will henceforth set no wicked thing before my eyes (Psalm 101:3). Amen.”
Men, are you greatly tempted and perhaps even often defeated by the lust of the eyes? Then I would like to encourage you to pick up your Sword, and accept this challenge with me:
“As of this ____ day of the ____ month in the year of our Lord ____, by the grace of God and the power of His Holy Spirit, I hereby declare that,
– since I am not my own, but I have been bought with a price and therefore must glorify God in my body and in my spirit which belong to God (I Cor. 6:20), I will henceforth love God with all of my being, including my mind (Mark 12:30), and
– since my body also belongs to my wife (I Cor. 7:4), I will love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25), and
– since I am not to lust after a woman’s beauty in my heart (Prov. 6:25) but rather to abstain from fornication (I Thess. 4:3), I will mortify my members on the earth, including lust and fornication (Col. 3:5), and
– since Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2), I will walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4) and in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), and
– since I have made a covenant with my eyes (Job 31:1), I will henceforth set no wicked thing before my eyes (Psalm 101:3). Amen.”
Godly Guardrails & Freedom Fences
Have you ever heard someone speak of God’s law as freeing? The Holy Spirit Himself, through James’ epistle, speaks of “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25). Or perhaps someone would say something like, “A home or society without law is a home or society of slavery. But one built upon Biblical principles is one that’s free.” – What in the world does that mean? How do laws make one free?
Does a dog inside his master’s fenced yard of 3 acres feel free compared to his canine neighbors inside their master’s 20 acres? Well, if the former is a single German Schnauzer and the neighbors are a couple German Shepherds, the 3 acres suddenly become quite spacious as opposed to 2 cubic feet inside of a box that is a few feet under the dirt. The fence is not keeping the good dog from getting out and being free as much as it is keeping the bad dogs from getting in and being destructive.
Another thing that laws do is provide a distinct boundary between those areas that are safe and those that are not. When driving along the road on the side of a steep mountain, I do not view the guardrail as restrictive. I am very glad it’s there. I do not fear for my life as long as I stay on the mountain-side of the guardrail. On the other side of the guardrail, driving and even living likely become much more difficult. I recently rammed into a guardrail when I lost control of my pickup truck on an icy road. The truck was somewhat damaged and a couple passengers bruised, but generally, by God’s grace, our lives and health were spared. The guardrail served its purpose.
God’s laws are meant for a similar purpose. When we are headed in the wrong direction, God’s laws smack us in the face and say, “Where do you think you’re going? There’s nothing but danger, death, and destruction outside of faith in Christ and faithfulness to His commandments.”
So God’s laws are a matter of protection from that which would harm and destroy, and they are a call back to faithfully abiding in Christ – and that is freeing! – Romans 8:2 states, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Does a dog inside his master’s fenced yard of 3 acres feel free compared to his canine neighbors inside their master’s 20 acres? Well, if the former is a single German Schnauzer and the neighbors are a couple German Shepherds, the 3 acres suddenly become quite spacious as opposed to 2 cubic feet inside of a box that is a few feet under the dirt. The fence is not keeping the good dog from getting out and being free as much as it is keeping the bad dogs from getting in and being destructive.
Another thing that laws do is provide a distinct boundary between those areas that are safe and those that are not. When driving along the road on the side of a steep mountain, I do not view the guardrail as restrictive. I am very glad it’s there. I do not fear for my life as long as I stay on the mountain-side of the guardrail. On the other side of the guardrail, driving and even living likely become much more difficult. I recently rammed into a guardrail when I lost control of my pickup truck on an icy road. The truck was somewhat damaged and a couple passengers bruised, but generally, by God’s grace, our lives and health were spared. The guardrail served its purpose.
God’s laws are meant for a similar purpose. When we are headed in the wrong direction, God’s laws smack us in the face and say, “Where do you think you’re going? There’s nothing but danger, death, and destruction outside of faith in Christ and faithfulness to His commandments.”
So God’s laws are a matter of protection from that which would harm and destroy, and they are a call back to faithfully abiding in Christ – and that is freeing! – Romans 8:2 states, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Friday, March 09, 2007
How To Be a Christian and Still Do What You Want
1) Ignore all how-to’s (including this one), especially those within the Holy Scriptures.
2) Teach that God cares more about the why than He does the what, and don’t even mention the how. That is, God cares more about why we do what we do than He does about what we do or how we do it.
Another way of saying this is that the attitude of the heart is more important than the action of the hands. God cares more about your motivation than He does about your effectiveness. Regardless of how pathetic the results of your beliefs and behaviors, “the intentions of your heart were good, and that’s what really matters.”
You might even throw in a quote from someone like Ravi Zacharias (I think) who said, “Intent is prior to content.” Of course, in all this, there is some obvious truth; you just want to avoid pointing out that it’s twisted. (I.e., you don’t want to say, “Notice that Ravi says, ‘is prior to’ rather than ‘is more important than.’ It would be better to say that the locomotive engine comes before the boxcar and not to say that the engine is more important than the boxcar. What good is an engine going back and forth on the track with only empty freight cars? Or how desirable would it be to have passengers loaded up with no power to get them to their destination? Both are important, and generally the engine comes ahead of the freight cars.” – But remember: don’t say that.)
3) Since this next one is so difficult (impossible really) to prove, you should likely be practicing it before stating it directly (if ever). – Establish the following presupposition: “God cares about the ends, not the means. The end justifies the means.” Of course, you must also avoid any and all arguments like the following:
a. If God just wants billions of people to praise Him for eternity, then why all this mess with the universe: creation, crucifixion, stuff like that? Why not just create people who will praise You all the time?
b. Why did God spend 6 days creating, when He could have done it all in an instant?
c. Why did He wait 4,000 years before bringing Christ to center-stage? Why another 2,000 years, at least, before the final judgment day?
d. Why all the cruelty leading up to and including the crucifixion? Why not just have the Christ die in His sleep?
You might say (although it wouldn’t be wise to do so) that “God would not make the best movie-maker. You’ve seen the kind … where there’s a lot of action, close calls, suspense, a long building up of the plot, a cliff-hanging climax, and then all of a sudden, something quite unpredictable occurs, which solves all the problems within a matter of 5 minutes or so, and the hero and his girl drive off into the sunset to live happily ever after. As if the movie-makers were running out of time, so they threw some far-fetched factor into the story to bring it to a satisfactory end for the viewer. God is the same way. – He has a particular end in mind. So no matter how messy things may look now, He will bring it all to a satisfactory end; … no need to worry about how.”
4) Once the presupposition of point #3 has been established, it becomes a rather simple task to preach that “the end which most concerns God is that of evangelism, the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” Evangelism for the modern church and its individualistic Christians is the wonderful justifier of all our compromises. It’s the perfect skin-color-matching cover-up for all our blemishes, the cure-all drug for all our symptomatic side-effects of some serious illness. For some examples, consider the following: A heart for evangelism means …
a. a Christian man can go into a strip-club and witness to the performers,
b. a Christian man can, in order to better communicate in the language of his culture, purchase a subscription to Rolling Stones magazine (including that one with a topless Britney Spears on the front cover),
c. a Christian man can grow long hair and get a tattoo because a Hell’s Angel will more likely be converted by someone who looks like him (the same reason that Jesus removed His clothes, cut Himself with stones, and lived in a tomb so that He might better witness to Legion),
d. a Christian can marry a non-Christian,
e. Christian parents can send their children to public schools,
f. Christians can skip church to be with the unsaved, especially if those unsaved are relatives,
g. Christian churches can determine their own style of worship,
h. a Christian can recommend any version of the Bible that might appeal to the (especially unsaved) reader,
i. a Christian can come up with his own interpretation of a Scriptural passage,
j. a Christian can come up with his own definition of God (“That’s the kind of God I serve.” – Isn’t that what used to be called “making an idol”?).
To summarize, you want to cultivate a mindset that God does not care about the process, that He is not a God of the means. This will aid the seering (er, did I say that? I meant the relieving) of the consciences of pastors and churches who want to circumvent messy disciplinary issues, Christian men who want to replace their spiritual provision in the home (via family worship) with material provisions (via consistent overtime work), Christian women who want to play masculine roles (working outside the home, teaching and leading in the church, etc.), and Christian people who want to divorce with other than Biblical support.
2) Teach that God cares more about the why than He does the what, and don’t even mention the how. That is, God cares more about why we do what we do than He does about what we do or how we do it.
Another way of saying this is that the attitude of the heart is more important than the action of the hands. God cares more about your motivation than He does about your effectiveness. Regardless of how pathetic the results of your beliefs and behaviors, “the intentions of your heart were good, and that’s what really matters.”
You might even throw in a quote from someone like Ravi Zacharias (I think) who said, “Intent is prior to content.” Of course, in all this, there is some obvious truth; you just want to avoid pointing out that it’s twisted. (I.e., you don’t want to say, “Notice that Ravi says, ‘is prior to’ rather than ‘is more important than.’ It would be better to say that the locomotive engine comes before the boxcar and not to say that the engine is more important than the boxcar. What good is an engine going back and forth on the track with only empty freight cars? Or how desirable would it be to have passengers loaded up with no power to get them to their destination? Both are important, and generally the engine comes ahead of the freight cars.” – But remember: don’t say that.)
3) Since this next one is so difficult (impossible really) to prove, you should likely be practicing it before stating it directly (if ever). – Establish the following presupposition: “God cares about the ends, not the means. The end justifies the means.” Of course, you must also avoid any and all arguments like the following:
a. If God just wants billions of people to praise Him for eternity, then why all this mess with the universe: creation, crucifixion, stuff like that? Why not just create people who will praise You all the time?
b. Why did God spend 6 days creating, when He could have done it all in an instant?
c. Why did He wait 4,000 years before bringing Christ to center-stage? Why another 2,000 years, at least, before the final judgment day?
d. Why all the cruelty leading up to and including the crucifixion? Why not just have the Christ die in His sleep?
You might say (although it wouldn’t be wise to do so) that “God would not make the best movie-maker. You’ve seen the kind … where there’s a lot of action, close calls, suspense, a long building up of the plot, a cliff-hanging climax, and then all of a sudden, something quite unpredictable occurs, which solves all the problems within a matter of 5 minutes or so, and the hero and his girl drive off into the sunset to live happily ever after. As if the movie-makers were running out of time, so they threw some far-fetched factor into the story to bring it to a satisfactory end for the viewer. God is the same way. – He has a particular end in mind. So no matter how messy things may look now, He will bring it all to a satisfactory end; … no need to worry about how.”
4) Once the presupposition of point #3 has been established, it becomes a rather simple task to preach that “the end which most concerns God is that of evangelism, the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” Evangelism for the modern church and its individualistic Christians is the wonderful justifier of all our compromises. It’s the perfect skin-color-matching cover-up for all our blemishes, the cure-all drug for all our symptomatic side-effects of some serious illness. For some examples, consider the following: A heart for evangelism means …
a. a Christian man can go into a strip-club and witness to the performers,
b. a Christian man can, in order to better communicate in the language of his culture, purchase a subscription to Rolling Stones magazine (including that one with a topless Britney Spears on the front cover),
c. a Christian man can grow long hair and get a tattoo because a Hell’s Angel will more likely be converted by someone who looks like him (the same reason that Jesus removed His clothes, cut Himself with stones, and lived in a tomb so that He might better witness to Legion),
d. a Christian can marry a non-Christian,
e. Christian parents can send their children to public schools,
f. Christians can skip church to be with the unsaved, especially if those unsaved are relatives,
g. Christian churches can determine their own style of worship,
h. a Christian can recommend any version of the Bible that might appeal to the (especially unsaved) reader,
i. a Christian can come up with his own interpretation of a Scriptural passage,
j. a Christian can come up with his own definition of God (“That’s the kind of God I serve.” – Isn’t that what used to be called “making an idol”?).
To summarize, you want to cultivate a mindset that God does not care about the process, that He is not a God of the means. This will aid the seering (er, did I say that? I meant the relieving) of the consciences of pastors and churches who want to circumvent messy disciplinary issues, Christian men who want to replace their spiritual provision in the home (via family worship) with material provisions (via consistent overtime work), Christian women who want to play masculine roles (working outside the home, teaching and leading in the church, etc.), and Christian people who want to divorce with other than Biblical support.
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