October 27, 2022 — The Dirty and the Clean

“Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” Mark 7:14-15

“Our words and our actions say it all, don’t they?! So let’s take seriously our use of language — both what we say and how we say it. Let’s also look at our lives and see what our actions say about our loyalty to God. We need to realize that our intentions matter for good only if we follow through on them! Repentance that is only a change of heart, but not also a change of behavior, is not really repentance at all.” (heartlight.org; What Jesus Did! ‘What Truly Defiles’; Mark 7:14-15; Tuesday, April 28, 2020)

When people go to great lengths to “appear” holy — I can’t help but allow my suspicions to enter my brain. Why must someone go to such lengths to make me think they are “holy”? Often, not always, but often it is an attempt to hide their own “dirt”. By dirt here I mean their own sinfulness, because they have no idea how to resolve their sinfulness with their need to be holy.

We have no need to put our “holiness” on a plate to hold out for all to see. Jesus is just as capable of loving us in spite of our “dirt” without our extensive attempts to cover that dirt. Instead, we should be getting dirtier working with those who have no more strength to hide their dirt because they have yet to understand what Grace is all about. You see, Grace is the “Heavenly Holy Hoover” — Grace is what sucks the dirt out of our lives and leaves us looking as clean as ever in the eyes of Jesus. This allows us to join Jesus in the back of the room sitting with the “sinners” and the “tax collectors” and learning from each other about the love of Jesus.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, bless me today so that by the power of your Spirit I can change my behavior and my values to reflect your holiness, grace, mercy, and righteousness more perfectly. Amen.

Pastor Dave

October 26, 2022 Reflecting Biblical Principles in the Middle of Secular Culture

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.”    John 3:31-36

Here is part of an article I read recently from “Relevant Magazine”  by Cara Joyner titled:  Christians Shouldn’t Be Culture’s Morality Police:  We aren’t called to demand that secular culture reflect biblical principles. “The values of our culture are often in conflict with the values of our faith, but this isn’t new. Many practices of the ancient world would be considered wholly unacceptable by society today. We are neither the first to live in an environment that challenges our beliefs, nor are we the first to disagree on theology. However, we are the first with a hot and ready platform for serving quick, permanently recorded indictments, with minimal responsibility over what happens next. These instant splices are not used to reach the lost. They are only used to reinforce religious persons’ sense that they have chosen the “right” team and that their people agree with them. When Paul addresses important issues related to sexuality in his letters to the Corinthians, he is speaking to the Church and seems unconcerned with society as a whole:

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral … In that case you would have to leave this world … what business is it of mine to judge those outside the Church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you’” (1 Corinthians 5:9. 12-13).

     We were never commissioned to demand that secular culture reflect biblical principles. We were commissioned to reflect biblical principles in the middle of secular culture, pointing to G-d’s redemptive story. So how do we walk the line of conviction and intention, engaging with culture in a way that is meaningful, without crossing over into a role to which we were never called? Let’s begin with what we know about Jesus. Jesus Kept Moving. Rather than huddling up and making camp in a town surrounded by His own people, Jesus knew what was at stake and He kept moving. His goal was healing and restoring the broken, not circling around those who were already following. And Jesus rejected no one who came to him asking for help.

We are commissioned to reflect biblical principles in the middle of secular culture, pointing to G-d’s redemptive story. Christian teachings have usually been at odds with secular culture. Our job as Christians is to be counter-cultural — and as such we are called to live differently. As Paul says: “what business is it of mine to judge those outside the Church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.” (1 Corin. 5:9ff) These certainly are words worth contemplating today.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you call us to live in this world while not becoming a part of this world. We know how hard it is to live fighting against cultural enticements – but it is a life worth struggling for. Amen.

Pastor Dave