Sit Down Ye Saints of God!

As it is with birth, so it is, for the Calvinist, with death. When someone dies, someone else can always say, “It was his/her time to go,” or “The Lord knows what is best.” Conversely, when someone is not killed in a demolished car, someone will say the opposite, “It was not his/her time to go,” or “S/he was spared for a purpose.” If we pressed pre-destination to its logical conclusion, we would never go to a doctor, never have surgery, or never worry about habits, food or safety. If somewhere there is a ticking clock set to ring out the timing of our death, why make any effort to prolong our lives? John Wesley warned that Calvinism can tend to destroy our zeal for good works. We often sing, “Rise up ye saints of God, have done with lesser things; give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.” Someone once said that Calvinist should sing, “Sit down ye saints of God, there’s nothing you can do; God is in charge of everything and has no need of you.” Is that the God you want to serve? I know some find comfort in not being held accountable, but this is going to a wild extreme, and again, I just can’t go there. During our next visit, I will introduce you to an old friend: Jacob Arminius.

Out of Our Hands?

I recently had someone ask me about my take on pre-destination. Okay, time for a lesson on Calvinism. John Calvin (and his followers called Calvinist) begins with the premise that God is totally sovereign (sounds innocent enough) and follows that premise to its logical conclusions, including: God is omnipotent (therefore God is in total control of everything that happens); if God knows what is going to happen, God causes it to happen—to foreknow is to predestinate; God therefore pre-determines who is to be saved and who is to be lost. Rick Warren, in his popular book, The Purpose Driven Life, is an example of popularized Calvinism. In it he writes, “Your birth is no mistake or mishap, and our life is no fluke. (God) was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. He thought of you first. It is not chance, fate, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but not unplanned by God.” Really! Have we no free will at all? That means that God—not two young adults who are intoxicated, not an oppressive husband, not a boy who forces himself on a girl, and not a girl who forgets to take her birth control pill—is responsible for every birth. Sorry, I refuse to make God responsible for crack babies, for multiple children born to single young women and teen moms, for whom high schools now have childcare centers…I just can’t go there! (I will give you time to think this over and continue my thoughts tomorrow.)

In the Real, Real World

Well here I sit, frustrated again. It’s Monday night and I’ve suffered thru what felt like a month of Olympic news and now the Democratic National Convention has started. It’s not that I hate sports (no really) or politics, it is just that the constant barrage of skewed inconsequential news presented as life altering information disturbs me. Actually, the election process fascinates me and this DNC will be historic, but it’s the opinionated commentators (yes, I do realize this is just my opinion!) who offer information that has little to do with the process or the outcome that irks me. I guess in a perfect world we could cut thru all the fluff and get to business…whether it is sports or politics…but then, in the real, real world religion will be the main business. There everyone would first know the significance of the eternal. Having said that, here’s the rub…this IS the real, real world, and the reason others do not know the significance of the eternal is because we have failed. Jesus commanded us to be HIS witnesses…not sports fanatics or political activist. Some days it would seem we (the Church) are about everything but being Christ’s witnesses. I am not a prophet, I don’t claim to be, but if the Church will not tend to the business we’ve been commanded to be about, we ought never to be surprised if (when) we find ourselves abandoned by the Spirit.

In the Center, Not on the Fringe

Many people today are in the habit of making decisions without a passing thought of seeking God’s input. They think that as long as they don’t lie, steal, commit adultery, or kill someone, they are in the will of God. They will make important life decisions based on common sense—or sometimes less than that! “I feel like it”; “My friends are doing it”; or even, “The world calls this success!” When God is left out of our decisions, we are not walking in faith…we are walking by sight. Instead of tapping into God’s great resources of wisdom, we rely upon simple human ideas. Just think about it…do you think the God who gave his own Son as a sacrifice for you doesn’t also care about other details of your life? A faith-filled believer will pray earnestly until he/she finds God’s will for every detail of their lives. Yes, every detail. Remember, the all-knowing Creator of the universe wants us to be in the very center of his will…not on the fringe or worse yet, out of it. God knows things we have no way of knowing. When we don’t inquire of the Lord and ask in faith for guidance, we miss what God wants to accomplish in us. God wants to show us His plan for our lives: for where we belong and were we don’t belong, but we must actively seek his will.

The Power of Personal Prayer

God is drawn to prayer…he delights in communion with us. God’s eyes are still running all across the world looking for someone—anyone—who will totally and passionately seek his face...his will. He is looking for those who are determined that every thought and action be pleasing in his sight. For such a person, or group, God will prove himself mighty. The power of the Holy Spirit will explode on their behalf. Prayer releases his blessings into our lives. When we align ourselves with the channel of God’s grace, all kinds of marvelous things will take place. His power energizes us to face any obstacle, large or small. When we call upon the Living God, he equips and sends us forth to accomplish that which we could never do on our own, regardless of how much money or education we possess…regardless of our track record. Anything, no everything is possible with God if we approach him with a broken spirit; if we seek only his will. But in order to do this we must humble ourselves, remove the debris in our lives, and keep leaning on him instead of our own understanding. It is truly astounding, but our future is determined by just one thing: seeking God.

Repentance

It would seem that many in the 21st century are extremely good at circumventing the approved process. Any approved process, no every approved process! We have the mindset that holds there must be an easier, quicker, more effective way of doing everything. I am not sure if this is a human nature issue or one of our age, but we’ve got it. The following comes from Vision and Character by Craig R Dykstra and it caused me to wonder.
“If our problem is really sin—a fundamental breach in human existence—then repentance, not self improvement, is the first requirement. This is the biblical view of the foundations of morality. The prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul all beckoned their hearers to a new life by calling them first to give up the old in repentance (Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3; Acts 26:20; Rom. 2:4). Repentance is the absolutely inescapable first step of the Christian moral life. Without repentance, the Christian moral life if impossible.”
Could it be that we have neglected this first step in favor of an easier path? Self-improvement sounds great, even godly, but until we reject the practice of doing wrong, we’ll never reach our intended goal. This is true of dieting, of learning to play a musical instrument, of climbing the corporate ladder, of learning to print the alphabet, of living the Christian life.

There's the Problem!

There are some things that I find nearly unbelievable. Acts 4:32 says, “All the believers were one in heart and mind” (NIV). Did you hear that? Other versions say “they (believers) were in one accord.” I am sorry, but in my wildest dreams I cannot even imagine if that is possible, or what that would be like! All believers…he is referring to the Methodists and the Baptists, and the Lutherans, and the Catholics, and the Apostolics, and the list goes on to include ALL believers. I will confess I have yet to see a Methodist church (including my current appointment) where ALL the Methodists were one in heart and mind, let alone ALL believers. (Just so you know, I have consulted with other pastors, some of other denominations, and they concur.) So what’s going on here? Has God withdrawn his blessing? Has the Spirit lost his power? Is it us…are we the ones to blame for this insurgence against one another and against God? Yes, I said against God. If we are the Church and Christ is our head, then when we fail to accomplish what he calls us to accomplish, for whatever reason, we have rebelled against our leader. So how do we become of “one in heart and mind?” We start with prayer, lots of prayer. We practice respect, especially if we expect respect. We acknowledge that our personal agenda may be different from God’s. And we realize the importance of being of one heart and mind: so important that Jesus prayed that we “may be one as we (the Father and the Son) are one; I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22b-23 NIV).