The church wrings its hands and frets and wonders why it
is mocked and ignored and ineffective against this present darkness. It is because we are called to preach God's
word in boldness, not hypocrisy. Oswald
Chambers said, "Never water down the word of God, preach it in its
undiluted sternness; there must be unflinching loyalty to the word of God; but
when you come to personal dealing with your fellow men, remember who you are--
not a special being made up in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace." We are
to preach the full counsel of God without shrinking back in shame or fear, but
to preach the full counsel of God, you must also walk in the full counsel of
God. Or, as I have said to our church,
"You can't preach it if you ain't livin' it." And when we preach it, we must remember that
we once walked in darkness just as those to whom we counsel with God's word
(Eph 2:2, 5:8). And when we preach it,
we must do it in the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own talent.
When we engage in teaching the moral aspects of God's
word, we must do it without compromise but we must also do it in a way that is responsive
to the weaknesses and ignorance inherent in humanity, more specifically, a
humanity devoid of any true knowledge of Christ and His kingdom ways. Even if someone disagrees with Christian
moral teachings, most people are interested in dialogue with someone who treats
them with respect and takes their questions and struggles into
consideration. When you look through the
Gospel accounts, you see Jesus engaging people in conversation. You see people who disagreed with Jesus and
He allowed them to question Him. He
allowed them to disagree. Jesus always
honored people's humanity, even when their humanity was expressed in their
rejection of Him. Jesus always treated
people as if He valued them as a person, because He did. The only people we see in the Gospel accounts
receiving a harsh word from Christ were the self-righteous and religiously
arrogant.
Christianity is a moral religion. There is no getting around this, no matter
how intricate and inventive your theological acrobatics may be. Christianity is a moral religion because God
is a moral being and morality is based on the very character of God. Which means that what is considered sinful
and immoral by God, is considered sinful and immoral because it is contrary to
His character. What God considers a
moral sin will always be considered sinful and immoral because God never
changes. The standard of measurement of
morality in the Christian religion is God Himself. Morality is measured by Who God is, and God
is holy and He will always be holy. There
is a difference between law and morality.
The law is based on morality, but the law is not the source of
morality-- God is the source of morality.
That is why morality never changes, but the law does and can change. Laws are pursuant to covenant, and since God
is the one Who engages mankind in covenant, it is also His prerogative to end, renew,
or redefine them (Heb 7:11,12).
There is not enough preaching done about righteousness
and there is too much preaching done in our own strength shaped by our own
reasoning. There are too many gospels of
the flesh being preached. Just as the
true Gospel required the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, so too, does the true
Gospel crucify our own flesh. To the
hedonistic culture of Corinth, Paul said that he was determined to focus on
nothing but Christ crucified, and to preach Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23;
2:2). For too many people in the church,
the cross is a symbol but not a lifestyle.
There are too many people in the church for whom Jesus is a concept and
an idea, but He has never become a genuine part of who they are. Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father Who is in
heaven" (Matt 7:21). The will
of the Father is for us to know Him through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). The will of the Father is for those who call
upon the name of Jesus Christ to be transformed into His image (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor
3:18). Such a transformation requires
the crucifixion of our flesh, the death of self, so that He may live in
you.
This is something that many people in the church simply
do not understand, therefore they are incapable of reflecting an accurate
portrait of Christianity to the world.
The church fails to fulfill its commission to make "disciples of all the nations.... teaching them to obey" all
Jesus has commanded (Matt 28:19,20). The
church is too focused on promising people the power of God instead of the
obedience of Christ. The church fails in
doing this because too many people who claim to be a part of it, do not truly
know nor understand the very One they claim to follow. Just like there is a difference between the
law and morality, there is a difference between those who believe in Jesus and
those who follow Jesus. The devil
believes in Jesus, but he does not follow Him.
There are many like the devil in the church today. Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord but do not do what I say?" (Luke
6:46). I believe that is what Jesus
would say to the church today. That is
the cry that rings out and echoes among those who dare to call themselves by
His holy and perfect name.
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every
expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save
your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are
deceiving yourselves. (James 1:21,22)
Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us
cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God. (2 Cor 7:1)
But just as He Who calls you is holy, be holy in all you
do, for it is written: "You shall be holy, because I am holy." (1 Pet
1:16)
A servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but he
must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and patient when wronged. He must
gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim 2:24,25)
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are
spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself
also, lest you also be tempted. (Gal 6:1)
...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, because "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble" (1 Pet 5:5)
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