Working to get what we already have

Posted on December 29, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” – Ephesians 1:4

I acknowledge that what I have heard and what I was taught may be two different things. But, for whatever reason, whether it is because I am a poor learner, or because it was never taught to me properly, I have misunderstood this verse during my entire Christian experience.

What I have always heard when I read this verse was an injunction to try harder. I always felt that I needed to work harder at being holy and blameless. I felt as if my sanctification is all up to me and my efforts at being holy.

The end result of this thinking is either unwarranted pride or total despair. If I live in denial of how messed up I really am and maintain a weak standard of holiness, I could end up being prideful of my religious rigor. Or, if I have a proper sense of the holiness of God and how far short I fall from it, even as a believer, then I would end up in paralyzing despair.

From 2 Corinthians 5:21 I know that it is not up to me to become holy. I have already been declared holy through the work of Jesus Christ. This knowledge does not give me liberty to violate Biblical principles, but it does give me hope that when I do violate the principles, God does not write me off as a failure.

The fact that it is not all up to me, allows me to be gracious to myself and others. Yes, I mess up, not because I want to or am careless, but because I am a mess. Jesus has much work to do in me, but I can see that he has brought me a long way from where he started with me.

The main point is that I don’t have to strive to achieve holiness; it is something that has already been granted to me. I don’t have to work to get holiness; I already have it by being in Christ. I had been working to get something that I already have.

So, can I rest now?

Waterless clouds

Posted on December 27, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments

Anything of value is certain to be counterfeited. Walk the streets of any large city and counterfeited designer fashion items can be bought for a fraction of the cost of the real thing.

Scripture often warns us against spiritual counterfeits. Spiritual growth and maturity can be imitated by false teachers who can lead the naive astray. Jude writes about men who have crept into the church to bring error:

“These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 12–13, ESV)

As I read these words this morning, I thought of those smiling faces on the television that tell me that Jesus wants me to be healthy, wealthy and wise. They tell me that any problem that I face is not really a problem if I only have enough faith. They tell me that if I am sick, it is because I have not claimed my health. They tell me if I have a physical need it is because I have not appropriated the blessing that is mine for the taking.

In a drought, clouds forming on the horizon bring hope of much needed rain. If those clouds pass overhead without producing rain, the hope they produced is dashed. Therefore waterless clouds are useless to those in need of rain.

Those that promise unending health, wealth and security to those who believe are like those clouds. When life gets hard, when sickness comes, when loved ones fail you, when jobs are lost, when persecution comes, they have nothing to offer. Their only solution is to let you know that it is your own fault because you lacked faith.

Yet this is not what Scripture tells us. Jesus told us that we will have tribulation but that he would be with us through it (John 16:33). Paul tells us that even when we lack faith in a situation, God remains faithful to us (2 Tim. 2:13). We are told to expect persecution and hard time as a result of our faith, not because of the lack of it. In addition, from Job and the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:7), we know that God allows problems in our lives for purposes that we may not understand.

While pointing the finger at prosperity teachers, we would do well to acknowledge the pull in our own heart to be like them. It is easy to give a glib answer when someone is hurting. It is easy to put on my “game face” when coming to church and present myself as more squared away than I really am. It is easy to avoid difficult situations or difficult people. It is easy to be counterfeit.

It is easy to be a waterless cloud.

Love, duty and honor

Posted on December 21, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

When a pump tries to put out more water than it takes in, it experiences a condition called cavitation. The end result is that the internal turbulence caused by the cavitation tears up the pump and eventually renders the pump useless. The pump only works well when it takes in as much as it tries to put out.

I find a cavitating pump a fitting metaphor for what I’ve observed in churches over the years. The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:19 that we love because God loved us first. John also tells us in John 13:35 that love is to be the distinguishing mark of the church. Jesus himself told us that the two great commands are to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).

We are commanded to love, but the source of that love must be God himself. I have firsthand experience of what happens when the church tries to convey love without relying on God as the source of that love.

Without reliance upon God as the source of love, the church (and the individuals that make up the church) tends to replace love with duty or honor. Duty is a sense of responsibility to others. Honor is an attempt at maintaining a reputation. One is focused outward the other is focused inward.

Both duty and honor are good things in themselves. There is nothing wrong with having a proper sense of responsibility to our fellow man. I see the connection between duty and fulfillment of the second command to love your neighbor. There is also nothing wrong with wanting to have a good reputation. One of the qualifications that the Apostle Paul gives us for a church leader is that he is to be a man of good reputation (1 Timothy 3:2).

The problem is that even these good things are no substitute for experiencing and conveying the love that God has for us. Duty without love becomes a hard, unyielding taskmaster. How many times have I seen people “serving” in church with little joy and even less fruit? Duty without love produces zombie Christians who lurch around but are not fully alive.

Honor without love becomes narcissistic or forces one into very superficial relationships. I cannot let you too near to me if I want to maintain the illusion that I have everything under control. Therein lies the pressure to be superficial. The narcissistic tendency manifests itself in the “look at me” aspect that rears it’s head in churches. People want to be seen “doing ministry” and get hooked on the affirmation that it provides. The smiling face may hide an ugly heart.

Perhaps we all have an inclination toward these false foundations. But I find that when I am properly connected with the love of God, I want to serve those around me because I want them to experience the same sense of God that I have. When I am properly connected with the love of God, I don’t have to worry about my reputation. If I am following God, my reputation will take care of itself. Also, if I am experiencing the love of God, I don’t have to worry that you will see my failures and weaknesses. God knows all about my failures and loves me anyway.

As with the cavitating pump, failure to allow the love of God to be the driving force and the content of our message will cause a life to eventually fall apart. If you have any doubts about this, I point you toward the most chilling words that Jesus ever uttered in Matthew 7:21-23. In this passage Jesus tells us that many who worked for duty and honor will not find entry into Heaven. It is only those who have been in relationship with him and have experienced his love and forgiveness will gain entry.

The stakes are very, very high.

Tim Keller on being defectively orthodox

Posted on December 8, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

I have been working my way through Center Church by Timothy Keller. It is slow going because there is so much to take in and think about. I’m finding that this book challenges most of what I’ve thought about church and has validated some of the misgivings I’ve had over the years regarding the way many churches go about their business. One paragraph in particular hit a chord with me so I thought I would share it with you. Regarding “defective orthodoxy” Mr. Keller writes:

“Some churches hold to orthodox doctrines but with imbalances and a lack of proper emphasis. Many ministries spend more time defending the faith than propagating it. Or they may give an inordinate amount of energy and attention to matters such as prophecy or spiritual gifts or creation and evolution. A church may become enamored with the mechanics of ministry and church organization. There are innumerable reasons that critical doctrines of grace and justification and conversion, though strongly held, are kept “on the shelf.” They are not preached and communicated in such a way that connects to people’s lives. People see the doctrines – yet they do not see them. It is possible to get an “a” grade on a doctrinal test and describe accurately the doctrines of our salvation, yet be blind to their true implications and power. In this sense, there are plenty of orthodox churches in which the gospel must be rediscovered and then brought home and applied to people’s hearts. When this happens, nominal Christians get converted, lethargic and weak Christians become empowered, and nonbelievers are attracted to the newly beautified Christian congregation.

Timothy Keller in Center Church

Working to get what we already have

Waterless clouds

Love, duty and honor

Tim Keller on being defectively orthodox

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