No money in the revenge business

Posted on December 3, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 5 Comments

One of my all time favorite movies is The Princess Bride, which is listed as an adventure comedy.

One of the sub plots in the movie concerns Inigo Montoya who has spent his life in pursuit of revenge on the man who killed his father. When questioned about his occupation, Inigo mentions that he has to work for Vizzini because there is “not a lot of money in the revenge business.”

These are wise words and we would do well to hear them.

As with Inigo, the pursuit of revenge or the holding of a grudge takes a lot of time and energy that could be channeled into activities that provide a higher return.

In New Testament Greek, the word that is translated forgive in English also carries the idea of letting go or sending away. I think of this process as one of giving up being offended and allowing the issue to be between God and the one I am forgiving. In other words, to forgive means that the offense is no longer something that I think about. The offense is released into the hands of God.

I certainly do not want to make the process sound easy or clean. To understand the depth of the hurt resulting from the offense is sometimes very difficult but this does not diminish the importance of pursuing the goal of forgiveness.

Some offenses are easy to forgive. The rude checker at the grocery store or the driver who cuts you off in traffic are examples that come to mind. These types of offenses are not personal in that the checker or the driver is not targeting a particular person. When the checker is rude to me, he has likely been rude to the customers before and after me. I am not the target. This makes is easier to let go.

It is the personal offenses that are not so easily forgiven. When it gets to offenses committed by loved ones, parents or authority figures, the letting go may be a more difficult process. Deep wounds are difficult to heal and a friend or counselor may be a necessary part of the process of forgiveness. But, though difficult, the process is important.

Jesus tells us how important this process is when he teaches us to pray, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) He follows this prayer up with the interesting statement,

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. (Matthew 6:14-15)

The point is that when we understand how much we’ve been forgiven, that understanding should motivate us to forgive others.

It strikes me that if forgiveness is a letting go, then it takes a measure of trust in God to let it go. If I am confident that God loves me and is in control, I can then be confident that the offense against me will not derail God’s good plan for me.

My experience shows me that this is easier to understand than to do. The concept is not difficult but the process is. I should also point out that there is a large difference between forgiveness and trust. There are people whom I have forgiven for their offenses against me that I do not trust. Forgiveness is granted but trust is earned.

Giving them reason to blaspheme

Posted on November 28, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 7 Comments

In Romans 2:24, Paul declares that the name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles because of the behavior of the Jews. I think that the church in America needs to confess that we have done little better. We need to identify and address the reasons we have given for non-believers to blaspheme the name of God.

The problem

How have we caused non-believers to blaspheme? I believe it is because we seem to gravitate to one of three extremes:

The first, and perhaps most damaging, is what I would call the “frozen chosen.” The good news is that these are people who expend great efforts in studying Scripture and understanding it. However, they go wrong when they then become smug in their doctrine and draw a hard boundary around what they consider right belief. Whether it is intentional or not, these folks pronounce judgment against all those who do not agree with their doctrinal stands. As a result, they stand in condemnation of the surrounding culture. Because of their condemnation, the right answers that they may have from Scripture go unheard by those who desperately need to hear them.
The second group is the hyper Pentecostals or others who take an anti-intellectual stand with regard to belief and practice. These are the ones who would claim, “I don’t have to understand it, I just believe it.” Their faith is real but lacks understanding. As a result, they become out of touch with the surrounding culture and are of limited help when the hard questions get asked. Their anti-intellectual stance reinforces the impression of outsiders that faith is a belief in something despite evidence to the contrary.
The third group includes those who have sought to bring more people into the church by blurring the lines of distinction between the church and surrounding culture. These see the message and mission of the church to be fluid and changeable. For these, the Bible becomes a guideline rather than a standard. They succumb to the ethos of the day and seek to reconcile the Bible with that ethos. These are of little help to the surrounding culture because they are part of it. A drowning man needs a lifeguard and will find little comfort in having someone drown along with him.

The solution

For the church to be what she is called to be, each of these groups needs to repent and return to the words and methodology of Jesus.

The frozen chosen need to return to the Gospel and focus upon it. They need to allow freedom of interpretation in areas where the Bible is not clear. For example, eschatology (the study of last things or prophecy) should not be a distinctive over which Christians should divide. It would be much more productive to focus on the things in which we agree. These need to imitate their Lord in his empathy for the hurting and lost. These need to repent of their pride in superior understanding.
The hyper Pentecostals need to move beyond an emotional response and deepen their understanding of how Jesus Christ answers the questions that the world is asking. These will have to repent of their pride in their exercise of “supernatural” gifts and exuberant worship.
The cultural relativists need to repent of their ignorance of Scripture and the pride in refusing to submit to it.

Before we complain about the culture around us, Peter reminds us that “it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” (1 Peter 4:17) We need to get our own house in order so that we can be used by God to impact our culture.

Whose church is it anyway?

Posted on November 26, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments

In Matthew 16:18, after Peter makes his inspired confession that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus claims ownership of the church when he says, “upon this rock, I will build my church.”

In Greek, the order of the words can allow for emphasis to be put on one of the words. In this phrase, the emphasis is on the word my. It is Jesus’ church. It is not Peter’s church, nor Paul’s church, nor does it belong to any mega-church pastor or denomination. The church belongs to Jesus. Jesus began the church and he maintains the responsibility for its growth and health.

Below are five implications that can be drawn from Jesus’ ownership of the church.

It is Jesus’ responsibility to build the Church. Yes, good preaching plays a role. A vital youth group can play a role. Exhilarating worship may also play a role, but the ultimate responsibility is on Jesus. It is Jesus that brings people into relationship with himself. We can only make the introduction.
All of the “church building” methodologies should be reexamined for their faithfulness to what Jesus taught us either directly or through the Biblical authors. We should not confuse building attendance with building the church. Gimmicks such as the “Toronto Blessing,” motivational talks in lieu of sermons and trendy worship music may build attendance, but do they build the church? Do they bring people into solid relationship with Jesus Christ?
We need to guard against a cult of personality built around a gifted preacher or teacher. When I lived in Southern California, we attended a congregation pastored by a well known radio preacher. On the Sundays when the preacher was out of town there would be a significant drop in attendance. Is this a healthy church or is it a gathering of consumers who want to get their weekly fix of “spiritual” entertainment?
Pastors need to be careful about assuming too much responsibility for the growth of the flock they lead. As under-shepherds, they rightly feel responsibility to minister to those God brings into their care, but that responsibility should not be an excuse for attempting to control all that goes on in the local congregation. I attended one church where the pastor made all the decisions and gave little freedom for others in the body to be led by God in their ministries. His strangle hold actually inhibited growth by driving away people who understood their own gifting. They moved on to another congregation that valued their gift.
The leaders need to be sensitive to where God is leading the congregation. True Biblical leadership allows for God to orchestrate how the various gifts and talents work together for the building of his church. Even a casual reading of 1 Corinthians 12 or Romans 12 shows that God is the one in control of bringing together the various gifts that are necessary for the health of the local body of Christ.

The church is initiated and maintained by Jesus. Jesus commissions elders and deacons to maintain order and oversee the care of the congregation but they are to do so in a way that is consistent with Jesus’ direction. Jesus is to remain in control.

When that control is wrested from the hands of Jesus, the local congregation becomes less than what it should be. It then becomes a social organization at best and a cult at worst.

Entitlement and Thanksgiving

Posted on November 21, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

If I feel entitled, I complain about my job.
If I am thankful, I am grateful to have a job.

If feel entitled, I complain about the meal I’m eating.
If I am thankful, I am grateful to have food on the table.

If I feel entitled, I complain that the government does not do enough for me.
If I am thankful, I ask what I can first do for others.

If I feel entitled, I complain about my spouse.
If am thankful, I express gratitude that someone has put up with me all these years.

Read the full post at Entitlement and Thanksgiving – ThomRainer.com.