Wholesomely non-conformist

Posted on January 23, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Maybe it has been a problem in every age, but it is certainly a temptation in ours to look back to previous decades or centuries wishing that those conditions could be repeated now. We see religion in general and the Christian church in particular under attack in our culture. We see values that would not have been questioned as few as 50 years ago now viewed with derision.

This evening I ran across the following paragraph that speaks to this. This was written by Sinclair B. Ferguson in the introduction to The Reformed Faith by Robert Shaw.

“ . . . we must not make the mistake of either passively accepting the influences of our age, or of wishing we had been born in another era. Instead we must learn to live wholesomely non-conformist Christian lives, increasingly transformed by the renewing of our minds (as Paul puts it in Rom. 12:1-2).”

First, we need to acknowledge the fact that some of the derision Christians are under is deserved. One needs look no farther than the antics of Westboro Baptist Church to see why some view Christianity as a group of brutal and judgmental neanderthals. Those who claim the title of Christian do not always behave in accordance with the teachings and example of the one they claim to follow.

But this leads us to an amazing opportunity. If we are appropriately non-conformist we will be so to both the mutations of Christianity that we have experienced and we will be so to the surrounding culture.

We, as the true Church, have the opportunity to understand the Gospel in the context in which we find ourselves. We will have the opportunity to live out that Gospel as a light to those around us. If we do those things well, then we will have the opportunity to tell those around us about the Christ and what he really did and taught.

I love that phrase, “wholesomely non-conformist.”

That sounds a lot like Jesus.

An unwanted mirror

Posted on January 19, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

In Matthew 23:13-33, there are recorded eight woes that Jesus pronounced upon the “scribes and Pharisees.” Jesus is harsh in his criticism as he unloads on his antagonists.

The danger is that we can read these woes in a way that is not helpful or appropriate.

If we take an us/them approach to these woes, we are likely to see the woes aimed at “them” and see ourselves above such behavior.

The irony in this thinking is that it is exactly the attitude of the Pharisees.

A story from the Gospel of Luke illustrates this:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 18:10–14, ESV)

Be honest with yourself – what is your first reaction when you read this story? If you are like me, your first reaction is to think, “thank God I am not like that Pharisee.” Thus proving that I am exactly like that Pharisee.

Praise God that he has worked in us to move us away from such hypocrisy, but we would be well advised to remember that we are constantly in danger of being pulled into the gravitational pull of Phariseeism.

Rather than reinforcing our feelings of superiority, the woes in Matthew 23 should be used as a mirror to show us our trajectory apart from the Holy Spirit working in us.

It may be an unwanted mirror, but it is an accurate one.

There is a way that seems right to a man

Posted on January 17, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

There are very few Christian believers that would argue that the Bible is not important. It is part of our spiritual DNA to hold Scripture in high esteem. But do we really understand how vital it is to read and study Scripture on a regular basis?

One of the reasons it is important to read the Bible is highlighted in the verses from Proverbs quoted below. Left on our own, we are sure to go wrong. We need an outside perspective to keep us on track.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12, ESV)
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 16:25, ESV)
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2, ESV)

A story from my past illustrates the need for perspective. When I was in my 20’s, I often rode my bicycle. The friends I rode with liked to go fast and I held my own when riding with them. As a result, I thought I would try my hand at racing. So I got my USCF license and registered for my first and only race.

The race was a multi lap event around the streets of Crystal Lake, Illinois. I learned that I was not prepared to compete with real racers. The leaders blew past me on the second or third lap. I was going to be a safety hazard for the riders who were much faster than me so I dropped out of the race. On that day, I got an unwanted dose of reality that gave me more accurate knowledge about my ability to race bicycles.

In my spiritual life, I can suffer from the same lack of perspective. I can think that I am doing very well, when I am not very well at all. There is a way that seems right to me, but I often find that it is not just a little off track, it is going in the wrong direction entirely.

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This is one of the reasons why Bible reading is so important. When I read about the failures of the Patriarchs and realize that I have similar tendencies, I am receiving instruction about the right way to go. When I read the Sermon on the Mount and understand that not only will I be judged for my actions, but for my motivations, I learn how far short I fall from God’s standard. Any time that I begin to think that I have arrived, a small dose of Scripture is sufficient to bring me back to reality. Consider it spiritual smelling salts.

These verses should also inform us that because of our inclination to go wrong, a healthy dose of self-doubt regarding our ability to understand and apply the Bible is advisable. Our first parents displayed the ability to distort what God said and if we are honest, we will admit that we share this with them. It is our nature to hear what we want to hear and avoid the rest.

All that is the bad news. The good news is that the Bible is able to break through my propensity to go wrong and set me on the right path. As the writer of Hebrews tells us:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

God promises that if we read the Bible and are open to its instruction we will move from sure to go wrong to sure to go right.

Oh be careful little mouth what you say

Posted on December 29, 2015 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

Can we be honest and admit that sometimes it seems to be a chore to read through the regulations in the opening books of the Bible. But every once in a while (perhaps less often than it should) I find a connection that makes the reading seem worth while. For example, this morning I read this:

“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.” (Exodus 23:1-3)

As I read these verses I thought of how easily I can “follow the masses” in esposing an opinion on something that I have not researched myself. We must keep in mind that every news organization has an agenda. That agenda may be nothing more sinister than selling papers or gaining ratings. Some news outlets try harder than others to be fair, but we cannot assume that anyone is completely neutral in what they present.

Too many times we have found out that those who were thought to be trustworthy have been intentionally deceptive. In the internet age, when anyone can post information on line, it is sometimes even more difficult to separate truth from fiction. The difficulty does not relieve us of the responsibility to determine what is true and what is not.

I am not seeking to engender distrust of any person or news organization. My point is that we should be careful in what we repeat and proclaim as true.

It is too easy to take that juicy bit of “news” about a politician or celebrity that I don’t like or don’t agree with and use that “news” as further reason to not like or not trust him. Before it is repeated, I need to confirm that it is true and also confirm that it is necessary or helpful to the discussion at hand.

Christians should have no part in character assasination.

I am reminded of the lyrings from the children’s song, “oh be careful little mouth what you say.” It turns out that it was good advice.

Wholesomely non-conformist

An unwanted mirror

There is a way that seems right to a man

Oh be careful little mouth what you say

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