An encouragement to love

Posted on December 20, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Jesus told us that the church is to be characterized and identified by our love (see John 13:35). In most social organizations, respect and love for fellow members can be found. One can experience love and acceptance in a variety of social situations. Love for one another is not unique to the church.

The church is to up the ante by going beyond love for the members and loving those who are enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). We are to be identified by our love for those both inside and outside the membership ranks. How we interact with those who oppose us is the real test. How we deal with opposition is the opportunity for the true character of the Christian to be displayed.

Notice that Jesus does not give us a doctrinal or theological marker. Doctrinal purity is not the way that the church is to be identified. We are not to be known for our exuberant worship. We are not to be known by our stunning graphical displays or beautiful buildings. We are to be known by our love.

While we should not change the message of the Gospel, we need wisdom on how we present it to those who desperately need to hear it. I have been in churches where I (as a Christian for a long time) was extremely uncomfortable with the dogmatic rants that misrepresented the love of God for humanity. In these situations the rant took the form of “here is the correct understanding of this verse/issue, and everyone who disagrees has this wrong.” I doubt that any n0n-believer in the audience would have come away feeling welcome or loved.

This is not to say that correct doctrine is not important. There are interpretations of the Bible that are clearly outside of orthodoxy and these should be opposed. But they should be opposed in a way that is loving. They should be opposed in a way of which Jesus would approve.

But too often opposition to incorrect theology is done in a way that is not characterized by love.

How infinitely wise of our master to encourage us to present our case in love (Ephesians 4;15). To brow beat someone into theological submission does nothing to change his heart. But to lovingly present the truth of Scripture gives God the freedom to work in that person’s life in a way that avoids violence to his psyche.

I read recently of a poll done after a debate between a prominent atheist and a prominent Christian apologist. The poll revealed that at the end of the debate almost no-one in the audience had their opinion changed. Both parties in the debate articulated their positions well but few converts to either position were made.

If correction needs to be made, it must be done in love and acceptance. No-one likes the boss that berates his subordinates. Whey then would we think that caricaturing a position or ridiculing a non-believer would produce anything other than resentment?

Think about how simple Jesus made things toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The test for entry into Heaven is not a theological one. The true test is whether we are in relationship with Jesus or not. He also tells us that the evidence for that relationship is obedience to the will of the Father (Matthew 5:21). Elsewhere, Jesus told us that the two great commands are to love God and love neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40).

If visitors are not walking away from your church overwhelmed by love for members and visitors alike, something is wrong.

The only antidote is to repent and come into right relationship with Jesus.

A much needed rest

Posted on December 16, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 7 Comments

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)

The danger for those of us who have grown up in the church is that we can read these words without them sinking in. At least that has been my experience. I have heard them so many times and perhaps have never taken the time to ingest them to absorb the sustenance that they provide.

In so much of my experience of church over the years I have felt a push toward breathless activity, to do more and more. Perhaps I am susceptible to calls to service because I am wired to crave approval of others.

One of the idols that can so easily ensnare me is accomplishment. This idol finds worshippers in the church as easily as it does in the business world. What is dangerous about this idol’s work in the church is that I can convince others that I am doing it for God even though I am really doing it to feed the idol.

The biggest problem with this form of idolatry is that the energy required to keep it all going eventually runs out. Those who are seen as burned out have simply come to the end of their resources and have nothing else to give. They have also come to the realization that the idol gives nothing back to those who worship him.

Certainly, in any social organization, there are things that must be done to keep the organization going. The church is no different. For the church to function on a Sunday morning, there are things that need to be done. People need to serve the congregation for the ministry to run smoothly.

The question then arises, how do we balance rest and service? I think that the answer lies in relationship. If I am doing a work of service in response to a prompting from God then the following are true:

I am doing it for God’s glory and not my own
I am responsible to be obedient, but I am not responsible for the outcome
God’s grace will make up for the imperfection of my service

When these things are true, then I can serve or not serve as God prompts. When these things are true, my stress level goes down because I am not taking on something that is not mine to bear. When these things are true, I am serving in response to my relationship with God and I am not feeding the idol of accomplishment.

Jesus’ yoke is easy and the burden light. If the burden is not light, if service is difficult, then I need to consider that the yoke is not Jesus’ yoke.

Perhaps those who burn out in ministry have been pulling the wagon in the wrong direction.

After two whole years . . .

Posted on December 14, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 6 Comments

Perhaps I am alone in this, but I do a lot of whining to God when things don’t go the way I think they should. In a fallen world, disappointment is inevitable and my response is not always appropriate or helpful. Not only do I whine to God, I can get rather petulant when things don’t improve quickly. In reality, I am very blessed and many would laugh at my response to the trivial difficulties I face.

One of the best things about Scripture is that it challenges me to face my issues and seek God for change.

This morning, I was reading the story of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph found himself in prison for a crime that he did not commit. A couple of his bunk mates had dreams that Joseph correctly interpreted for them. One of the dreamers was the king’s cup bearer who was restored to his office as the dream foretold. Joseph had asked the cup bearer to speak to the king about his situation but like many of us would do, the cup bearer got caught up in his own good fortune and forgot about Joseph.

The cup bearer forgot about him for two years as we are told in Genesis 41:1. “Two whole years” is how the ESV puts it.

Do you think that Joseph struggled with self pity during that time? Do you think that he questioned himself and his God while lingering in prison? Do you think that Joseph whined to God occasionally? Joseph had gone from favorite son to prisoner through no fault of his own.

It is easy for us to forget that Joseph did not know how long he would remain in prison. We know how the story ends, but Joseph did not. It takes us a few seconds to read about those two whole years, while Joseph had to live them out one second at a time, all 32 million of them.

Like Joseph, I don’t know how my story will play out moving forward. Do I trust that the same God who was faithful to Joseph is still in control?

I do and I don’t. My head tells me that God remains in control while my heart too often falters in that belief. But even when I falter God gently reminds me of how blessed I really am. I am encouraged by David when he writes:

“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37:25, ESV)

Or as Jesus promises:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, ESV)

If Jesus is who he said he is, then I have nothing to worry about. Now, if I could only convince my heart . . .

On having ears to hear

Posted on October 29, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

I can be hearing but not listening. I do it all the time.

In western culture we are subjected to a constant barrage of noise and information. We have talking heads on the radio in the car. Music streams into stores as we shop. The television provides incessant babble if we allow it. The stream of information is unrelenting and we cannot possibly take it all in. We have to be selective in our listening.

In several places in the Gospels, Jesus makes the statement, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” My paraphrase of this would be, “you’ve got the equipment required to hear, now use it and listen up.”

How many times have we sat in the pew (or chair, depending on the age of your church building) and had our minds wonder during the sermon? We have the privilege of hearing the Word of God proclaimed and we fail to take advantage of it. You might be thinking it would be different if it was Jesus himself teaching, but would it? The disciples who heard him struggled to understand what Jesus was talking about. They proved to be as slow to hear and understand as we often are.

Notice that the command to hear is in the present tense. The idea is to keep on hearing. This gives me the idea that this requires a moment by moment decision to be open to really hearing what God has to say to me through his Word.

One of my favorite hymns is Come Thou Fount. The first verse begins like this:

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace

To use my ears to hear, my heart needs to be tuned into the right frequency. I need to be calibrated to receive the signal.

The lack of hearing is not a physical problem for most of us, it is a problem with the will. I must choose to allow the words to penetrate to my core in order to be changed by them. I have ears that work reasonably well, but to often I cannot hear what God is really saying to me.

C. S. Lewis address this in The Problem of Pain when he writes:

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Lewis is not saying that God is sending pain our way like a sadistic parent who uses beatings as the primary means of discipline. In a fallen world, pain in inevitable and God does not prevent us from experiencing all pain.

What Lewis is saying is that having experienced pain, we are more open to hearing God speak. Our pain is sometimes a consequence of our own choices but we also are hurt by the sin and failure of others.

Regardless of the source of the pain, I find that I am more open to hearing from God in the midst of it. At any given moment, I have the choice to allow my ears to hear. When I choose to ignore God’s voice, he uses the circumstances of my life to remind me that I am his and I need to listen.

I must choose to keep on hearing.

An encouragement to love

A much needed rest

After two whole years . . .

On having ears to hear

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