Gadfly's Muse

A Finished Fight

[image: Grave Marker, 2013, JA Van Devender]

Yorktown Nat. Cemetery, Yorktown Battlefield, Va.

 1 Timothy 6:11–12 (NKJV)

¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Presently in El Paso, Tx. starting an extended photo shoot through the Rockies with my brother.  A superlong day of travel to get here (20 hours) but anticipation is high, particularly the anticipation of collapsing in bed just shortly.  Hope to get some photos in the works tomorrow (Tuscon area - first photo stop)

This photo was from my recent trip to Williamsburg/Yorktown Battlefield.  It was a very somber moment for me to look down on a long dead, very distant relative.  He was from the "Northern" segment of my family who, doubtless because they kept their Dutch roots longer than the Southern segment, had not lost the original spelling of the last name.  I wondered how old he was... and what were the chances that the Southerner who killed him might have been one of my relatives also.  His name (James W.) goes back a long way in my family line and I have a nephew with that same first name and initial though I doubt the "W" in this man's name stood for "Willard."  All in all, I found myself strangely moved.. a very definite sense of connection linked me to this man and my eyes got a bit misty.

Life in this world takes strange twists on occasion doesn't it?  I wonder what some future relative might think looking down on my tombstone one day, if such is in the Lord's plans.  I know this, that the battles each of us fight as we journey through this life have eternal consequences that link us all together.  This relative died struggling for a great cause... and so, in the last analysis... will we all.  We may not face hideous cannon fire but how we die is not as critically important as how we live prior to that event.  I do not know if this man had saving faith.  I hope he did.  But this I know... that the words Paul spoke to Timothy apply to us today just as much as they applied to this man, assuming in his years he heard them... which is most highly probable.

We have a "good fight" to wage.  We have to "lay hold" to eternal life in whatever relatively long or short period of time we have to heed the command.  Our life can be cut short in a moment even as was his.  Whatever task we have to do at the moment we must do with all our might, ever remembering that our labors are not in vain.  But, and this is most important, the battles we fight are not to the end of purchasing our eternal life... that has been already done for us.  The Savior who walks with us in our battles has purchased us our redemption, when we "lay hold" to eternal life, it is in "grasping" and "holding on" to that truth.  It is the struggle of faith to make it "sure" and to discover how the Lord is daily reinforcing His Presence with us.  

Tonight, as I go down, I will remember this stone once again and then I will cast my thoughts back, to that day long ago when my Savior, cleansed me once and forever of my sin with His very own blood, and then that following first Easter morning when He rose victorious to give me that eternal life which I will share with Him forever.

I hope I see James there, waiting for me one day.  What a glorious story he would have to tell.  And maybe, he would find my story interesting also.  We would have a lot more in common than just our blood and name.

 

 

 

Know... Assuredly....

[Image: Bethesda UMC, 2010, JA Van Devender]

Near Shepherds Town, WVa, Church built 1874, see HERE

Acts 2:32–36 (NKJV)

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. ³³ Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. .....

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  

Those old Methodists were a persistent bunch.  They insisted on building churches that to this day appeal to the heart and senses; that have a welcoming appearance standing in mute invitation to come... come and worship... that promise a nice musty sense of continuity as soon as you come through the door and the offer of a place to sit that is well worn and shiny with the soft glow of continued use.  How few of those are built today as the various architects inflict their "artistic" creations upon their modern victims; as strange angles, and protruding vestibules compete for "originality" and notice.  Somewhere along the line we have seemingly forgotten that a sense of transcendent worship can be incorporated into structures as well as into the human heart.  Oh well... 

It is the message that counts most significantly.  No matter how appealing the building's invitation to come and worship, it becomes false advertising if the central purpose of worship is undermined.  The newly emboldened and transformed Peter stood before that uncertain crowd that day, long ago, apart from any shiny pews or princely pulpit.  There was no carpeted floor or orderly congregation.  He did not know, for certain, whether he would live through the next ten minutes.  There was the distinct possibility that the words that sprang to his mind and which were powered by the zeal the Holy Spirit worked in his heart, would incite the crowd to a repitition of the act of which he was going to convict them.  He was to charge them with murder... and not just any old murder... but blasphemous murder... abominable murder... treasonous murder.  There was no greater damnable offense than that of which they were guilty.  And he rose... claimed their attention.. and told them.  The rest, as they say, is history.

And as it was, so it is today.  The Church has one message to proclaim, the infinite depth of which it is to expound in so doing.  That message is not an argument... it is not a rational appeal only to the mind... it is not to be so packaged in flowery, pleasing, ear-tickling rhetoric that the content is lost in a focus on the melodious phrasing... it is not to be bent into a more accomodating shape so as to please the so-called heightened sensibilities of sophisticated listeners.  It is a message of stark reality and command.  It is a message of absolute authority, absolutely applied.

"Know this... know it clearly... know it assuredly... it is not open for debate... it is not open for discussion in the sense of questioning its validity... this is the truth and must be received as such.  This man Jesus, who was born so many years ago in such humble circumstances, YOU crucified.... it was your sin that put Him there and it was your rebellion against your lawful Sovereign and Lord that drove the nails into His hands and feet...   You crucified Him... and now, know assuredly... that this same man whom you treated so shamefully, has been made, declared, elevated, established as LORD and Christ by the hand of God Himself."

Know this... this is the truth of your standing.  This is the absolute reality of your life and the life of every man, woman and child who draws a fleeting breath.  This man, though crucified, by YOU, lives and not as a suffering servant, but as the ultimate power and authority in all the universe.   He lives... He is exalted in His Person above all things... He is exalted to authority above YOU and you are hereby called, commanded and required to bow your knee to Him and confess with your lips that He and He alone is Lord... Lord of Heaven and Earth and Lord of your life.

This is your God.  Know this... Know it for certain... Know it assuredly.

This is the simple, powerful and infinitely deep message of the Church as proclaimed at its New Birth 2000 years ago.  It is the same message that is to be proclaimed today... in whatever venue the Lord provides to proclaim it.  It is the message that we are to take to heart... today... and register in our humility, obedience and gratitude. 

It is also the message that ought to be proclaimed in our architecture.  

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Those Poor Guys in Cleveland.....

[image: Capitol Building, Colonial Williamsburg, Va, 2013, JA Van Devender]

 Isaiah 1:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.  

Patrick Henry was probably not a man I would ordinarily invite home for dinner I think.  My impression of him, which may be entirely wrong, is that he was one of those sharp-eyed zealots whose demeanor was that of always being "on-edge."  I don't think of him as "companionable" in the ordinary sense of the term.  That's ok, it's not a criticism, I think it would mean that I would rather have him on my side than against me... but I probably wouldn't have him home for dinner.  

It was in this building that Patrick Henry stood and spoke and moved the leaders of colonial Virginia, a very powerful colony, to take strong measures against the unfair, discriminatory taxation that the Parliament of England had imposed them.  Something had to be done.  The various colonies had to act in concert, not individually, if any hope of recourse might be attained.  The taxes were an insult to their standing as "Englishmen" and represented arrogant, arbitrary discrimination against the hard-working colonists who, as they clearly perceived, actually represented the future.... either for England, if she listened, or for themselves, if she didn't.  It was a tense, scary time.... but something had to be done... something had to be said... and it needed to come from across the spectrum of colonial America and not just by scattered voices here and there.

I wonder what Patrick Henry would say today?  I wonder what speeches he would give and what fiery language would he use.  It is openly recognized that certain American tax-payers have been subjected to systematic, sustained harrassment by Federal agencies, pre-eminently by the "Revenooers" in Cleveland.   One woman reported that she was subjected to 17 surprise audit/investigations/demands for information in her pursuit of a "non-profit" status for an organization she was forming.  Her legal bills amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars just to provide representation and compliance with the demands.  

That is what she endured.  Systematic, detailed, abusive and illegal inquiries beyond the scope of any common sense understanding of what might be required to grant non-profit status to a proposed organization.  Why was she subjected to this?  Because her politics were suspicious.  She appeared to be one of those troublesome conservatives that wanted to ensure that the votes that were being cast in various elections were actually those of people who were alive at the time.... she wanted to form a watch dog organization against voter fraud.  

Clearly, Patrick Henry would be a mite upset.  He might demand to know how this abuse was going to be corrected and he might further demand that criminal proceedings be initiated against those who established such a policy, official or otherwise, that lead to this abuse and the multitudes of other similar abuses.

And what would he say when he read an article such as THIS ONE. Though granting, at least, that these egregious activities were serious mistakes, the authors claim that such events only reflected the unintentional consequences of an over-worked, over-loaded, terribly under-staffed, dispirited group of employees in the Cleveland office of the "Revenooer" organization.  Seriously... they make it sound like these poor folks felt so isolated and alone... that they were considered second-class citizens within the "revenooer" population, and, horror of horrors, they were stuck in Cleveland... oh, the shame of it all.

By the time one gets through the article, one is expected to feel a degree of sympathy for those poor guys... perhaps more for them than the woman who endured the abuse... or the others like her.  Further, somehow, the idea of an over-worked staff who is sincerely trying to handle their case-work with the utmost efficiency because they have so much of it to do, doesn't square very well with the practice of demanding more and more and more and more detail from the applicants, with an ever expanding list of categories.  Why, for example, must a list of donors be provided?  Why, for another example, must all e-mail correspondence between the organizers and those they were seeking to enlist in the cause, be presented?  Especially in light of the recent example of stone-walling by the Administration in furnishing email correspondence to Congress regarding this and other issues.

I think old Patrick Henry would just shake his head at this situation.  He might just walk away saying "it's too late.  They're too far gone.  Something should have been done much sooner before it ever came to this."  I think he might be right in that... but morally, that's no excuse.

It is time, in line with the words of Isaiah above, for us to remember that we have a command from our Lord and God to "do something" about injustice.  It is not to be silently tolerated.  The "oppressor" is to be "rebuked."  Plain speaking and simple expectations are needed.

"There is no excuse for this" should be the first line of argument.  "Those responsible must be specifically identified and subjected to legal action, no matter who they are or what office they hold" should be the second.  And lastly, who ever they are, they are to be "rebuked", by the united voices of the entire community.  Solitary and fragmented voices will be ignored.  

We must all stand together or we shall surely die separately.  Stand up and take a bow, Patrick... for all your faults at least you spoke up when you were needed.

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[image: Bleakness, 2009, JA Van Devender]

Zechariah 14:8–9 (NKJV)

⁸ And in that day it shall be— That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.

⁹ And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be“The Lord is one,” And His name  one.  

There is beauty in bleakness I suppose, though the terms are somewhat mutually exclusive.  Perhaps that kind of word use lies at the heart of poetry, the juxtaposition of words that don't normally "go together."  Standing in the icy cold on that mid-winter day, looking across the field still holding its frosty dusting of snow well into mid-morning, it took a bit of discipline to think those kind of thoughts and pause to "see" what it was in the landscape that drew my attention... that made me think "there's an image here somewhere."  After all, hot coffee and a warm fire were waiting back at the place where I was "retreating."  I suppose what I was seeing was "winter".  

Winter is not to be uniquely associated with the howling winds of a blizzard... or the exceptional crisis brought on by plunging temperatures wreaking havoc on the  plumbing.  No... "winter" is that interval between harvest and spring... when life is to be endured with the sense of expectation.  It is a time of necessary "bleakness" that God uses in His own wise counsel to set the stage for the next event.  It is not devoid of beauty but that quality is not often readily apparent  

Like the yearly climate cycles, our lives, both corporately and individually, have their times of "winter."  There are those seasons when perseverance and endurance are our over-arching strategies.  Politically, there are times when day to day news gives very little encouragement that things are beginning to "grow" again and that a sunny, warm day is in the offing.  Personally, there are those seasons when the ground beneath us seems frozen solid and all our efforts are frustrated by the damping flatness of our spirits or the lack of encouragement from our friends, family or even our church.  Thoughts such as "No one really understands... no one really cares - I am out here all alone" dominate our life.  Such is the winter of our soul.

At such times I think we have to grab ourselves by the shirt-collar (metaphorically, of course) and drag ourselves to a bit of a distant perspective... we need to look at the bleakness and see the beauty that is there.  Using the beautiful words of Zechariah, we live in the time, the eon, when living waters are indeed flowing... they had their source in Jerusalem... they started on a bleak and beautiful hill called Golgotha and they gushed out of the earth in the blossoming spring morning at an empty tomb near the city.  Those waters continue to flow... Summer and Winter... morning and night... in dark days and bright... and they always, always refresh those who turn to them for hope, for comfort, for warmth in the midst of the cold.

These living waters are penetrating into every dry land all over the earth.  "The people have seen a great light" and that light is the Living Christ who is busy bringing life, His life, to those who see His beauty and find in Him the very reason for living that they so desperately desire.  He is "King over all the earth..."  All authority and power have been given to Him.  He is untiringly working to cause all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose.  In other words, though we shiver in the cold, yet that very cold is being used by our all wise Sovereign Lord to further His Kingdom and our blessing.  The seeds that lie dormant in the ground must be shocked by the cold or else they will rot and die.  It is the very contrast between the passing cold and the onset of warm sun that triggers the Spring time growth.  So it is with our lives in God's Kingdom.

We have to see that winter time is necessary.. and not only bleak but beautiful in its own way.  We have to see our Lord in it and how His hand graces the delicate limbs with just the right crystals to reflect the dim light and add contrast to the darkened trunks.  There's beauty there, guaranteed, because our Lord is not absent... and where He is, ... there is life and perfection.

Warm your hands and your feet around that fire and hang on... spring is coming.

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That Silver Tongued Devil.... and I

[Image: Colors, 2009, JA Van Devender]

John 8:44 (NKJV)

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Beautiful fall leaves paint death in the most radiant of colors.  The leaves must die or begin to die, in order for the colors to burst forth.  That, in some weird way, seems to fit with one of my favorite Kris Kristofferson songs:  "The Silver Tongued Devil and I." 

[16 - The Silver Tongued Devil And I] It's one of those tunes that rattles around in your head for days.  It's cute when you hear it... you can't help but smile at the idea of the "loveable scoundrel" that some women find so attractive and which is the subject of the song. 

"Hey, little girl, don't you know he's the devil?  He's everything that I ain't, hiding intentions of evil under the smile of a saint.  ... and some people say he's my double... and some people say we're the same..."

You know... that could pretty much describe all of us at some point... either in a previous life or when we are caught up in the press of passionate desire of some sort or another.  There is that temptation to say what we have to say... do what we have to do... put on the face we have to put on... you know, "play the game" in order to "win."  Having spent some time in a culture (Naval Aviation) where the thrill of the hunt and the bragging rights of victory were far more important to the young hot shot pilot than the moral principles that were at stake, I have also seen the (perhaps inevitable) tragedies that have accrued.  There is nothing more sad than to see burnt out shells of men and women, sitting in lonely isolation, at a bar, late at night.  Their years of youthful vitality and attractiveness gone and being essentially empty of character, they are also devoid of self-respect.  All they have left is endless stories, embellished to amplify what they once "were", and which alone remain to shore up their remaining hope of finding someone to bring a bit of temporary comfort to their soul.  It's a high price to pay... and it is a fate that awaits not only cocky Navy Pilots.

What this brings us down to is Jesus' concise, absolutely devastating, rebuke of those around him, who, dressed in beautiful colors, were possessed by death.  "You are of your father... the devil" He says.  Anytime we undertake to deceive, to lie, to manipulate, to avoid full disclosure, to "do whatever we have to do" to get what we want... at that point we are completely, totally, absolutely manifesting our "old man", the remnants of the condition that we are to "put off", wherein our previous, "by nature" direct lineage to Satan, the father of lies, is being taken up once again.

It is so easy to do.  A failure of courage, perhaps, to correct a wrong impression.  A desire to "get along" with others that makes us "go with the crowd."  The manipulating smile, or promise of some reward, or the ambiguous statement that one can disclaim later but which gets the immediate desired response, these are all hallmarks of the "father of lies" and our all too ready willingness to identify with him rather than the Lord of Truth.

What's even more diabolical is how much the world rewards those who practice deceit... at least within certain, fairly flexible bounds.  The successful business man who "clawed his way to the top" is admired for his cunning.  The provocative tease who employs her sexuality to cement a business deal.  The list can go on and on.  Not every truth has to be spoken at every opportunity.  There are times when loving our brother means politely avoiding certain subjects.  Every truth needs to be conditioned by the appropriate manner in which it is spoken.  But a committment to the truth... all the time... should be the hallmark of every adopted son or daughter of the most high God.

Not speaking the truth, or shading it, or outright falsehood, is advancing the lie.  Advancing the lie is promoting the kingdom of Satan at the expense of the Kingdom of Christ.  Jesus Christ is the way, the TRUTH and the life.  To love Him is to love "the Truth".  We Christians should be a lot less tolerant of the easy lie in our ordinary lives than we are.

Just remember that lonely guy at the bar.  There's a lot more to life than that.

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[image: Barn, BW, 2009 JA Van Devender]

Psalm 107:35–38 (NKJV)

³⁵ He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings.

³⁶ There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,

³⁷ And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

³⁸ He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease.  

The old barn has been photographed hundreds of times I suppose.  It has been the backdrop for weddings, school photos, and countless other shots.  It's just a neat, old tobacco barn, preserved as part of our heritage, standing mostly empty but reminding us of a time when we ate (or smoked) what we grew or what we received from our neighbors who grew them.

Barns are shelter for animals and storehouses for the harvest.  Whether it be tobacco or wheat or corn, "taking it to the barn" meant having some security for the coming winter, some measure of prosperity for comfort and the general sense of well-being that accompanies seeing the fruit of one's labor.  Barns, like trains, have a unique appeal.  Each, in my mind, represent something beyond themselves.  Trains are harnessed power elegantly engineered.  Barns are peace, static and contemplative.  Barns are the subject today.

Given that there actually is such a thing as "the good life", what might it be?  It might be symbolized by a "full barn."  Now I am not talking about the equivalent of "gentleman farmers" here.  A "gentleman farmer" is not a farmer at all.  He owns the farm... perhaps participates in some of its business decisions... but the full barn does not reflect his labor, but rather the labor of his employees.  No, what I am talking about is the case where the equivalent of a "full barn" communicates satsifaction in life, the joy of knowing that you have been useful, you have produced fruit from the labor of your hands (or head) and that the Lord has given you a good harvest in your endeavors.

The Psalmist's celebration of this very sense of well-being pretty much sums it up.  The Lord does not bless the laziness of the sluggard... nor does He bring ultimate satisfaction to those who deceitfully or wickedly increase their wealth at the expense of others... nor does the life of the ungrateful wretch who arrogantly assumes that he is master of his own fate and that his prosperity is due solely to his own labor find its rest in those riches.  No, the "good life" is uniquely associated with that special labor and harvest in which the worker delights both in the Lord's ultimate sovereignty in bringing the harvest and yet, without arrogance, delights in his own usefulness to the Lord in doing the work.  

That satisfaction runs deep... it erects great walls against despair... it abounds in hope... it eases the pain of grief and stretches out the limits of patience.   Perhaps the ultimate representation of it is that of an older farmer and his wife, now past the age of direct labor, sitting in their rocking chairs and contemplating the full barn that now reflects the labor of their own sons who carry on the work with integrity and love.  That's a life worth living whether one is a farmer or not.

Too often we Christians find ourselves chasing our tails in pursuit of the "good life."  As the fallen world around us packages it, it is portrayed as being something expensive to maintain, with sensual pleasure of first importance, and that which makes one the object of materialistic envy by those less fortunate than you.  It comes in various guises: life of power, life of fame, life of popularity, life of perpetual youth, life of comfort and recreational dalliance, etc. etc.  This packaging strategy is necessary, in the world's strategy, to pursuing the goal of ever increasing consumerism.  It fails its own "truth in advertising" claim.  There is no "there" there.

As God's word reminds us over and over again.  Peace, shalom, joy are features of the Kingdom of God and cannot truly be found anywhere else.  God does not bless each generation or individual the same way.  There are times of difficulty and trial in the progress of the Gospel.  But all that means is that for each of us, there is a seed time, growing season and harvest for each of those categories.  There is work to be done and fruit to be borne consistent with the outworking of God's providential rule.  And where there is useful work to be done, there, with that work, is the promise of peace and the guarantee of God's blessing in it.

The "good life" is not contingent upon the financial ups and downs in the progress of history... it is not absent when war or poverty or serious illness claims the day.  It is found in the pursuit of God's Kingdom, rejoicing in His provision, expecting His victory and showing gratitude for His grace.  Here and here alone are found the building blocks for shalom.

 

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[BeachGrass, 2009, JA Van Devender]

 1 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV)

³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

I have just returned from four days in Williamsburg, Va. doing a wedding there.  Being without internet it was impossible to keep up the blog so I am trying to re-boot the old juices.

For some reason I keep hearing about churches that are intentionally choosing names which do not reflect their denominational affiliation.  I know the general rationale.... this current sociological climate has fostered a culture which distrusts the idea of denominations.  For some strange reason it is now taken for granted that denominations stifle spiritual freedom, act as arbitrary bureaucrats and otherwise interfere with Christian piety.  A romantic notion has taken root which looks back on the early church as if it were entirely composed of fluid associations of people who just "gathered together", somewhat spontaneously through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, without any long-term committments or expectations on each other.  They drifted in and drifted out of association with particular congregations and concentrated on their own, individual spiritual journey, whatever that might have been.

So, in this environment, denominations and authority structures within denominations and even within individual congregations, are viewed with suspicion and are sometimes written off as "power grabs" by the usual culprits (white, European males with dominance issues).

It's pretty difficult to reconcile that notion with the Biblical record or with the actual history of the primitive and post-primitive church but that doesn't appear to bother these folk very much.  They think what they think and if some one says differently then that is just one more instance of the way "organized religion" seeks to coerce people into an ennervating homogeneity stripping them of their rightful freedom.

If we actually look at the Scriptural record what we find is that "organization" and ultimately the growth of "denominations" was the answer to the far more serious problem that arose when people were in fact seeking to establish their own, private version of Christianity and not submitting to a disciplined, scriptural investigation concerning the differences between what they believed or wanted to believe and what the Scriptures actually teach.

The history of the Church of Jesus Christ is awash with examples of heresies that took root and waged war on the Gospel.  These heresies usually start small.  Perhaps in a given congregation, such as Corinth above, strife, envy and divisions arise.  Rather than submitting to each other, loving each other and seeking to grow in their own wisdom and knowledge by mutually working out what the Scriptures actually teach on whatever divided them, they built walls of separation where the Gospel calls exactly for the tearing down of such walls.  At first the differences might be relatively small, such as the differences in emphasis drawn out by one "apostle" or the other.  There might be a party of Cephas and a party of Paul.  But where men's hearts are hardened these differences in emphasis took on a more stringent tone and actual divisions in the congregation loomed.

What was needed was an authoritative mediator who did submit to God's Word, who was not intimidated by the personalities of those involved, and who was sufficiently knowledgeable of God's Word to examine the implications and basis for each of the differing sides.  Most often, early on, these differences lead to incisive insights into the fullness of the Gospel.  God was causing all things to work for good in just that way.  When people see things differently it often proves to be the very stimulus to growth that the Holy Spirit employs so fruitfully.

Yet most heresies grew out of these very types of divisions.  As hearts hardened into fortress mentalities, the inevitable decline in objective appraisal of Scriptural backing diminished.  Scripture was read primarily to seek ammunition to defeat another position or shore up a previously adopted one.  Satan plays havoc in such a circumstance, readily giving his own way of interpreting Scripture in such a way as to lead folks further and further away from the doctrines which alone can save a man's soul.  It was the business of protecting the flock against just such attacks as these that brought about structures of ecclesiastical authority.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is one Gospel.  If it is to be preserved in its unity then unity among the brethren must reflect that foundation.  Someone, somewhere has to declare, authoritatively, that one set of doctrines constitute or reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ in distinction from all other sets of doctrines, no matter whether they are assigned the title "Christian" or not.

Yet it was discovered that not all "differences" are necessarily "divisive".  In other words there might be genuine differences between Christians who do, in fact, submit to the Scriptures and yet, in their understanding of it, differ but not to the point of completely negating the Gospel itself.  There were questions on which the Scriptures do not speak as clearly and finally and emphatically as others.  Yet these differences were not insignificant.  "Infant baptism" versus "believer's baptism" is a very important difference but for those who sincerely hold them and are submissive in doing so, there is no question that those who think differently are still within the limits of saving faith.

But a person's conscience would be sorely tried if the congregation was committed to the opposing belief.  In such an instance that person would long to fellowship with others who held to the same secondary distinction as did he or she.  Thus there was an inevitable, and to my mind, salutary growth in communities which differed in some points but held to the universal brotherhood.  These differences were salutary in that they forced an examination of differing views with a subsequent growth in understanding on both sides.  It also was necessary because in examining the postions each held, there had to be a final judgment that neither had crossed the line into heresy.

Denominations that are truly Christian in their doctrine may differ from each other.  But, when their doctrinal differences are clearly established and maintained, so then the very grounds on which mutual cooperation in the spread of the Gospel is facilitated.  This doesn't mean that these differences are not important.  They are very important and there is only One Gospel and any person who holds one position must believe, is required to believe, that all other views are deficient in some regard.  However, by maintaining their fellowship with each other, discussing their beliefs across their denominational lines, often there is movement within the communities toward a common understanding and mutual edification.  

Denominations are absolutely necessary or God would not have decreed the historical use of them for advancing His Kingdom...   I don't suppose, as a Presbyterian, I can avoid the inevitable conclusion that they were so predestined to be.   We need to clearly articulate who we are.  We should advertise our beliefs openly.  Those who are bound together in a common set of beliefs (creed) should never hide that fact.  It is entirely counter to the whole purpose of denominations in the first place.  What we should be doing is demonstrating that denominations, qua denominations, are not inherently evil.  We should do so by our practice and our proclamation.

NOTE: some of the related articles below take an opposing view.

 

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Distinctions Without Differences- Followup on Military Chaplain Controversy

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How To Shift Your Focus From Division to Unity

R.L. Dabney On The Call To Ministry

Non-Denominational is a lie!

Scoffers Beware!

A Sure, Certain Hope....

It's Not Really All That Complicated...

[image: sign of the times, 2009, JA Van Devender]

 Deuteronomy 4:39–40 (NKJV)

³⁹ Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. ⁴⁰ You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”  

The choice was pretty direct: downhill and easy to the cemetery or uphill and difficult to the ridge-line overlook and the view that awaits one there.  Talk about blatantly obvious metaphors!  This one is a no-brainer.

We are pretty comfortable with the idea that life is a series of "choices", "decisions points", "forks in the road", which confront us at certain points and then, depending on how we decide, shape the rest of our walk.  We think of them in terms of absolutes - once we have taken a path there's no going back.  There are such choices, waypoints, cross-roads in our lives and it would be foolish to deny them.

But what we don't often give as much attention to as we should is the recurring decision, not "decisions", that faces us over and over and over again: every day... multiple times during the day.  Sometimes it is more "in our face", as with this sign at the trail intersection, but most often it is more opaque, we drift down one path or the other without even thinking much about it.  Our lives are most often dominated by habits that we don't think about... habits of heart, habits of mind, habits of physical rhythms.  So we just live pretty much as we lived the day before... doing things pretty much because that is what we do with our lives: do things in this way or that way.

What we are not noticing however is that whether we walk down one path rather than another out of sheer habit or programmed response or whether we consciously consider what we are doing, yet a choice is being made.  We are going one way when we could be going another.

I think this is the most deadly and pervasive tool in Satan's kit.  We are immersed in a river of lies, cultural imperatives, enticing deceptions.  Most of the world around us floats along on this river and thinks nothing of it.  It is "just the way things are."  Apart from conscious effort on our part, most of our daily Christian life will unthinkingly conform to the patterns of behavior, thinking and conversation that reflects this same status.  We are carried along by old habits and do not often have it even register on our consciousness.  

The result is the same however.  Whether we think about it or not, ... we have made a choice... and the results can be deadly.

As Moses said in the verse above - "This day"... this very day... we must consider in our hearts that there IS a LORD in heaven and on earth.  We are not alone... we are not hidden... there is "another" to whom we are accountable and who will not fail to hear from our own lips how we have used this day, this opportunity, this challenge, this blessing or this hardship that presents itself to us in it.  The choice is clear and continuous.  It is not just once and we're done.  It does not just determine what our life will be like as a result, it is in a very real sense the very texture of life itself.  Life consists in choosing God, considering Him, awakening ourselves to His reality, in every instant.  

The screen on which you are probably reading this musing is not "continuous."  Though it presents an overall picture of colors and lines running smoothly and continuously into each other, yet, this screen is, in reality, a series of dots, some of which are illuminated and some of which are not.  The over all picture is whatever you see... but that picture is determined, ultimately, by what happens at each individual dot.  So is life.   From an overall perspective, often in hindsight, we can make out the outlines and patterns that present the picture of our lives.  So it will be one day when we stand before this same God of Whom Moses spoke.  But that over all picture will be made up of individual decisions, each day, that were in one sense binary... we either sought to serve God, first and foremost and from the heart in them, or we didn't.  

Ultimately we are not in charge of how our choices "turn out."  We make our plans but God directs our steps.  What we are responsible for is how we made those choices.  Did we direct our steps upward to the beauty that awaits us there or did we tumble down the hill toward the cemetery, in company with all those others who know not Christ?

To walk in anything that even comes close to being a Christian path, we must be consciously aware, tuned-in, alert to what we are facing, to what we are doing.  We must see the choices and that means we must be looking at the our lives through Christ centered lenses.  We do this by what has been euphemistically called "taking Christ with us" or "walking with Jesus."  It's not very theologically accurate but it communicates the idea.  To see the choices for what they really are we have to be engaged with Jesus, with our hearts and minds communing with Him throughout the day.  We must "consider" Him as we walk.  For Christians it is not burdensome... we just have to do it.  And, once that lens is in place, the choices that present themselves are just as stark, just as blatant, and hopefully, just as much a "no-brainer" as the sign post above.

May God give you the wisdom to "consider Him" this whole day.

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Distinctions Without Differences- Followup on Military Chaplain Controversy

[Image: Stark Reality, 2008, JA Van Devender]

 Zechariah 8:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;

The semi-official news organization Stars & Stripes has a long history of reporting to and for our military.  In an article dated May 03 (HERE) they reported on the recent concerns expressed throughout the country about proposed restrictions on Chaplains and other religious people within the armed forces.

The article begins with this statement: "It’s OK to evangelize. But it’s not OK to proselytize."  This is a bit humorous to me because it is exactly the kind of language that allows a politician to wiggle out of making firm policy.  

Precisely speaking, to evangelize is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with another for the purpose of (1) glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ, (2) making disciples for Jesus Christ & (3) leaving any who hear the Good News and do not respond to it with "no excuse."  Clearly, (2) above is proselytizing.  It is a desired effect of evangelizing as any cursory check of a dictionary will reveal.

OK - aside from the "hand-waving" & "sleight of hand" that motivates anyone to formulate such sentences in the first place, what is the actual policy that it is intended to institute.

According to the article, the political pressure being placed on the policy makers by those who appear to oppose the entire "chaplain" idea in the first place (ala Weinstein, see HERE) and the back lash generated by often over zealous opponents, has lead them to formulate their response this way.

(1) There are no policies or planned policies which will mandate "courts martial" for those who engage in "religious activity" - thus hoping to quieten the uproar generated by the reaction.

(2) What will not only be discouraged but is potentially subject to legal action is to "push religious beliefs on someone who doesn't want to hear it."  This is, in effect, identical to the policy that " 'No' means 'No' " in sexual matters.  OK - but a few points need to be considered.

(a) Proselytizing is not defined as "pushing" one's religious views on another who doesn't want to hear it.   The Lord Jesus Himself did not "push" His views on those who didn't want to hear it.  He responded to questions (see the story of the so-called "rich, young ruler") but His proclamation was to the crowds who gathered and wanted to hear from him.  Therefore Christians, in the military or out, should not see every opportunity of conversation with someone or every relationship with another as the venue in which we are to tell this person about Jesus everytime we open our mouth.  There is a reciprocal respect demanded in our relationships.  What we should be working toward is to create a welcoming relational context in which the other individual is curious, or interested, in why we are as we are.  Scripturally, this means that proclamation follow practice.  Until someone "knows us" by our "fruits" we haven't really gained the right to presume upon the relationship.  Thus far the policy is consistent with Christian practice.

(b) However, this policy must not be interpreted and applied in such a way as to inhibit ordinary conversation when a person's views, especially on moral issues, are in question.  Much casual conversation is about "stuff" that goes on the world about us.  Christians must not be prevented from making statements about "stuff" and then properly attributing their position to Scripture and further to argue that their views are the correct ones.  Christians believe in absolute truth absolutely revealed.  "Political correctness" as a form of censorship must not be accepted as being consistent with this policy.  If "pushing your views on another person" is taken to mean arguing a Christian perspective about points where others differ then such a policy is entirely counter to Christian ethics and the 1rst amendment.  As such it must be resisted... at every level. (on this see the "Conservative Action" related post below)

(c) The distinction without a difference logical flaw being demonstrated in speaking of "evangelism" versus "proselytizing" should be replaced with clearer language with less room for subjective, arbitrary enforcement.  This particular standard is virtually uninforceable because at its root, it is so vague as to be entirely dependent on the personal standard of the official who has to take action.  If there is anywhere that clear standards have to be established it is in the military.  Morale and mission effectiveness are absolutely at stake.  The words of Zechariah above are applicable.  

In summary, let us speak "truth" to one another.  Christians trust that "truth" will prove true and we are not afraid of opposing ideas.  Therefore it is incumbent upon us to guard our capacity to speak the truth, freely, without fear of reprisal, where it is appropriate for that truth to be spoken.  That means that we, before the Christ we serve, must show discernment.  We must be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.  Jesus was silent before Pontius Pilate until the truth was demanded.  We are to be bold and zealous to speak when boldness and zeal are appropriate... which is not every time.  To be wise is to know when is the time to speak and when to remain silent - that must be a moral and spiritual decision.  It must not come from some policy outside of ourselves to which we, in violation of God's commands, are to submit.

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[Image: Present Darkness, 2008, JA Van Devender]

image heavily manipulated to illustrate a point.

(Eph 6:12 NKJ)

"12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." 

The mixture of horror and rage that gripped my soul last evening as the details of the 10 year captivity of three young women were more and more disclosed did not particularly commend my Christian witness I suppose.  I have a vivid, active imagination and the mental images of very young girls, subjected to 10 years of slavery, being denied active medical care even as they apparently delivered children, forced into degrading postures and activities by monstrous men, excited what was close to blood lust.  How can we even consider the abolition of capital punishment for such crimes as these when monsters walk in our midst, externally indistinguishable from us in life style, public persona and even friendliness (according to one of the neighbors).  Justice for these men, upon fair trial proving their guilt, demands death... and then facing the awful wrath of an eternally angry God.  That's where I was last night.

Today it is more of a deep sadness.  A sense of mourning.

I am not one to "read the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other."  I do not encourage Christians to draw precise conclusions about any historical event whose precise meaning has not already been specially revealed to us.  Therefore I do not try to distinguish "Gog" from "Magog".  But Paul had something in mind when he identified his day as "this present darkness" (ESV).  Whatever he saw and represented in those words, I do not see how it could be far removed from or worse than, what we see about us now.

There is much good going on in the world... don't misread me in this.  I am not blind to the light of the Gospel that brilliantly shines in this "present darkness".  It is like the bright sunlight that we know is behind those forboding clouds in the image above.  But the fact that the light is there only serves to draw out the stark contrast of the black clouds... of the real darkness that is in front of our eyes.   And it is for that I mourn.

Brothers and sisters, the darkness that possessed these mens' souls is more hideous only in degree than much of the depravity that enslaves people left and right.  The hardness of hearts manifested by the largest segment of our population today is demonstrated in their callous despair, their cynical disregard of spiritual truth, and head long hedonistic preoccupation.  It is in the womb of that social consensus that monsters such as these men are conceived, brought to term and then given birth.  

If I were trying to illustrate the effect of the 4th horseman of the apocalypse (death), could I be far wrong in saying that it would be remarkably similar to having a whole plague of human monsters such as these loosed on the wider population?  Can we not see, as Rev. 9:21 states, that having these kind of things happen to us only proves the depths of darkness that inhabits the general mass of man and which only distills into the lives of particular individuals like these three brothers. 

(Rev 9:21 NKJ) "And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts." 

 They didn't repent of their murders... which is the same as not repenting of sorcery .... which is the same as not repenting of sexual immorality... which is the same as not repenting of theft.

Take those four broad headings... read the news... does the content of news talk of much else?  This darkness is virtually flooding over us and yet we do not open our eyes and see what it means.  Darkness scares us so we run toward the artificial light that the "principalities, powers & rulers" of this age are all too happy to present as a beacon.  We tell ourselves over and over again that these things "just happen" and that there is nothing more to them than that.  We cannot allow for the fact that God might be giving us over to our sin, that judgment on our nation might already have begun, that judgment will be registered in ever deeper darkness... ever deeper horror... ever more depraved episodes.

Jesus wept when He viewed Jerusalem.  He mourned over the darkness that blinded His people and cut them off from His light.  He saw their present actions in terms of "self-destruction."  They were, somewhat literally, cutting their own throat and the horror that was to come in 70 AD was already foretold by the dark clouds that were visible to their eyes.  They just would not learn from those clouds. (see Matthew 16:3)  They did not grieve over their sins.  They did not admit that God was demonstrating in them that the fruit of callous disregard of God's law is the birth of monsters and monstrous deeds.  What man in his right mind would persecute and kill the Christ of God?  The same kind of men who would capture, abuse and perhaps kill young girls and hold them in slavery for 10 years.  This kind of man grows out of the culture... he is not an anomaly within it... he is proof of its true character.

This is our present darkness... come, let us weep together... and petition our God to disperse the clouds and shine His light on our nation and our world once again.  Otherwise there is no hope for it all.

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[Image: Brothers In Arms, 2007, JA Van Devendr]

Inchon Landing Memorial Park, Inchon, SK

Galatians 3:28 (NKJV)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

If I remember correctly, the Korean War was the only war ever fought under the United Nations banner.  Although, by far and away, the United States furnished the most men, material and money in the brutal conflict, yet, at least nominally, the combined forces were commanded under overall UN authority and subject to UN rules of engagement.  That meant that there was a very, very mixed flavor to the UN forces.  A startling variety of cultures, races and ethnic backgrounds were present.  If you visit the only UN cemetery in the world, outside Seoul, you will find the graves of those who still remain in Korea gathered by nation under their own flag.  It's an humbling experience.

The South Koreans fiercely preserve the memory of that war and they, to this day, honor those who fought it.  And there is good reason for that... apart from those who put their lives on the line in those desperate days, South Korea today would be just as miserable as is North Korea.  And in this monument (and its companion on the other side of the steps) we see how carefully they have preserved the multi-ethnic character of those gathered allied forces.

In the 1950's segregation (separate but equal) policies in the United States were still lawful and practiced.  There were still those who believed, sometimes sincerely, that God had created different races and had (1) intended them to remain as separate races (hence no mixing of blood) and (2) that He had differentiated between the races in abilities.  There were some humans who were more "human" than others.

This was, and is, poppy cock.  It is not a view as widely held today as then but it is not entirely absent.  However, as multitudes of examples illustrate, e.g. the "Red Tails" of WWII, when a man is the midst of  fighting for his life against a vicious and dedicated enemy, he doesn't differentiate between who is allowed to fight next to him.  If that guy helps him survive then the color of his skin doesn't matter at that particular moment.  

A similar situation existed in the early church.  Christians were literally fighting for their lives, for their future as a church, for their families, for their homes.  They were not fighting with swords, though there were plenty of enemies with no scruples at all about using them against the Christians, but they fought with their witness.  They fought back by clinging to their faith... by clinging to each other... and by doing good even when the desire for vengeance was strong.  It was a bloody, desperate time and the Church of Jesus Christ was hanging on by a thread.

And like the War in Korea, the "allied forces" were multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-racial.  As Paul teaches in this verse, this was a battle in which a significant element of the church's overall witness, was the "love of the brethren" that bound them together.  Roman society was built on social distinctions.  Roman "pride" was considered a virtue.  For a man or woman, of any race, to not only associate but "lower" themselves to "equality" with a person of lesser social distinction, was an insult not only to the individual but the extended family.  Loss of "honor" in such a circumstance carried grave penalties.

Paul's words, here and elsewhere, were absolutely revolutionary.  He was telling Christians that they had rethink every cultural idea they had ever just assumed to be "the way things are."  Their first battle was to overcome their own cultural brainwashing and humbly embark on a journey of discovery... a journey of reconciliation with each other so that a new cultural order, with new traditions, and a new history, could emerge.  It was an internal war against ignorance and arrogance that had to be fought, together.  And the same dynamic proved itself true then as in modern wars.  When you are depending on your brother in arms to help you, rescue you, shield you, provide covering fire for you... in other words, to put his life on the line for you... and he comes through, he does what needs to be done for you.... after that you never quite look at him the same way again.

The Church of Jesus Christ is indeed an army.  It is a victorious army in the sense that the deciding battle has already been won and what remains now is to chase the enemy from the field.  But it is still a dangerous world and there are many casualties.  Blood is not absent from the fighting, but the primary opponents are the "principalities and powers" that are arrayed against us.  We need each other, desperately.  We need the brothers and sisters who are bearing witness in Iran and who are subject to vicious persecution... we need our Chinese brethren... we need our African communities of faith... we need those, a small remnant, who are still faithful in Europe....  We, here in our pleasant communities, need those folks.  It is a World War in every sense of the word and what happens in Bosnia has repercussions here.  

If we need our brothers and sisters in other lands to help us survive, how much more do we need each other here in our local communities.  The force of witness demonstrated by the early church is no less powerful now.  What should be distinctive about our local communities of faith is that their multi-ethnic harmony is "proof" of the sincerity of their faith.  Bigotry in the community of God is treason.  There is no place for it.  No matter what cultural brain washing we have been subjected to, on either side of the color lines, it must be faced, evaluated, and where counter to God's commands, overcome.  

We stand together or we fall separately.  There is no middle ground.

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[Image: Puttin' On A Face, 2007, JAVan Devender]

Location: Seoul, SK - processed as 'graphic art'.

 Genesis 2:25 (NKJV)

²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.  

I have no idea what these (young?) ladies were trying to accomplish.  They weren't singing but they were proceeding with a strutting, boogey, 'sashay' ramble that was very entertaining.  Sometimes life just makes you smile.  

I wonder what prompted them to this particular "spontaneous" kick?  I suppose they were sitting around at someone's home or in a mall and one of them said - "Hey, let's pick up some designer shopping bags, cut holes in them for our eyes, paint a face on them and walk down main street!"  I really can't imagine it being any more in-depth and subtle than that because there were no signs... or sounds... or anything going on.  But then, again, maybe that was the message after all.  This is life... we put on a "happy face" and boogey on down through it.

There's quite a bit of that going on I think.  One of the colloquialisms that appears to have passed out of style now, was for someone to say "Hey, man, get real."  It was terrible English but it did convey the point.  "Getting real" meant stop talking or acting like a fool, or being intentionally blind about something.  "Being real" meant having appearances conform to reality... it meant not putting a "face" on something that hides what is actually underneath.

"Being real", if someone actually attempts to live that way, is one of the scariest things we can ever do.

Most of us "put on a face" and spend the great majority of our time wearing it.  Our lives, quite often even that which is our "private" life at home, is spent in the presence of others.  For whatever reason, either because we desire their "good" opinion of us, or because we actually don't like them very much, or even because we are attempting to deceive ourselves, we put up walls that other folks are not supposed to be able to penetrate.  We "put on a face" that represents whatever type of character we think needs to be "seen" in any given relational situation and which, often, doesn't really have much in common with what's really inside those walls.  We think "being strong" is necessary... so we put on a face of "being strong", etc.  But, if push comes to shove, we are far less "strong" than we portray.  

When God created man, He created them naked.  That's how they spent their time before the Fall.  Metaphorically what this represents is total vulnerability.... they had nothing to "hide."  They knew they were "naked" physically... Adam saw his wife when God brought her to him and he was absolutely delighted with her... "Now this is what I'm talking about... not like those other animals out there... this is bone of my bone... flesh of my flesh... this is the real McCoy."  (not an exact translation... as you no doubt gathered)   So being physically naked was not the real force of what was going on when we are told... "they were not ashamed."  It meant that in a state of purity, when there is nothing to hide... then we don't feel compelled to put on a face.  We can be who we are without fear... without disappointment... because we are not ashamed of ourselves.

At it's root, hiding behind a mask, is cowardice.  It means that we fear what might happen if we were transparent.  Our fear is rooted in our shame.  Inside the walls of our lives there is stuff going on there that embarrasses us, diminishes our own self-evalution, make us other than what we want to be, or other than what we want others to think of us.  Shame leads to walls... walls lead to deception... deception registers in putting on a face.  

In doing this we cut ourselves off from one of the great "delights" that God built into creation... the "joy of vulnerability" or "transparency."  When the Scriptures tell us that "perfect love casts out all fear" it is teaching us that there is nothing in this world, really, which should cause fear / shame to dominate our lives or our relationships with others.  It requires strong faith to believe, to actually accept, that when Jesus, the Christ of God, took our sins upon Himself, it means that we literally "bear them no more."  Our sin, no matter what vestiges of it still cling to the members of our flesh, does not define us.  We are not "sinners" at the core of our regenerate persons... we are forgiven of our past sins, our present sins are not held to our account but are imputed to our crucified Lord, and our future sins will never separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.  That's who we are... we exist in liberty as far as sin and condemnation of the law pertain.  

Clinging to our sin, being so ashamed of that which has been forgiven and acting as if "what we were is still what we are" is to intentionally or unconsciously cut ourselves off from the joy of vulnerability.  Being vulnerable doesn't mean that we go around continually speaking about what sins we did or to what we are tempted.  Being vulnerable means that when the occasion requires it, speaking of our sins and temptations is done so in terms of the new life we have in Jesus Christ.  Not every person to whom we speak would be edified by knowledge of some of the things that we have struggled or still struggle with.  That's a judgment call based on the situation.  But think of it in terms of "freedom."  It's taking into account what is good for that person that constitutes our wisdom... not shame over what has been forgiven.  

We glory in the Cross and Resurrection.  We are dead to our old life and we are fully committed to our new life in Christ.  "It is not I but Christ who lives in me" is our banner but it is not our mask.  We truly are what we show ourselves to be... we are real... real, forgiven sinners who have nothing to hide.  We live without shame because our Substitute took that shame upon Himself and was pleased, in His resurrection, to awaken us from our deadness of heart and mind.

This is freedom... to walk unafraid before the eyes of the world and all the principalities and powers in the heavenly places ... because we, praise God, no longer have anything of which to be ashamed.

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[image: Lighthouse point, 2007, JA Van Devender]

John 8:12 (NKJV)

¹² Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

For a variety of reasons it was seemingly impossible to get a good image of this site.  Sometimes you just don't have the right equipment, skills or ideas to make it happen.  This particular image is deficient in many aspects but I think that actually illustrates my main meditation today.  

When Jesus stated that He was the light of the world He was making a point about perception... our perception.  Lighthouses are there for when the visibility is poor... when things aren't easy to see... when there is darkness all around and danger lies just ahead.  By taking a series of bearings off the lighthouse blinking in the darkness as a ship moves through the water, plotting those bearings and taking into account the ship's measured speed, a pilot can know with a fair degree of accuracy just where he is and how to avoid the reefs.  From the ancient lighthouse at Alexandria (c300 BC) to modern ones like this one in South Korea, lighthouses have been beacons of hope to anxious mariners.

Jesus is the light of the world.  We can think of Him as the Sun shining brilliantly illuminating every aspect of our lives, illuminating the corners that were dark and foreboding, enabling us to see clearly where nothing was clear before.  Or we can think of Him as a brilliant shaft of light, penetrating the darkness, casting a beam which invites us to walk in that light, trusting that light, even though there is blackness on every side outside the beam's periphery.  Both are true. It's more dependent on our immediate circumstances as to which is most applicable to us at any one moment.

If our days are dark and we feel lost and unsettled in our spirit... that shaft of light blinking brightly before us gives us hope.  We may not know what all that other stuff "out there" means... or what dangers lie hidden beyond our vision... we may have anxiety about what is ahead and what tomorrow will bring... there may be questions that haunt us, sleep that eludes us, relationships that try us, temptations that assail us... but there is that light.  And by fixing our eyes on that light... by narrowing our vision and trusting in what that light means... then we know our course will be right and we will at last be delivered from the terrors that lie about us.

To fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, is to recognize that He must be what the Scriptures proclaim Him to be.  He must be that man, and more than a man, who walked this earth and brought words of comfort and healing to people just like you and me.  It is to hear the gentleness of His voice speaking to those who hurting, the meek, the lowly, the down-cast souls.  It is to hear about the forgiveness of sins for those who sincerely hate the sin that seems to possess their very heart and who long to be rid of it.  It is to see His mighty works as if they happened right before your eyes and to recognize that He who stilled the winds and the waves can bring joy and thanksgiving back into our lives also.  It is to recognize that we were there, with Him on that cross and, supremely importantly, in His resurrection.  It is to claim the truth of His continued eternal sovereign rule over heaven and earth and to cling to the words our brother Paul wrote when these truths flooded his consciousness... "What can separate ME from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus."

Those words are penetrating beams of light that no darkness can obscure.  It is not necessary that every detail stands out in sharp relief.  If there are some things that are hazy and not quite in focus... so be it.  The light is shining... I can see the light... and that is all, ultimately, I need.

For those who may, this day, be fearing the dark and feeling lost... there is a light shining in the darkness... trust it... follow it... there is safe harbor there for your souls.

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What Have I Done?????

[Image:  Alec Guiness, Bridge Over The River Kwai, "What Have I Done???", watch clip HERE] 

Download 13 Colonel Bogey March Listen to the theme while you read if you wish.  It's one of my favorite marches.

 1 Samuel 15:22–23 (NKJV)

²² So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.  ²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,  And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,  He also has rejected you from being king.”  

There are some, a very few, movies that rise to the status of timeless art.  Invariably these movies do not center on mindless but spectacular car chases, explosions, computer animated robots or other such.  What seals them to greatness is the accuracy with which they explore the human condition.  Such is the case with Alec Guiness, William Holden and Sessue Hayakawa (who was magnificent in this regard) in the movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai."

The problem that confronted Col. Nicholson (Guiness), as senior officer among the allied, mostly British, soldiers being used for slave labor to build the bridge, was the dehumanizing, morale sapping treatment of his troops.  He rightly judged that the abusive and exploitive treatment by the Japanese would ultimately decimate them by reducing them psychologically to animals and physically weaken them in the face of rampant disease.  But Col. Nicholson also had another agenda... he wanted to prove to these enemies that the British soldier was the finest in the world.   Col. Saito (Hayakawa) was his nemesis.  The story progresses as a battle of wills between the two.  Saito is under intense pressure to get the bridge built.  Nicholson holds the key to accomplishing that task in the time alloted, he controls the "willing participation" of his troops.  Nicholson uses this tool brilliantly and Saito discovers that the seemingly indomitable will of Nicholson gains his grudging respect.  Nicholson gains the edge and "proves" that his soldiers can build the bridge better and faster if it is done his way.  Saito finally gives in and the bridge is built.

In the closing scenes however, with the thrill of building the bridge only recently celebrated, Nicholson stands near a detonator that allied guerillas have placed to blow up the bridge and the realization hits him... for whatever noble intentions he might have had, the net result was that he had significantly "aided and abetted the enemy."  "What have I done?" he asks as he realizes with soul wrenching clarity that he has forgotten his first duty... to do what has to be done to win the war.  All else is folly and at root treason.  Striving to prove the superiority of the British culture, Nicholson had in fact, fallen into the trap of cultural arrogance and shamed himself and his flag.  

What a powerful story this is.  Saito goes through a similar thing.  That's for another post some day.

The human condition to which we Christians, as did Saul so many years ago, are also prone to exhibit is that we let "good intentions" cloud our judgment, sometimes to such a degree that what we actually demonstrate is disobedience.

Saul had been given a mission.  "Go and utterly destroy..."  Saul, using what he considered "command latitude" interpreted the results of his victory over the Amalekites in terms of immediate circumstances.  His troops were unwilling to destroy all the loot... the herds of fine animals... and all "that was good."  They brought the Amalekite king, Agag, to Saul and he preserved his life.  His reasoning was, by military standards, sound.  The troops might very well mutiny if they were denied their spoils.  Agag could be used for ransom or for diplomatic negotiations with the remaining Amalekite cities.  He did "virtually" what God had commanded.  When Samuel comes to confront him, he says "I have performed the commandment of the Lord!" in response to which Samuel gives his famous reply - "What then is the bleating of sheep I hear...?"

I can imagine Saul's horror as the words Samuel spoke (quoted above) penetrated his consciousness.  He had lost sight of the main objective... obedience to God... the failure of which was the highest treason man can commit.  It did not matter what the circumstances were.  It did not ultimately matter what cost it might require.  It was not like history had not taught a similar lesson with the sin of Achen (Josh. 7:10).  Whatever his "good intentions" were,  he, at root, was substituting his wisdom for God's.  He had asserted his right to choose how to do the mission, accomplish the goal, if circumstances were such that what God commands appears unreasonable.

There is an immediate parallel I think between Col. Nicholson and Saul in this regard and I think it teaches us a lesson that we ought to take to heart.  Obedience to God is not ultimately a matter of intentions, as good as they may appear to us to be.  Sacrificing one's own son (ala Abraham) doesn't normally rate very high in our list of "good things to do" but if God commands it, and directs how to do it, then it is right and proper and holy and ultimately far more glorious than we can imagine.  

One of Satan's most common and ancient tactics is to confuse our thinking with conflicting "good things" which we then feel obliged to undertake to attain, using our own wisdom and discretion.  We never stop fighting the battle of submission to God's commands.  He has told us what is right and good.  Anything He commands, is by definition, right and good.  Serving God through serving Jesus Christ, is just as subject to God's ends and God's ways today as it was 4000 years ago.  We mustn't forget that He not only deals the cards, He calls the game and tells us how to play it.  

There's a lesson to be remembered there.

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[Image: Daytime Moon, 2013, JA Van Devender]

 

1 John 3:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Is there such thing as a "gentle moon"? Such metaphors might have their place and perhaps convey the general mood that comes upon a person as they gaze at a blue sky, framed by budding trees and somewhat incongruously, which centers on a waxing moon.

There are other occasions when nature presents us a somewhat paradoxical scenario, such as being under a cloud burst and yet having the sun shining brightly all around the rain.  Those kind of things always catch our notice... we may not dwell on them but we think... "look at that... isn't that interesting."

The parallel is not exact but there is a general correlation, I think, with the truth of John's words quoted above.  John talks about "abiding" in Christ... of being "one-flesh" with Him... of existing in a state of union with Him in such a manner as to have our identity as a human being derived from that union with Him.  This is intimate stuff... this is "head-scratching", quizzical look, kind of wondering.  

"Really?" we say.  "How can that be?  Is it something that I am supposed to feel? Is there some kind of 'Damascus Road', bell ringing, angels singing, dramatic event that heralds the union?  What am I looking for here because this sounds vitally important?"  And, it is.

John and the other NT authors are incredibly consistent.  Being united to Christ is recognized, made known, established in our knowledge, through the "changes" that are wrought in our person.  "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:20) Jesus said.  John here says that union with Christ has the explict, inevitable effect of facilitating true "obedience" to Christ's commands.  The commands that John has specifically in mind are the two great summary commands of "Loving God with all your heart... and loving your neighbor (here read your brothers and sisters in Christ) as yourself."  All the other commands find their roots in these two.

Being united to Christ is made evident to us by the changes wrought in us by the Holy Spirit... changes which were foreign to us when we were "by nature children of wrath."  The qualities of actual love for God and our fellow man are not truly present in any but the regenerate heart.  If God doesn't do a first work in us, taking that hard, stony, heart which constitutes our union with fallen Adam, and replacing it with a soft, fleshly heart which constitutes our union with the Risen and Ruling 2nd Adam, then true love of God and true love of neighbor is beyond our ken... we have no clue what those things really are.  

Oh, we may have the habits of church, a general benevolence toward our fellow man and not really be burdened by an evil, conspiring heart.  We may "get along" with just about everyone.  We may delight in friends and family.  Those things are possible... but they are not equated with the Presence of the Holy Spirit.  That which constitutes proof of His Presence... even an infallible assurance of His Presence as the Westminster Confession declares is possible... is the outworking of His love transforming us such that we are funnels for that love flowing into the world about us.  "By this we know that He abides in us... by the Spirit Whom He has given us."  

Recognizing, with some degree of astonishment, or at least with due awareness to the apparent paradox, that we recognize the Spirit in us not by some direct, supernatural encounter with Him, but rather by the undeniable effects that His Presence produces in us, lies at the heart of our Christian witness.  When we discover that we actually do love God, not perfectly but truly, even though we cannot see Him and that our affection is rooted in the manner in which He reveals Himself as loveable through His word, it is a "strange" thing.  "Isn't this something?" we think.  Similarly when we, perhaps for the first time, look forward to being with our brothers and sisters in the faith, simply because they are precious to us, warts and all, it registers on our consciousness.  "Look at this" we think.  "I love these people who at one point in my life would not have moved me to anything more than cordial friendliness.  I would actually give up my life to prosper their  blessings."

These affections are only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  Thus, recognizing them as present also means that we immediately recognize that these changes in us are not rooted in our own wills, nor in the flesh, but in God (John 1:13).  Apart from these changes the most we can say is that our faith, if present, is weak.  We may be united to Christ but our doubts are such that we lack the zeal and conviction and power that God calls on us to exhibit.  We are "lacking in power" (see 2 Ti. 3:5, Rev. 3:8).  But how all that changes when love of God and love of the brethren (1 Peter 2:17) take over.  Now "vehement desire, ... zeal" (2 Cor. 7:11) becomes the characteristic of our lives.  It is our hallmark... our distinction from those who know not Christ... it is noticeable and ultimately commendable even by those who hate us (1 Peter 2:11-12).

By this we know... we are convinced... we are assured that we are united to Christ.  It seems so paradoxical... but it is true.

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