Grace in Perspective

I am convinced that the greatest problem in the theology and teaching of the church today is the perspective from which contemporary Christianity is defined.  That faulty perspective is that God acts in the human experience primarily for the benefit of man.  To be fair and honest, that conviction comes from two realities: first, we are the personal recipients of God’s blessings, and second, the only true blessings we receive are from God.  I fear, however, that from those inescapable realities, we draw the conclusion that we are the primary purpose of God’s work.  In other words, we see that the primary purpose in what God does for us is to bless us individually and personally.  The truth of Scripture is quite different.  Though in each case we are the most immediate recipient of God’s blessings, our being blessed is not the primary or ultimate purpose of those blessings.

The most visible result of this trend is that the predominant teachings in our churches tend to emphasize the human and experiential nature of God’s dealings with us.  Perhaps the best example of this is what is taught about grace.  Most anyone you ask in the average evangelical church would respond to the question, “what is grace?” with the reply “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense, GRACE.”  Others might reply, “Grace is God’s blessings in my life.”  These descriptions of grace center on man as the ultimate and final object of God’s grace and focus on the recipient of grace rather than the One who gives grace.  The definitions admit naturally that God gives grace, but the real emphasis in the minds of most Christians is on the benefit to the person who receives that grace.  In that sense, grace is seen as the blessing of God and is something of a “consumable commodity” given by God to His children.  To put that in the common idiom, people would say that “grace is all about me and what makes my life better.”  Whether by design or default, we understand grace in terms of personal benefit and blessing.

Some time ago, I came across this definition of grace penned in my old study Bible.  The definition was written beside 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”  The definition was, “Grace is God’s extension of His dynamic for His work.”  When I break down the specific words in this definition, it reads, “Grace is God’s extension of His ability, authority, and motivation to accomplish His work.”

This definition of grace is radically theocentric.  God originates grace and administers it to us for His work and His glory.

The more I study, the more I realize that most of what we practice in contemporary evangelical Christianity is fundamentally anthropocentric – man-centered.  I want to examine the core principles of our theology with the question, “Is my understanding, practice, and expression god-centered or man-centered?”

The Shifting Meaning of Chruch Words

I am convinced that the definitions of words govern our understanding and behavior.  I have come to see that displayed as I read the history of the Christian church and as I compare what I have observed and experienced in my own life across the last forty-five years.  I see a stark difference between how our ancestors understood and responded to the Bible and what is understood and lived by Christians today.  Though the verbal expressions of Christian faith and practice use the same words, the resulting behaviors and relationships are remarkably different.

Not only has the accepted definitions of important doctrinal words shifted, Christians today use what can be called “church words” with little or no understanding of what the words actually mean.  I have found very few of the believers in my own church can define the very words they use all the time.

Here is a partial list of the words of which I speak:

1.       Grace

2.       Love

3.       Faith

4.       Worship

5.       Hope

6.       Joy

7.       Peace

My goal is to work my way through these and see where that may lead.

Faith – Real and Visible

Luke 5:20 makes a simple but profound statement regarding faith.  The text reads, “and when He [Jesus] saw their faith….”  This one phrase presents incredible insights into the essence of faith.

1.       It presents the definition of faith.

 Faith is the conviction of truth that governs one’s actions regardless of the cost or consequences. 

2.       Faith’s object is its reality.

The object of one’s faith is what governs the actions that result.  In this case, the object of their faith was Jesus Christ, so in the Christian context, the definition of faith flows from one’s conviction of the truth of God’s Word.

3.       Faith is visible in one’s behavior. 

In other words, what one believes will be displayed in his choices, attitudes, and actions.  Regardless of what that core faith may be, it will be ultimately presented in behaviors.

4.       Crisis situations often display one’s faith most clearly. 

Let me change to first person here for emphasis.  In my experience, I have found that I can fake or affect a behavior to appear to believe something when I do not.  We call that hypocrisy, and I am not alone in that experience.  I make that confession, but I also make that as an accusation.  How we act in a crisis or under stress is the truest revelation of our faith.

5.       One’s faith is always on display, and someone is always watching.

Having said that, I ask the questions:

·         What does my behavior demonstrate of my faith especially at this Christmas season? 

·         How do I react to the pressures of a secularized, commercialized Christmas?

·         What Jesus Christ does my Christmas celebration represent?

Worship – Some Notes and Overservations

December 07, 2011 – personal notes

For the last few weeks, I’ve been considering the concept of worship especially in light of the New Testament word that is translated “worship.”  The Greek word is προσκυνέω, “proskuneo” – “to kiss the hand as reverence, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead” (Strong).  This Greek word is used 60 times in the New Testament, and each time it is translated, “worship.”

The question that keeps coming to my mind is, “how does this idea of prostrate humility equate with the celebrations of praise that are called worship in contemporary churches?”  Taking that question a step farther, “what is a worship leader, and why is he more necessary or better than a song leader or choir director?”

I did some research on the Internet regarding the role and purpose of what has become the “worship leader.”  In site after site, I found some universal elements that seem to be significant.

1.       Prominence of something to sell.  It is obvious that money is one of the prime motivators in modern “worship.”

2.       Music is the vehicle of worship.  If there is another aspect to worship other than music, I did not see it referenced.  Granted, my search was neither exhaustive nor systematic, but if there is something else to worship, it was not prominently presented.

3.       Emphasis on emotion.  Prominent words in the discussion of a worship leader are, “feel,” “sense,” “experience,” “celebration,” etc.  If it is mentioned at all, the place and role of the written Word of God is secondary to the creation of the “emotional connection.”

4.       Absence of Scriptural support.  Even well-known worship leaders admit that there is no direct biblical support for the role of “worship leader.”

These observations lead me to question the value of this new approach to “worship.”  On that issue, I can even accept a pragmatic or practical explanation, but what are the observable, quantifiable, or even anecdotal benefits of the worship emphasis on the mission, growth, and strength of the true church as the body of Christ?

True Prayer or Hypocritical

“If You will, You can….”  Luke 5:12

This verse condenses prayer to four Greek words translated, “Lord, if You are willing, You can…” – Κύριε ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί  (NKJV).  In all of my life and experience, prayer comes down to the same expression, simply “Lord, if You will, You can.”

The other side of that expression is just as important and complete.  When I say to the Lord, “if You will, You  can,” I am also saying, “no matter how hard I try, I cannot.”  The great cry of my humanity and experience of failure is, “You can; I cannot!”

I wonder how much of my prayers , however, go unanswered because I have not come to the conviction that, “I cannot.”  Until I am truly convinced that I cannot, I am hypocritical or lazy or both when I pray, “If You will, You can.”

Working or Following, Luke 5:1-11

The chapter break between 4&5 of Luke is a little unfortunate for me because the events of these verses should be seen together and in contrast.  While Jesus spent the night, dark till dawn, healing all who came to Him (4:40-42), Peter, James, and John spent the night fishing and caught nothing (5:5).  How tragic, but how typical! 

While Jesus is at work for the gospel of the Kingdom, we... rather, I am just at work.

Would to God I would listen more to the Voice that calls me to follow and become a fisher of men (5:10).

Revival – what is “true revival”?

In light of my current personal study in Luke, I Googled the words “true revival.” What I found was
quite interesting.

1.     Almost every “revival” link in the Internet is also selling something. Revival seems to
cost money these days.

2.    Revival seems to be an event or condition among churches and church people that is an end in itself. Though no one is quite sure what “revival” is, everybody seems to want one or claims to have one.

In the verse that attracted my attention today, Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God… because for this purpose I have been sent.” The literal reading of this verse would be “to preach the good news of the kingdom of God… for this I have been sent.” The word translated preach is euangelidzo – to bring good news, or as we might say “to glospelize.” Jesus’ ministry was to take the gospel to those who were lost. When His power and message entered a city, the people experienced what today is called “revival.”

So, here is my conclusion.

The people who experience true revival seem to be unaware of the unusual or special nature of the work that God is doing and is accomplishing in them because their focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ and His glory alone. When a person or group set about to wholly follow Jesus Christ in proclaiming and living the gospel, God does His work to glorify Himself in them and through them.

When those who come behind see this and glom onto it, the “glommers” call it revival. The term “revival” has come to describe a condition of the church characterized by growth and power. The name is often given to this experience by people who are seeking to achieve or recreate a similar event of growth and power, but tragically, their pursuit of what they call revival is one of self effort – seeking by themselves to accomplish what God alone has done.