The High Beam Illustration

Yesterday something that amused me happened during a drive through the country.  As the sun began to sink over the horizon and the shadows grew long, I decided to turn on my headlights to ensure best visibility.  Somehow the lights were on high beams that shone into the rear vision mirror of the car I was following.  Noticing this, I quickly toggled the beams to the normal setting.

This also did not go unnoticed by the driver of the car I followed along the road.  I imagine the driver viewed this an an intentional act to urge them to pass the car in the front.  The driver showed his displeasure by giving his windscreen a thorough spray--which caused water to sprinkle all over my vehicle--to my great amusement.  The simple act of turning on my lights to see more clearly sent a message I was annoyed or displeased with the driver ahead of me who instantly retaliated.

It was probably too dim for the driver to see my smile or see me laugh as the droplets rained down, but my hope was the driver chalked up their high-beaming as an simple accident without malice.  In reflecting upon the situation, it illustrated well how a well-meaning person (who is trying to see more clearly) can accidentally annoy someone else who feels compelled to retaliate.  Either party has the power to escalate the situation or to diffuse it by extending grace to the other person--even if the beaming or sprinkling was on purpose.

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:1-2, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness."  Rather than assuming the worst about others or taking their words or actions as intended to insult, we can turn away wrath with a soft answer.  It is easy to be defensive and harsh, but it takes strength from God to extend grace and respond with gentleness.  What seems to be an unfair attack could be an unintended message.  But even when people take aim with intent to harm us, by the power of the Holy Spirit we can love others as God loves us, keeping no record of wrongs.

Jesus is Worthy

I'm not a "favourite colour" kind of person, but I do have a favourite sermon that stands tall above all the rest:  Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead.  He masterfully employed a passage from Judges to illustrate how humanism can creep into Christianity, suggesting God exists for the happiness of man when the reality is we exist for God's glory.

Paris Reidhead made a powerful point concerning Christ's worthiness:  "Lord Jesus, I'm going to obey you, and love you, and serve you, and do what you want me to do, as long as I live even if I go to Hell at the end of the road, simply because you are worthy to be loved, and obeyed, and served and I 'm not trying to make a deal with you!"  This well encapsulates the heart of a humble believer who understands the privilege of being saved, forgiven, chosen and blessed to have a relationship with the living God.

I remember years ago at a camp I asked a cabin leader and his group:  "Would you follow and obey Jesus even if you went to hell because He is worthy?"  These guys looked at me with something akin to shock.  If the youths were anything like me, I first came to Jesus as a child primarily due to what I stood to receive:  His love, forgiveness and salvation from hell.  It was a wonderful offer!  But what I came to realise is what Paris Reidhead preached from the heart, that our motivation for serving and following Jesus is based on all God has done--and He is worthy!

This is the joyful cry of those in the presence of God in John's vision in Revelation 5:11-12:  "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!"  Jesus is worthy to be praised and honoured--first for who He is, and also for all He has done, does and will do.  When we catch a glimpse of the glory of our wondrous Saviour, yes, He is worthy to be loved and served even if us going to hell was guaranteed.  For those who have tasted and seen He is good, life would be hell without Him.

Praying Child of God

According to the Bible, we are assured of many things concerning praying to God, the eternal Creator of all things.  The true, living God knows all and is able to do everything:  nothing is hard or impossible for Him.  We can know God hears and answers prayers of those who need Him.  This morning I was reminded of this when I read Psalm 102:17:  "He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer."  God invites and welcomes His people who pray to Him.  His words to the prophet Jeremiah shows God's ready willingness to answer prayer as it is written in Jeremiah 33:2-3:  "Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): ³ 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'"  God freely chose to reveal Himself to people He created in His image so we might have a relationship with Him, and what is a relationship without regular, personal communication?

Perhaps you have heard people pray with flowery language or in Old English, with copious sprinklings of "thee" and "thy."  While some have prayer books, the only prayer book needed is the Bible that holds forth the divine revelation of God and His will.  Perhaps one of the most tricky things is people feel for prayer to be effective they must follow some sort of formula they are ignorant of, not realising God looks favourably upon a humble heart regardless of the words spoken.  Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee who "prayed with himself" and touted all his service and sacrifices for the LORD, and he expressed gratitude God had elevated him far above base sinners--despite his proud, hypocritical display.  Jesus said in Luke 18:13-14, "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Some expect they will be answered because of their many words, others put a measure of confidence in who or how many people pray for them, and others insist particular words they use are akin to invoking magic utterances that cut through spiritual red tape to expedite the granting of their requests.  The simple prayer of the tax collector in the parable shatters these notions, for he went home justified and received God's mercy just for asking.  Simply put, God hears prayer, delights to answer prayer, and invites people to pray to Him because He desires a relationship with us.  In addition to looking favourably upon the humble in heart, God responds to the prayer of faith.  James taught the prayer of faith would save the sick or weary, and confession of sin and repentance leads to spiritual healing and wholeness that is in Christ, freely offered to all who are born again (James 5:13-16).

Philippians 4:4-7 holds forth God's will for every believer by faith and obedience to Him:  "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  See the joyful, grateful attitude we ought to have in praying to God who loves us and answers prayer!  Praying is not only for special occasions or before meals and going to bed, for Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:  "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

When we pray, let us never forget we are not God.  Our role is not to tell God what He ought to do or how He could use something for His glory (hoping for our will to be done), for God is infinitely wiser than us.  Books on prayer have a place, but better than reading a sample prayer it is better to pray from the heart to God ourselves knowing He loves us, with confidence He delights to hear and answer us, and that nothing is difficult for Him.  In praying we seek the LORD who guides, helps us and needs no help Himself.  We pray not to earn God's favour but because we have received His favour in Christ and are responding with joyful obedience, glad to cast our cares upon Him, make our requests known, and rest in the knowledge He will answer in His time.  There is no one more carefree and glad than the praying, trusting child of God.

Avoiding Cultish Tactics

It struck me today during a morning walk that cults remain as popular as ever, and this reveals their tactics can be powerful and effective.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary explains the history of the word "cult" like this:  "Cult, which shares an origin with culture and cultivate, comes from the Latin cultus, a noun with meanings ranging from "tilling, cultivation" to "training or education" to "adoration."...The earliest known uses of the word, recorded in the 17th century, broadly denoted "worship." From here cult came to refer to a specific branch of a religion or the rites and practices of that branch, as in "the cult of Dionysus."... Finally, by the 19th century, the word came to be used of "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious."  Though cults can be diverse, they employ many of the same tactics because they are effective to help manipulate people and retain control.

One thing I have generally observed among various cults is to place godlike status upon a person or an organisation that is not God.  This person or group is not to be questioned, for their authority puts them above reproach, to be reverenced and honoured.  It is the leader who is revered--not Jesus Christ--and assumes His role as leader, teacher and master.  When a group rallies around this leader who is divinely inspired, claims to be a prophet, and reveals truths that resonate in people, they choose to follow.  Usually some holy text like the Bible is used to reinforce the messages, lifestyle, actions, terminology and discipline that is meted out.  Taken out of context, these unorthodox and heretical doctrines work to cultivate fear in people pressure to give, serve, to conform or face expulsion from a group that has become a lifeline, purpose and their hope for unrealised dreams.

While the church, the Body of Jesus Christ, is not a cult, I have seen churches that employ similar tactics that have been quite popular and successful.  For instance, I skimmed through a discipleship manual recently which bore a resemblance to cultic tactics through major points of emphasis that had nothing to do with Jesus, being born again by faith in Him, being transformed within by a relationship with God, or loving one another.  The message conveyed was disciples are revealed by what they do in the church and for the church--rather than disciples are born again by grace through faith in Jesus, and their good works are evidence of who they are in Christ.  The manual drew heavily from the "shepherding movement" which seems to have maintained popularity among people who prefer to be told what to do and how to live.  Some long for a spiritual mentor because they want to look to a person (other than Christ) who will assist them in some way, hoping to leech wisdom, belonging and security through rules and authoritarian accountability.  Weary people end up being loaded with heavy burdens and growing disillusioned because they do not comprehend they can have a relationship with the living God themselves through faith in Jesus Christ--whose yoke is easy and burden is light.

People want to be part of a group or church they believe does things right, and some present themselves as the only real church.  This claim of being exclusively right can cross the line into cultish tactics.  It is possible for genuine believers to have misplaced loyalty (cultivated in cults), like when Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp and young Joshua asked for Moses to forbid them.  Moses meekly put a swift end to such nonsense in Numbers 11:29:  "Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD'S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!"  Luke 9:49 shows this tendency to control others was in Christ's apostles as well:  "Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  While I do not know John's heart, he viewed this man as out of line because he was not in their group--he was a competitor!  Perhaps in John's mind if the man submitted to following Jesus with John and the other apostles, then perhaps permission could be granted.  Jesus corrected John in Luke 9:50:  "But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."  We ought to be careful we are zealous for Jesus Christ more than a particular group or preacher.  Oh, that all God's people put their spiritual gifts to good use to glorify Him, and that we would not view ourselves as in competition with other people or churches!

Discipleship is not another word for a "church member in good standing."  Jesus Himself provided hallmarks of being a disciple we ought to take to heart as those born again by faith in Him.  John 8:31-32 says, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Jesus said in John 15:7-9, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. ⁹ "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."  Jesus told the multitudes there was a personal cost to follow Him in Luke 14:26-27 & 33:  "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple... ³³ So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."

True disciples of Christ are not revealed by their role in a church or serving in some capacity but those who hear Christ's words and heed, abide in His word, pray according to His will, and abide in His love.  Having been filled with the Holy Spirit, washed from sin and empowered to do God's will, we are enabled and equipped by God to do what we could never do in our own strength:  put our love of Christ above the love of family or ourselves, take up our cross to follow Jesus, willing to give up everything for His sake.  Being a disciple is a matter of the heart, and we shouldn't employ cultish tactics to force conformity when spiritual transformation is necessary by the Gospel.