The Same Isn't Equal

I was reminded recently of a simple fact:  the same thing is not always equal.  Once I tried on a pair of pants that fit me well so I pull another pair of the same size off the rack.  Like many people I assumed another pair of pants of the same brand and size would fit exactly the same.  Being a rather idealistic and ignorant clothes shopper, I was shocked when they didn't!  This shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was.

How many times have you ordered the "same thing" at a restaurant and found your experience to be very different?  One cut of beef was tender and another time you were a bit disappointed because the same dish did not measure up to the previous one.  It was likely a different chef preparing the food and a different steak (for which we should be very glad), so of course it was different.  Two cars of the same year, make and model can be in very different condition after a few years because of how they were handled by their owners.  Not all brands of tools, paintbrushes, caulking guns and mousetraps perform the same.  The design, purpose and price may be identical, but the quality and durability are without comparison.

If we understand this concerning clothes, food, cars and tools, why is it some lump all churches or Christians together as being the same?  A person who has had a negative experience with one church or pastor can think all others must be the same and thus should be avoided.  Because one church of a particular denomination proved toxic, it would be illogical to conclude all others must be the same--when they are attended by totally different people!  Like a pre-owned vehicle, many miles have been traveled and the people in each church have needs as diverse as the injuries needing treatment by a medic on a field of battle or by doctors in a cancer ward.  Christians are in fellowship in a church precisely because we realise we are wretched sinners:  we need a Saviour!  We reconginse our need to grow, learn and desire to draw near to God in worship, obedience and service, to give and receive according to God's will.

An old saying relevant to this point says, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."  I am reminded of the Little House on the Prairie book series and how Laura described how the water was drawn and heated so each family member could bathe one at a time, oldest to youngest.  By the time all had bathed the water was dirty and would be thrown out.  No father or mother who loves their little one would throw out their child along with the dirty bathwater, yet many professing Christians have done just that.  They have written off all churches of a particular group, not due to doctrinal issues, but because of personal offence or perceived ineffectiveness of preaching or ministry.

To write off church fellowship because of a bad experience is like saying "Mousetraps are useless" because the ones you bought caught no mice.  We recently had a mouse in our garage and the first two kinds of traps I bought were picked clean night after night.  I went online and bought traps of a different brand of a similar design and the results were immediate.  The vast difference of the effectiveness of mousetraps reminded me the same things aren't always equal.  I continued to buy different mousetraps because I needed to catch an elusive mouse, and I urge you to press on to be connected with a local church because you are part of the church.  Perhaps you are one who has abandoned all faith in Christ and left the church due to hurt and offence.  You might be one who is not interested to even visit a church because of the hateful or hypocritical Christians you have known.  My experience with churches and mousetraps bring me to a similar conclusion:  the same thing is not always equal.

So you've had a bad experience or been put off from church fellowship because of what others have said:  will you heed the exhortation of God's word in Hebrews 10:23-25:  "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."  The assembling of Christians together is more than meeting up in one place:  it is the complete unity of heart and soul as one in joyful obedience and submission to Jesus Christ in faith.  Let us not allow anything to dim the glorious goodness of our Saviour, the Head of the Body the church.  Never justify disobedience to your Saviour to forsake fellowship because of the faults of sinners.

When We Go Wrong

When things go wrong, do you?  Life throws all sorts of things our way and none of them are without the LORD's knowledge--including our perception of them.  Our emotions can warp the impact of little inconveniences and lead to frustration that builds up without vent.  The only lasting and satisfying relief from the troubles of life is found by faith in our good God who loves us.

From appearances it looks like many Christians have their lives in order:  they seem generous, patient, kind and loving.  We imagine they must not struggle with the things we do like selfishness, greed, anxiety,  lust, frustration and violent temper.  The only way our lives can be decent and in order is because of the grace and goodness of God!  The LORD is showing me a focus on all that seems to be going wrong for me is fundamentally sinful focus on myself, which I ought to be repent of.

What is your response when things go wrong?  Do you tend to become angry?  I do.  Lashing out verbally or physically is not a healthy or godly outlet for anger, for what can it do but more harm?  Brooding over our failures or how others have wronged us is not wise because selfishness distorts our perspective away from the reality of God's grace and goodness.  Since God is not the cause of our temptation to sin James 1:19-21 says, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

If we imagine our circumstances are to blame for our sinful behaviour, the word of God reveals otherwise.  Instead of being angry over bad things that have happened, I ought to receive with meekness the word of God and lay aside "all filthiness and overflow of wickedness" that is produced within my flesh.  It is the trials and tribulations of life God sovereignly allows which provides an opportunity for brokenness for my sin and makes my need to grow in faith and grace in God evident to me.  We were already wrong before anything went wrong, and circumstances are an effective tool God uses to expose hidden areas of selfishness and pride we were blissfully unaware of.

Staying angry about what God has allowed, what others have done or our own failures will "not produce the righteousness of God" which is received only by faith in Christ.  James wrote to beloved brethren who needed to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath.  Being slow to wrath provides opportunity for us to seek the LORD and deal with our own personal issues and in meekness receive correction from the Holy Spirit.  God asked Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry?"  Jonah's anger was unjustified when God spared the people of Nineveh, for he ought to have rejoiced in God's grace and salvation he also needed.  While they repented in sackcloth, Jonah seethed with anger because he tried to justify himself.

When things go wrong, brothers and sisters, let us be those who are slow to wrath and lay aside our sin.  Remaining angry over what God has graciously allowed is like adopting a violent dog that was bred and trained to fight into a family with little children.  We cannot justify allowing the dangerous beast of wrath to live and breed in our hearts, minds and bodies, for it will only do harm.  The things big or small that provoke us to anger provide insights into how we need to change for good, and a step towards this happening is when we repent and meekly receive the word of God in faith and obedience.  I really needed to hear this, and I trust you do too.

Together for the Better

Our upbringing and experiences in church life can deeply impact our convictions and expectations.  Those who claim to hold fast to a biblical worldview can have very different preferences when it comes to gathering with other believers in fellowship.  Some churches place a great deal of emphasis on receiving communion, others in singing songs or the preaching of God's word.  Some people do not feel like they have been really ministered to unless they have shed a tear, spoken in tongues, been swept up emotionally in song, gone forward to the altar in repentance or prayed with a pastor.  Some congregations are expressive in worship and others more subdued in the praise of the same glorious God.  By God's grace He has provided freedom for us to draw near to Him in worship and thanksgiving with a congregation and individually.

There is a very real danger for the diverse members of the Body of Christ to be divided because of our personal preferences or convictions and undermine the good purposes God has in bringing us together.  In support of one practice we can become strongly opposed to others.  This was on display at the church in Corinth, and Paul mentioned this in 1 Corinthians 11:17-20:  "Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. ¹⁹ For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you."  Paul shared his concern about divisions or factions among those in the Corinthian church and how they came together "for the worse."  The answer was not to split into multiple congregations but to hold fast to the essential matters of faith in Jesus Christ according to the oneness they shared in Him.

When the congregation gathered to eat together, the common elements of bread and wine used by Jesus Christ the LORD were on hand and were received in obedience to His command.  An event which was to demonstrate the unity of Christian believers had given rise to divisions between the rich and poor, perhaps of Jew and Gentile, regulars and foreigners, those who arrived early or late, and between fans of Paul and Apollos.  It seems people were interested in being approved and recognised by others when it was Jesus who was to be proclaimed.  Isn't it ironic something Jesus commanded His followers to do in unity gave rise to divisions and factions?  We are all prone to divide what God has joined together and thus faith in God works to keep us united with Him and one another regardless of personal differences.

I have been giving thought to my background and how it has (to a degree) shaped my convictions and conscience rather than the word of God.  My desire is when I gather with brothers and sisters in Christ it it would be for the better.  Imagine doing more harm than good when gathering together!  Part of receiving Communion is to examine yourself--not to stand in judgment of others (1 Cor. 11:28).  We partake of Christ not due to our worthiness but because Jesus is worthy to be remembered, proclaimed and looked to with expectancy in faith.  When our eyes are focused on Him in recognition in all He has done, much that tends to divide us will fade away in the light of His goodness and grace.

Having Entered the Holiest

During the reign of king David for three consecutive years Israel experienced a famine.  David inquired of the LORD to determine the cause and it was revealed the famine was a consequence of "Saul's bloody house," the previous king who wrongly persecuted and slaughtered the Gibeonites who had entered into a covenant with Israel.  David then went to the Gibeonites and asked what could be done to atone for the wrongs against them, and they requested seven of Saul's descendants be hanged before the LORD in Gibeah.  The bodies remained night and day hanging until the rains came and ended the drought and famine.  Sin brought a curse upon the land and the justice meted upon the guilty brought restoration to the land.

2 Samuel 21:12-14 reads, "Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. ¹³ So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. ¹⁴ They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land."  The principle at work here is atonement was needed before God was entreated for the land.  David, priests and the people prayed but the prayers were not heeded and answered until atonement was provided.

Through Jesus Christ a new and living way has been provided to boldly approach God because He has once for all offered Himself as a sacrifice for all sin.  Hebrews 10:18-22 reads, "Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. ¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."  There is no offering or sacrifice man can make to enter into the presence of God boldly in prayer because Jesus has paid it all.  Those born again by faith in Jesus can draw near to God with full assurance of faith we will be heard, not because of our righteousness or good works, but because of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf on Calvary and now sits at the right hand of the Father.

We are undeserving of favour and acceptance from God, yet having received it by God's grace through faith we boldly draw near in agreement with the heavenly reality to entreat Him knowing we will be heard.  Ephesians 2:4-7 tells us, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  No penance, no period of probation, no payment required to receive and walk in the grace God has blessed us with.  Jesus our great High Priest sits at the right hand of the Father because He has completed the work, and the spiritual reality is we have been justified and sanctified to sit with Him in glory, members of His own body.  When we abide in Christ by faith the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness towards us is proclaimed to all in heaven and earth.  How glorious and good is our God and Saviour!