Going Through the Motions

Though it seems there is always a chore that needs doing, it is satisfying when it is done.  It is pleasing to see your cleaning, sorting or arranging makes a tangible difference.  While the marks of the wheels of the lawn mower are fresh on the lawn and the brushes of the vacuum are plain in carpet, it is gratifying evidence of progress.  I have noticed myself at times going out of my way to take a moment to look at a completed job, to bask in the glow of a task finished well.

Today I had an interesting moment while doing a bit of vacuuming.  After using a car, appliance or tool for awhile, I become aware when things sound different.  Though my hearing isn't the greatest, it seemed the vacuum had a higher pitched whine than usual.  For awhile I thought little of it as the carpet bowed before the vacuum brushes like subjects paying homage to their king.  When I used the crevice tool, the suction seemed a bit weak so I opened the case.  I was surprised to find the bag full enough to restrict the suction of the machine.  After the new bag was installed, it was a brand new vacuum again.

At that stage, half of the carpet had already been vacuumed.  It occurred to me the brush marks in the carpet made it look like it had been vacuumed thoroughly--but due to the lack of suction, it wasn't done as well as it ought to have been.  It is like smells we associate with "clean," like the scent of pine.  Many times just bringing the mop bucket into the toilet led to comments how it "smells clean in here" when I hadn't done anything.  The distinctive smell of products like Pine-Sol and the look of brush marks in carpet pile can convey cleanliness when it is a mirage.  Cleaner needs to come into direct contact with soiled materials to clean them, and a vacuum needs to have room in the bag to lift hidden dust.

The full vacuum bag today was a good illustration that even as we can go through the motions of cleaning (without optimal cleaning taking place), we can go through the spiritual motions of reading the Bible, praying and serving without much benefit.  We have experienced the sweet fragrance of God's word but stopped short of applying it to our hearts; we can be so full of our own thoughts or have neglected to cast our cares on the LORD we stop short of receiving His goodness and grace.  We have put in the time in seeking the LORD, so to speak, but we have not encountered the LORD's presence because we did not prepare our hearts by humility and repentance of sin.  God forbid the machine of ministry would continue humming along and thus we neglect our need to be filled with and submit to the Holy Spirit.  Unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit and God's love, all our efforts will be largely ineffective and empty.

Let us remember what is written in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7:  "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  Rather than going through the motions, may God's love purify our motives and move us to trust Him as we follow Jesus faithfully.

Life and the Law

From my observations, Christians in our day sometimes struggle with the relevance of the Law of Moses.  Some view it as being fulfilled and thus relevant only from a historical perspective, and others are confused about what believers are obligated to obey--because the Law is righteous and good.  The Sermon on the Mount shows Jesus established a standard higher than that of Mosaic Law rather than encouraging lawlessness, for by faith in Jesus we hear and obey Him.  Paul later explained the Law was given to reveal our sinfulness and need for forgiveness and salvation, likening it to a tutor that led sinners by the hand to trust in Jesus.

Those who have received the Gospel can have a negative bias against the Law of God, grateful we Gentiles are not obligated to live as Jews who traditionally observe the Law.  This attitude can actually be borne out of selfishness and love for our own lives rather than willingness to die to self, take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.  After all, isn't Jesus worthy of such sacrifices?  It is important we realise the Law of Moses is worthy of praise and admiration.  The psalmist certainly held this view as it is written in Psalm 119:92-94:  "Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. ⁹³ I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life. ⁹⁴ I am Yours, save me; for I have sought Your precepts."  To the nation of Israel, God's Law was a revelation of His righteousness that made a provision for blessing and salvation impossible by any other means.

Jesus observed this view was maintained by the religious rulers in His day in John 5:39-40:  "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁴⁰ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."  God, who created mankind and gives life to all people, offers eternal life revealed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is by receiving Christ by faith we have life as it is written in John 1:12-14:  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  The abundant life promised by God is experienced and enjoyed by a relationship with God made possible by our Saviour Jesus who gives the Holy Spirit.

The Law has a critical and important relevance because by the Law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20).  Through God's Law we are provided insight into God's character, His holiness, sin's consequences and need for atonement by sacrifices offered by sanctified priests.  Jesus is the great high priest who offered Himself once for all, not so we can keep the Law to be righteous, but so we might be declared righteous by grace through faith in Him.  We therefore are led and empowered to walk righteously, to love God and others, having our hearts and minds refined according to His divine goodness and His word.  Rather than loving the fact we do not need to be burdened by trying to keep the Law of Moses, we ought to love God's Law because God employed it to reveal our need for a Saviour--led us right to Jesus Christ who loves us and gave His life for us.

Remembering God as God

Our inclination as humans is to bring the almighty God down to our level--or even the level of a worthless idol.  Though God created mankind in His own image, we can adopt a concept of God that is very much like ourselves.  Our lack of faith in God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture results in us colouring God by our own weakness and inability.  Worse than that, we can assume He agrees with and approves of our sin.  Crazy, right?  But God rebuked His people for this very thing.

God said to His people who did wickedly in Psalm 50:16-21:  "But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, ¹⁷ seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? ¹⁸ When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. ¹⁹ You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. ²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. ²¹ These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes."  The actions of God's people showed they thought He was like them, yet God did not consent to thieves or a partaker with adulterers.  He did not speak evil or deceive anyone.  While people slandered their brother, God remained silent.  God broke His silence with rebuke because they had not walked in His ways.

Another way those who believe in God's existence reduce Him to the level of an idol is to think that because we are entitled to benefits by what we have done to honour Him.  I recently read an article on the worship of Apollo which suggested that after greeting the god with as many names you can, to remind the god of all the good things you have done for it.  After making your request, it was appropriate to make a promise of what you will do when the favour is granted.  I wonder if this does not resemble some of the prayers people make to the LORD of Hosts who has graciously given us life!  This is how we naturally operate:  doing unto others as they have done to us, to help others we deem worthy.  Our natural inclination is to be legalistic in kindness doled out to others, for God's grace that springs from His goodness is a foreign concept.

The song concludes in Psalm 50:22-23:  "Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: ²³ whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God."  Blessed is the man who remembers and honours God as He is revealed in His word.  Freely we have received all good things from God, and we ought to praise Him freely for all the good He has already done and for His faithfulness now and forever.  The testimony of scripture affirms that the one whose faith in God is demonstrated by obedience to Him will experience God's salvation which He freely offers to everyone by grace.  Through Jesus Christ and the covenant in His own blood Isaiah 52:10 has been fulfilled:  "The LORD has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."

New Creations in Christ

A powerful witness of God's power to save is the testimony of lives changed by faith in Jesus.  Whilst being born-again through the Gospel does not always result in immediate, overt transformation, what God does on the inside is real and profound.  Jesus Christ alone can change Saul of Tarsus the Pharisee to Paul the apostle.  He went from going on the warpath to accuse and persecute Christians to gladly counting everything loss for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ, and he willingly gave his life rather than deny the LORD Jesus.

Paul shared how being in Christ transformed his life in 2 Corinthians 5:14-17:  "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. ¹⁶ Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  As Jesus was raised to new life by His resurrection from the dead, Christians are made new creations, compelled by God's love to live for God who graciously loves us.  Above all other people, Christians can testify personally of the power of God at work through the Holy Spirit who makes us new creations in Christ.  At the very least we ought to ascribe power of God to change anyone, even if it seems unlikely or impossible:  for what is impossible with men is possible with God.

While we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, it does not follow we always trust God as we should.  We can become cynical and even harbour doubt God could change other people.  We can apply this assumption to churches as well (groups of people saved and being changed by God's grace), and ridiculously imagine the church is static and unchanged over time.  After my arrival in Australia, I was a bit surprised when people voiced opinions of our church, a previous pastor, or congregants who had not been to the church in some time.  It is like visitors or former congregants imagined the church was currently as they perceived it previously--when God is continuing to refine each member of the church day by day.  It may be that there are Christians who are stuck in a legalistic rut, have their hobby-horse doctrines, odd mannerisms, or interests we find strange.  But let us never limit God by assuming His people are doomed to remain as they are and churches by extension must suffer the same fate--as if Jesus is not involved in the salvation and sanctification of His people.

Hopefully I am not the same man I was 10 years ago because I have grown in faith, love, grace and wisdom.  Even if a church has not grown numerically in a decade, God-willing members have matured in faith before the LORD and are increasing in love one for another.  I wonder if we can be quicker to write off Christians changing for the better than believing God can save lost sinners!  How is it brethren, we believe God can turn Saul into Paul but do not trust God can make a Paul more godly, loving and gracious day by day?  The letters Jesus sent to the churches in Asia plainly show God wants churches He has things against to repent of sin and to return to their first love.  Through faith in Him, transformation is possible.  A church that over time took on a legalistic and harsh flavour by Jesus in the midst can be changed to have the inviting savour of grace, love and kindness.  With God, this is more than possible:  it is what Jesus does.