Yoked With Christ

When Jesus invited people who were weary and heavy laden to take His yoke upon them and learn humility from Him in Matthew 11:28-30, it is ironic because it was a call to labour.  The realisation people are weary and burdened does not lead us to suggest placing a yoke on their shoulders as a solution.  We tell them to take a break, to cease from labour!  The point is, Jesus is easily able to carry all loads that burden and crush us, and by submissive labour by the side of Jesus we will find rest for our souls.  His yoke is easy and His burden light because Jesus is mighty, strong and our Saviour.  In drawing near to Jesus by faith and labouring alongside with Him, Christians find joyful rest.

As someone who worked in a building trade for more than a decade, one of the things drummed into workers was the need to learn to work and talk at the same time.  Some people never learn this lesson:  when they begin talking, their hands stop working.  Workers who were slow to learn this lesson worked alone until they did.  While working with Jesus does not always take the form of manual labour, Paul called out Christians in the Corinthian church who had become distracted from Christ and factional over their preferred preachers or loyalties due to whom God personally used in their lives.  People like Paul and Apollos were elevated by great people who esteemed them for the fruitfulness of their ministry.  Paul exhorted the people to return to the unity they had by faith in Jesus and to glorify Him, knowing it was Christ who will reward His faithful followers.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:  "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building."  Men of God like Paul and Apollos were only fruitful because they were "of God" and ministers who could only offer others what God freely provided for them.  One planted, another watered, and God gave the increase.  Again and again Paul downplayed the glorification of people who do God's work--people who were the epitome of faithful labourers--because God is responsible for all spiritual fruitfulness.

All Christians are called to work together with Jesus, and each one of us will receive our own reward according to our labour and all by His grace.  The last verse is an amazing truth:  in Christ we are God's fellow workers; we are God's field and His building.  God chooses to plant the good seed of His word in us that bears spiritual fruit.  Our lives have been built on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ who is the chief Cornerstone.  We are God's servants, His purchased possession and chosen dwelling place.  Knowing this is our identity in Christ, it ought to unify us as believers to labour together to promote Him.  We are privileged to have been given duties by our LORD and Saviour, yet at the same time who are we?  We are souls who were heavy laden who found rest in Christ.  Let us unite with those who are yoked with Christ, knowing God will give the increase.

God's Love Casts Out Fear

It was widely reported a bishop addressed President Trump directly during a prayer service and made a request for mercy for groups of people she implied would be threatened or suffer due to his policies.  She was reported as saying, "In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and [transgender] children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives."  It was ironic to invoke the name of God while speaking to Trump as if he was a god, insinuating he has the power in himself or through enacting political policy the means of removing fear in the hearts of people.  I am convinced this is not a presidential problem but a personal one for all who experience such fears.

It is a sad fact of our fallen world that people fear for their lives, and in some situations these concerns are absolutely warranted.  At the same time, no politician is able to provide assurances, protections or policies that can prevent harm or the fear of harm.  Fear is not limited to immigrants, gay or lesbian people; fears that have nothing to do with death can plague people continually.  Think of all the fears we have experienced at times in our lives:  fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of public speaking, fear of foreclosure, fear of being abused.  It may be the bishop who gave the address feared for the welfare and protection of the people who she said fear for their lives.  Yet is the solution for this plague of fear found in a politician, political party, or policies?  Do elected officials have the power to cast fear out of the hearts and minds of those who harbour it?  If that was possible, it would have happened by now.

Fear is like the mythical Hydra, for whenever one poison-spewing head was lopped off two more regenerated in its place.  Those who take cues from society to foster hope or look for comfort through political privileges or protections, none find comfort that lasts.  But the Bible teaches when anyone fears God and looks to Him in faith, God's perfect love casts out all fear.  1 John 4:15-19 says, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. ¹⁷ Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love Him because He first loved us."  God is not afraid of what anyone can do, and as His people we can be like Him without fear of man in this world.  Those who are afraid, whatever their political affiliation or sexual persuasion, are not made perfect or complete in love.  Christians need not be afraid of others judging or persecuting them, for we love Jesus who first loved us and we are complete in Him.

In this current age of identity politics and the popular approach to people laying claim to their own truth before which all others must bow, it seems only the perspective of the unprivileged, marginalised or oppressed are allowed to weigh in on what is right for them.  The Scripture does not take this approach, for it establishes all human beings on level footing as people created in God's image, regardless of our preferences and convictions.  We are not gay or straight, immigrants or indigenous in God's eyes, but all people He loves and to whom Jesus came to seek and save.  The Christian view is inclusive and exclusive at the same time:  all are invited to come to Jesus, repent of our sin, receive Him by faith and be born again, and He is the only Way.  Jesus is the only one able to cast out all fear of those who abide in Him, for He first loved us.

Insidiousness of Idolatry

As a kid in church, I struggled at times to comprehend what idolatry was because I did not bow down to idols in a shrine or burn incense to images.  Whenever idol worship was mentioned by our pastor at church, it was often connected to things I didn't have, like houses or cars.  I faintly recall the prime description of an idolator being a man who on a weekly basis was constantly washing, polishing and buffing his shiny car on the driveway.  This did not make sense to me because waxing cars was foreign to my life.  I did not own a car, and washing a car of dirt and grime seemed to be good stewardship of a gift from God.  I never connected the dots that the brand of car or its pristine condition could be an outlet of pride that delighted in promoting an image of self which is idolatry.

Reflecting on my youth, even the definition provided for idolatry was not a definite thing, for it was deemed anything we put in God's rightful place.  If God had yet to be given His "rightful place" in my life, how was I to determine what idolatry was?  Idolatry is very insidious because it goes right to the core of our beings, affections and desires, always rooted in self but does not always concern the same outward things.  An image can be worshipped as an idol, yet the idolatry goes beyond bowing before the gilded figure--dig deeper and idolatry is connected to why we worship an idol, because we have chosen to seek benefits for ourselves and by our efforts from anything other than God.  It is easy not to make a graven image, but idolatry is a sin all people naturally have a serious problem with because we love self and shrink from walking by faith in God.

Paul explained how subtle idolatry is to believers in Colossians 3:5-7 says, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them."  Commands against idolatry are not just at the beginning of the 10 commandments but also at the end.  "Coveting is idolatry," Paul asserted.  The heart of idolatry is covetousness and self-seeking, living as if we are God or serving someone, an agenda, ideology, or our own image rather than trusting and obeying God.  Idolatry, like pride, lust and envy, are matters of the heart the Holy Spirit is able to identify and expose within us so we might repent and submit to God moving forward.

Colossians 3 as well as 1 Corinthians 10 connect sexual sin with idolatry, and seeking to look at sexually provocative images provide a better concrete example of idolatry than polishing a car.  Images in the Bible at times are described as obscene, not only because they were images worshipped rather than God but because of anatomic features people lusted over.  We can look at crude wooden or ceramic images and not lust over them, but people did as Ezekiel 20:30 says in the NIV, "Therefore say to the house of Israel: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images?"  Idolatry is directly connected to satisfying the desires of self, whether it be through money, power or sex.  Those crudely carved images people lusted over was a foreshadowing of pornography.  Society has largely moved on from glossy centerfolds of models posing nude by themselves, for now pornography is mass produced that depicts sex, people being degraded and pretending they are enjoying themselves.  Idolatry is at the heart of this abomination that results in lust, covetousness, adultery, fornication and all manner of vice.

My hope is to shed some light on the insidious nature of idolatry that fuels the fires of lust, greed and covetousness.  If we only deal with the symptoms--selling a car or deleting pornography from our devices--we have not dealt with our idolatrous hearts that refuse to trust God, are embittered because our selfish desires and expectations are unmet, the fact we are dissatisfied with God and the life He has given us.  From the very beginning mankind looked upon the chance of being like God as so attractive that Adam and Eve chose to disobey God.  That seed of idolatry was planted in the spiritual DNA of mankind and has plagued us ever since.  Thanks be to God, for He frees us from the curse of sin when we are born again by faith in Jesus Christ.  It is then we must rally to war against the sin in our members, against idolatry that beckons us with wanton glances and sexual advances.  Praise the LORD 1 Corinthians 10:13 is true for Christians:  "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Salvation and Sanctification

People have a propensity to be observant of others, to note similarities and differences.  Another tendency we have is to want to change others, to have them conform to our perspective and convictions.  At one level we realise we are incapable of changing other people, but it doesn't stop us from trying.  We suggest, hint, manipulate and beg in our attempts to mould others into the form that suits us better.  And when this doesn't work, we can withdraw or even be more stern and direct in our methods.  These are generalisations of course, but I'm sure if you can read these words with understanding you've been on one side or the other of this experience--perhaps even both!

Yesterday at church we had an encouraging discussion how God was at work in our hearts and lives, and the subject of wanting to see others saved came up.  Since a sinner's response to the Gospel has eternal implications, it follows we who have received Christ would absolutely want and love for others to receive Him too.  As we know our own journey of faith in Jesus, we realise we were not immediately willing to open our hearts to receive Christ by faith or even to repent of sin after being born again when convicted by the Holy Spirit.  As much as we want other people to be saved from hell and to enter the presence of the LORD Jesus in heaven, know God desires this infinitely more than we can--Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to atone for sins Himself.

One statement that resonated with me from the conversation is God cares as much about a believer's sanctification as seeing sinners saved.  As those who are born again and headed for heaven by God's grace, we can lose sight of this.  We can put all our effort into seeing others saved when God is using their resistance, annoyance and persecution of us to refine our faith and sanctify us.  I am convinced when you decide another person ought to change in some way, God can use that person to change you in ways you don't think need changing.  In fact, that person yet to be saved could be His divinely chosen instrument to bring about spiritual growth in you that rivals the change when you passed from death to life by receiving the Gospel.  It is remarkable how our desire and efforts to bring people to Christ exposes our own worries, fears, cares and anxieties Jesus died to save us from.  Should we justify these sins in us because we do not see saving faith in others?

In the first Lord of the Rings movie, Frodo was taken aback when Gandalf threw an envelope containing a ring he had been keeping secret and safe straight into the fire.  Gandalf knew fire would destroy the envelope and the wax seal but would not damage the ring:  the purpose of throwing the ring into the fire was to reveal if it was a certain ring of power.  God does a similar thing with us, for He ordains His people to face fiery trials because He knows we will endure them by His grace.  As a result we receive the benefit of having better insight into how much we need God, how often we ignore His existence and promises, and that our faith is small and even nonexistent at times.  God does not show us these things to poke fun at us but to chasten us to repent of our unbelief and strengthen our faith when we take steps to exercise it--in addition to an innumerable amount of things God is always doing perfectly in our lives.  Our embracing the changes God wants to bring into our lives by submitting to the Holy Spirit will have a positive impact on others, far more than any effort of our flesh.