God is Working

I heard a comment recently that gave me pause.  A visitor, upon entering the sanctuary at church, said something to the effect of, "So this is where it all happens."  Instantly a thought popped into my head:  "You'd be surprised how seldom things happen here."  This was not a knock on God's work or His people but to point out the sermons preached, songs of worship sung and prayers to God for about an hour a week is a fraction of the depth and breadth of God's relationship with us.  It is a supremely special time to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ at church and an incredible privilege to proclaim God's word.  A lot of awesome and wonderful things happen at church--but one room isn't where it all happens.

I realise the visitor was not making a theological statement, and I did not think what was said needed correction.  What it did likely illustrate, however, is a distinction made in Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness by Jerry Cook between "church as a field" and "church as a force."  The "church as a field" is an approach that suggests church is a building where things happen, and thus it is imperative we coax or invite people into the church so they can be taught and ministered to by a pastor.  The "church as a force" concept is that the church is the Body of Christ comprised of individual members who bring Jesus and His love to minister wherever they go to whomever they meet as God leads them.  The gathering of the church in fellowship to preach the word at set times is good, and to be moved to live for Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit every day is also very good.

What happens when a person thinks the sanctuary is where it all happens--and nothing seems to be happening?  If their expectations are unmet, if people do not see or hear what they are accustomed to, they may just go to another church.  They may say, "The worship is dead" when that statement may be more indicative of their own feelings or spiritual slumber more than the hearts of God's people.  They might lament the lack of miraculous healings, spiritual deliverance or people falling to the ground because that to them is part of the church experience.  I have observed that when people do not see things are happening, they may not believe God is working.  The temptation follows to make something happen, and this is not good when it is of the flesh and not of God.

One thing I love about God is He does not judge according to appearances but examines the heart.  I believe, even when we do not see anything visibly happening, God is at work for our good and His glory.  The one who shouts excitedly is not more filled with the Holy Spirit than the silent saint who repents or wonders at the awesomeness of God.  The one who raises their hands or falls to their knees is not more "spiritual" than the person just sitting there.  Our hearts are where God is always working, and when the LORD begins to transform our hearts our thoughts, decisions, attitudes and actions change too.  God is always at work as Moses sang in Exodus 15:11:  "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"  In a warehouse, in a purpose-built church building, in our homes, with music or in silence, in the heart of a person sitting on a chair or laying on a bed, God is working wonders.  That is a reason why we gather together in worship as a church--to testify of the awesome things God has done, is doing and will do.

Repentance and Joy

"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

1 Peter 5:5

God's call for Christians is to submit to God and one another in the fear of the LORD, to be clothed with humility.  To "submit" is to willingly place oneself in subjection to, and this is the attitude and posture we see in Jesus Christ who submitted to His Father in heaven and did His will.  In His humanity Jesus relinquished His own will to do the Father's will, even when it meant going to the cross joyfully as a sacrifice for sinners.  Knowing God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, we are called to submit to God.  It is not by asserting ourselves but through submission to God we are divinely enabled to walk in victory.

James 4:6-10 connects submission to God with our ability to resist the devil:  "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." ⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  Nowhere in Scripture are Christians commanded to take the fight to the devil, for Christ has already defeated him.  At the same time he can prowl about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Those who are clothed with humility and submit to God are an exercise in futility for satanic assault, and he will flee from those who subject themselves to God without a fight.  Even if trials and temptations come to us, in drawing near to God He draws near to us to help and deliver.

Notice the purifying, sanctifying power of God's presence in the life of a believer!  As light exposes dust in the air and cleaning one area of tile or grout exposes how dingy and dirty the rest of the floor is, so the Holy Spirit reveals sin we are called to repent of, forsake and teaches us what good to do instead.  Like children who resist washing, we may read of lamenting, weeping, and laughter turning to mourning as a bad thing, something to be avoided.  Such may wonder, isn't God loving?  Doesn't He want us to be comforted and happy?  God does not keep a person comfortable in their sin.  He loves us so much He sent His Son to die to atone for our sins--not so we could be happy and content to continue in sin.  When God makes us aware of sin, we are to answer His call to repentance which involves remorse and grief for our wickedness in God's sight coupled with confidence God will forgive those who confess their sin (1 John 1:9).

When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and acknowledged his lack, Jesus directed him to sell his goods, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow him.  Matthew 19:22 says, "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."  Rather than confessing his idolatry and love of money, the young man was sorrowful because he would not repent.  Had this man sorrowfully repented of his sin and obeyed Christ in faith, he would have rejoiced like the man in the parable who found the pearl of great price, having found in Jesus something infinitely more valuable than all he possessed previously.  He would have been lifted up with joy by the LORD who was well-pleased in him!  There is infinitely greater sorrow in refusing to repent than by humbling ourselves in contrite repentance, for the end of repentance is life with fullness of joy by God's grace.  What freedom, joy and light we have in forgiveness and a new beginning with God!

After writing a letter that rebuked Corinthian Christians for their sin, Paul followed up in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10:  "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."  Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation, but the sorrow of this world produces death.  We observe sorrow of this world in Cain, for all he could think about when confronted for murdering his brother was himself:  "My punishment is more than I can bear!"  Contrast this with the tax collector in the parable Jesus told who would not even lift his eyes to heaven but beat his chest and exclaimed, "God be merciful to me, a sinner!"  It was the man who humbled himself in repentance for sin who went home justified.  If you have no sorrow or remorse for sin, if your repentance is only heaviness and gloom, it may be you have yet to repent of sin at all.

Connection With Christ

The saving faith of a Christian is according to knowledge revealed in God's word, for "...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)  In a sermon titled "Faith," C.H. Spurgeon made an excellent point, that faith is more than believing something is true but requires assent with it.  This perspective and attitude towards God's word is well illustrated by his quote:  "I love it all; I give my full, free, and hearty assent to every word of it, whether it be the threatening, or the promise, the proverb, the precept, or the blessing.  I believe that, since it is all the Word of God, it is all most assuredly true." (Spurgeon, Charles H. Spurgeon’s Sermons. Baker Books, 1996. pages 369-370)  Here is an illustration involving the Niagara Falls Spurgeon used to show how faith in Christ supplies an indispensable union with God:

Some years ago, two men, a bargeman and a collier, were in a boat, and found themselves unable to manage it, being carried so swiftly down the current that they must both inevitably be borne down and dashed to pieces.  Persons on the shore saw them, but were unable to do much for their rescue.  At last, however, one man was saved by floating a rope out to him, which he grasped.  The same instant that the rope came into his hand, a log floated by the other man.  The thoughtless and confused bargeman, instead of seizing the rope, laid hold on the log.  It was a fatal mistake; they were both in imminent peril, but the one was drawn to shore, because he had a connection with the people on the land; whilst the other, clinging to the log, was borne irresistibly along, and never heard of afterwards.  Do you not see that here is a practical illustration?  Faith is a connection with Christ.  Christ is on the shore, so to speak, holding the rope of faith, and if we lay hold of it with the hand  of our confidence, he pulls us to shore; but our good works, having no connection with Christ, are drifted along down the gulf of fell despair.  Grapple them as tightly as we may, even with hooks of steel, they cannot avail us in the least degree...

Faith, then, is an union with Christ.  Take care you have it; for, if not, cling to your works, and there you go floating down the stream!  Cling to your works, and you go dashing down the gulf!  Lost, because your works have no hold on Christ, and no connection with the blessed Redeemer!  But thou, poor sinner, with all thy sin about thee, if the rope is round thy loins, and Christ has a hold of it, fear not! (Spurgeon, 376-377)

The sermon concluded with Spurgeon's strong pleadings for people to love Christ, believe in Him and turn to Christ from their sins in repentance.  By God's grace, an appeal to reason is powerful when coupled with a conscience softened by the Holy Spirit.

And now, dear hearers, shall I down upon my knees, and entreat you for Christ's sake to answer this question in your own silent chamber:  Have you faith?  O!  answer it, Yes--or No.  Leave off saying, "I do not know, or I do not care."  Ah!  you will care, one day, when the earth is reeling, and the world is tossing to and fro; ye will care, when God shall summon you to judgment, and when he shall condemn the faithless and the unbelieving.  O!  that ye were wise,--that ye would care now; and if any of you feel your need of Christ, let me beg of you, for Christ's sake, now to seek faith in him who is exalted on high to give repentance and remission, and who, if he has given you repentance, will give you remission too.  O sinners, who know your sins!  "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and ye shall be saved."  Cast yourselves upon his love and blood, his doing and his dying, his miseries and his merits; and if you do this you shall never fall, but you shall be saved now, and saved in that great day when not to be saved will be horrible indeed.  "Turn ye, turn ye; why will you die, O house of Israel?  Lay hold on him, touch the hem of his garment, and ye shall be healed.  May God help you so to do; for Christ's sake!  Amen and Amen. (Spurgeon, 382-383)

The Western Wall and God's Grace

I received an antique book titled The Land of Christ that boasts over 160 photographs "which were obtained by the publishers only after long, arduous and expensive labor."  The book provides a glimpse into the life of people in Israel at that time--and also gives unpleasant insight into the largely antisemitic and bigoted views of the writer towards Jews, Arabs and Bedouins through unflattering anecdotes.  Much of the reprehensible commentary does not bear repeating, yet I found great pleasure in noting how different Jerusalem is now from the time the book was written.  Here is a photo taken at the Western Wall in the book published in 1895, a place I have visited several times myself.

The writer said the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem at the time were about 5,000, and the writer showed no respect for them in his remarks.  A portion of the blurb reads, "The sight is a pitiable one in many ways.  The abject poverty of most of the mourners excites sympathy rather than derision.  The hope and faith for a restoration to power which animates these people would be sublime if their degradation were not so low as to remove them from a possibility of admiration."  These devout worshippers were seen as the lowest of human debasement and their prayers described as "hopeless supplications."  How I wish the author who penned this disgraceful commentary had read the Bible and observed the Jewish people in Jerusalem today, for he could come to realise the God of Israel gives hope to the hopeless and answers the prayers of His people!  God is moved by the faith of those who cry out to Him, and by His might He restored the Jewish nation to power and prosperity who were once made to be exiles in their own land for nearly 1,900 years.

The glory of God is seen in His deliverance, endurance and prosperity of the Jewish people as the LORD spoke through Moses in Deuteronomy 7:7-10:  "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; ⁸ but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; ¹⁰ and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face."  God redeemed the children of Israel from the house of bondage in Egypt, and God was faithful to bring them into the land He promised to give them as an inheritance, driving out nations that were greater than they.  The secret (which is no secret!) of the strength of the Jewish nation is their God, the Creator of heaven and earth who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him.  According to God's promise He has gathered those who were scattered, miraculously doing what was altogether impossible.  As it is written in Jeremiah 31:10-11, "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' ¹¹ For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he."

Those who assembled at the Western Wall over a century ago, poor people dismissed and despised by men, demonstrate the power of their awesome God to deliver His people as we observe at the Western Wall today.  God has blessed and strengthened the Jewish nation exceedingly, and Christians ought to be inspired by the faithful devotion to God seen in the old photographs and to this day in the holy land.  Here is a picture of the Western Wall I took in 2015, and the unique rock carving can be seen several stones higher on the wall today as further excavations have taken place.  A horizontal darkened line shows the level where the pavement used to be.  Those gathering to pray at the wall are standing just beneath the point their forebears stood above them.  Parts of the wall that were unseen previously have now been revealed, and may it be so with the God of Israel as He opens the eyes of people to His faithfulness, mercy and grace through Jesus Christ.  People may despise and hate us now for our devotion to Christ, but may generations to come joyfully acknowledge how awesome and praiseworthy our God is in part by our faithful prayer and obedience to Him.