Selfish to Selfless

I have a bit of a fascination with reading biographies from World War II. I’ve read several in the past few years. Recently I read two that created a curious juxtaposition. The first was To End All Wars, by Ernest Gordon. He tells about his time in the concentration camp that built the bridge over the river Kwai. At first the prisoners were selfishly stealing from one another in their effort to survive, and religion was thought to be irrelevant. But over time they began to take care of one another, helping the sick and wounded, and there was a revival of faith in God.

The book I read right after that was Shantung Compound, by Langdon Gilkey. He was held in the Weihsien internment camp in China where many missionaries (including Eric Liddell), teachers, and other Westerners were held. Their living conditions were better than many other such places. Families had small rooms to themselves, while singles shared larger dorm rooms. They were allowed to keep personal belongings, and they set up committees responsible for various chores. At one point, there were 1400 residents, 200 of whom were Americans. The American Red Cross sent in 1500 large care packages. The majority of the Americans, including some Christians, felt that the packages should be divided among the American residents and not shared anyone else. They wanted 7.5 packages per person. Eventually the Japanese guards had to rule that each person in camp got one parcel and the remainder would be sent to other camps. Gilkey wrote:

“Certainly in camp everyone alike was involved in the problem; none was entirely righteous. ‘Good’ people and ‘bad’ people found it incredibly difficult, not to say impossible, to will the good; that is, to be objective in a situation of tension, and to be generous and fair to their neighbors. In all of us, moreover, some power within seemed to drive us to promote our own interests against those of our neighbors” (116).

Unlike Ernest Gordon’s experience, Gilkey witnessed no change of motivation or resurgence of faith. It’s ironic, but also convicting, that those who had a little bit to call their own were far more selfish than those who had absolutely nothing. It also makes me wonder whether we do more harm than good with some of our “Christian” outreach programs.

After the war, Gilkey spoke to various groups, including a women’s church group. He wrote later:

“We met in a mammoth suburban residence outside Chicago... As I spoke to these smiling and gracious ladies in the living room, out of the corner of my eye I could see two or three maids putting sandwiches, cookies, and towering chocolate cakes on the dining room table. I suppose I stressed the problems of hunger and the need for sharing even more than usual... When I had finished, the president... rose and addressed the following remarks to me.“‘I think our visitor, for all his good intentions, does not understand our point of view on these matters. You see, we don’t believe at all in the value of material things. It is the spiritual values of life that we feel are significant. We believe that what America has to offer the world is her spiritual superiority, not any advantage she may have in the realm of mere material goods... So we send moral and religious writings abroad, and do not approve of concentrating on the things that are not so important to the welfare of the soul’” (228).

As I look at the brokenness of our world today, I note several types of responses. There are those who are quick to recommend and enact social “cures”—relief funds and supplies for hurricane victims, better legislation and security to protect against mass shootings, new jobs for the unemployed, etc. There are others who are eager to provide spiritual support—prayer for victims, a listening ear, and an encouraging word. There are some who will seek to pursue both those avenues of help. And there are some who sit back and wonder what all the fuss is about. I think it is evident that the best efforts of good men will never outweigh the worst schemes of evil men so long as sin reigns in this world. But I think it’s also fairly evident that Christians should seek to do all that we can in serving others, though we often fall far short of that ideal. We will always have to fight against our own instincts for selfishness in how we use our time, money, and possessions, but by God’s grace we can love our neighbors with sincerity.

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Neither is love content with barely working no evil to our neighbour. It continually incites us to do good: as we have time, and opportunity, to do good in every possible kind, and in every possible degree to all men” (John Wesley).

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15 NIV).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Worship in Truth

Once in a while in a worship service I have the thought, “Why am I singing this song? It’s the opposite of what I feel right now.” One song that I often have a hard time singing is “He Has Made Me Glad.” I realize that feelings aren’t everything and that there are many reasons to have joy in Christ even when we don’t feel glad, but you have to admit that many songs draw on emotional imagery and ideas to convey their message. So I may end up feeling like a hypocrite for singing words that don’t describe me at that particular time. (I’m assuming that the selected songs have correct theology.) I think there are several truths to consider.

1) Worship is commanded.

“Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth!” (Psalm 96:9 ESV). “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name” (Psalm 30:4). “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

The biblical authors never said, “Worship if you feel like it.” However, it should be noted that worship is ascribing worth to God, which means recognizing and communicating what is true about God. It is not necessarily an emotional display or an expression of how we might feel at a given moment. Worship is about God, not us.

2) It’s not always appropriate to sing.

“By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion… How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:1, 4).

In the context of this verse, weeping was more an act of worship than singing would have been. The Israelites remembered the Promised Land, and no doubt they also remembered their own sins that brought them into captivity in Babylon.

3) Worship is more than singing.

“…When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26). “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

Worship can take many different forms, and I think churches obscure the truth when they label the musical portion of a service as “worship” and they have “worship teams” whose duty is to lead the music. Prayer, giving, and receiving biblical teaching are all elements of worship.

4) We impact one another.

“…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). “…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Ephesians 5:19).

As we gather together, some people are joyful, some are sorrowful, some may be eager to sing, others may yearn for prayer. We are to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). At times that may take the form of singing words that reflect the experiences of someone else in order to remind all of us who God is and why we can find peace and joy in Him.

I have a bit of a problem with the statement from Kierkegaard that “God is the audience.” I understand that it is a necessary corrective of the idea that the congregation is the audience. However, I think it can lead people to think that worship is an act that we have to perform for God’s benefit. The fact is that God does not need our worship, though He deserves it, and we don’t have to invite Him to come to the performance. And as the above Scriptures say, we are called to gather in corporate worship for the mutual benefit that it brings to all of us. God should be the focus of all worship, because He alone is worthy, but as His Body we need one another as well. We need the frequent reminders of truths that are best communicated through worshiping together.

So it may often be that we sing songs that are theologically true even though they may not feel true on a particular day. Hopefully those who are selecting music and Scripture readings are considerate of the wide variety of experiences and emotions that are represented in a congregation from week to week. The psalmists certainly acknowledged both the ups and downs of life, and we should do the same. God is present in the valleys as well as on the mountains, and so we can worship Him wherever we may be in life.

“The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him” (John 4:23).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. 

Outside In

For the past several days I’ve been thinking about the way God has worked in my life to make me more like Christ. There was a long period of time (probably most of my life) when I thought that my biggest sin problem was behavioral. I thought if I could just master the bad habits I would feel good about my growth in faith (I’m still working on that). But then I began to realize that even if I could avoid the outward behaviors, I still thought about them and desired to do them. As Jesus clearly said, behaviors come from the heart (Matt. 15:19).

So I figured if I could clean up my thoughts and pray for heart change, I would be all set. (I’m still working on that too.) But I’ve also found that some of my thoughts are rooted in wrong beliefs. There are areas where I have chosen my interpretation of Scripture based on what I want it to say and what requires the least amount of change in my life. Just this week I was convicted by my pastor’s sermon that God has complete authority over His creation, and it is not my right to decide what I think Scripture should mean. God’s Word doesn’t talk in terms of “fairness” or “rights” when it comes to stating what is best for us. Sam Allberry made this comment:

“God’s commands are not arbitrary… David says in Psalm 19 ‘The commands of the Lord are radiant.’ His commandments are radiant because He is. And so when we can see His goodness and radiance through what He says, it doesn’t mean we find it easy to live by His ways, but we start to want to.”

God’s Word is only wondrous and radiant to those who are willing to submit to it, and I find that He brings new facets to light only when I’m ready to hear it, believe it, and act on it. When I refuse to submit to the Word, my heart is hardened until some later date when God arranges things (sometimes painfully) such that I have no other options. There have been multiple times when I’ve had to repent and say, “OK, God, I was wrong because I didn’t want to submit to Your Word. I wanted to do things my way and I convinced myself that was okay.” And often those times have come as a result of the Word of God being preached clearly and boldly in a way that I can’t ignore the Spirit’s promptings.

I know that those who argue with God (even unknowingly) will eventually lose the argument. Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 ESV). This is not a one-time event, but an ongoing experience of abiding, learning, and finding freedom.

Alistair Begg made this comment in a sermon on Daniel 9:

“When God is really at work in this kind of heart, the mature Christian ‘o’er his own shortcomings weeps with loathing’ …The longer I go in my Christian life, the more I’m aware of what a sinner I am… The nature of sin confronts me far more today than what it did before, driving me again and again to the Gospel.”

We often grow up with an idea that behavior is all that matters, and if we can act like good Christians we must actually be good Christians. Some nominal Christians never get beyond this point. As we mature we begin to realize that behavior isn’t everything and that God is concerned about our hearts. He doesn’t just want to change our actions but our thoughts, our beliefs, our priorities, and everything that is contrary to His perfect will. His process of sanctification is unending, and each step leads to another step, and another, and another. I sometimes wonder what the next step is for me, but then decide that it’s better not to know. Surrender comes at the end of a battle, not before it starts. What I do know is that He is the Good Shepherd, and He will take me through each valley to greener pastures if I will just follow Him.

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:9 NIV). “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law” (Psalm 119:18 ESV).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. 

Guess Who

Recently someone asked me if I thought that we would recognize people after the Second Coming. My answer was, “Sure. Although marriage won’t exist anymore, there’s no reason we wouldn’t know each other.” I think her main concern was that we would be mourning those who weren’t saved. While I do think there will be a period of mourning at the judgment, we are promised that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4 ESV). I don’t know exactly how God will do that, but I think we will be so consumed with His glory that the former things will not matter in comparison. In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis imagines hell as being so minuscule and insubstantial that those in heaven are unaware of its existence. Personally, I believe in the complete annihilation of the unsaved after the judgment, so there would be no reason to mourn those who no longer exist.

If God were planning to wipe away all our memories, there is no logical reason for our current existence. He could create new, sinless beings and do away with this fallen world. Our life here and now is integrally related to our future existence in eternity.

Here are some other relevant passages:

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” While I think this refers first to our knowledge of God, I believe it will also apply to our knowledge of one another. We will truly know each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and not just as friends or acquaintances. Currently we only know those things that people choose to share with us. In eternity we’ll know each other with a depth of intimacy that right now probably induces some degree of fear in us.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 we learn, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Our godly responses to the trials and difficulties we face in this life are creating some kind of eternal beauty that we do not yet see. One day we’ll look back at our own lives and the lives of others and see how each of us was shaped and made to reflect Christ. We will know things about one another that we can only guess at now.

The fact that we will know one another should be motivation for sharing the Gospel. Otherwise one might say, “I like Joe, but I’m not going to remember him later, so there’s no reason for me to embarrass myself by bringing up the Bible.” Eternal life doesn’t begin after death; it begins whenever we come to faith in Christ in this life: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36). “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). For the believer, death will be just a temporary interruption prior to receiving a new body.

Jesus did not lose His divinity when He came in the flesh, but rather He added a human nature. Now the resurrected Christ is both fully God and fully man. Similarly, once we receive our resurrection bodies, we will still be fully human and, I would contend, will be even more human than we are now. Our bodies will be imperishable (1 Cor. 15:53) and we will have more abilities than we have now, not less (e.g. John 20:19). We will be like God in ways that we cannot now imagine, but He will still be infinitely greater. And regardless of how it all works out, we can be assured that it will be glorious and that every moment of pain will be worth it all (Rom. 8:16-25)!

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Do You Believe?

In his book Life in Christ: Lessons from Our Lord’s Miracles and Parables, Charles Spurgeon has a chapter on Jesus’ encounter with the blind men in Matthew 9. When the men cry out for mercy, Jesus asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Spurgeon writes,

“Faith is pointless if you only believe in the Lord’s power over others but declare that you have no confidence in him for yourself. You must believe that he is able to do whatever concerns you; or you are, for all practical purposes, an unbeliever… Each man is accountable for himself. You must be willing to be honest with yourself. Jesus asks each one, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’”

It seems that many Christians tend to trust God for salvation, but then assume that everything else is their own responsibility. I’ve been convicted by this question myself. As I prayed about a particular issue and wondered why God hasn’t intervened as I wish, I found myself confronted by the Word—“Do you really believe that I, the Lord and Creator of the universe, am perfectly capable of dealing with this problem in your life?” After thinking about it, my honest answer is, “I know I should believe that and I want to believe that. Lord, help my unbelief!”

An added challenge to our faith is that God’s answers don’t always look the way we think they should. Rather than leveling the path ahead, He walks with us through the valleys and over the mountains. Rather than removing a difficulty, He uses it to make us depend more on Him.

Spurgeon makes this comment, but I’m not sure I fully agree with him:

“You will wonder where the burden has gone and look around and find that it has vanished, because you have looked to the Crucified One and trusted all your sins to him. The bad habits you’ve been trying to conquer, which have forged fresh chains to bind you, will fall off you like spiders’ webs. If you can trust Jesus to break them and surrender yourself to him to be renewed by him, it will be done and done immediately.”

Sometimes the chains don’t seem to fall away—so is that due to lack of faith, failure to pray, or is there some other lesson to be learned? I do believe that surrender to Christ and seeking His aid is a daily, hourly, and sometimes even moment by moment need. We have an adversary who loves to trip us up. Spurgeon says of our enemy:

“[Satan] has spent thousands of years perfecting his skill to make Christians doubt their faith in Christ, and he understands it well. Never answer him. Refer him to the one who speaks for you. Tell him you have an Advocate on high who will answer him… The best evidence a man can have that he is saved is that he still clings to Christ.”

So when the darkness lingers, when the valley seems too long or the mountain too steep, when the briers start to choke or the chains don’t fall off, cling to Christ. Remember His presence, provision, and protection. Remind yourself that He is able to do all things well (Mark 7:37), and every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17). Rest in Him.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Speak Up

Gabe Lyons makes some interesting comments in this short video: https://vimeo.com/184206469 He talks about Christians (and Millennials in particular) feeling marginalized and afraid to speak up and to talk about what they believe. It is certainly true that our culture has grown more hostile toward Christians in general, and perhaps the church has not done a very good job in equipping and encouraging members to be able to speak intelligently about their faith.

At the same time, I have seen this same reluctance to speak up within churches as well. From small group meetings where only a few people ever say anything, to board or conference meetings where those with strong opinions dominate the discussion and decisions. And it tends to be the older generations that hold onto control and ignore what younger people may have to contribute. Todd Wilken writes:

“Boomers don’t leave institutions when things don’t go their way (something intolerable to Boomers), they stay and fight, they protest, they sit in. In short, Boomers seek to recreate the institution in their own Boomer image.”

As a member of Gen X, my stock answer to most debates is “Whatever.” I may have an opinion, but I usually don’t think it is worth fighting over. It’s not surprising that many young people have decided to start new churches rather than try to fight to be heard in existing churches. Others leave the church entirely as they get discouraged by the lack of opportunity, authenticity, and community.

Even the Apostle Paul had to remind Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12 ESV). It seems to be a perpetual problem in the church that those who have been around the longest don’t want to let things change. Churches can become ingrown because of that. Thom Rainer wrote a brief list of warning signs of inwardly focused churches. He notes,

“Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives… Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and the community in which they live.”

It’s worth the time to think about how well your church or small group functions, if you don’t mind a little uncomfortable examination. Do those who attend also participate with their words and actions? If not, why not? If a visitor were to come in, would they feel welcome? Would they understand what was going on? Would they feel free to contribute to the discussion? Do church members know how to share their faith with unbelievers, and are they actually doing so?

Many of us need to find courage to speak up, both in our churches and our culture. That courage comes from confidence in who we are in Christ and in His ability to speak to us and through us. I’ll be the first to say “I’d rather not,” but His grace is sufficient for all such difficult interactions.

“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant…” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ESV).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Risky Prayers

I woke up rather early this morning, and since returning to sleep seemed unlikely, I was praying about various things. After a while I found myself using phrases that I don’t normally use because they seem too risky. It is far easier to pray safe, benign prayers. Here is part of my prayer:

Lord, Creator, Sustainer… You raise up kingdoms and nations and You bring them down. You raise up those kingdoms that will glorify You, and You bring down those that don’t. And it’s not just the big kingdoms, but all the smaller “kingdoms” of our denominations, churches, homes, workplaces, hobbies… We build our own Towers of Babel for our own glory and satisfaction. But anything that doesn’t glorify You is an idol that must be torn down. Do what You desire with these things. We don’t want to stand in Your way. We don’t want to hold on to programs or traditions or habits or even the praise of man. While we don’t like to see the end of anything that appears good or beneficial, we want Your will more. It is Your name, Your kingdom, and Your will that matter, not ours.

I repeat, this is not my usual way of praying, and I’m sure I’m not alone. It almost seems crazy to give God free rein to do what He wants, but then again, He is God and is going to do so anyway. Surely it is better to admit to ourselves and to Him that we don’t know what is best, that we have mixed motives, and that we are not the ones in control of this world or our own lives. If we truly thought about the words of the Lord’s Prayer and its implications, we might be more reluctant to pray it frequently. It is no comfortable prayer.

Another risky prayer I encountered this week was Psalm 51. “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (7, 10 ESV). If we’re honest, do we really want God to take away our bad habits, favorite sins, and wrong desires? There have certainly been periods of my life when all I really wanted from God was for Him to remove my guilt but not the desire to sin. “Clean up the outside, but leave my heart alone.” C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity:

“I think that many of us, when Christ has enabled us to overcome one or two sins that were an obvious nuisance, are inclined to feel that we are now good enough. He has done all we wanted Him to do, and we should be obliged if He would now leave us alone… But this is the fatal mistake. Of course we never wanted, and never asked, to be made into the sort of creatures He is going to make us into. But the question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what He intended us to be when He made us” (174-75).

It gets a little dangerous and uncomfortable when you start praying the words of Scripture. It is easy to pray “bless them,” “be with them,” “protect them,” but those phrases are almost meaningless in the way we tend to use them. Do we dare to pray things like:

• With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! –Psalm 119:10
• Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways. –Psalm 119:36-37
• Reprove and discipline me according to Your love. –Revelation 3:19
• Show Your greatness and Your holiness and make Yourself known. –Ezekiel 38:23
• Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with boldness. –Acts 4:29
• We pray to God that you may not do wrong… Your restoration is what we pray for. –2 Corinthians 13:7, 9
• Open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith. –Acts 26:18

If we want to see God at work in our lives and in the lives of those we love, let’s stop praying comfortable prayers. I yearn for God to be glorified in my life through the visible evidence of His grace and mercy in justification and sanctification. I don’t want to settle for comfortable Christianity.

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” -2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.