We Cannot Strengthen the Church

Wow! Just read the following. Great quote. So true.
It reads:

We cannot strengthen the Church by focusing on the Church. We can only strengthen the Church by focusing on Christ. If we are focused on knowing Christ and making Him known, everything changes. Imagine how different things would be in your community if the Body of Christ did what the Mind of Christ commanded.

Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:19-20

On a few different occasions I've heard a Christian justify their bursts of anger with, "Well, even Jesus got angry at the Teachers of the Law." That is true. Jesus DID get angry, and overthrow the tables, of the obviously sinful and hypocritical Pharisees whom were at that moment turning God's "house" into a market. And on a few other occasions he even called them names! That's a fact.

But we must be clear. Christ did NOT get angry with anyone for disagreeing with Him; nor did He yell at anyone because they just could not see His point, or understand His purpose. He never lost His temper with a child, a friend, a female, or an animal for that matter. If we are clear here I think it is probably fine to be angry at the religious legalism and deceptive practices of the Pharisees. I know I sure am mad at those who do the same thing to people today. And given the chance I'd probably yell at them about their legalism and the bondage in which the keep people. But that's as far as we are to go, I think. Everyone else deserves the directive of James above -- quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

"Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." Think about it for a second. The anger which Jesus demonstrated in the temple court that day was not a human anger. Thus it did produce righteousness, specifically in the lives of those onlookers, some of whom probably knew what was going on was wrong but lacked the capacity or courage to face it.

Thus Jesus even modeled for us what we should do in cases where proud and arrogant men are turning God's Holiness into a place of sin and personal profit. Anger. And action. But human anger is something entirely different. Human anger does NOT produce righteousness. It in fact produces the opposite -- division. I think of the times I lost my temper and the net result was not righteousness. Fortunately God's Spirit pricked my conscience and made me go make things right again.

But what about other times? Have we lost it with someone only to leave it there? And where is it now? Did it produce righteousness? Unity? Did it yeild fruit?

The scriptures even strongly warn us against men who easily loose their tempers.

Proverbs 22:24 Saying 3 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered,...

And more>...

1 Corinthians 13:5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
James 1:20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
1 Corinthians 13:5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: 

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

 James 1:19 NIV

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A Major Root of Slander: Projection

slan·der  [slan-der]  Show IPA noun

1.

defamation; calumny: rumors full of slander.

2.

a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report

We don't throw around the word "slander" very often in today's language. But it shows up a bunch of times in the scripture, most often right along some of the "heinous" sins.  Just do a search for "slander" in www.biblegateway.com to start your own study. 

For years I've watched the sin of slander in fallen human beings; in myself. It's like a slimy, slippery oil spill under our feet. It doesn't matter who laid it down there anyone can slip and crack their heads open! It's beyond gossip in so many ways because it destroys character -- it's like "character assassination," as my good friend Ken puts it. But what is the root or roots of this Godless iniquity? This morning, in his blog post "The#1 Relationship Destroyer," Frank Viola offers a pretty good explanation of at least one of the main roots.  That root is "Projection."

One of the behaviors that effectively destroys relationships — if not the main one — is the tendency to impute the motives of one’s own heart onto those we find threatening or those we just don’t like. Christian leaders who have inflated egos or deep insecurities are easily threatened by others. As a result, they will unwittingly read their own heart motives into the hearts of other people. Psychologists call this “projection.” I can’t face my own shortcomings and defects so I unconsciously project them onto other people. I accuse others of the very same dark things that are lurking deep within my own heart. I’ve watched some Christians engage in projection when they came into contact with those who were just as (or more) gifted than they were. The root is often jealousy. You can call it a “Saul complex,” if you will.

I learned about "projection" in grad school in Texas. Let me tell you, it's a real thing. It's the result of a person being in unconscious unreality about themselves. Viola is right, the root of it is "I can't face my own shortcomings and defects." So what is the answer to breaking this cycle in another person, or in ourselves, or safeguarding our own heart to ensure we are not enslaved by slander? The answer is, as always, knowing who we truly are in Christ. If we do not know who we fully are in Him we are doomed to enlarge our own ego, and miss the plank in our own eye, as Viola rightly explains. 

Herein lies a great lesson: Those who judge the motives of others are simply revealing what’s in their own hearts. In Matthew 7:1–4, Jesus points out that those with defective eyesight are all too willing to perform eye surgery on others. Yet within this text, the Lord makes this chilling assessment: If you impute an evil motive onto someone else, you’re simply making known what your motives are. To put it another way, the piece of sawdust we see in our brother’s eye is simply a small chip off the two-by-four that lies within our own. And a piece of wood will always distort our vision. When people cannot face the reality of what’s in their own hearts, they project it onto others—particularly those who they find threatening to their egos.

Ego. There it is. That is a painful, sinful, fallen part of each of us. We MUST declare war on our egos. We must recognize the ego's destructive power and how it comes against our spirit; how it forces God's Holy Spirit to the corners of our mind, far enough from our conscience that we cease to hear His voice. We MUST say "enough is enough!" We will not slander. 

How do we make sure we do not "project" our own shortcomings onto others? We MUST make darn sure we are rooted and grounded in Christ alone -- what HE says about WHO we are in HIM! Only then can we fully pull up the rotten roots of gossip and judgementalism in ourselves. 

CLICK HERE TO READ WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST! 

When we dwell on this list we don't have time to gossip and slander and judge. Nor do we ever project our shortcomings onto others. 

Because .... we are free. 

And our LIFE is in YOU LORD!

Circumcision? Fill in the Blank...Galatians 5 Experiment

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

This passage in Galatians is one of my favorites. It comes packaged in a wonderful context. Paul is pleading with the new believers to not let the religious pull them back into a wrong way of thinking and acting. Paul's aim is to keep them from falling away from God's grace. He charges them with "make sure you stay free," making it clear that 

1. there is a real danger coming from the religious, who in this case "infiltrated" their ranks to "spy on the freedom we have in Christ and make us slaves" (Gal. 2:4).
2. it is every believer's job to work at not falling back into works.

Here's a little fill-in-the-blank exercise. Look at where the word "circumcision" and "circumcised" appear in the above passage. Read it carefully. Then, read it again and replace "circumcision" and "circumcised" with the following words or phrases: 

• "good works" and "a good person"
• "studying your Bible" and "a diligent Bible student"
• "spiritual gifts" and "a spirit-filled, power house"
• "being in the right church" and "in the right church"
• "church leadership" and "favored by your church's leadership"
• "having a perfect family" and "perfect parent"
• [add your own here]

For example: If you are counting on being in the right church to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. 

The danger coming from the religious still exists today. I once heard of a pastor who taught (from this passage, I assume) in his church that the members should NOT circumcise. I think he missed the point. In verse 6 Paul puts it plainly: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value." The point is don't do ANYTHING that would make you a (spiritual) slave again to "the law." The law is represented here as anything that takes the place of righteousness coming through Christ and Christ alone. We died to the law so that we might belong to God in a more perfect way and that we might bear fruit (Rom 7:4). It is "in Christ Jesus" that we are made right with God and set free from the righteousness that comes from the law. So you could even reword verse two this way, 

"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves [BE CONVINCED NOT TO] be circumcised [IN ORDER TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD], Christ will be of no value to you at all.

Sorry, but I really think that Pastor missed it, and likely confused the spiritual snot out of his church! 

So what should we do if we find in our hearts that we are in some way replacing righteousness that comes from being in Christ with some form of work or right thinking outside of Christ? 

• Stop listening to that voice in your head telling you you're not good enough. 

Stop thinking this way and stop living this way. If you think you are not good enough and that you must do something MORE before you can have God's grace through Christ then that thought is NOT from God. It makes no sense when we read the scriptures. Nor does it make sense if we listen to the Spirit in our hearts. There is nothing we can DO to earn salvation. It's GRACE by which we are saved, through faith. 

• Stop listening to those who teach or promote, either directly or indirectly, a works-based righteousness. OR... study the scriptures for yourself and challenge him or her.

I've seen and known many a teacher who promoted a works-based gospel after proof-texting one or two scriptures in the Bible. But read the WHOLE Bible. The  whole plan of God is found wrapped up in the actions of Christ. The Gospel is God-centered. Not man-centered. 

Think about this. What if a person were to find himself stranded on an island with no knowledge of "Christianity" as we know it but then found a Bible in a coconut tree? (Hey, you can do whatever you want with hypotheticals!) Then the began to read it. Do you really think they would come away with "I must earn my salvation"???? 

No way!

Here's the bottom line, one which I think Paul is getting at: We work for God as a RESULT of knowing He who died for us and that He made us right with Himself by His own blood. The more we know and love HIM the more we produce fruit for Him. And never along the way do we get the glory, because it's all to Him who died for me. 

One last thought: If you are wondering if your church or your pastor teaches a works-based gospel (or even a works-slanted gospel) don't be afraid to ask your leaders the tough questions: 

1. Do you believe that no one can come to the Father but through Jesus Christ? (John 14:6; Ac 4:12; 1 Jn 2:23)
2. Do you believe that there is any way possible to earn a better place with God through good works or anything we may do?
3. If you died today are you sure of your own salvation?

Your challenging the teaching of salvation by works might change your own life and the lives of several others, including your Pastor. And remember, you would NOT be the first one to challenge it. Paul did it! And he was filled with the very same Spirit as you!  

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” 1 Peter 2:15-16 NIV

Grace Received? Grace to Give!

After doing a search for "grace" in Biblegateway.com I'm thrilled to see such a variety of uses. (You can do this search and your own study, too! Don't let someone else tell you what the Bible says. Read it! It's awesome and will change your life!!)  One thing jumped off the screen into my lap this morning. The whole point of understanding and receiving the grace of God is so that we can give the same grace to others. We can talk and write about grace but if we are not "gracious" ourselves our testimony is null and void. If we cannot love others with the same unconditional love with which the Father loves us then we should not speak of grace. First, we receive grace:

Acts 15:11 We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Romans 3:24 ...and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

...to name a few. All three of these (and most of the others in the NT) are from the Greek work khar'-ece, which is defined in Strongs as "graciousness, of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."

We are indeed saved by Grace and not by works so that NO one can boast (Eph 2:8-9). There's no way in the universe to be saved from our sins other than the redemptive blood shed at Calvary. No effort, no action, no work can justify us. WE are saved by grace. And this is of vital importance. If we do not begin here; if we begin with any form or works-righteousness, whether subtle or blatant, we will miss the application which is "Grace to give." If we do not feel and even OWN the belief that we are saved by the effort, action, and work of Christ alone then we will be more likely to judge, condemn, ridicule, and slander others. WE will have little or no grace to give. Our ability to cover another person with grace is directly proportional to our own understanding of being covered by God's grace. Let me repeat that: Our ability to cover another person with grace is directly proportional to our own understanding of being covered by God's grace. That's how we have grace to give. 

Grace to give:

Luke 2:40And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Acts 13:43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.

A man (and a woman) can be known to be "full of God's grace" just as was Stephen. Christ Himself was "filled" with the grace of God.  ARE we known to be full of God's grace? Were the Apostles known to be full of God's grace? Yes indeed. The GRACE (khar'-ece) was "SO" powerfully at work in them all. Oh, yes. This IS the same greek work as in those three verses above: "graciousness, of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."  

So first we receive God's grace in the form of redemption from sins and we receive eternal life through the actions of God in Christ. We are justified by God's grace. How do we know all of this? "Through faith." We must believe it. If you struggle to believe, ask God for more faith. He loves that prayer, and will answer with a resounding yes. Ask Him. You'll see. If you've been taught something other than we are "saved by grace through faith" then ask God to undo the false teaching in your life and replace it with HIS Truth which appears in scripture and which will testify  in your heart by the Spirit. You'll know the grace of God as it grows in you. And like the Spring flowers after a long winter you will come alive! 

Second, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  We should not think we understand the Father's grace if we are not also filled with grace. (This is so deeply convicting even as I study this for I have so far to go.) What about the Apostles? Their lives were not marked by their intellect, leadership, and lectures. They were known for their grace. Grace for every occasion, every person, everyday. The "great power" of the Apostles was a power to be filled up with God's grace and to overflow to others. But forget about the apostles for a minute. That was a long time ago. What about you and me? Are we working through the power of God's grace?

• Do we have grace for the one who disagrees with us? 
• Do we have grace for the person who hurt us? 
• Do we have grace for the struggling believer?
• Do we have grace for the person who slanders us?  
• Do we have grace for the faulty church? 
• Do we have grace for the legalists? 
• Do we have grace for the modern pharisees? 
• De we have grace for the sinners and the saints alike?
• Do we have grace for ourselves? 

If our lives are not marked by Grace; if we are not filled with the power of Grace; then we likely don't understand the Grace which God has freely given. Fortunately, it's never too late to learn. God LOVES to help us grow in our understanding of His grace. All we need to do is ask.

His love will overcome.