Ballpark Religion

“Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34. 

WOULD YOU RATHER BE CLOSE or “right on the mark?”  My dad used to say, “Close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades.”  Mathematics and physics are not kind to closeness.  Chemists obsess on specificity.  Quality control inspectors measure closeness with micrometers.  Who wants a brain surgeon to almost nail a frontal lobotomy?  Or, a 747-jet pilot who comes close to landing on the runway?  In vital issues where exactitude cannot be fudged, being in the ballpark doesn’t cut it.  I know, I know.  “Nobody’s perfect.”  It seems to me that that excuse justifies loopholes more often than it expresses humility.  If it doesn’t work for brain surgeries or aircraft landings, to be dismissive of orthodoxy in doctrine is flat out wrong.  In eternal matters, we cannot afford to settle for closeness.  

This scribe in question seemed to be thinking the right way.  He confessed that there was one God.  He declared that we must love God.  He believed that loving God was greater than outward ceremonies and religious show.  You have to dig a little deeper, however, to locate the controversial core of this exchange between Jesus and the questioning scribe.  Jesus discerned some equivocation or self-affirmation in the man’s statement.  Jesus’ answer was not evasive, but it was cryptic.  He simply said, “You’re close.”  He didn’t denounce the man.  But, neither did He say, “That’s it!  You’ve got it!”  Jesus combined encouragement with warning: “You’re not far!”  Now, the man simply needed to make the final connection.  Evidently, the Master struck a nerve because the man asked no more questions. 

Cornelius discovered that devotion was not enough.  He was “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.” Acts 10:2. But close didn’t cut it.  God’s angel told him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon … He will tell you what you must do.” Acts 10:4-6.  In Athens, the Apostle Paul told the worshipers of the “unknown god” that religion wasn’t enough. (Acts 17:22-23.)  In Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla encountered Apollos.  “When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” Acts 18:26. 

“Not far from the Kingdom.”  “Not far” describes the thickness of glass between the space shuttle and nothingness of space; between a submarine and millions of tons of crushing water; between the glass observatory platform jutting out from the rim of the Grand Canyon and a fatal plunge to the canyon floor, 2000 feet below.  

In the pursuit of God, the greatest tragedy is not the many who aren’t close enough to hear His voice; it is the few who actually consider it, analyze it, evaluate it, compare it, critique it—and then do nothing about it.  The final distance between you and an altar of repentance is the hardest piece of real estate to conquer.  The final surrender, the final confession, the final expression of faith, the final act of obedience, the final embracing of truth presents the greatest challenge.  The scribe preferred playing politics with truth.  He was so close that he knew he didn’t have an excuse, yet he still had no intention to truly accept Christ.  What is the will of God for you?  Whatever the cost, do it.  You will not be just in the ballpark.  You will cross home plate.

Five Accomplishments of the Blood of Jesus Christ

From its storied and cryptic past, the mere whisper of the word blood unleashes a floodgate of images, thoughts, feelings and concepts.  Blood drips from every nook and cranny of our culture.  Our literature reeks with its crimson references—violent murders, ritualistic mutilation of bodies, slaughter and genocide.  We shudder with haunting tales of vampire myths, blood sacrifices—both animal and human—and satanic ceremonies gory with bloodshed.  Yet, blood has deep, covenantal meaning.  Native-Americans would cut and join thumbs to make blood brothers, or, would often cut their forearms. At a casual glance, anyone could see a scar that indicated the bearer was in covenant.  This cultural significance of blood underscores the attention the Word of God gives to it.  Christ’s blood goes to the heart of our salvation.  Take solemn note: 

1. You are forgiven of all your sin.  Theologically, you are returned to the state of innocence that Adam and Eve had before the fall. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins.” Hebrews 9:22. “… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. “… Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” Revelation 1:5. 

2. You have protection from judgment. God could not ignore the offense of sin.  His holiness would not allow it.  He spent all of His wrath on the body of Jesus Christ.  When you plead the blood, you are spared from the wrath of God against sin.  “… and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13. 

3. You are a participant of Christ’s victory over Satan. You didn’t die on the cross; you didn’t spill your blood.  You, however, join in Christ’s triumph over Satan at Calvary just as though you won the victory yourself. “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony …” Revelation 12:11.  

4. You are absolved and delivered from guilt. You are not only freed from the sentence against sin, you are also relieved of the guilt of sin. “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled …” Colossians 1:20.  “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience …” Hebrews 9:14.  Satan may not use your sin against you at though you are still guilty.  Your freedom is not only legal and theological, it is emotional and psychological.  “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus … Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience …” Hebrews 10:19, 22.  Christ’s blood not only sets you free, it restores your joy! 

5. You have secured peace with God. The blood of Christ eliminates tension and animosity between you and God.  It spares you the actual penalty of sin, and, by the same token, the blood relieves you God’s anger against you. “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him.” Colossians 1:20 (KJV).  It is time to break forth in singing!  “In sin I wandered sore and sad, with bleeding heart and aching head, ‘Till Jesus came and sweetly said, “I’ll take thy sins away.” Thank God for the blood! Thank God for the blood! Thank God for the blood! That washes white as snow!”

Do You Hear the Rain?

“There is a sound of abundance of rain.” 1 Kings 18:41 

Humankind cannot live without water, and the earth cannot have water without rainfall.  In the miraculous ecosystem devised by God, the oceans yield vast amounts of water to the process of evaporation, and then the winds take the clouds of water to the various parts of the earth to dump the liquid of life on the plant and animal kingdom.  This phenomenon of rainfall has its application to the acts of God in a spiritual sense as well as a natural one.  God wants us to live, and God wants His church to live. Yet, there is a condition known as a draught, or a long period of time in which the heavens do not yield their rain.  

“Droughts are caused by a depletion of precipitation over time. Prolonged lack of rain will cause regions around the world to slowly dry out. Frequently, droughts are billion-dollar weather events and are one of the top three threats to population in the world. Drought may take decades to develop, and predicting them is difficult. Their devastation can be far-reaching and severe. Atmospheric conditions such as ocean temperatures, changes in the jet stream and landscape are all culprits in the long story of the causes of droughts.” Rachel Oblack, About.com. 

What about a spiritual drought?  If it appears that the work of God has entered into long and terminal decline, do not fear.  At some point, through some era, by some means, he will revive the mention of his name and kindle the fires of revival. The work of God is both sovereign and universal.  He exercises complete and total authority over his creation, and he coordinates and orchestrates his work everywhere at the same time. God will not permit human history to blot out the mention of his name.  He will not suffer his eternal truths to be savaged and buried by despots or tyrants, by kingdoms or empires, by philosophers or intellectuals, by artists or militants, by princes, presidents or prime ministers, or by atheists or misguided theologians. 

The scriptures teach that God has a plan for revival. “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.”  Joel 2:28.  God uses metaphors that we can all understand that shed light on the nature and effects of a heaven-sent revival. Evidently, He wants us to see revival as a long-awaited rain that comes at the end of a drought.  Every face is turned toward heaven, every eye searches the sky, every heart jumps at the feintest cloud formation in hopes of a few drops of water to refresh the ground. 

Arthur Wallis writes, “A reservoir in the hills supplied a village community with water.  It was fed by a mountain stream, and the overflow from the reservoir continued down the stream-bed to the valley below.  This stream never attracted any attention or gave the villagers any trouble.  One day, however, some large cracks appeared in one of the walls of the old reservoir.  Soon afterwards, the wall collapsed, and the water came cascading down the hillside.  Great trees were rooted up, boulders tossed about like playthings, houses and bridges destroyed.  What had before been taken for granted now became an object of awe, wonder and fear.  From far and near, people came to see what had happened.”  -God’s Chosen Fast.  Today’s decadence must not discourage you.  Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds!  Revival is coming!

Don’t Be Afraid of the Fire

When Pastor Paul Mooney visited a glassblower’s gallery, he asked the proprietor what was necessary to learn the art.  Her answer startled him.  “You can’t be afraid of the fire.” Beautiful glass creations can only be crafted as the artisan gets as close as possible to the fire.  He immediately saw the spiritual application.   Fire burns throughout Scripture.  It burned in Old Testament sacerdotal rituals.  Fire perpetually burned on the altar of incense and candlesticks.  Fire consumed Elijah’s sacrifice before the false prophets.  Tongues like fire sat upon the 120 in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost.  Indeed, the Scriptures declare that “God is a consuming fire!” (Deuteronomy 4:24). 

Fire may represent spiritual power, but fire is also dangerous. Scientifically speaking, fire is a rapid chemical reaction known as oxidation. Inside a fire, oxygen molecules break bigger molecules apart into carbon dioxide and water vapor. All the heat and light of a fire comes from big, carbon-based molecules combining with oxygen. When the right substances are present, and when the temperature reaches an ignition point, a fire starts.  Fire changes whatever it burns into a different substance. The only way glass-blowing can work is that sand gets so hot that it changes its molecular structure.  It melts it to the point that it becomes transparent. 

Too many believers have become afraid of God’s fire.  Even Apostolic, Pentecostal people have grown distant from the fire that birthed them into the church!  Services that have too much fire are embarrassing.  Dangerous.  Out of control.  Not cool.   But, the gifts of the Spirit—like speaking in tongues—are not only scriptural, they are central to the kind of revival that drove the early Pentecostals and the Pentecostals of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Spirit-led services.  Walking and living in the Spirit.  In fact, you cannot read the NT without seeing that the operation of the Spirit of God was at the core of the growth and character of the Apostolic age! “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.” Acts 5:12-14. 

The early church strategized, but they operated out of the fire, not out of the playbook.  They planned, but they operated out of the prayer meeting, not out of the planning session.  It seems to me that they were pretty successful in achieving their goals—and they didn’t even have any goals!  They just had revival! They didn’t have video projectors.  They didn’t have flat screens hanging everywhere.  They didn’t have live-streaming. They didn’t have spotlights.  They didn’t have computer generated sermons.  They didn’t have electronic keyboards and synthetic music.  But what they did have made up for all the things they didn’t have!  They had a God connection!  They had Holy Ghost fire! 

It is notable that the wild fires that have burned out west in recent years have been studied extensively.  Scientists now say something remarkable—wild fires create their own weather!  The rapid oxidation, the plumes of smoke, the intense heat all combine to perpetuate the flames.  Fire has a transformative power.  How can an old, hard, gritty sinner, alcoholic, drug abuser, philanderer, adulterer, thief, cheat, liar, profane person ever change?  By the fire! The closer you get to the fire, the hotter God’s Spirit burns within you!  He can melt you down, change your thinking, cleanse your mind and heart, and create something brand new out of the old you! Our God is a consuming fire! Don’t be afraid of the fire.  Get close.  Touch it.  Feel it.  Take it.  Use it.  Let it transform you!

Don’t Remove a Fence Until You Know Why It Was Built

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14

“GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS.” So goes an old saying, repeated and made famous in “The Mending Wall” by Robert Frost.  But we also have Ronald Reagan’s “Tear down this wall,” and Donald Trump’s “Build the wall.” The ambivalence is maddening.  Walls, fences, barricades, hedges—all of them represent a boundary that forbids entrance or restricts exit.  Frost’s poem presents this conundrum: “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know, What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offence.”  It’s all summed up in the motive of the fence-builder.  We find the answer by asking why the fence was erected in the first place. 

Fences either wall in or wall out.  We put up fences to provide safe places for our babies, our pets or our possessions.  Fences also keep thieves, predators and vandals from accessing our treasures.  Fences stop encroachment on our property and unlawful use of our lands.  If the world was free from danger, we could do away with fences.  It is the height of naiveté, however, to make such an irresponsible assumption.  We use passwords, fingerprint recognition software and encrypted formulas to protect our identities.  No one puts his or her social security number out in the public eye.  Police forces, standing armies and elaborate security systems, all testify to the perils of living in the modern world.  

What’s going on?  The incessant push of new ideas, new goals and new methods force constant change on the landscape.  In their wake, people perceive old paradigms as anachronisms that need to be updated or eliminated.  We redefine old enemies, reevaluate challenges, and realign our purposes to suit new perceptions of the world around us.  In the transition, the eagerness for change often calls the shots rather than a common-sense assessment of reality. We rip before we review.  Some don’t like fences because they’re ugly, inconvenient, too much trouble to keep up, or they imply bigotry. To be sure, some things should change.  We don’t need better coal shovels for our furnaces, or a better way to keep horses from soiling our highways.  But, there are other aspects of life that must never change—like the value of hard work, the need for ethical behavior or respect for each other.  When we tear down fences that protect timeless truths, we open ourselves up for disaster. 

The Scriptures establish guidelines for righteous living and basic holiness.  Some use the term standards.  Decry, resent or ridicule them if you like, but they serve a valuable purpose.  Think of guidelines as guardrails over a bridge or a dangerous stretch of roadway.  The world’s longest bridge is the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China, spanning 102.4 miles (165 kilometers).  Technically, it is possible for one to cross this bridge day or night, in all sorts of weather, without guardrails.  But, who would dare?  Granted, the guardrails do not make the bridge, but they do insure the safety of the travelers.  The guardrails require maintenance, and sometimes motorists run into them and suffer injuries.  Nevertheless, no one is suggesting that the Chinese government take them down for being a nuisance. 

Driving out across the countryside, I’ve seen plenty of broken fences and wrecked walls.  Usually, they surround vacant lots, dilapidated barns or abandoned houses.  Fabulous estates and expensive holdings, however, stand secure behind fences and walls.  It would seem, then, that fences are a function of the value of one’s possessions.  In the end, holiness represents the measure of respect you give to your eternal possessions.

Heaven on Earth?

WE EASILY RECOGNIZE THESE WORDS as part of the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10. At this point in the prayer, however, we leave the pronouncement and enter the petition.  God’s Kingdom is not yet fully established in this earth.  This is a tacit admission of the world’s wickedness and sin.  The turmoil, death, disease, conflict, wars, rebellion and blasphemy that convulse this world demonstrate that the Kingdom of God has not yet overtaken the world. 

God’s will is peace, holiness, truth, wholeness, and agreement with God.  But, realists don’t pretend that the will of God in the world is reality.  Yet, we read, “Your will be done in earth.”  Jesus qualifies this by adding “…as it is in heaven.” Wait a minute.  As it is in heaven?  Who knows what is going on in heaven?  Why should we pray that the will of God should be done down here just like it is done up there?  Good question … simple answer!  The One who was speaking on earth was the Lord from heaven!  Who knows better what is going on in heaven, than Jesus!  So now, the question is, “What is going on in heaven?” Once we understand that, we can pray with greater assurance, greater confidence and greater expectation about what we want to happen down here.  So, the question is, why should we pray down heaven?  Three things: 

First, the absolute sovereignty of God reigns in heaven.  We see an unprecedented display of demonic opposition in these endtimes.  The attack on the church leadership has the fingerprints of the devil all over it.  But, when you understand what heaven is all about, you can rise up with an anointing and prayer that God would recreate the condition on earth that is the status quo in heaven! To illustrate, the sixteen territories and possessions of the US fall under the jurisdiction of our government.  Any vessel sailing under the Stars and Stripes is under the jurisdiction of the United States.  Ever see the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima?  It was a sign that a new authority just took over.  Likewise, when you raise the blood-stained banner of the Cross over your life, you vacate Satan’s authority over you! 

Second, the Word of God has supreme authority in heaven. On earth, some people hate the authority of the Bible. Maligned, ridiculed and profaned, the Word of God nevertheless survives and thrives!  In the book of Acts, we find numerous accounts that say the Word of God triumphed.  Acts 6:7, “And the word of God increased.” (Also, Acts 12:24 and 19:20).  In the end, the Word of God wins!  Paul said, “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” 2 Timothy 2:9. The Word of God is not bound to man; the Word of God is not bound by man.  The Word must triumph in your life now!  Pray to that end.  Pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!” 

Last, worship of the Lamb pervades heaven! All of heaven’s attention is focused on God Himself! Isaiah 6:1-3 paints the scene for us. This was not a momentary event.  It had been going on since before the creation of the earth.  Worship has been the status quo for many millennia since the time of Isaiah’s vision! It is still happening today!  Worship, therefore, needs to dominate your personal relationship to God. Corporate services need to be filled with worship. 

God’s sovereignty, the Word’s authority and the Lamb’s worship overflows in heaven!  Pray down heaven on earth!

Ask the right question

Good teachers can tell how well a class is catching onto a new concept by the quality of questions that the students ask.  Questions reveal a person’s motive and the level of his or her knowledge. Like an old sage once observed, a well asked question is half answered.  This strikes at the the core of many dialogues that boasts plenty of sound and fury but signifies nothing. 

Irrelevant questions have little or no bearing on discipleship.  Don’t waste time on your critical mission by asking questions that elicit unimportant answers or supply answers to questions that nobody is asking.  A soldier under enemy fire should not be asking about the polish on his boots or his weekend pass.  First EMT responders to a horrific crash on the freeway should not be asking each other about uniform styles or the best manufacturers of ambulances.  

In our chaotic days, we must not ask trivial questions rooted in pride or selfishness.  We must not abuse our time with questions stemming from fear, bitterness or a gross misreading of the purpose of the church.  Carnal pursuits distract from the spiritual nature of our mission. 

Moments before Christ’s ascension, the disciples’ mood mixed gloom with giddiness.  The imminent departure of Jesus caused the gloom, but the giddiness framed their anticipation of a triumphant return of Israel to power—maybe even world dominance.  Barely able to contain themselves, they asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  Good question.  Wrong question.  Jesus stopped the question cold.  “And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”  Acts 1:7. Jesus was not disparaging their curiosity; He was jarring them back to their mission at hand.  He continued, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8.  In other words, Jesus was signaling his followers not to ask questions about their promotions; instead, ask questions about God’s power!  The success of the spiritual kingdom had priority over the restoration of the physical kingdom. 

Over two millennia later, this response of Jesus should make you think.  Are you asking the right questions?  Are you gaining any advantage by asking who has the largest, nicest or most expensive house?  Do you really need to know who has the biggest salary, gives the highest offerings, has the greatest talent or boasts the most luxurious car?  In the church, we all want our ministries to be more effective, but I wonder if we spend way too much time discussing computer paraphernalia, projection systems or state-of-the-art lighting?  How many people want to know why one person was promoted over another, or why the church establishes dress codes and behavioral standards.  On a more personal level, how many countless hours do church members spend asking questions about who is to blame for their failures, how can they feel more accepted in this or that group and what are the minimums for spiritual discipline?   

Examine your questions.  Do you unwittingly reveal a selfish intent by the questions you routinely ask?  Are you hoping God will do something that serves a prideful motive on your part?  When you ask questions that focus on God’s power, however, or on how to become a more effective witness, on how to give yourself more completely to His cause and on how you can sacrifice more of yourself to Him, then you get His attention.

Anomie

Whenever you think of yourself as a nobody, an accident of nature, homeless, nameless, normless, lawless, floating around with no particular place to belong, you are in trouble.  (You think?)  Now, imagine with me a whole nation of nobodies, an entire population that doesn’t have any deep moorings or anchors, doing whatever, believing whatever, thinking whatever—what do you think their future looks like?  People will do anything to achieve significance, even if it leads to crime, abuse, evil or destruction. In a word, it’s suicidal. 

We often consider suicide to be the result of deep personal problems.  Emile Durkheim, a French social scientist, asked whether the act was really influenced by larger cultural factors. He studied factors like weather, religion and economy, looking for anything that might affect the suicide rate. His seminal 1897 work, Suicide, concluded that the suicide rate was greatly impacted by something he called anomie.  Anomie, which literally means “without law,” was defined by Durkheim to be a state of “normlessness,” or “lawlessness.”  Durkheim found that in times of social change and upheaval, clear societal standards and expectations for individuals vanish. With no clear rules, norms, or standards of value, people feel anxious, rootless, confused, and even suicidal. In an age of anomie, life can often feel empty and meaningless. 

Connecting the dots, “lawlessness” is iniquity in Scripture, translated from anomia in the Greek. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work.”  2 Thessalonians 2:7. Scholars associate anomie with rootlessness, having no foundation, having to structure or no place to belong.  But, that’s not how God operates.  Jehovah is a God of covenants, of commandments, of law and order.  God didn’t throw some lumber at Noah and say, “The storm’s coming, build something!” No, he gave him a specific set of blueprints to build an ark that would save them from destruction!  God didn’t tell Moses “Go out there and build a designer religion.  I don’t care what you come up with.  Just make it something that you enjoy and seems right to you.”  No.  Read through Exodus and Leviticus and you’ll find that God meticulously and painstakingly gave Moses and the Israelites precise plans to worship Him.  The prodigal son left his home, but discovered that home was not so bad after all.  He left his family but found out that his family meant more to him than all the superficial friends in the world. 

Today, we have an essentially “normless” society.  “Live and let live” reigns. You can marry at twenty or forty, or never, or you can live with someone for decades and never get married.  You can have nine kids or no kids, or have your first at age sixty.  You can wear what you want without anyone saying anything, date anyone of any age, race or ethnicity, pierce any part of your body, have any kind of sexual orientation, bear a child out of wedlock and still be accepted by others, be a corporate warrior or a stay at home or go back to college at fifty. You can pretty much do whatever you want, short of breaking the law, and suffer few social repercussions.  This unfettered personal freedom lets people do whatever or be whomever they wish. Many people think this is a blessing, but in this blessing also lies the curse.  It’s anomie. 

Be careful when you chafe against the guidelines of the Scriptures.  It may feel liberating at first, but eventually, it spirals down into rootlessness.  Without God’s law, we have anarchy, anomie, lawlessness and iniquity.  With God’s law comes order, meaning, safety, and righteousness.  What the world calls a curse, is humankind’s greatest blessing.