Christianity Concentrate

The label says it’s strong, overpowering, straight, and sometimes even dangerous.

These words describe a concentrated substance. We buy products like detergent in concentrated form because we need all the help we can get to clean our clothes, mop the kitchen floor or tackle other tough jobs. When we dilute cleansing agents, even though they look, feel or smell the same, they won’t do the job. We need the “industrial strength” stuff.

Concentrated products require careful use. They may sting, burn or eat away more than we intended. We have to pay close attention during application. Containers often carry frightening warning labels. Why? Because they actually work! They don’t mess around. The active ingredients in them attack the unwanted grime and destroy it.

Jesus Christ practiced a concentrated form of Christianity. He warned His disciples in Luke 12:49-50, “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” James and John begged Jesus to give them places of glory in the coming kingdom, but He rebuked them sharply. In my paraphrase, Jesus said, “Sure, you want the results, but you don’t want the pain.” He talked of division, deprivation and death. He predicted hatred, rejection and persecution for them. He told them to read the warning label on what they were about to do. Jesus was no cheerleader, facilitator, or consultant. He didn’t present himself as just another choice on the shelf.

Jesus did demand total commitment from his disciples. Today, we might call it taking the plunge, leaping into the unknown, driving off the cliff. He wanted to fill up their lives. He passionately called listeners to surrender unconditionally to the will of God. He beckoned converts to abandon their lifestyles and follow Him.

What was behind this extreme, demanding discipleship? Jesus wasn’t trying to look good. He wasn’t merely offering the world an alternative religion. He was the Mighty God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself! His mission possessed Him in total. His road took Him to Bethany of ascension, but only by way of Gethsemane and Calvary . For Jesus, it was gore before glory, cross before crown, thorns before the throne, agony before ecstasy.

Beware of “lesser forms” of faith. They may look, taste, feel and smell similar, but they have been watered down. Paul wrote, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)

Practicing Apostolic Christianity will sting. It requires careful attention to details. It cuts into convenience and pleasure. It may sometimes seem too much, too strong or too powerful. But no one can honestly read the Bible and legitimately come away with a playful, casual or a “don’t worry” attitude. We do indeed have some things to concern us. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” 1 Peter 4:18-19.

Many years ago, Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned the church about “cheap grace.” He said, “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for a costly grace.”  The warning has largely gone unheeded.  As the end time approaches and the battle for our faith heats up, the surest road to victory continues to be concentrated, not diluted Christianity. Forget the flashy colors on the bottle. Read the label. It’s not the packaging on the outside, but the bona fide stuff on the inside that counts.

Can I Get Back With You Later?

These days, the ubiquitous phone may as well be surgically implanted into our ears. This incredible invention has gone from a curiosity to a convenience to a necessity. Now, an entire culture of phone protocol has sprung up around it, supported by books, tapes, videos and expensive seminars whose brochures provide weekly fodder for my wastebasket.. We now speak knowingly of being “on hold”, recording voice mail, dialing 911, playing phone tag, teleconferencing, phone cards, call-waiting, using caller-ID, losing the cell, expanding through telemarketing and other forms of speech that are spin-offs from our relationship with the telephone. Much of our dialogue with people takes place on the phone.

Getting rid of unwanted calls has matured into an art form. What no doubt began as a polite way to excuse oneself, certain strategies no longer fool anyone. We now know what it means when someone says to us, “Uh-h-h, Can I get back with you later?” Bearers of good news seldom get that response. Why? Because it means, “You annoy me. I’m not interested. Next time you call, I’ll be busy.” That’s why husbands and wives don’t say that to each other over the phone. Boyfriends and girlfriends wouldn’t think of saying it. It’s almost always reserved for people with whom we’d rather not speak.

Yet, in their response to God, many people resort to the same thinly disguised strategy. “Thanks for calling, God, but can I get back with you later?” My question is this: If we aren’t fooled when we hear it said to us, why do we believe God will be fooled?” In reality, it’s dissing the Almighty—-not the best thing to do. It’s only code language for the following messages:

“I thought I made it clear the last time—-I’m not interested!”

“You’re a huge, unwelcome interruption, God.”

“I’ll put you on the waiting list.”

“I’ve only got so much to give—-and you’re out of luck.”

“Do me a favor and lose my number.”

“I could kill the person who took this call.”

Remember, before you put God off, His is no pesky, trivial call. You will never, ever receive a more important message in your life. He’s calling to warn you about that upcoming tragedy, or to speak peace to your chaotic life, or to show you the path to boundless blessing.

Talk to Him. He’s the source of miracles, signs and wonders. He’s ready to introduce you to the most satisfying and fulfilling relationship possible in this life—-Christ in you, the hope of Glory. Talk to Him. He’s got answers to questions, secrets to reveal, promises to give, joys to dispense and love to share. Talk to Him. You’ve got time.

The devil will steal your time, not God. He makes you give your time to Him. Instead of saying, “Can I get back with you later?” why don’t you say something far better. Something like—-

“God, what a pleasure to talk to you. I’ve been waiting for your call. Talk to me. I’m listening.”

Surprise!

Whitewater rafting down the New River in West Virginia looked like a fun family thing to do one summer. Armed with helmets, paddles, life preservers, and a ten-minute safety course, we put in. The guide perched on the back of the raft, barking orders and issuing warnings. The one thing he kept reminding us about was that Surprise was coming.

The down river venture was a piece of cake. We skimmed a few mild rapids and rammed a few rocks on the way. We laughed when the playful guide purposely threw Ross and Rene’ in the water. We joked our way down the stream, talking about everything under the sun. Whatever Surprise was all about, we knew we could handle it.

Surprise was the locals’ name for a particularly rough section of the New River . The water foamed and swirled like a gigantic washing machine. We hit it driving hard, paddling furiously—-just not furiously enough. I looked over and saw my wife’s’ feet shoot straight up in the air. Into the waves she went! Before I could say a word, the raft tilted sharply. I lost my footing and disappeared over the other side of the raft and into the rapids. I couldn’t believe it—-both of us thrown from the boat!

Unable to breathe, I fought to get to the surface, only to be thrust back down by the churning waves. At that moment, I couldn’t decide if I was in real trouble yet, but I knew something had to happen fast. Just as I felt panic rise to my throat, I realized that the current had carried me toward the quieter water. I stuck my nose and mouth out of the water and gulped in air. Fatigue overwhelmed me.

When they finally pulled me back into the raft, I discovered that the guide had thrown Sandy a rope and had pulled her to safety. I lay on my back in the bottom of the raft and managed a weak laugh. Inside, I was just glad to be alive. Other than Sandy losing her favorite shoes, and all of us gaining a harrowing experience, we were okay.

“Surprise,” Jeremy, our guide grinned. Now I know why the cameras were set up on the banks alongside Surprise. The pictures are hilarious—-now.

This tale from the Jordan vacation is not intended for entertainment purposes. Rather, I have a vivid picture in my mind of the church as the ship of Zion . The wind and the waves challenge everyone aboard. Some have failed to keep their footing as the waters became rough.

Do you find yourself fighting with your schedule in order to be in church services on a regular basis? When you do manage to keep Sundays and Wednesdays free, are you so tired that coming to church seems more of a chore than a joy? After you miss several services, do you feel so guilty about it that you dread showing your face?

Your relationship to God cannot be divorced from your relationship to your church. I firmly believe that to serve God is to be deeply involved in the local assembly of believers. You must not be thrown off. If you are lulled to sleep and think you can survive without faithful and committed involvement in your church, Surprise will teach you a hard lesson.

• Every believer needs preaching—-strong, anointed and often.
• Every believer needs teaching. It keeps us thinking straight.
• Every believer needs to worship God with the church.
• Every believer needs time to pray at the altar.
• Every believer needs fellowship with other saints.
• Every believer needs to be pastored.

Anyone who forfeits a viable and active participation in the church literally chokes off the flow of spiritual food to his or her soul. I have never known anyone who has grown stronger spiritually by staying out of church. On the other hand, I am acquainted with many who have deeply damaged their heart and conscience by lack of attendance. Don’t let that happen to you.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25.

The day is approaching. It’s more important than ever to get solid footing on the ship of Zion . We are not just rafting down the New River . We are journeying toward our eternal home.

I will be looking for you.

Things That Must Not Be Lost

“Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” John 6:12

I have a Bible in my library that I prize very highly. It belonged to my grandfather, Reverend Alexander B. Anderson, and he inscribed his name in the front of the book, both in Greek and in English. He signed it in Greek because he was born and raised in the tiny Greek village of Mabria. He also pasted a label on the front piece with the words from John 6:12 printed in Greek, “Sunagagete ta perisseusanta klasmata, ina ma ti apolatai.” Translated, it means, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” Above this scripture he placed the title, “This Precious Truth.” He was referring to the message of the Mighty God in Christ, the revelation of the name of Jesus and full salvation through the birth of water and Spirit. His Greek background gave him an insight into the language that most others lacked, and he became absolutely convinced of the Apostolic doctrine. I have met few people who are as passionate about the doctrine as he. He believed we ought to cherish this truth above anything else in life.

Knowledge of the truth is one thing, but loving the truth is equally critical. One grants us understanding. The other governs our attitude. We cannot afford to handle the precious truths that God has graciously revealed to us carelessly, treat them disrespectfully, or trade them in for lesser truths. Many church groups who have started down that road have piecemealed away their fundamental doctrines. For example, an AP release, 5-16-01 , tells of changes in baptismal requirements for members transferring into a large church in Greenville , SC. “’Baptism is not a prerequisite of salvation’, said the church’s minister for pastoral care, ‘so what’s most important is the faith response.’” Baptism formed the roots of this particular church. Now, it’s just an expendable chip at the negotiation table.

The oneness of God is a precious truth. Apostolics must never view the oneness of the Godhead as simply an alternative view. The oneness of God is truth. Colossians 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” While we do not preach condemnation, neither must we preach compromise. Some wonder why we avoid close fellowship with non-oneness groups. It’s not that we’re trying to be elite, arrogant or exclusive. We just know that this message is too important to be minimized. II Corinthians 6:17 says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” How can we say that Jesus is the Almighty God, and, out of the other side of our mouths, say that Jesus is the second person in a contrived threeness? It would make us unstable at best, and intellectually dishonest, at worst.

The message of full salvation is a precious truth. Repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues are non-negotiable, non-expendable doctrines. To preach less that this would be to deny people the experience of true salvation, and would represent a gross dereliction of duty. “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”

Living a separated and holy life, close to God, is a precious truth. Our cultural environment exerts a constant drag on every individual in the church and exerts pressure to conform to the world’s standard of life. Romans 12:2 “… be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Those who are willing to express their love for God through behavior and appearance are more likely to cling to doctrinal truth.

Should anyone think that our insistence on doctrinal propriety displays a haughty intransigence must read 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 again. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” These are sobering words that set the importance of truth in sharp relief.

Loving one another is a precious truth. John 15:12 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Many people who whoop it up for doctrinal purity fail miserably in relationship purity. Yet, this truth received Jesus’ highest commendation. Too many times we make our love conditional upon whether or not someone has pleased us, or has lived up to our standards. Our goal of maintaining doctrinal truth grows best out of love. We work harder to help each other if we are motivated by love.

When Coach Mike Krzyzewski played college hoops at West Point , he developed a philosophy that made him one of the best basketball coaches in America . He said that when he went after a loose ball, as far as he was concerned the ball did not have the name “Wilson”, or “Spalding” on it. It had the name of Krzyzewski written boldly across it,. “I dove for every ball like it was my own personal property.” Let us look at this precious truth as our own personal property. We must not let anyone steal anything away from us. Let’s look at each other the same way. If God brought you into the church, he considers you as a precious and loved possession. We must not let you go! “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”

Homework Assignment: Get Education (due tomorrow!)

Published in the Pentecostal Herald 2.07

Beneath the sketch of snow-covered hills crisscrossed by bungling skiers, the scribbled caption joked, “Learn or Die: A Cartoonist Looks at Skiing.” Succinctly put, the doodler got it right. If you’re going to buckle on a pair of skis and hit the slopes, it might be a good idea to find out about slide slipping, moguling and crud. And it would be nice if you could tell a pole plant from a face plant. A skiing education has spared many adventuresome types some fractured femurs or even an untimely demise or two. Ignorance can get expensive.

It is no accident that Jesus labeled the twelve men he chose to follow him mathetes, or disciples. He could have just as easily called them learners, although disciple is a more appealing term. The bottom line is that discipleship means learning, and learning equals education. Education, then, is the essence of discipleship. Those who disparage education undermine the very process Jesus set up to follow him. The phrase, “learn or die,” may be apropos to skiing, but it also applies to basic Christianity.

Jesus validated the learning process several ways. Besides calling his followers disciples, He spoke of fishing, shepherding, farming and carpentry as honorable occupations during his earthly sojourn. These jobs required a modicum of training if one wanted to provide for his family. He referred positively to merchants, financial investors and landowners, positions in which expertise depended upon learning. Moreover, Jesus related to the educated class of his day—-doctors, lawyers, scribes and others—- demonstrating his healthy respect for education. If Jesus had a problem with the elite, it was with their attitudes, not their professions.

Admittedly, Jesus would not have endorsed much of today’s education industry. Elitist pride, insufferable arrogance and a humanistic mindset have become common by-products of our modern liberal arts education. Godless professors and frat houses have stripped far too many Christian youths of even a vestige of the faith they had as matriculating freshmen. Universities also serve as training grounds for every radical social movement in America. To deny these realities would be dangerous. Still, even factoring in the caveats, our economy makes a good education indispensable.

Farms and factories comprise the bulk of our economic past. The meteoric ascent in the information base during the last century, however, reflects on our continual accrual of knowledge, and it demands an educated populace to sustain it. We may still depend upon the land for our food, but we can no longer exist as an agrarian society. We have even moved far beyond an industrial society that makes its living from tools and machinery. Economists now characterize our world as an information society. What we know has become more important than what we do. This fundamental shift in our economy may not have fully registered on the senior generation, but the transition moves inexorably forward. No one can stop it. Education has become vital to modern life.

Education is important to getting a good job. All of our lives we have heard that we need to go to college to get a good job. This advice has become paramount in the information society. Out-of-work people know that they can hardly walk off the street into a shop or office somewhere and land a great job. Better jobs with higher salaries almost always require a college education. Common laborers and unskilled workers hover near the bottom of the wage ladder. Alan B. Krueger, an economics professor at Princeton argues that an additional year of schooling beyond high school is likely to raise an individual’s earnings about 10 percent. For someone earning the national median household income of $42,000, an extra year of training could provide an additional $4,200 a year. Over the span of a career, that could easily add up to $30,000 or $40,000 of present value. (National Forum for Higher Education, 2005).

Education is important for self-improvement. Knowledge and understanding greatly enhance self-esteem. God created us with an innate curiosity about the world around us, and when we learn, we gain a sense of fulfillment and well-being; when we fail to learn, we stagnate. Generally speaking, societies that have repressed educational progress have suffered from fear, superstition and helplessness. But even on the personal level, the more an individual learns, the more he or she unlocks the vast potential for progress within the human mind. Education is its own reward.

Education is important to technological advances. Few people want to go back to the days of the horse-and-buggy, the quill and parchment or outdoor plumbing. We cannot even imagine a world without electricity or combustion engines. Think of your dentist using no Novocain, your doctor prescribing no antibiotics or your surgeon having no access to x-rays before proceeding with a delicate operation. Yet, none of these innovations would exist without education. Moreover, the shared data from one discipline show intense inter-connectedness with other fields. Automobiles, for example, could not be manufactured without drawing from physics, chemistry, electronics and other sources. It has been said that the value of by-products from space exploration runs into trillions of dollars. On July 20, 1985, in proclamation of Space Exploration Day, President Ronald Reagan said, “The ever-increasing knowledge gained from peaceful space exploration, and the uses to which that knowledge is put, potentially benefit all those aboard Spaceship Earth. The spirit of July 20, 1969, lives on.”

Education is important to a civilized society. Our great country was founded by highly educated men upon Biblical concepts. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States could never have been framed without these mental giants whose broad knowledge of government, politics and history matched their religious fervor. Education not only made these unprecedented freedoms that we enjoy possible, their maintenance will continue to require educated minds.

Education is important to the work of God. In order for each of us to develop into the person God envisioned us to be, we must grow in knowledge and expand our minds. In Psalm 119:20, 24 David said, “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times; Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.” (NIV). This admonition means more than acquiring knowledge of the scriptures. We are also commissioned to exercise dominion over God’s creation. That makes study and learning a necessity. Christians employed as research scientists, medical doctors, finance brokers or music teachers all use their brains to bring glory to God. If all of us were theologians, we would lead meager lives. The world is filled with God’s glory and he invites us to embrace it emotionally, religiously and intellectually. Some of the most prominent figures in the Bible were men of education. Moses studied in the courts of Pharaoh. Daniel was an accomplished governmental advisor and rose to the top of two administrations. Luke was a physician. The Apostle Paul was schooled in the arts and sciences of his day. Others, like Isaiah, used writing skills that show evidence of a good education, although the scriptures do not specifically comment on their schooling. A strong case can be made that these men became even more useful to God because of their education.

Education is not a panacea, and it often gets in the way of the will of God. A popular saying goes, “Get an education and get over it.” Education must always be seen as a means to glorify God. If it becomes an end in itself, it is misguided. Those who pursue education out of intellectual pride are as wrong as those who pursue great wealth because of their greed. Let us remember, however, that the mind is a gift of God as much as any other physical, spiritual or material commodity. It is subject to misuse, abuse, but it may also be refined, cultivated and channeled to produce marvelous benefits to the kingdom of God.

Three Prayers

“They stood in their places and confessed their sins.” Nehemiah 9:3 NIV

Raw repentance sets the moral stage for revival. Without it, Nehemiah knew that the sacredness of his triumphant return to Jerusalem , the original destruction of the temple and walls many years before, and Israel ’s interminably long captivity made no sense. Thousands of Jews marched in parades, offered sacrifices and played music but the most important—-and, difficult—-part of the festivities was repentance. Repentance is just as critical today. What makes your sanctuary sacred? The keyboard, drums or pews? The people? What value beyond dollars and cents is attached to each element? Is everything jaded or irrelevant? A Nehemiah prayer today would revolutionize the church. Let us swallow hard and begin:

An Elderly Person’s Prayer

Forgive us who are elderly among us for all our sins. We have focused on our loneliness so much that we have forgotten your companionship. We worry because we’re scared of the future. We worry about insurance and Social Security so much that we fail to pray and leave it in your hands. Forgive us for paying more attention to ourselves than others; for not reaching or praying with others. Forgive us for not interceding for others, for not sitting down with others and counseling them about your Word. We have allowed our experience with you to shrink and age so it no longer is our source of joy. We excuse ourselves from worship because we are too tired and we have too many aches and pains. We criticize the youth for their music, forgetting that true worship doesn’t come from the outside but the inside. We live too much in the past, forgetting that you are a God of the present. We base our faith on what used to be instead of what is. Forgive us for our lack of faith in your Word. We read it but our eyes get too heavy and our minds too tired to make it real. We sit too quickly, stand too slowly, speak too softly, and pray too hesitantly. We have permitted personal disappointments in life to fill us with bitterness. We get more exercised over the prayers we think you didn’t answer than the prayers you did answer. Give us new strength to pray, to worship, to rejoice, to lead, to teach.

A Busy Person’s Prayer

Forgive us who are in the prime of our lives. We confess our covetousness and greed. We neglect our families so we can make more money. We think too much about accumulating stuff. We live in a permanent state of distractedness. We are too tired to worship or to come to church, but it never stops us from working. Forgive us for criticizing, gossiping, lack of prayer and reading the Word, for not living our lives by the principles of the Word. Forgive us for failing to tithe and closing up our hearts to the needs around us. Forgive us for our silence at wrongdoing, for failing to witness, for finding excuses not to do your will like singing in the choir, teaching, participating, lifting others up and submitting to spiritual authority. Give us the courage to recommit ourselves to you, to remember why we started coming to church and living for you in the first place. Help us to love you, our families, our brothers and sisters in the Lord like we should. Help us to make decisions based on the Word and righteousness, not on feelings or selfish thinking. Lift us up above our cars, clothes, homes, gadgets and trinkets, and revere you.

A Young Person’s Prayer

Forgive us who are still young people. Forgive us for hurting other kids because we don’t like them or we think they’re stupid. Forgive us for going along with the crowd to be liked. Forgive us for hating, lying and instigating trouble. Forgive us for using profanity because we think it’s funny; for making lewd and destructive comments about others; for speaking against those you have set over us. Forgive us for piling on with insults until we drive people away. Forgive us for overlooking kids who are hurting, the new kids, the scared, shy and less talented, and those who aren’t as good looking as we are. Forgive us for pretending we’re ok when, underneath, we know we’re not. Forgive us for being too intimidated to worship, thinking it’s not cool to love the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Forgive us for watching immoral movies and shows; for filling our ears with music that mocks everything we know is right; for letting a warped society tell us how to dress and what looks good. Forgive us for rebellion, disrespect, selfishness, ingratitude, disobedience; for criticizing anybody and everybody and anything and everything, not knowing that our bitterness is not because of them, but spews out of our own hearts. Help us to love you again, to forgive each other. Erase the rage, the hatred and the arrogance.

Lord, forgive us for all these sins. Fill us with the fruit of the Spirit. Fill us up to overflowing with your Holy Spirit. Electrify our worship services with your incredible presence. Let your love flow through us to a lost world. Help us tear down the strongholds of Satan; to share the wealth of the gospel to sinners; to live in harmony, respect, love, forgiveness, truth. We can never be worthy to enter these gates in worship in your temple, but you make us worthy. Your blood, your sacrifice, your love, your compassion, your truth, your Word, your transforming power is what we live for. You are our everything.

Hard Facts, Soft Truths

This is a long essay. I hope you will take the time to read it and offer your comments at the end. Tell me if you think I am off base or spot on. The implications of this concept may take us farther than we intended to go, but maybe not as far as God wants us to go. —JMJ

At a university conference on business, Fred Smith, a successful executive and editor, followed an engineer to the podium. The engineer, in his speech, had remarked, “I am a scientist. I deal only with hard facts—things you can see and feel.” When it was his turn to speak, Smith said, “I don’t mean to be discourteous, but most of life is made up of soft facts. I respect hard facts, but when I take the long view, I notice that the rocks and the riverbank do not control the water that flows in the stream; the water forms the rocks and the bank. All matters of the spirit are soft, but they ultimately control. Armies, formulas, and scientific technology do not guarantee that a civilization will survive. That is up to other factors. The soft is just as factual as the hard, but more difficult to deal with.” (Empowering Your Church through Creativity and Change, Marshall Shelley, General Editor.) ^[1]

Fred Smith’s insightful statement expands on the words of Jesus in John 4:23-24. “True worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit and they the worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth.” Some have called this a proof of balance, asserting that truth balances out Spirit and Spirit balances out truth. That certainly is one way—probably the conventional way—of looking at it. But, a closer examination of the relationship between the two elements teases another thought to life. To simply explain that balance is the reason that truth is on one side and Spirit on the other, is to leave both of them independent of each other. It is as though you could have truth without the Spirit and be formalistic; or you could have Spirit without the truth, and be fanatical. Since neither formalism nor fanaticism is good, then, so the thinking goes, it is preferable to have both of them as a counterbalance to each other.

Dualities in the Bible and Life 

Dualities appear frequently in the Bible. Head and heart, flesh and Spirit, faith and works, earthly and heavenly and other pairings come to mind. In the natural and physical world, there is no end to possible examples. Food and drink, water and land, seed and soil, flesh and bone, plants and animals, government and citizens, lyrics and melodies, sweet and sour, black and white, yes and no, home and away, car and driver, car and roadway, salt and pepper, weak and strong, smooth and rough, work and play, creating and destroying, laugh and frown, happy and sad, etc. The major distinction with Spirit and truth, though, is that the interaction between them forces dependency upon each other. They are not so much a mirror image of each other as they are complementary to each other. This interdependence, or complementary aspect of the two entities introduces a third reality, as in the well-known maxim, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Perhaps the clearest example of this phenomenon is the man/woman dyad. On a rudimentary level, they mirror each other in their humanity and some common physical traits such as circulatory systems, neurological properties and numerous other traits shared by both genders of the human race. In an abstract sense, both men and women share equal political rights and possess equal value in their essential humanness. Only a fool, however, would suggest that this sharing of traits spreads to every point of comparison. The most obvious difference, of course, is the aspect of sexuality which becomes a necessary difference to make procreation possible. But, running the risk of stereotyping, each gender holds other attributes singularly. Basic differences in physical strength, endurance, emotional and psychological profiles, social development and other facets of men versus women enjoy timeless and universal acceptance. There is a fundamental reason why Jesus echoed the Old Testament principle when he said, “For this cause a man shall leave his mother and his father and cleave unto his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” Despite the modern rebellion against social and sexual stereotypes, man and woman together in a monogamous relationship remain the most efficient construct for family health and stability. Indeed, one could even say that each one compensates for what the other lacks, and benefits from what the other contributes.

It is true that hard facts supply an indispensable service to humanity in the form of borders, boundaries, landmarks, parameters and definitions. Water needs a glass to make it possible to drink, at least in a convenient fashion. Time needs a measuring device such as an hourglass, a metronome or a clock to make it useful for human activities, like baking cakes, running races or timing speeches. Helium requires the restraints of nylon, canvas or plastic to make balloons soar. In social and educational development, learning works best via the discipline of teachers, classrooms and desks if children are going to absorb reading, writing and arithmetic. The relationship between a husband and wife finds much greater endurance if subjected to concrete wedding vows spoken before witnesses. When hard facts are destroyed or distorted to the extent that they can no longer fulfill the purpose for which they were created, the soft truths that they were meant to regulate not only lose their shape and usefulness, they may become dangerous.

Going back over the foregoing list, let’s see what consequences the loss of the hard facts would incur. A shattered water glass obviously cannot hold water; broken timing devices may cause burned cakes, lost races or oppressively long speeches; ripped balloons would mean grounded balloonists or, as in party balloons, unhappy children; the loss of teachers, classrooms and desks would cause much of the traditional educational methods for learning grind to a halt. And, our culture has already seen the results of a lessening emphasis or the total lack of wedding vows. Statistics on divorce only track the welfare of marriages duly registered with county courthouses; who is tracking the break-up of couples who were living together without a marriage license? In any case, the relationship between men and women in modern secular society has largely become one of convenience and temporary happiness. The deeper sentiments of loyalty, commitment, true love and perseverance are quickly fading into non-existence. In fact, increasingly popular pre-nuptial agreements anticipate the brevity of the relationship and seek to make the coming divorce as pain-free as possible. The sad fact is that it has changed the human landscape. The greatest and most inspirational stories of our culture—like those telling of loyalty, commitment, true love and perseverance—involve the very values that we continue to discard. The human psyche enjoys much greater comfort when it retains control of these soft truths. Indeed, such control brings genuine benefits to mankind, such as damming up rivers to generate electricity or stringing up power lines to distribute that electricity to segments of the population.

Interaction of Spirit and Truth 

Rejoining our premise about the spiritual implications of hard facts and soft truths, I think it is evident that both of them make up the structure of the church today. The hard facts of the oneness of the Godhead, of the preeminence of Jesus Christ, of full salvation through the new birth experience, of maintaining a lifestyle of holiness and separation from the world and the imminent return of Christ for the church all exist as integral boundaries and landmarks for the Apostolic church. Different in shape, less intense in practice, however, are the subtle truths that have a much softer feel to them. Recall the words of Christ concerning the birth of water and spirit, and worshipping the Father in Spirit and truth. This immediately suggests the supernatural the Spirit of God moving in synchronization with the hard facts of truth, as in the infilling of the Holy Ghost, the operation of the nine spiritual gifts in the church, the anointing of the Spirit in preaching and teaching, inspiration in writing and singing, and the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

Further extrapolating the diverse ways that the river of soft truths flows through the banks of hard facts, we can identify an almost endless stream of manifestations of God’s Spirit. These include styles of music, worship traditions, flexible and more contemporary styles of teaching and preaching, more innovative forms of outreach, more flexible and participatory kinds of leadership, non-traditional methods of teaching and training, vocabulary that is more relevant to this generation, examining new vistas and exploring new avenues by which we can fulfill the great commission. My premise, however, now begins to impact our discussion. Can we emphasize the hard facts of our structure and retention walls to the neglect of the soft truths of the Spirit? Simply because the soft truths can be manipulated, channeled, dammed, quenched, diverted and even stopped, does it mean they are less important, or, even less truthful? Such a discussion makes many of us nervous.

But we can never be too sure. The landscape can undergo cataclysmic changes that cause rivers and streams to flow differently, regardless of manmade attempts to keep the status quo. Consider, for example, the following excerpt from the Utah Geological Survey, written by Sandra Eldridge. “The earth’s surface is constantly remodeled by various geological processes. The changes are one of the most exciting things about geology—not only are they continuous, but in many cases, observable. Some geological processes, such as those that make mountains or wear them down, typically take place at imperceptible rates. Sudden events, however, can change the landscape in a minute (for example a single earthquake can create a three-meter-high fault scarp, alter stream courses, and drop the valley floor one meter).” The essential and revelatory word of God cannot be retracted or manipulated. Most ministers who have been around for several decades, however, have witnessed definite shifts in points of emphasis, intensity or even selection of tenets of faith that have dominated pulpit time. To illustrate this, even now, the United Pentecostal Church, International is engaged in another redrawing of our ministerial application forms, culling out questions we now consider archaic and replacing them with questions that appear more relevant to our times. Even our articles of faith have been under scrutiny because of certain positions strongly held years ago that a significant number of ministers now see differently, i.e. conscientious objectors, joining of labor unions, belief in a literal millennium and the final judgment. We have also strengthened our stance in some areas such as the humanity of Jesus.

Changeless and  Changing

Notwithstanding the foregoing comments, the hard facts of the Bible are not as much at stake in this discussion as are the erroneous views that many have of the soft truths. It is imperative for us to accept the fact that there are things about God that never change, and there are things about God that constantly change. We are comfortable with the things that never change; we are apprehensive about those things that continually change. The one is predictable, the other unpredictable. The one manageable, the other unmanageable. In biblical terms, the one is the bush that is not consumed; the other is the fire that burned the bush. The one is the eternal source of the living water; the other is the living water that springs forth from the well. The one is the living Christ that walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, the other is the breath he breathed on them to receive the Holy Ghost. The one is the form and substance of the church prior to Pentecost, the other is the gift of the Holy Ghost that imbued each of them in the upper room. We must give room for the soft truths to flow and operate in accordance with their created properties.

The world of nature teaches us these things if it teaches anything. Take water for example. Enclose it in a metal box or boiler. Is it contained? Yes, until, that is, the environment around the box begins to change significantly. Heat it up above 212 degrees and you create steam. The pressure build-up of steam can be lethal. It can blow the box or boiler up. Cool it down to below 32 degrees. The water turns into ice and begins to expand. Anyone who has had pipes to freeze in the winter knows the damage water can do. Similar examples can be cited using fire, wind, or other elements under the control of the laws of physics. Those who make the mistake that the liquid or gaseous state of matter means weakness or that it is something that can be easily controlled has an educational experience awaiting them.

But the physical sciences are not the only fields where this principle can be illustrated. The social sciences also portray the deadly potential that exists in something as abstract as a hope or a dream. The wise man Solomon said in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” One of my favorite poems, written by Langston Huges, is a takeoff of this verse:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

One of the pairings I mentioned above is flesh and bone. With the exception of chiropractors or professors of anatomy, we wouldn’t have much use for a skeleton hanging around our offices or houses. If we put flesh on the bones, we turn the skeleton into a human being. Whether or not it is alive will determine if it is a corpse or a living person. Let’s suppose, for argument’s sake, that he is alive. The bone structure determines his height and shape, and to a trained observer’s eye, that it is the male of the species. Beyond those very basic facts, little else about a stack of bones interests anyone, unless he or she happens to be a medical doctor or student. This is not to minimize or denigrate the value of a skeleton. It does play an indispensable role in our survivability and functionality in life. Certainly, none of us would care to see a human being who had no skeletal structure at all. Yet, those bones need the softer tissue of skin, muscles, cartilage, hair, nails, vital organs and all the rest of the flesh necessary to make us human. This soft tissue is subject to great change due to aging, diet, exercise, injury and disease. It is supple, pliable and sensitive. For all practical purposes, the soft tissue creates our identity for us and makes us unique individuals in the world. The skeleton takes one nowhere, but no one goes anywhere without it. The skeleton lifts nothing, but nothing can be lifted without it. The skeleton cannot stand alone, but no one stands without it.

Soft Truths in the First Church 

A study of the operation of the Spirit in the New Testament shows an astonishing array of examples of God directly guiding his church through the influence of soft truths. Miraculous healings, angelic visitations, supernatural earthquakes, powerful prayer services, conversion opportunities, anointed testimonies and sermons, wisdom to deal with perplexing problems, revelations of future events and decision based on the word of knowledge. One particular instance in which the Apostles received clear instructions from God by means of the Spirit was the change of plans to go to Bithynia. They finally went to Troas where they received the heavenly vision of a man in a dream saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” None of these instances can be construed as hard facts. The only aspect of this that we can say is a universal hard fact is that every born again believer must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This comes from clear statements in scripture, plus corroborating evidence that the initial sign of the Spirit’s infilling is speaking in tongues. (John 3:1-8; Acts 2:1-4; 10:46; 19:5).

John 3:8 provides an even more revealing insight into soft truths in its description of the Spirit infilling. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” The NIV translates this verse as follows: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” In other words, no believer can base his or her experience or relationship to God on pure mental, cognitive processes. A personal—dare I say subjective—relationship between a person and God is the only reasonable outgrowth of the concept articulated in this verse. The hard facts of gospel truths must work in tandem with the soft truths of spiritual manifestations. If you will, the hard facts of the gospel represent the skeletal structure of the church, but the soft truths of our spirituality functions like the soft tissue of the church in operation. These two elements must not be considered opposite but equal. They must be seen as totally interdependent, integrated, each vital to the other’s viability.

Most of the foregoing analysis should be easily understood. The complications arise when we begin to apply this principle to the present church and the way it functions. Most of these applications will be left to the reader to sort through, but it will be helpful to examine the behavior of Jesus to discern a pattern. Jesus paid the utmost respect to the hard facts of scripture, as can be seen in his teaching a doctrine. He quoted the Old Testament often, he observed the religious customs of the Jews, he paid tribute to Caesar and he subjected himself to the Roman and Jewish laws without saying a word in his defense. He was called Rabbi, Master, Lord and a teacher. If fact, it may be surprising to people to find out that Jesus confirmed a large number of Old Testament incidents and principles in his teachings.

Yet, the most striking thing about Jesus—and the thing that got him into the greatest trouble—were the soft truths that defined the way he conducted himself and ordered his ministry. He and his disciples ate corn on the Sabbath, he healed the sick on the Sabbath, he ate in the house of sinners, he allowed a woman of ill repute to touch his feet and wash them with her hair, he spoke at length with the woman at the well in John four, he touched dead corpses and he granted healing to a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter, even after the woman, herself, confessed that she was not worthy of Christ’s attention. These actions were condemned by the hardline Jewish hierarchy, but were in perfect congruency with the Spirit and intent of God. In fact, in his encounter with the Jewish leaders over eating corn, Jesus closes with an astounding statement. “And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:23-27. To declare that the Sabbath was subservient to man, and not the other way around was a soft truth of the highest order.

Ultimate Example of Soft Truth 

The ultimate example of the interaction between hard facts and soft truth comes to light in the exchange between Jesus and his disciples concerning his identity. The hard fact was the bold statement that Simon Peter made, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The Petrine Confession forever established the absolute deity of Christ, and Jesus did not deny it, but applauded Simon Peter for his insight. But this is where the soft truth comes in. In his oft quoted but little researched commendation, Jesus does not say first to Peter, “You are correct. You now understand who I am.” His first words to Peter demonstrated that Jesus fully recognized the method (soft truth) of the revelation before he responded to the substance (hard fact) of the revelation! “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 16:17. Jesus then went on to the reciprocal confession of Peter, “And thou art Peter…” Finally, he said that the revelation of the deity of Christ was the rock upon which the church was built. This does not minimize the substance of Christ’s identity, but it does give great credence to the way by which this understanding came.

How important was this incident in the life of Peter? I’m convinced that it made the difference in the tenth chapter of Acts when Peter saw the vision of the sheet being let down from heaven filled with all kinds of unclean animals. The door to the Gentiles swung open wide, not because of prophetic passages in the Old Testament foretelling it, but because Peter had learned to allow the Spirit of God to lead him. All the way to the household of Cornelius, Peter undoubtedly encountered resistance from his own brethren for the act he was about to engage in. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” Acts 10:44-48. The Jewish leaders were not so sure that the soft truths that guided Peter were all that reliable. Even their “ringside seats” at the conversion of the Gentiles left them unconvinced. In Acts eleven and Acts fifteen, the early church convened a general conference to fully vet out the controversy. Only then did they officially welcome the Gentiles, although racial and religious bigotry still smoldered for a long time among many Jews. The Judaizer problem in Galatia strongly indicates that an anti-Gentile sentiment troubled the church for years afterwards.

What excitement awaits the church in the twenty-first century as the soft truths of the Spirit of God moves, reveals, prompts, suggests and inspires the people of God? Will God do a quick work in the last days that will sweep millions into the fold? Will there be major barriers broken down that have prevented the church from moving forward into areas we’ve never dreamed about? When it happens, will we recognize it? Will we accept it? Will we interact with it and thus multiply its potential? The hard facts will never change. They represent perfect truth revealed. The soft truths will continually change. They represent the focused will of God for the present time and place. If the infilling of the Spirit is a doctrinal necessity, shouldn’t the operation of that same Spirit become a functional necessity? We’ve only just begun!

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^[1] Shelley, M. (1995). Vol. 2: Empowering your church through creativity and change : 30 strategies to transform your ministry (1st ed.). Library of Christian leadership (44). Nashville, Tenn.: Moorings.

Unfinished Business

“…these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Matthew 23:23

When a hotly debated topic seems to be making little headway in a business meeting, Robert’s Rules of Order holds that a person may move to “table the motion”, or postpone the decision. Tabled motions may only be reconsidered by a later motion to revive the discussion. Members often abuse the rule in order to intentionally kill a thorny issue. Thus, unfinished business dies unfinished.

Jesus saw unfinished business dead in its tracks as he surveyed the practiced religion among certain, highly visible religious leaders of his day. While ignoring the very essence of righteousness, they quibbled over the tiniest measures by which they paid their tithes. Not only did they take great pride in their fastidiousness, they undoubtedly peered over their neighbor’s shoulders to make sure they were doing it right as well. These were definitely the things that ought to have been done, and they were doing them emphatically. But, they were obsessed with details that were hopelessly insignificant in the real world. Jesus never denied that they were correct to pay tithes. He did accuse them of failing to see the big picture.

Although Jesus carefully recognized these leaders’ faithfulness to the requirements of the law, he knew that they were actually subverting the purpose of the law by omitting “…the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.” By using the comparative word weightier, Jesus implied that priorities must be imposed upon everything we do, even upon carrying out God’s work in this world. Yes, the scribes and Pharisees were right to tithe on one hand, but they were wrong to oppress the poor on the other. They were right to demand obedience, but wrong to deny justice at the same time. They were right to attend to details of religious observance, but wrong to wink at their own bigotry and hatred.

Today, the Apostolic church knows what ought to be done. From the Bible, we know that God is one, the Bible is true, and Jesus is coming again. We know that repentance is necessary. We know that baptism must be in water, by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ. We know that people must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and that when they do, they will speak with other tongues. We know how to pray, worship, tithe, go to church, read the Bible, witness and serve God. We know how to teach Sunday School, sing in the choir and erect church buildings. We know how to talk, walk, dress and live our faith. We can find clear, definitive fundamentals of doctrine in the scriptures, and we are right to believe them fully and practice them faithfully.

Yet, God will judge us not only for things we do, but also for the things we should have done. We cannot excuse our omissions by diverting attention to the things we do well and do right. Even worse, wrongdoing must never be justified by trumpeting our devotion to good. Such gnat straining and camel-swallowing strikes God as repulsive. Even the world may know little of our doctrine, but they know a lot about our character.

It is blatantly wrong to use the obedience of doctrinal commands as a thin covering for violating major principles of Christianity. A true Christian works hard, pays his honest debts, practices righteous judgment and shows no favoritism. He abhors bigotry, hates prejudice, loathes strife and loves peace. He tells the truth, refuses to gossip, avoids personal insults, speaks kind words and harbors no grudges. He gives generously, yet stays humble. He believes in strength, yet supports the weak. He loves God supremely, but he also loves his neighbor as himself. He crucifies his flesh, reins in his ego, curbs his appetite, maintains his modesty in all things, and imposes strict discipline upon himself.

Jesus did not speak against tithing. He did teach, however, that neither tithing alone, nor any other single element of doctrinal propriety represents the whole of Christianity. There are other things to do, even as we do the things we should. Our insistence on obedience must extend beyond externals. It must penetrate to the core of our character. Our focus on doctrine must not throw everything else out of focus. If we toil over tiny grams of anise, mint and cummin, we had better not forget judgment, mercy and faith.

Jesus did not suggest an “either-or” choice. He taught us to do both. Let us not leave a behind a legacy of unfinished business.