Has hypocrisy in the Evangelical community increased in the
last few decades, or does it just seem that way because of a ‘real time’ media
ever ready to pounce on our shame? Not surprisingly, young evangelicals have
embraced authenticity as a core value.
What does it mean to be
authentic? To be honest about your weaknesses. But we know that sharing 'honest' feelings is a subjective reality, and not always positive (Phil. 2:14); and Paul said, “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so
that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Eph. 4:29).
Where's the balance? While honesty is an essential element of our intimacy, subjective human experience must always occupy an inferior position to objective truth which transcends experience. Honestly, “apart from Christ, I can do nothing; there is nothing good in me” (Jn. 15:5; Ro. 7:18). Objectively, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). And that's the honest to God truth!
There is great merit to reflective, candid self-examination.
In the Old Testament, Haggai told the Jews to “consider your ways” (1:5, 7). Paul
admonished the believers to “examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith”
(2 Cor. 13:5). But then almost in contradiction, he said, “I do not examine myself... It is the
Lord himself who will examine me” (1 Cor. 4:3-4 edited), which sounds
like David's “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious
thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me” (Ps. 139:24-25).
Question: Is the examiner me or God? Answer: Yes!
The danger of too much self-examination is
self-obsession. That is why, after we examine ourselves, we need to confess our sins, receive forgiveness, and move on. As self-examining believers, we run the risk of being so focused on who “we should be” that we fail to see who “we are,” in Christ, and who “HE is” in us. Even worldlings know too much internalizing is unhealthy. They say, “keep your eyes on the prize.” Likewise, we can avoid the same by “keeping
our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2).
By now the word ‘stimulus’ is etched into the American psyche, albeit with mixed reaction. How affective it will be in stimulating a sluggish economy remains to be seen! But the debt it has incurred is quite apparent. Of course the logic behind stimulus spending is that it will generate jobs, income and tax revenues to pay the debt. In short, stimulate now; pay later.
The temptation toward stimulation is as old as Adam and Eve. One of the most famous (infamous) examples of a self-made stimulus was David’s moral failure on an uneventful Saturday afternoon—resulting in death and despair. But the most celebrated example of stimulus is that of Abraham and Sarah who, growing tired of waiting for God’s promised child, conspired to speed things up, a stimulus that resulted in the birth of Ishmael, whose ancestors—the Arabs—are the bane of their existence to this day.
The current stimulation strategy has a lesson for us. Let’s face it; it is natural for us to look for stimulation during slow times. The temptation to make something happen increases the longer we wait. Nonetheless, our self-made stimulus packages incur a debt that will have to be reckoned with later. You may stimulate now, but there is always payback (Gal. 6:7).
But thank God, that even though our sinful impulses may carry natural consequences ('Ishmaels'), God will not leave us in debt: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all [the debt of] unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but you probably haven’t made any plans yet. Right? You won’t decide until the last minute where you want to go and with whom you’d like to eat—you’ll just show up. Right? Well, of course not! By now your plans are set—time and menu have been determined! You wouldn’t dream of just showing up at a friend or relative’s house.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of Christians approach God with a “just show up” attitude. Recently, I asked a man “where do you go to church?” meaning where are you being taught, where do you fellowship, engage other believers, use your gifts? He said “I go to [such and such] church, but I am not a member; I don’t belong to any small group; I just go there.” In other words, he just shows up! (By the way, he was not involved in any spiritual activities outside the church either.) I asked about his Bible study and prayer life and not surprisingly, he said it was irregular—in other words, he just shows up.
Of all the New Testament writers, James puts the greatest emphasis on faith in action. He exhorts believers: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (4:8). The Greek word “draw near” is an active verb, derived from the words “go, lead, bring.” I think James is saying we must be deliberate in our approach to God, i.e., “bringing ourselves” to God. Now, I’m quite sure God will be quite happy to see you whenever you show up, but how much better if we are actively bringing ourselves to God, deliberately engaging Him with a time, place, and a plan for Bible study, prayer, reflection, and confession. Think about that tomorrow when someone just shows up at your house for Turkey dinner, unannounced!
