A friend wrote me recently about a surge in Messianic Judaism in his
country; it is a blend of evangelical Christian theology with Jewish traditions, like observing the Sabbath and Jewish
holidays. I told him this movement is nothing new.
Paul warned Peter against those who
were compelling Gentiles to live like Jews, denying them their
freedom in Christ, and putting them under a yoke of slavery for
not celebrating holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths, things
that were only shadows of the reality yet to come, Christ himself (Gal. 2:14, 5:1; Col 2:16-17).
It is easy to see these practices as shadows. But to some
degree, and in our own ways, do we not find ourselves still living in the shadows rather than the full light of our freedom in Christ? “Satan, the god of this
age, has blinded the minds of unbelievers [and ‘unbelieving’ believers] so
that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory [the reality] of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4).
When I took classes on therapy, I learned that the most basic construct in counseling is called “reframing”—a way to help
a client see his/her issues in a new light. Going through “unprecedented”
events (as I have in the past half-year) have caused me to see many things in a
new light. I've learned that seeing is believing!
Peter, James, and John probably knew Jesus better than any of the
Disciples. But when they saw Jesus
transfigured, and heard God saying, “This is my own dear Son, with whom I am
well pleased,” they saw Him (literally) in a new light. Likewise, after Jesus death, when “John saw [the empty tomb], he believed” (John 20:8). Of course Thomas didn’t believe until He saw Jesus’
nail-pierced hands (20:28). And at Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, Jesus called him to “open the eyes [of
the Gentiles] so that they might turn from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18)?
As I’ve pondered my own ‘revelations’ over the past few months, it has
become clear to me God loves us too much to let us walk around hopelessly blind
to His reality. Thus, Paul prayed for us
“that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened—see things in a new light—in order
that you may know the hope to which He has called you…” (Eph. 1:8). What do you see? What do you believe?
A program called ‘Google analytics’ generates a daily report on the number of people reading my blog postings—by country. Through this report I found I have many Russian readers; and last week, more than in the U.S. Greetings and blessings to my Russian blogging brothers and sisters.
Isn’t it amazing that somewhere in the invisible realm called cyberspace is a robot that knows every site you visit! More extraordinary than that is the unseen heavenly realm—God’s watchful Presence. “The LORD looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men, and no thought can be withheld from Him, for he knows the secrets of the heart.” (Ps. 33:13; 44:21) If you and I were conscious of God’s all-seeing, all-knowing presence, would we be different? Or are we like the Israelites at Mt. Sinai who wanted to keep a safe distance from God!?
King David wrote: “I can never escape from you. I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I go down to the grave, you are there. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you” (Psalm 139:8-12). But David wasn’t afraid of a ‘watching’ God. God’s presence was a satisfying comfort to David: “God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble” (Ps. 46:1).
Enlightened Christians will perceive the double meaning of the above title from an article in USA Today. Many States have laws against texting and talking while driving; but now States are making it illegal to text and talk while walking. Some are issuing fines for careless walking. More proactively, the state of Delaware posts warning signs near crosswalks, “Look Up: Drivers aren’t always looking out for you.”
In Scripture, walking is a metaphor for the Christian life. From the first pages, God and Adam walk together in Eden. Thereafter, walking depicts the choice of right over wrong, God over self. With that backdrop, Paul says “be careful how you walk” (Eph 5:15), the word “careful” meaning cautiously, guardedly. Interestingly, the Greek word is "akribos" from which we get our English word “acrobat”—one who walks a straight and narrow line or tight rope.
There are many distractions to make us stumble or fall. The prevention is not unlike Delaware's: Look up! In Biblical language, “Lift up your eyes” (Is. 51:6); “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2); “Do not anxiously look about you” (Is. 41:10). And most importantly, be careful when you are walking in the dark. Jesus said, “Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going” (John 12:35). So, Paul says: “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).
Reading “Dear Abby” in the Sunday paper (don’t laugh!), I was struck by the word she used to describe a man who disapproved of a friend's homosexual marriage. She said the man was “unenlightened.”
There are two rather different meanings to the word “enlightened.” The first is “to give information or understanding to someone in order to free them from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition.” According to this definition, an “enlightened” person would embrace religious pluralism while anyone holding to 'Jesus only' exclusivity would be “unenlightened.” (Call me “unenlightened.”)
For this, we are indebted to the “Age of Enlightenment” when it was presumed that man’s power of reason was better at explaining the world than an outmoded theistic, biblical worldview. Ever since, Christians have been relegated to the status of the "unenlightened" (still living in the “Dark Ages”).
But the second meaning of the word “enlightened” is “to give spiritual or religious revelation.” Accordingly, Paul prays we will be enlightened by the Spirit's revelation of God. (Eph. 1:17-18). In contrast, Paul describes people who walk according to the values of this world as blind and darkened in their understanding (Eph 2:2; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 4:18). And they call us "unenlightened"?
In a democracy, society decides what is right or wrong by taking a vote!
Wouldn’t it be great if voters passed a law allowing you to shoot your noisy neighbor, or your mean boss? Why not? Is that any worse than passing a law that allows a woman to kill her baby? And what about a school board that votes to give sex education and condoms to school children? Does their vote make it right? In the last decade, Board members of many private companies have voted to give the same health benefits to their unmarried (gay or straight) employees' partners as to those who are legally married. Does their vote legitimize what we once called "living in sin?"
And every day, TV viewers vote for gratuitous violence, lying, cheating, steeling, pornography, fornication, adultery, gay marriage, and a host of topics and behaviors that were formerly banned by the FCC. How do they vote? With their eyes—as proven by the high ratings! Unfortunately, even Christians watch these shows, thereby, albeit unknowingly, voting their approval!
The question is: How do we Bible-believing citizens cast our vote? Answer: with our 'feet' and our 'mouth' - walking away from evil and speaking against it: "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them...speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 5:11-12; 4:15).
As in the last several years, the advent of Christmas brings on the anti-Christmas campaigners. Last year, one public school administrator tried to prevent students from wearing red and green. Last week, a Rhode Island Christmas tree farmer who had donated the annual Christmas tree for the State Capitol threatened to take it back after the governor said he would be referring to it as a “holiday tree” at the lighting ceremony tonight. In other words, he may turn the lights on “a” tree, but it won’t be a Christmas tree.
Turning off Christmas, as it were, is a fitting parallel to the increasing darkness that is covering the western world (U.S. and Europe) with anti-Christian sentiment. For those of us who has been alive for more than a half-century, this increasing moral darkness is very real. But sadly, the millennial generation have so accustomed themselves to this present darkness, they think it is normal.
Can you imagine how dark it is going to be even five or ten years from now? If you are you afraid the darkness is going to snuff out the light, don’t worry. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light because Jesus gave life to everything that was created, and His life has brought light to everyone, and His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never extinguish it.” (NLT, Isaiah 9:2; John 1:4-5) They may turn off the Christmas lights, but they’ll never extinguish the Light of Christ!
If you’ve been reading this blog for any time at all, you’d be surprised if I didn’t say something on the day that is called “Black Friday” (in the States). In the Bible, the color black or the word “darkness” symbolizes sin and death. The color white portrays purity, righteousness, joy, and light.
As born again people, we live in a world of black and white—darkness and light! Those living in darkness are subject to Satan—the god and ruler of this world (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31). Even though God's light came into the world, through Jesus, people love the darkness more than the light (John 3:19).
Satan’s system of consumerism/materialism will be working today like the law of gravity, pulling people further into darkness. Black Friday serves as a good reminder to us to beware of getting pulled in by this spirit. Paul said that once we are born again, we should no long live like the Gentiles (non-believers) whose darkened minds (and Black Fridays) leave them in a state of futility (Eph. 4:17-18).
John Stott, a biblical expositor whose depth & simplicity brought doctrinal clarity to millions of Bible students, passed away in August. Just before his death, he was asked what was missing in the Church today. He answered: “I think we need to get back to the fact that the cross is the center of biblical Christianity.” It’s true. If you open the pages of your Bible to the center, you’ll find yourself somewhere in the Psalms. But if you were to cut open the Bible “surgically,” to find its heart, you would find the cross.
Speaking prophetically, Watchman Nee wrote, “We are in the last hours of this dispensation. The hand of the clock is approaching the hour of twelve. The Church is rapidly drifting into a state of apostasy, further and further away from God. Dark forces have been liberated which are producing as evil an effect upon the Church as upon the world. The Cross of Christ is the light that will illuminate the present darkness.”
There is a strong 'therapeutic' current running through church teachings today that God wants people to be happy and fulfilled. These Christians, not unlike worldlings, will not know what to do with the doctrine of suffering. But all things will make sense to those whose world-view is dominated by the cross, whose interest in this world has been crucified, and who are living the crucified life(Gal. 6:14; 2:20).
“I believe in God. I believe the Bible is a good book. And then I believe whatever I want.” And this is how Christian pollster George Barna describes the American religious ethic in his latest book “Futurecast.” From 1991 to the present, the percentage of self-proclaimed, born-again Christians who are “unchurched” has gone from 24% to a whopping 37%. One woman who still calls herself a Christian tells how she drifted away from a mainline Protestant church and found peace in the Baha’i tradition along with Native American healing practices.
The bottom line is captured in Barna’s statement, “America is headed for 310 million people with 310 million religions”—customizing Christianity to fit our personal needs. It appears that the state of Christianity in America is not unlike that of Israel during the time of the judges. “In those days there was no king in Israel but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). Or worse, like Israel’s response to Jeremiah’s cry for repentance: "Don't waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to…" (18:12). Can such an attitude come from a true believer? Let the Bible speak for itself.
“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused… Even though there is a path before each person that seems right [the way of a fool seems right to him], it ends in death” (Romans 1:21; Proverbs 12:15; 14:12).
I stuck my head in the sand the other day, and, to my surprise, there were a lot of heads down there.
Amidst the anxiety of an unpredictable stock market, huge budget deficits, feckless leadership, and extreme weather, who is not tempted to just stick their head in the sand and wait it out? But this is not an option for serious believers.
Christ’s disciples are to be alert at all times (Mat. 24:42; 1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8). As I mentioned the other day, Jesus scolded the Pharisees for not being able to interpret the “signs of the times!” (Matt. 16:3) The times we live in are extraordinarily troubling. The Bible says many will put their heads in the sand, saying 'Peace! Peace' when there is no peace” (Jer. 8:11; Ez. 13:10).
Fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, and fear of having to face some unpleasant things may tempt us to avoidant behavior. But we are called to live “above” the earth’s power, not “under” it! What’s more, we are His messengers of truth and light to all those in darkness (the darkness of having their heads in the sand!).
Arriving at my 24-Hour Fitness at 6 a.m., I got a shocking reminder: this is Black Friday—parking lots full and department stores already packed with bargain hunters. Yes, in America, the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, kicking off the Christmas shopping season. If “consumerism” were a religion (does idolatry come to mind?) wouldn't this be its most sanctified day?
Ironically, "black" is also the 'color' ascribed to catastrophic stock market days. In 1989—one of the greatest declines in ‘market’ history was dubbed "Black Monday. And it was “Black Tuesday” that set in motion the Great Depression of 1929. Black seems to be the color of money!
Black is the color of the night, and of evil. Black is void and empty. It represents sorrow or mourning—the traditional color of death. But, and I think most significantly, black is the ‘color’ that does not emit or reflect light. John says: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all." And goes on to warn that we have no fellowship with God if we live in spiritual darkness (1 John 1:5-6 NLT).
So go ahead you who are godly “bargain hunters.” Do your thing today. But remember this: “For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil; and some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). And wouldn't that be a black day!
