Are You Trapped In The Gap?

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Romans 2:7-8)

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. (Second Peter 2:17-21)

“The observation of convention is not necessarily an indicator of depth of relationship, nor of understanding.” –Dr. Genise Aria Reid

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam noted an extremely important aspect of grace as a process. I’ll call this aspect the convention-commitment gap. Below is our list from earlier this week, with the gap added:

Ø  Sensitizing Grace

Ø  Saving Grace

~The convention-commitment gap~

Ø  Sanctifying Grace

Ø  Serving Grace

Ø  “Setting-Free” Grace

As our pastor shared, this gap occurs when a person has responded to the grace of God for the experience of salvation, but then rejects the grace of God that moves one along the path of spiritual growth and development. These are they who regularly attend church for years, or even decades, but show zero evidence of spiritual growth. Their words, and their lives, reveal nothing of the Spirit of God who desires to work in them (see Galatians 5:13-26)-- though they are in church, and though they are reconciled to Christ through salvation, they are not demonstrating Christ-likeness. And as we see in the Second Peter passage above, persons who fall into this gap are a serious danger to themselves, as well as a serious detriment to the body of Christ.

How is it that Christian ministries can endorse all sorts of wickedness, without remorse? They’re trapped in the gap. How is it that Christian individuals can share worship experiences with a fellow believer, then pay a practitioner of dark arts to attempt to curse him? They’re trapped in the gap. And we dare not gloat at those who have stopped (or stunted, or reversed) their Christian growth by remaining in this gap; rather, we grieve.

Those of us who have bridged the gap between saving grace and sanctifying grace must show love and compassionate care to these, our siblings in the faith, who have set themselves up for a most severe judgement from God by rejecting the call to bridge the gap. Our Lord Jesus declared the consequences of a life lived in the gap:

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47-48)

We have been given much. We are recipients of the grace of God. We know the Master's will! He has caused us to recognize our need for Him, and He has empowered us to find our way to Him. Our great God always has our best interests at heart, because He loves us. Out of love, He calls us to draw ever nearer to Him, growing in our relationship with Him, so that we can become more like Him. If you, dear reader, have been resisting the call to sanctification, I pray you will cease resisting.

The LORD of all glory, the Lord who loves us, has made provision for us to grow in our relationship with Him. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace.

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Watch Your Wait!

In Sunday's sermon, Reverend Ronald Benjamin shared a point I'd like us to reflect on today: We know that in Communion we remember Christ Jesus, but we often forget the entire phrasing of First Corinthians 11:23-26. It says: “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

The Lord who instituted communion is the Lord who will one day come back for His people.

I think the challenge we have is that, as Scripture asserts, there are many people who believe they qualify as "His people" (see Matthew 7:21-23)-- but we would do well to remind ourselves of a few passages in which God shows us what sorts of people are not qualified to join Him in glory. As we wait for the Lord "until He comes", let us not approach the process with pride, nor shame, nor confusion, but with a heart to experience the grace of God.

What happens to people who, as they wait for the Lord’s coming, fail to remember Jesus?

1. They attempt to siphon faith from stronger Christians instead of seeking to develop their own faith-walk with the Lord. We see an example of this in Jesus’s parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise ones carried extra oil (a metaphor for the presence of God’s Spirit), while the foolish had no reserves. In the face of the lack which was exacerbated by the length of their wait, the foolish virgins sought to take from the resources of their colleagues. “The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’” (Matthew 25:8) But we are instructed to receive our resources from the Lord. Jesus says, “I am the vine… apart from me you can do nothing.” (see John15:5)

2. They forget that the forgiveness of God, extended towards them, models the way in which they are to forgive others. In the parable of the unforgiving servant (see Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus tells us that the one who is forgiven is expected to have compassionate mercy on those who are in need of forgiveness. The parable ends with the rescinding of mercy, because the man who was forgiven of massive debt had refused to forgive another man of a very small debt. We must remember what our Lord has said: “But if you do not forgive others their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15)

3. They assume that the Lord’s delayed appearance grants them license to disobey. Jesus shared with His disciples a brief narrative about an unjust manager. The manager was a man who knew the desires of the owner, but who opted to do wrong in light of the owner’s extended absence. In the narrative, Jesus said: “But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.” (Luke 12:45-47)

Let us remember the Lord's death. Let us remember the Lord's imminent return. Let us watch our wait.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Now This Is Soul Food.

Friends, we have been called to get our priorities straight.

During Wednesday night's prayer meeting (1/6/10) Pastor Joy shared some of the notes she had taken during Pastor Sam's sermon. Below are just a few of them.

-Know the difference between the urgent and the important;
-Remember the parable of the rich fool- he paid no attention to his essential being, his soul;
-The only thing we can keep is that which is rich towards God (the content of the relationship that we have with God).

I hope we can all take away something from the sermon that will serve as a barometer for us as we go through this year. For me, it will be the reminder of Mary, Martha's "radical" sister whose heart for Jesus led her to defy cultural conventions. For you, it might be someone or something else.

My husband and I have been talking about this sermon all week, and it's been exciting to not just talk it, but start to live it. God is moving in Bronx Bethany, and we are on the verge of great and profound things... but it sails or fails based on our response to God. I urge you, I urge myself, be rich towards God.

That is our priority.

See you online next Tuesday, Lord willing.

That's Not What I Ordered...

As we near the end of the first full week of 2010, let's reflect on Pastor Sam's sermon one more time. Today, we'll talk about the indictment of doing the right things in the wrong order. (Some of these points are from the sermon, and some are add-ons.)

Cain had that problem. He brought an offering from his farming efforts. But God had mandated that the sin offering be presented first, and the sin offering required the sacrifice of an animal.

Martha had that problem. She had a strong gift of hospitality and serving. But in her act of service, she missed the chance to sit at the feet of the One who had given her these wonderful gifts.

The rich fool had that problem. He demonstrated himself to be a man of wisdom and industry. He could boast the honor and prestige of personal profit, but there was no proof that he had honored God.

The disciples had that problem. In a moment, they could transition from acknowledging Jesus's miraculous works to questioning His character and sensibility.

I have that problem. In a world that pushes for fast answers, I get nervous and agitated if weeks go by with no prophetic word from God. And in that agitation, sometimes I say things that shouldn't be said (or do things that shouldn't be done). As if God has to reply on my timetable.

Maybe you also have this problem, this challenge of living a "God first" life in a "me first" world.

The good news is, we are still alive! We can ask the Holy Spirit to evoke change in us! And we can witness the miraculous as the Lord turns our hearts towards Himself, and He becomes all in all. May God help us to do so.

LORD, help us to get the order right: You are first.

Overflow Or Undertow?

"A furious squall came up..." (Mark 4:37)

Friends, are you familiar with squalls? They are brief, sudden, violent storms that are famous for having high winds. Here in the Northeastern United States we are accustomed to snow squalls: one moment everything is just fine, then in a couple of minutes visibility plummets as the wind blows snow; it's a wind so strong that the snow seems to be a horizontal precipitation instead of its usual serene descent from sky to land. And then, in a few minutes, it's all over.

Perhaps that's a good analogy, a good lens through which to view the account of Jesus at the home of Martha.

Martha, as we heard on Sunday, was busy. After all, a social "squall" had come up. Jesus dropped by the house, and apparently no one gave Martha advance notice that He would be stopping by. So Martha stepped up to the plate and started preparations so that proper hospitality could be shown to Jesus and His disciples.

Mary, the sister who gained some notoriety for an incident involving herself, Jesus, and some perfume (see John 11:1-2), was at the feet of Jesus. She sat at His feet and listened to what He said (Luke 10:39). And for her, there seemed not to be any squall afoot.

In a culture where women did not study with men, Mary seized an opportunity to learn from the greatest Teacher who was also her Savior and Lord. And Martha seized an opportunity to do what was culturally correct. But in her zeal to be a great hostess, Martha dared to give Jesus an order: "You tell Mary to help me!"

Wow.

And Jesus seized an opportunity to teach another lesson. "Mary has chosen the better part."

Mary, tradition-breaker Mary, radical-worshiper Mary, extravagant-giver Mary, got it right. We would do well to follow her lead.

It's Called "Epiphany", Baby.

"Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:20)

Pastor Sam asked a question during this past Sunday's sermon that we would do well to reflect on, particularly today as we recognize the day of Epiphany: what does it mean to be rich towards God?

In describing the fate of the rich fool, Jesus warns us: "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God" (Luke 12:21). What sort of "rich" can we express to the One who owns everything? What kind of love can we lavish on the One who loves like no other?

Perhaps a flashback to Psalm 116 might be in order. "How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people."

Lord, I will worship You.
Lord, I will praise You privately and publicly.
Lord, I will seek Your face in prayer.
Lord, I will give to Your house and support Your agenda.

Wise men came from the East, spending money, labor, time, and precious resources to seek out the King of the Jews. When they found Jesus, they didn't complain about the length of the journey, the abject poverty of the family, the madness of Herod, nor the tyranny of ancient Rome. They simply knelt before Jesus and presented Him gifts. Can we, who have also come to Jesus, do any less?

Bronx Bethany, wake up to the epiphany: be rich towards God!

Had This Been An Actual Emergency...

For the blog "2010: Restless in the Second Row" (posted 12/31/09), I ended with a reference to the accusation of the disciples in the face of the raging storm: "Master, don't You care that we perish?" (see Mark 4:35-41)

God is so amazing. I had no idea that the same theme would make a cameo appearance during Pastor Sam's sermon this past Sunday: "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?" (see Luke 10:38-42)

Let's translate. "Jesus, if You really cared about me, then You would do something to change my situation immediately." That is the theme.

In the examples noted above, Jesus had been busy doing profound ministry: healing, teaching, commissioning disciples, and debating the religious leadership who challenged His works and word (see Luke 9 and Mark 3 for context). And then, when it was time for Him to just rest in the company of those closest to Him, what commendation did they bring? What comfort did they offer?

"Jesus, You really told those Pharisees what's what!" No.
"O Lord, I saw You move in power when You cast out that demon!" No.
"You know what, Jesus? You don't really care what happens to me, do You? Can't You see what's going on here? Do something!" Yes, that is our response in the face of profound miracles, profound teaching, and a profound defense of the work of the Christ. Sheer selfishness and self-preservation.

Well, this is how we begin 2010: it's A CALL TO GET OUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT. It begins with an appeal to stop pulling the emergency cord. When we panic over things that seem urgent, we lose sight of the things that are truly important.

Lord, what can we say? We are guilty. Forgive us, please, and teach us to expel the urgent things in order to embrace the important things. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.