iCrucified

Weekly Meds – Week of Feb 16^th, 2009

Prayer for the week:

O Lord our God, teach us, we ask you, to ask you aright for the right blessings. Steer the vessel of our life toward Yourself, You tranquil haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course wherein we should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let Your spirit curb our wayward senses, and guide and enable us unto that which is our true good, to keep Your laws, and in all our works evermore to rejoice in Your glorious and gladdening presence. For Your is the glory and praise from all Your saints for ever and ever. Amen. (Basil the Great)

From Deep-Rooted in Christ, the theme for this week’s meditation is “Minding the Inner Life.”

Pastor Kang writes; “The powerful presence of the Holy Spirit should bring dramatic changes to our inner world. Spiritual formation isn’t a matter of outward change; it originates in our inner world. To grasp this we must understand the essence of learning. The word educate has a root meaning: ‘to lead out from within.’ Spiritual education isn’t about packing knowledge or information into our hearts. It’s about letting God transform us from the inside out. What a precious treasure we Christians have received! The Holy Spirit dwells in us so that our inner worlds may be transformed…”

“God looks beyond our human appearances; he sees through the disguises we put on. The Lord searches deep within our hearts and sees us as we really are… Jesus condemned the Pharisees as white-washed tombs; they seemed godly on the outside, but they lacked authentic righteousness on the inside. We too may walk around with a big Bible in each hand, but that doesn’t prove we are godly. Pay attention to what is really welling up in your inner world.”

I agree with Pastor Kang when he says, “the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit should bring dramatic changes to our inner world.” I am saddened as I survey the landscape of western Christianity and witness the evidence of (or lack of) spiritual fruit in the lives of those who profess to be disciples of Jesus Christ. I personally believe, and this is based on experiential witness as well as the personal “inner” witness, God’s Holy Spirit transforms lives. The only answers for the lack of transformation in the lives of people claiming to be Christian are (1) they are rebelling against His prompting and living in disobedience and/or (2) they have not received the empowering-indwelling Holy Spirit of God. In either case, the commentary is sad.

While God’s grace is much larger than I could think or imagine, I have my doubts as to whether people described in either scenario from the previous paragraph are actually “saved.” I do not say this is definitive fact, nor do I place myself as the judge of anyone’s soul; I said I have my doubts concerning their salvation. Let me share with you why…

First, why would a person rebel against or continue to live a life of ongoing disobedience to the leading of Christ? Jesus asked rather pointedly in the gospel of Luke, “So why do you keep calling me “Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” The implication of this statement is for those who do not do what Jesus says, He is not their Lord. Hear again the words of Jesus; this time from John’s Gospel. Jesus, speaking to a crowd, says; “You don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:26-27) Once more, the implications of this statement stand on their own; (1) You don’t believe me because you are not my sheep and (2) Jesus’ sheep listen and “follow” or obey Him. Therefore, those who rebel and live in continuing disobedience are not his sheep. We, who profess to follow Jesus, or claim salvation in his name, cannot stay in a place of stagnant faith. We cannot profess Jesus as Lord and not grow in maturing obedience…to attempt this is a lie to ourselves. More than anything, this type of confession of faith is literally “fruitless” and exists solely on the basis of selfish motivations. Check out what John the Baptist speaks about this type of “salvation.”

“When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” (Read the entire passage in full context Luke 3:7-17)

My second consideration and why I am dubious about the “salvation” of people who remain disobedient to the teaching and transformational power of Jesus comes from the words of Jesus and the Gospel of Matthew chapter seven, verse twenty-one:

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.  You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.  A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.  So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.  Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.  Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’  Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” (Matthew 7:15-24)

Here’s the thing…I believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the consummation of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Without this consummation of relationship, Jesus does not know us (I use know in the sense and Biblical context of know). I realize this sounds odd and maybe slightly unnatural to the western way of thinking, but I believe the metaphors and analogies threaded throughout the entirety of the biblical narrative support this thinking. The bottom-line to this commentary is our commitment to Jesus cannot be half-hearted or based on selfish motivations. If this is the measure of our commitment to His gift of grace eternal, we do not receive eternal grace. Still doubting? Read on…

“This is the message from the one who is the Amen-the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation: I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:14-16) Also, see John 15 for additional insight.

Matthew 17:1-9 “Listen to Him”

A voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well please; listen to him. I am manifested through his preaching. I am glorified through his humility. So listen to him without hesitation. He is the truth and the life. He is my strength and wisdom. “Listen to Him” whom the mysteries of the law foreshadowed, of whom the mouths of the prophets sang. “Listen to him” who by his blood redeemed the word, who binds the devil and seizes his vessels, who breaks the debt of sin and the bondage of iniquity. “Listen to Him” who opens the way to heaven and by the pain of the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent into his kingdom… Leo the Great from Sermon 38.7

Last question…last thought; “Are you listening, and most importantly, are you obeying?”

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