Quite Witness

Here's a unique idea for many Christians: 
Maybe the best way to convey our values to the culture at large is NOT to talk about our values and it is certainly NOT to try and legislate our values.
Instead, maybe we ought to live our values and see what happens.

Isn't that the entire purpose of the Beatitudes? 
And personally, I'd rather have a person living the Beatitudes instead of trying to legislate the Ten Commandments.

                             Gospel of  Matthew 5:3-10

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."


I mean seriously, anybody who would live these principles wouldn't need to legislate anything. 
They wouldn't even need to say too much; people would be able to see the grace of the Lord through them.

Christians have long been criticized for trying to force their way and their values onto the larger, secular society.
And there is some truth in this...much to our own misfortune.

In recent years, prior to the evangelical crusade into the Republican Party, evangelical Christians were viewed in a very positive light.
During the 1980's, this changed as Christians became associated with 'Anti-Everything...' and certainly not the people on earth who sought to help the hurting and extend a helping hand to the less fortunate.

But in yesteryear, Christians didn't always do so well with secular society either; this isn't a modern phenomenon.

Yet, there was always a glimmer of hope; a remnant of the faithful who tried to reach the culture right where they lived.
They did it without judgment, without guilt and without hurting anyone; all the while giving a glorious witness to Christ through their God-given talents.

Maybe, just maybe, modern Christians could learn something from those who quietly witnessed to the world in past ages.
Many of them, are still witnessing to the world today and few realize it.

Personally, my favorite composer is Ludwig Van Beethoven; he was gifted beyond what we can imagine. 

As a Pastor Jack side note - Beethoven's 9th Symphony was written by the musician while being completely deaf. He never heard a note of what he wrote, except in his head and heart; but that was enough to bless the world with the Masterpiece we know today.
But I digress.

Beethoven went through a very religious devotion later in life; he wrote the music for the hymn we know as 'Ode to Joy' or 'Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.'
But Beethoven wrote only two full-length masses for the use of the Church; but he believed one, Missa Solemnis, was the greatest work he ever produced.

Most do not realize it, but the creeds and statements of faith which were produced by the ancient orthodox councils of the Body of Christ are now repeated in the works of the classical masters.
Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn, brought the beauty of God's gift to them to the Body of Christ.
And today, their works, symphonies and sonatas can be heard each night, being preformed by modern artists, in every major city in the world.

This would include closed countries where the Gospel preacher would NEVER have a chance of reaching anyone for Jesus Christ.
And yet, the Classical Masters still minister to the hearts of millions, everyday.

Simply put, they used their gifts and the Gospel still sounds forth today in places where a typical minister would be executed.
In short, God has given us, through them, Sacred Music.

And what of other artists?
Raphael, Michelangelo, or Leonardo da Vinci (at right)?
What of their greatest works?

Well, their greatest works hang in the Louvre in Paris and other museums around the globe; these works are typically of Biblical scenes or the Gospel story.
Their works still minister to us today; the brush stroke of the past still touches the heart of man in this age.

If this were not true of both the musicians and artists, then why is it that the Taliban or ISIS will enter an area and destroy all images and forbid all music?
Well, it's because through the medium of the creative arts, God has been able to transform hearts and lives to Himself.

Sadly, many Christians are only one-sided animals.

I bet you know the side - the verbal witnessing, the hell-fire threat, the scolding because of the life somebody didn't live or a mistake somebody committed; the judgmental attitude.
Yeah, you know it - probably because you have endured it like many of us have. We are a sacred club...those damaged by the Church; those hurt by the very Body which is to bring healing to the wounded.
Instead, we tend to shoot our own and then boast of our purity.

But again, instead of imposing our values and beliefs - what's wrong with living them and ministering in alternative ways, like music.
In the past, Southern Gospel tried this...in copying old-style country music; but it just wasn't believable and many performers became know on the singing circuit for their immoral lifestyles.

Today, Contemporary Christian music is popular, and has, in some cases, taken the approach of putting the ancient creeds to music - but again, the vast majority fail at winning an audience outside Christian circles.
The reason is because unlike the Classical Masters, modern artists want to sell albums, so they do interviews. 
The problem with this is that it is soon revealed that they know very little of the meaning behind the theology they claim to hold and sing about.
Again, in many cases, it just isn't believable.

Other than these examples, Christians, especially those with a strong theology, have abandoned the creative and liberal arts because, quite frankly, those who 'create' are often the same people who are 'liberal.'

At one time, I was in the creative arts while pursuing a degree in the liberal arts; yet, my faith nor solid foundation never wavered because it was built on the Rock of Ages.
It seems to be an unrealistic fear of many Christians; associate with those different than yourself and you will become corrupted - that's only true if your faith is NOT well founded.

Sadly, as the culture tilts away from the faith of our fathers, so too does the Christian from using their personal gifts as a quiet, yet lasting, witness.
But we should know, from history, as the Masters still impact society - some of them 500 years later, we can employ our gifts and effect those hundreds of years from now.

The problem with this idea is the fact that Christians don't really like 'artsy' types; although many would NEVER admit it.
You see, artsy types are many times, hippie types.
But I would argue, 'so what?'

Yes, it is true that those in the creative and liberal arts look different, act different and sometimes, they even smell different.
But that doesn't mean it is better or worse; it just means that they are different than what we are right now.

May I remind the reader that the American church lost an entire generation in the 1960's because the Church would not pursue the 'different' counter-culture taking place at the height of the Vietnam War.

May I also remind you that I am a product of the next generation who followed the love-fest of the Flower Children? 
And as a member of Generation X, the Church lost millions of us as well because once they realized their mistake with those who once shouted 'Flower Power'; they paid little attention to the latch-key kids of the 1980's.

And do you know where they are now?
Neither do I, but most of them aren't in Church, and neither are their children who are the Millennials. 

What those of the past needed, and what my generation needs today...what every generation needs most - it is grace.
Very few will ever hear me preach; fewer will ever read the words I have written.
But millions upon millions will know we are different because of what we do with the gifts we have been given - in the arts, in music, and through the grace we are to give the world.

And if you don't know where to start, begin by dispensing the grace you've received from God to others.
If you don't know how to do that - then begin by trying to live the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ.

Your actions will not be forgotten.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.

The Right Perspective

'The World is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.'

                                                                                             ~ Horace Walpole

With this being a Presidential election year, which may turn out to be the most bloody, mud-slinging election in my lifetime, there are some things which need to be mentioned.

First, God is on His throne.
This will be true regardless of who becomes the next President of the United States.

Secondly, for the Christian, we serve a Risen King; His name is Jesus.
We owe only to Caesar what is his; but to Christ, we owe our very lives and eternity.

Having said that, let's put a few things in perspective; most importantly is the role of the Christian and our belief in the world today and how we should act.

You know, I doubt any liberal in the 1960's would have pulled Martin Luther King, Jr. aside and said, 'Dr. King, the South has a different culture and way about it; you have no right to impose your values or Northern customs on them. You need to leave them alone.'

Now, I'm sure thousands of people said something similar, but I doubt any liberal from that era would have uttered those words.
The truth of the matter is that within us, we know from birth there is a 'right' and a 'wrong.'
Yet, one of our troubling features is that sometimes we are too weak to stand for that which we know is right; at other times, we become more concerned with politics, with our own comfort or with peer pressure than we are on doing that which is 'right.'

Few would disagree that slavery is wrong; child abuse is wrong; as is pedophilia, to prey on the poor or to violently discriminate against those of a different color or sexual orientation.
But how do we know these things are wrong?

One might think it is instinct; perhaps, but then where does that 'instinct' originate?

Interestingly enough, the slave trade ended among Western nations because of Christian activism.
Child abandonment and infanticide has nearly disappeared mostly due to orphanages in the past era (before government & Masonic homes) because Christians knew there was a need and they acted on it as they were moved to do so. As I type these words, there are literally millions of children being protected, fed, educated and cared for by Christians in orphanages all around the globe.

The poor were taken care of by the Church as well, and this continues today through soup kitchens, expected work responsibilities and temporary places to live.
And who led the way in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's? 
It was Christians who could no longer abide with the fierce hatred of racism.

Today, some believe that the Judeo-Christian Ethic should no longer influence society; an archaic ethic from a by-gone era.
Right and wrong should therefore be based on how an individual feels.

Really? 
Sounds good, but read the above paragraph concerning a liberal and Dr. King.

You see, if human beings were only products of our genetic makeup and our environments, there would be no absolute morality.
Nothing would be or even could be determined as right or wrong because the decision would be reliant upon the subjectivity of the individual.

By caring for the sick, the elderly, the poor, the weak → in compassion a human being has decided to forgo the idea of eliminating them from society, thereby strengthening humanity's gene pool.
Therefore, if the disciples of Darwin are correct and we are descendants of evolution, we are damaging our own species survival because we have had compassion and empathy for another member of the species.

Yet, instead of being prompted for species survival, we are moved in compassion to help.
If we are products of nature, where did that compassion originate?

One called this, 'Darwin's Dilemma' because it makes no sense in a practical, evolutionary theory kind of way.
Darwinists often argue that humans have a 'selfish gene,' so that everything we do is done out of pure selfishness.

But then the question would be, 'If that is true, why then do humans so often choose to behave unselfishly?'

In our time, feminists and now our legal system in America defends the act of abortion.
Historically, society dealt with unwanted children through abandonment in the streets or forests, which basically led to infanticide (which is why Christians began to build and staff orphanages).
But today, if a teen abandons a newborn in a trash can, as we have heard in news stories, we are appalled and demand prosecution.

But why?
What right to we have to expect punishment for something that has historically taken place?
What is the difference between then and now?

We become indignant at the mistreatment of the elderly, or when we hear a toddler was pushed out an apartment window, or if we learn that a child was kidnapped and sodomized.
Twenty years ago, many of us sat horrified in front of our televisions as we learned of a woman named Susan Smith who drown her own children.

But, on what grounds are we indignant and appalled?

If we are products of nature alone, if morality and truth are self-determined or a by-product of the evolutionary scheme - why does any of it matter?

In other words, what made Nazi Germany evil and the American invasion right?

What is it within us that tells us these things are wrong?
What is it that allows us to become emotionally repelled by these acts?
If it was only a by-product of nature, then every person's idea of wrong would be different; yet, we know there are standards built within us from birth - rape, murder, theft - we know these are wrong.
But how and why?

As yet another political year begins to ramp up in full force, the United States has many, many issues; but at the root of them all is the issue of what right and wrong actually means.
Truthfully, the American society is sinking over the issue of right and wrong; which has to be the most basic issue of any society of any era.

Honestly, this is nothing less than a moral crisis.

In the past, it was the Church, the Christian body in the United States, who gave the nation its national conscience.
Quite possibly, the nation could be faltering on this one, most basic issue because we as the Church have stumbled ourselves and failed in actually living what we believe. 
When the Body of Christ lacks moral clarity, we also lack moral authority; without both, the Church has no right to guide the conscience of others for ours is conflicted.

In the old days of the Church, back before there were mega-church conferences, electronic ministries, comparing numbers in the pews or distributing funds based on 'investment return' rather than prayerful determination - in those days, Christians were known for the 'Good News'.

As you began this reading, it may have surprised you to learn that it was Christians, who not by fighting a bloody revolution or through violence, ended slavery among Western nations. 
Men such as William Wilberforce in Britain was just one who gave his life in a dedication to ending that horrid practice.
It may have intrigued you to learn of the orphanages, or the outreach to the poor with shelter and food and clothes; and there is even more that the Body of Christ did for those rejected or forgotten by society - think of homosexuals, prisoners and widows.

Have you ever wondered why so many people see Christians as barriers instead of the people who share to others the 'Good News' of God?
There was a time when people had a favorable view of Christians; not so much today, if George Barna's statistics are to be believed.

There may be many, but I know one reason is because we as Christians have gotten into the habit of ignoring important issues of the people and of faith, while focusing on things that will never matter in eternity.
Like politics.  Like the size of my congregation. Like who is doing what next door. 
And the list could go on and on and on...

Unfortunately, this has led to Christians being labeled as anti-EVERYTHING, intolerant and against the world, instead of being viewed as people who can bring God's grace to the world.

Just think, imagine how differently the world would view Christians if we had and would now focus on our own failings.

You know, ministers DO NOT have everything figured out.
We struggle with the same temptations and desires as everybody else.
Like all Christians, if we would speak of our own failings and our own need of forgiveness, mercy and grace instead of society's - I truly believe a time of true revival would break forth.

When Jesus was on Earth, He gave little attention to the faults and failures of the surrounding culture; and it abounded.
In the first century, there were vicious Gladiator Games, common infanticide, the sanctity of marriage was a joke and government approval of pedophilia and slavery from Rome was the norm.

Interestingly enough, Jesus said nothing of these things.
Later, when the Apostles lived in the same society and was charged with bringing forth the message of God, they did not say much concerning the culture either.
When the Corinthian Church was reported to have accepted an incestuous relationship within their midst, the Apostle Paul went berserk; yet, he made it clear that the Christian was not to judge society by the standards given to us by Christ.

You see, as Christians, if you truly want to reform society - then focus on the log in your own eye. 
Our energy for keeping standards of morality is to be kept in house; we are to correct ourselves and give to one another the grace which God has given to us through His Son.
And it is that grace which will win the world.

Today, there are huge debates raging over homosexuality, transgender issues, sex-change operations being thrust to the forefront by Bruce Jenner and company, and a host of other issues revolving around once-taboo subjects within human sexuality.
Among Christians and society as a whole, these issues are hard to navigate.

Please don't misunderstand, I know what Scripture says concerning these issues; without question, Scripture is a 'Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my Path,' which I trust on every issue as the inerrant, infallible Word of God.
But what I don't understand is how these issues of sexuality have become 'the sin' Christians seek to focus upon and condemn with the greatest fervency.

I'm not sure how it has happened, but I do know that focusing on these issues of sexuality, which are complicated and difficult and easily misunderstood, have allowed many Christians to ignore their own need for grace.
And trust me, I know a lot of Christians; every one of them needs God's grace every day of their lives - including myself at the forefront. 

Another thing I have learned about human sexuality and Christians is this, high-toned pronouncements against same-sex lovers may help fundraising, but it truly undermines the Gospel of Grace and destroys the very nature of the love by which Jesus said His people would be known by others in the world.

No Christian should ever be thought of as 'self-righteous;' for, we are the exact opposite.

Yet, not one person falls below God's high standard so far as to be totally beyond His reach; the reason is because we are caught with His safety net of grace.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.