Respect Authority

Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.

1 Peter 2:17, NLT

Over the course of the past few years there was been a strict identification with political affiliation. It seems that in the same of liberty, the liberals want to give all free reign to everyone for everything. Meanwhile, the conservatives call it conserving but they really want to restrict everyone’s rights. While neither is actually true, the country is more polarized than any time since the Civil War. I recently saw the movie Game Change, a behind the scenes look at the 2008 McCain/Palin campaign. Towards the end of the campaign, in a desperate move the Republican party did a fair share of mudslinging and negative talk towards the more popular Obama campaign. That has not ended since the Obama campaign became the Obama administration. In fact, this year (2015) two Presidential hopefuls (Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush) announced they were running at my very own Liberty University. It seems that the Republican Party, whether Christian or not, is trying to advertise that to go against them is to go against God. But God does not take sides. And HE certainly does not favor defaming someone in His name. In the Epistle to the Church at Rome, Paul reminds us that all authority has been put in place by God (Romans 13:1.) To go against the authorities is to go against God unless you are firm in your belief that they are attacking your own faith. Calling the president or any authoritative figure Satan, the Antichrist, or anything less than their title or office demands, is to insult God. We are called to question whether authority is acting in accordance with God’s Law. God wants you to vote in line with your belief. But, when the church board, council, or any secular authority decides not to act in accordance within our beliefs we are not to use a bitter tongue against them. We are not to stir up anger and dissention against them.  Like He (through the prophet Isaiah) told Ahaz we are to test everything and see God’s hand at work (Isaiah 7.) We are to build and encourage each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11), that seems much more difficult when we are causing opposition amongst ourselves.

The Gospel of Spurgeon

“The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox’s gospel is my gospel. That which thundred through Scotland must thunder through England again.”

Those famous words of Spurgeon resonate with me. For those that do not know my passion is the lessons of history, specifically Church History. I find is humorous that the trials and difficulties that plagued previous generations are the same battles that plague our current generation. Often times we draw on previous generations to add validity to our own points. Case in point, Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today.” I always gave Martin Luther, the reformer who is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation, special attention. His practices helped pave the way for a German Revoltion,  in fact in the last hundred years his influence was still felt by men like Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They argued that a life without faith is dead. Works mean nothing if there is not faith and love behind them. This issue of the attitude of service is something that still affects the church today. Spurgeon identified being a Calvinist with being a Christian, Calvinists promote the sovereignty of God, something that seems to be missed in today’s  post-modern world. Pre- Modernity was an age where we looked to God for answers, after the Enlightenment we called ourselves modern because we believed that science held the answers. In today’s post modern world we are skeptical of anyone providing answers. In His sovereignty, God has all the answers. He always has. In His divine wisdom, He revealed some of that wisdom in 66 volumes, neatly packaged. Though God will reveal Himself to us, personally, this is a nice neat guide to the Spirit of things from Him. He has also blessed us with the gift of discernment to help us see whether other things are from Him and in His Spirit, or in our own spirit for our own selfish purposes!

Spurgeon believed in the sovereignty of God so much that he called it the gospel itself in his short diatribe, A Defense of Calvinism. He includes, “It is a great thing to begin the Christian life by believing solid doctrine… there are some persons whose minds naturally incline towards the doctrine of free will. I can only say that mine inclines towards the doctrine of sovereign faith… I cannot understand why I am saved, except upon the ground that God would have it so. I cannot, if I ever look so earnestly, discover any kind of reason in myself why I should be a partaker of Divine Grace…When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me…If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, I should reply, ‘He is one who says, Salvation of the Lord.’ I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible…. I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God is His dispensation of grace, nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people  which Christ wrought upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.” 

See More from Matt Crawford

"Live a life worthy of the calling..."

The Devil Made Me Do it! This phrase has become the (not so) modern, “my dog ate my homework.” I recently attended a service at a Pentecostal church where the prayers for those who were hurting was vocalized as “those under Satan’s attack during this cold season.” Though I believe the Fallen Angel known as Lucifer is a very real entity, I do not believe that he is solely responsible for all misdoings in the world. We seem to be easy to pass the buck, and it goes both ways, up and down. If something bad happens then its obviously Satan’s fault. But if we miss an opportunity then we console ourselves with a comforting lie, “God was obviously saving me for something bigger.” There is no responsibility for one’s own actions. When I asked that Pentecostal ministry about it she went on about the forces of evil attacking us. I agree we should be on our guard, and Jesus Himself often told us that there were dark forces such as demons out there. The demons took on the form of illness and diseases such as the demon possessed man who was blind and mute in Matthew 12. Instead of playing the blame game with Satan, use the less than perfect circumstances of life to glorify God and take responsibility for our own actions. Coram Deo, a Latin phrase meaning ”before God” or “In His presence” is the attitude we should adopt. For the Apostle Paul, this was crucial:

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” –Colossians 3:17

“Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1-2

Theology- The Study of Self

Sometimes words carry a certain array or connotation with them. When I tell people I study theology or church history it comes with it as well. I get the “you will never use that” or “that’s way over my head.” But theology is not like that at all, in fact the Reformer Martin Luther said, “We are called theologians, just as we are called Christians.” 450 years later, Karl Barth said, “A theologians who does not enjoy his work is no theologian at all.” Webster’s defines it as simply, “the study of God,” but it is more than that, it is the study of ourselves! Saint Augustine, in his famous Confessions, defined theology, or God’s revelation of Himself, as He reveal’s Himself through our own self-discovery. In Romans, Paul shows that the law did not cause him to sin but rather showed himself the sin in himself. It has been proven that a healthy prayer life can lead to a healthy lifestyle. Four centuries before Luther, Anselm of Canterbury wrote in Proslogion, “Let me seek you in longing, and long for you in seeking. Let me find you in love and love you in finding.” Self-discovery seems to be the way to find God, or rather it seems to be the preferred method of God to speak to us today. 

Do the right thing....

Doing the right thing is what you are supposed to do. So how come catching an error or doing the right thing is often tedious and can get you in trouble? I had a very rude, irate customer come in to buy a phone. Due to a recent merger and system upgrades her old phone would not work but she would be given a new one for free. She decided to take the time to upgrade, but she could not afford the phone she wanted so there was the payment plan option. I do my best not to get people to do the payment plan because over the course of the loan, that $600 phone turn into a $1400 loan. Every time I am unable to sell someone on the idea of getting a phone outside of their present means, there is a large pit in my stomach. It makes me physical sick. This particular customer would not let me present all of the details of the program. Sometimes I do not do a very good job about educating people of their dumb decisions in a nice way, or so I have been told, so I did my best to be quiet while selling the phone. She came in upset that she had to part with her phone, though I tried to explain that she would get a significant discount. When I was processing the near end of the sale her barking at me distracted me and I forgot to make the necessary click to take off the meager discount on her phone. So , doing the right thing, I tried to reprocess the sell, save her the money ($120 dollars as it turns out) and she just acted like all I did was inconvenience her more. I could have and afterwards even thought that I should have let it slide and not corrected my mistake. Until Paul rang in my head, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-34, NIV)”  She was not appreciative about having to take other steps to get the money back. I did what was right, though I did not have the joy that one normally does after a good deed. But we do things because they are the right thing to do, not to feel good about ourselves!

The Place of Trust

The Place of Trust is Martin Marty’s interpretation of Martin Luther’s commentaries and notes on the Sermon on the Mount. It is specifically on the Beatitudes, with some detail paid attention to the rest of Jesus’ message in the Gospel of Matthew. Marty is a noted historian with a specialization on Luther and the Reformation. While keeping much of the original tone and language of Luther’s work, Marty shows how Jesus told us His message of trust, or faith in God. Reading like a single message, it is compromised of the letters and commentaries, Luther wrote on the Sermon on the Mount.

For many of us, like Luther we find faith and trust to be a struggle. That is why this speaks to his audiences, as well as the current generations. For Luther, the trustworthiness of God begs faith in every circumstance. This lets on to Luther’s central message, if God is in control then the day is seen in a different light. Then there should be no anxiety about tomorrow. There is a sharp contrast to the God of Mammon, the god of this world. The Mammon versus Yahweh is similar to the good versus evil metaphor often used. Mammon says to occupy as much wealth and possession as if we were to stay in this world forever. Christians know otherwise, that we are only here for a short period of time, and then the hereafter. Luther expounds on the famous line by Christ about how the sparrows and lilies of the field live a life with no anxiety. We should do the same. Those living a rich life now has already received their reward, thus they are no better off than we are. Our faith is grounded in struggling. Though we may struggle, our struggle is temporary. The Kingdom of God is believing in Christ. It is now. It should be taken seriously and not lightly. That is how the disciples of Mammon live, as if life is not serious and there are no consequences for our actions.

It is a worthy read to see how Luther takes historical and biblical examples to show us not to be anxious about anything. Even when we see those who do not live according to God’s laws prospering. The chief work of a Christian is prayer and preaching. Do not let your work be discredited by worrying about someone else. Prayer is more important. Luther describes it as a three step process that should not be restricted or for show. It is necessary to ensure a life of devotion, one “worthy of the calling.” Prayers should not be a chore, but rather a source of joy. For this reason Luther emphasizes the power of short prayers. He offers The Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles’ Creed as examples for those unsure of how to pray.  Prayer ensures that we will continue God’s work by serving one another. God is always at work. We are to continually serve one another. This is something that the world, those followers of Mammon simply cannot understand.

Prayer is our faith lived out. Our faith should come before all else. Faith allows you to “be filled,” which is being able to see the evidence of your labor. Through faith you will see God, and you will see that all good things come from God. Then you will have a pure heart when you pursue God. When the heart is pure, the body will be purified. This goes as far to follow Christ not just by abstaining from breaking the rules but by pursuing a relationship with God. The same thought would be echoes 400 years later by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship. Again, those of this world would not understand such a cost that does not serve themselves but others instead.

Luther wants you to take heart. You will go through struggles, but it is during those struggles that you will see the one who struggled on your behalf.

Back in the 50's....

Back in the 50's there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in  Hollywood named Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking, womanizing,  partying, etc.

One   of  his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you Jake, but  I'll  go chasing women."

One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival. Hamblen had him on  his radio show, presumably to poke fun at
him. 

In order  to gather more material for his show, Hamblen showed up at one of  the  revival meetings.

Early in  the service the preacher announced, "There is one man  in this audience who is a big faker." There were probably others who thought  the same thing, but Hamblen was convinced that he was the one the preacher  was  talking about. (some would call that conviction but he was having  none of  that).

Still the words continued to haunt him until a couple of nights later he showed up  drunk at the preacher's hotel door around 2AMdemanding the preacher pray for  him!

But the  preacher refused, saying, "This is between you and God, and I'm not going to  get in the middle of it."

But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until about 5 AM at which point  Stuart  dropped to his knees and, with tears, cried out to  God.

But  that is not the end of the story. Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing women,  quit everything that was 'fun.' Soon he began to lose favor with  the  Hollywood crowd.

He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept a beer  company as a sponsor.

Hard times  were upon him. He tried writing a couple of "Christian" songs, but  the  only one that had much success was "This Old House", written for his friend  Rosemary Clooney

As he continued to struggle, a longtime friend named John took him aside and  told  him, "All your troubles started when you 'got religion'. Was it worth it all?"  Stuart answered simply,
"Yes."

Then his friend asked, "You liked your booze so much, don't you ever miss it?" and  his answer was, "No." John then said, "I don't understand how you could give  it up so easily."

And  Stuart's  response was, "It's no big secret. "All things are possible  with God." To this  John said, "That's a catchy phrase. You should write  a  song about  it."

And,  as they say, "The rest is history."

The song  Carl Stuart Hamblen wrote was "It Is No Secret."

"It  is no secret what God can do. What He's done for  others, he'll do for you.  "With  arms wide open, he'll welcome you. It is no secret, what God can  do...."

By  the way... The friend was John Wayne. And the young preacher who refused  to  pray for Stuart Hamblen? ...That was Billy Graham.