Have you ever noticed something that preachers did regularly? They preach almost exclusively on those texts that are capable of giving a pro-denominational emphasis! These carefully chosen texts do not show up the denomination's weaknesses, failures, compromises, unfaithfulnesses, etc. You just do not hear those things, do you?
But you will hear those texts that reinforce the denomination's position on its distinctive beliefs. What can you call that? Sheer dishonesty with the text of Scripture.
What about this 'rightly dividing the word of truth' business? Why are we scared to expose our denomination, our church, to the search light of God's Word, to His awesomely and penetratingly holy gaze? Why are preachers so adept at using the Word to expose others, instead of turning it on their own excuse for spiritual life and devotion?
Then we wonder why our church members are so sectarian in their attitude, so comfortable in Zion, so confident that everything our church does pleases God, but what other churches do does not please Him. What a privilege we have to belong to this denomination, the perfect church! And what deprivation others experience who belong to those terrible imperfect churches and denominations!
Do preachers do, or not do, these things because they want to do well, be liked, get on, impress others, etc? Do they want to be congratulated for what they say, or do not say? Is the motivation of their preaching and their ministry to win the approval of men, or of God (Gal.1:10)? If it is to keep in with men, especially the men that count in the congregation and Presbytery, they need to re-visit their motives for entering the Christian ministry!
Is it because deep down inside, ministers love the veneer of church life, the cosmetics, the polish, the glitter, the prestige, the power, etc? But how the real situation beneath the veneer scares them! Do those of us who are ministers really want reality? No thanks. What I see pleases me, but what I do not see frightens me. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart," on what is beneath the surface and away from public gaze.
Theology, especially of the orthodox variety, can provide the perfect cover for sin. We must then ask ourselves, "Is theology for us something that lures us into the presence of God to worship Him, or a religious technique that enables us to keep away from God and justify ourselves?
Is it an incipient idolatry that prevents us being honest in our dealings with Scripture, the Church, men's souls, ourselves? Have we made graven images that have now become substitutes for the real thing? Are we living in some kind of fantasy world? What is it that is colouring our view of things and preventing us seeing reality? What filters have we put in place that keep out what is uncomfortable, and allow through what is comfortable and easily lived with?
Gratitude nurtures fidelity. Is its absence in the Church and in our lives the reason for our infidelity to the Lord? Have we forgotten "all His benefits"? (Ps.103:2).
Remember, forgetting the Lord's benefits is tantamount to forgetting the Lord Himself. And when we forget the Lord, replacement takes place because spiritual nature cannot tolerate a spiritual vacuum. And the result? Idolatry - of the worst kind. Is this essentially our problem in today's church?
And when we forget the Lord's benefits, we have nothing for which to thank Him! Perhaps that's why our thanksgiving is so heartless! Just correct words! As I meditated on these things, I found myself deeply disturbed, and moving to confess my sins, and then to worship "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."
Thanksgiving and thanks-living. This is about only doing those things that we know please the Lord, and show genuine gratitude. For example, when old Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was brought before the Emperor in 155AD and demanded to recant, he replied, "For eighty and six years I served Him and He did me no harm. How then can I do this evil thing against Him?" (Paraphrase mine). Gratitude provides an excellent antidote to idolatry. We need to spend more time at the Cross.
Further, we need to beware that theology which leads us inexorably to the Lord Jesus Christ, does not become a substitute for Him in our lives and affections. It can happen so easily. Theology can cover sin in our lives, and the love of theology can become a respectable and unnoticed lid on our sin. But we so often spend more time in theology than we do with our blessed Lord, because theology covers our sin, but Christ exposes it. That's why we can concern ourselves more with theology than we do with the searching Christ. The thirst for orthodoxy can be idolatrous, and systems can effectively replace Christ in our affections.
Is that the real reason why we avoid those texts of Scripture that convict us and show both us and our denomination up for what they really are, rather than exposing ourselves to the searching and penetrating gaze of the all-seeing and all-knowing God? Worth thinking about, isn't it?
2 comments:
While what you say is true, it is unfortunate that you must spend so much time saying it! Be careful not to get caught up, yes, in commentary AND BE ADDRESSING THE ISSUE RATHER THAN attending to ministry in the Spirit. I am fortunate to attend a nondenominational Spirit-led gathering in which the gifts of the Spirit are abundant, the baptism of the Spirit is abundant, miracles, tongues, and interpretation are abundant, and the church is led by the Spirit of God, not majority rule! Yes, stay true to the Gospel--and that means to the Holy Spirit--REGARDLESS of Calvin OR ANYONE ELSE! These dialogues MAY SEEM RELEVANT in your situation, but CHRIST is the thing! Yes, I understand the commentary on Westminster in your context, and I am fortunate not to be in your context; CHRIST is the thing! A Baptist preacher complained that a congregant criticized a church practice as unbiblical, and I said, 'The man is right.' The preacher was married to protocol, not the Bible! I commend your Spirit. Amen. Holy Father, support this man, give him the power to minister, keep him true to your word, and let your Spirit flow in his communication; keep him on track, CHRIST as his flagship, pointing always to HIM AS YOUR SPIRIT LEADS; let him COMMUNICATE with YOUR AUTHORITY, not second-hand AUTHORITY: let him be less about PROMOTING preacher or THEOLOGY and MORE ABOUT PROMOTING CHRIST, using not HIS words, BUT YOUR OWN--GIVE HIM A DOSE OF YOUR SPIRIT! IN CHRIST'S NAME I PRAY! AMEN AND AMEN!
Thank you, Anonymous, for your gracious rebuke, and especially for your words of encouragement. I wish you had given your name.
My great concern is with the church of Jesus Christ, and her unfaithfulness to Him. I am concerned about her departure from His Word.
Please pray for those few faithful ministers in the churches, whether they are regarded as mixed or unmixed denominations/churches (all churches are mixed to some extent), who are battling against great enemies as they seek to do God's will as revealed in Scripture.
Pray also for me as I seek to raise those issues that comfortable ministers do not want to raise.
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